How to Deliver Projects at Scale

Launching a new digital product across 12,000 retail locations taught me that scale isn't about size, it's about psychology.

You can't just double the resources for double the locations. The real challenges are human.

Here's what I learnt about scale:

➡️ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 "𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡" 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞 (𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬)

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦: On a small project, you know everyone. At 12,000 locations, people become numbers on a spreadsheet. That personal connection that drives change is lost.

𝐅𝐢𝐱:  Don't try to know everyone. Instead, create micro-communities. We identified and empowered local champions, giving them the tools and autonomy to lead their peers.

➡️ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦: At scale, top-down messages become slow, generic, and impersonal. The direct feedback loop is gone.

𝐅𝐢𝐱: Stop broadcasting TO people. Build systems that help people communicate with EACH OTHER. We launched a simple forum for location managers to share tips and solve problems directly, which was faster and more effective than any central announcement.

➡️ "𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐞" 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦: Endless town halls, emails, and progress reports lead to massive fatigue. People tune out.

𝐅𝐢𝐱:  Design moments of genuine engagement, not just information dumps. We focused on celebrating small, local wins publicly and sharing "learnings of the week" to keep the energy and momentum alive.

➡️ 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦: The successful processes that worked for 10 locations will create bureaucratic chaos at 10,000.

𝐅𝐢𝐱: Build scalable support systems, not rigid rules. We worked with our champions to create flexible templates and resources that locations could adapt, rather than enforcing a one-size-fits-all mandate.

In short, success scaling requires a delicate balance:

→ Centralised Support (The "what" and "why")

→ Local Autonomy (The "how")

→ Flexibility (The willingness to adapt)

Scaling isn't just a test of logistics; it's a test of leadership, culture, and adaptability.

What's the biggest challenge you've faced when trying to scale a project?