MTN Group, the biggest mobile network operator in Africa, has teamed up with Agility Arabia, a consulting firm located in the UAE, to carry out one of the most ambitious MTN Agile procurement transformation initiatives in the telecom sector so far. The project, which was implemented in MTN’s Global Sourcing and Supply Chain (GSSC) division, has raised the standard for operational performance, procurement agility, and openness.
A Change Across the Region Based on Agile Principles
The MTN Agile procurement transformation was driven by the need to handle increasing business complexity, accelerate time to market, and extract more value from procurement processes. Operating in 16 African markets and serving over 291 million customers, MTN identified its GSSC division—responsible for sourcing, supply chain, and vendor management across 17 operating companies—as a strategic lever for this change.
Agility Arabia was chosen as the transformation partner due to its pioneering work in Agile procurement and its status as the first Scrum.org Professional Training Network member in the UAE. Together, they implemented a Lean Agile Procurement (LAP) framework to help MTN shift from traditional waterfall procurement methods to a more flexible, iterative delivery model.
Important Results in Under 6 Months
The MTN Agile procurement transformation began in early 2023 and yielded impressive results within just six months:
- Strategic RFP cycle times were reduced by up to 55%, leading to significant annual cost savings.
- 84% of GSSC employees were involved in Agile projects.
- The Agile Net Promoter Score (NPS) doubled within three months.
- 13 self-managing Agile teams were formed, significantly improving LAP delivery.
- Over 80% of staff expressed strong confidence in the new Agile framework.
- 74% of survey respondents felt the framework helped them perform better in their roles.
This transformation included intensive capability building, real-time coaching, and restructured roles centered around Agile squads. Agility Arabia’s proprietary 23-point Agile performance evaluation was used to monitor maturity.
A Leader’s Point of View
Speaking about the transformation’s impact, Andrew Savage, Global Lead for Procurement Excellence at MTN, stated:
“Agility Arabia’s team played a pivotal role in setting up and aligning all teams with the prescribed methodologies and guidelines. Their responsibility extended to coaching, guiding, and mentoring each team member, fostering active participation from over 80% of our organisation in agile initiatives. We saw an improvement of up to 55% in strategic RFP cycle times, illustrating the tangible benefits of the transformation. Within three months, our Agile Net Promoter Score doubled, reflecting the success of our collaboration.”
Embedded Coaching for Real-World Challenges
The MTN Agile procurement transformation wasn’t without obstacles—resistance to change, time zone coordination, and applying Agile in a non-software context all posed challenges. To overcome them, Agility Arabia embedded experienced coaches directly into MTN teams to provide continuous, hands-on guidance. This ensured consistent implementation of Scrum events, backlog management, and customer-focused tools like proto-personas and relative estimating.
Ongoing initiatives include onboarding training, weekly “Breakfast & Learn” sessions, and focused development for Scrum Masters.
A Scalable Model for Enterprise-Wide Change
The success of the MTN Agile procurement transformation is now being viewed as a blueprint for enterprise-wide Agile adoption. Future phases will expand Agile education across the business, further integrate Lean Agile Procurement practices, and drive MTN’s broader “Digital DNA” strategy.
Agility Arabia and MTN were both nominated for the 2024 Excellence in Procurement and Supply Consultancy Project of the Year, with MTN earning three additional award nominations.
