Quick analysis and clear recommendations

The fact that the Pieper family is a big supporter of BVB was irrelevant for the project initiation. But when our co-founder Tom — himself a passionate BVB fan — entered the company headquarters in Herne for the first time and discovered some black and yellow exhibits in the entrance hall, the atmosphere was even better.

And this good atmosphere was a recurring thread throughout the project. We met an open, motivated team that worked with a lot of energy and genuine curiosity on topics related to data strategy and data architecture wanted to work. The discussions were constructive, honest and always solution-oriented — an ideal setting for a short, intensive project.

The aim of the project was clear

In a short period of time, a well-founded assessment of architecture, organization and culture in the data environment and derive concrete, actionable recommendations from this. In the first week, we conducted interviews and workshops with the relevant specialist areas on site in Herne in order to gain a complete picture of the current situation. We then analysed the findings and condensed them into a structured overview of strengths, weaknesses and fields of action. In the second week, we deepened individual points in a further digital interview and presented the initial results for internal discussion. We used the third week to finalize and hand over the complete deliverable.

The analysis showed

Pieper has motivated specialist areas and initial solid digitization initiatives, while at the same time it became clear that important foundations still need to be created for the next stage of data-driven value creation. A holistic customer view is currently not possible, customer data is spread across different systems, and a central data team and a scalable data platform are still under construction. Also topics such as uniform reporting standards, the targeted expansion of data competencies and the orientation of the architecture to future requirements were identified as central fields of action.

Another important part of the project was the identification of specific use cases — both directly related to and independent of a future data platform. Most of these use cases have a clear customer and data connection, range from more targeted marketing and service initiatives to internal efficiency improvements, and can be prioritized and implemented step by step. Together with Pieper, we chose the Customer Golden Record as a concrete entry point into implementation. As an MVP, this should show how a consolidated customer view can generate direct business added value, for example through more targeted customer targeting, better segmentation and the basis for omnichannel initiatives. By implementing such a tangible use case, technical, organizational and cultural changes can be initiated in parallel — with immediately visible results.

The topic of CRM played a role here, especially from a strategic point of view. In the short term, the majority of prioritized use cases can be implemented without a dedicated CRM, so that the introduction of such a solution does not have to be immediately in the foreground. In the medium term, however, there is an opportunity to add value via a central CRM system — particularly when it comes to operational data flows or connecting customer services. We therefore recommended that the topic of CRM be considered as a strategic component at an early stage, but that it be planned in such a way that the fundamental data and platform topics are implemented first.

Against this background, we developed a technical and organizational goal that provides for the development of a modular, cloud-based data platform. In the future, this platform should integrate all relevant data sources and thus create the basis for a uniform customer view. In addition, we recommended the gradual establishment of a central data team with clearly defined roles — from Head of Data to a Platform Lead to Data Analysts in the specialist areas — as well as measures to strengthen cross-divisional collaboration and data culture.

The result after three weeks

Today, Pieper has a clear position statement, concrete and prioritized recommendations for action, and a reliable target image for the next steps. Above all, however, the project team has gained a common understanding of how their own data journey can start — pragmatically, focused and with a clear view of the business impact.

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