Results matter. So does how you get there. These two engagements show not just what was delivered, but how problems were diagnosed, what made delivery difficult, and why the outcomes held.
Building a Digital Operations Practice from the Ground Up
The Situation
A global pharmaceutical company operating across multiple African markets had no centralised digital operations capability. Processes across commercial, medical affairs, and operations divisions were fragmented, heavily manual, and largely undocumented. There was no Power Platform governance, no automation architecture, and no structured approach to digital adoption.
The business had Microsoft 365 licences deployed but was deriving minimal operational value from them. Reporting was done manually in Excel. Approval workflows ran through email chains. Operational data was siloed across departments with no unified visibility.
The Challenge
Comprehensive audit of existing processes, systems, and data flows across all three divisions. Identified 14 high-priority automation opportunities. Developed a 12-month delivery roadmap with phased governance milestones.
Designed and built a Power Platform Centre of Excellence. Deployed 8 Power Apps across commercial and operations, including approval workflows, field reporting tools, and compliance tracking dashboards. Established Dataverse as the central data layer.
Integrated AI-driven document processing for medical affairs. Built automated reporting environments connected to Power BI. Deployed Power Automate workflows reducing manual processing across 6 recurring operational cycles.
Established ongoing Centre of Excellence with licensing standards, solution governance protocols, and a tiered support model. Trained internal champions across each division. Delivered full documentation and handover package.
"What made this work was not the technology. It was owning the problem end-to-end: understanding what each business function actually needed, translating that into a governed delivery roadmap, building solutions to compliance standards, and then managing change so the tools were actually adopted. Most digital projects in regulated environments fail at adoption. This one did not, because adoption was treated as a deliverable, not an afterthought."
* Client details anonymised in accordance with confidentiality obligations.
Building a Complete Digital Operations Foundation from Zero
The Situation
A growth-stage professional services firm had no structured digital infrastructure. The business was operating without a proper cloud environment, no formal process documentation, and no governance framework for its digital operations. IT decisions were reactive, not strategic.
Leadership recognised that continued growth would be constrained by the absence of a digital foundation, but did not have the internal capability to define what that foundation should look like, let alone build it.
The Challenge
Designed and deployed full cloud infrastructure including Microsoft 365 tenant setup, SharePoint architecture, cloud storage, email, and collaboration frameworks. Established security baseline and access governance.
Developed a 12-month digital operations roadmap aligned to business growth objectives. Prioritised quick wins alongside strategic investments. Created governance framework and decision-making structures for ongoing technology decisions.
Automated 3 core operational processes including client onboarding, document management, and reporting workflows. Reduced manual administrative effort by an estimated 30% across these processes.
Transitioned to an ongoing retainer model. Catalyst provides continuous digital operations oversight, technology advisory, and iterative improvement across all systems. The engagement remains active.
"Catalyst Digital Operations is not only equipped for enterprise-scale regulated environments. We bring the same rigour, governance, and end-to-end ownership to growth-stage businesses, meeting them where they are and building the digital foundation they need to scale. For this client, that meant functioning as a full-spectrum digital operations partner: infrastructure architect, strategic advisor, automation engineer, and ongoing technical lead, all in one engagement."
* Client details anonymised in accordance with confidentiality obligations.
Working with Catalyst Digital Operations gave us the structure and clarity we needed to support our growth.
Before the engagement, our digital environment was largely reactive. We did not have a clear infrastructure, documented processes, or a governance framework to guide our technology decisions. Catalyst helped us build that foundation from the ground up.
What stood out was that they did not just implement technology and walk away. They took the time to understand how we operate, helped us prioritise what mattered, automated key processes, and put governance structures in place that we could continue to manage ourselves.
We now have a much more structured, scalable digital environment and greater confidence in how we manage our operations. Having Catalyst Digital Operations continue alongside us also gives us the reassurance that our digital capabilities can evolve as the business grows.
They genuinely became an extension of our team.
Managing Director, Three Black Diamond (Pty) Ltd
Ongoing client since 2026
A focused diagnostic conversation to identify where your operations have the most to gain. No obligation. No sales pitch. Just clarity on where to begin and what to prioritise.