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Leading DAM Bynder Deployment for 1,400 Users (Groupe Pichet)

Leading DAM Bynder Deployment for 1,400 Users (Groupe Pichet)

End-to-end project management of the DAM Bynder deployment for Groupe Pichet, replacing the legacy OpenText system, delivered ahead of schedule and within budget.

February 2019 - November 2020
20 months
Project Manager - Sole Pilot
Groupe Pichet
DAM BynderOpenText OTMMCI HUBAzure ADAWS S3JiraConfluence

Target Users

~1,400

All Groupe Pichet entities

Year-1 Budget

~57K€

Under initial 65K€ envelope

Onboarding Sessions

17

Weekly sessions with Bynder

Years in Production

3+

Nov 2020 - Feb 2024+

Presentation

Project definition and scope

The DAM (Digital Asset Management) project consisted in deploying a centralized platform for managing all digital resources of the Groupe Pichet - a major player in French real estate with approximately 1,400 employees across multiple business units (property development, rental, hospitality, student residences, marketing, and corporate communications).

The core mission was to replace the legacy OpenText OTMM (Open Text Media Management) system - an aging, on-premise solution requiring complex infrastructure (SQL Server, OTDS, MFT, FFMPEG, Adaptive Media Delivery) - with the modern SaaS platform DAM Bynder.

The platform centralizes all visual assets of the group: real estate program photographs, architectural plans, marketing visuals, videos, logos, and brand guidelines. It makes these resources available to every entity in the group through a single, intuitive interface.

I was the IT Project Manager for this migration from an on-premise OpenText DAM to a SaaS Bynder DAM. Together with the new Communications Director (Stéphanie L.) and the Business Owner (Émeline D.), we drove the proposal to break away from the legacy on-premise setup and move to a SaaS approach - a pivot that proved decisive for the project's success.

Objectives, Context, Stakes & Risks

Strategic vision and constraints

Objectives
  • Replace OpenText OTMM (on-premise, heavy, complex - blocked SQL Server 2016 AlwaysOn migration) with a modern, intuitive SaaS solution
  • Centralize all visual assets on a single platform accessible to all entities (~1,400 employees)
  • Mass import of existing assets from the Group's Samba file servers into Bynder, rebuilding a coherent folder structure and metadata model
  • Conduct an independent benchmark (6 stages: Gap Analysis, Resource Audit, User Requirements, Governance, Vendor Scoring, Vendor Analysis)
  • Integrate DAM with PIM Akeneo for automatic product image synchronization (ESB DAM-PIM SaaS flow)
  • Train internal users on the new platform (TUTO DAM, progressive onboarding)
  • Connect DAM to Creative Suite tools via CI HUB (Adobe CC connector)
Context

Before my arrival, 5 successive project managers had already tried to deliver the DAM using OpenText OTMM. Over 360,000€ had been spent (OpenText licenses, integrator fees and internal project management) without the platform ever reaching production: barely 20 users had access to a tool meant to serve the entire Group (~1,400 employees). A total failure.

The legacy OpenText OTMM system had become a maintenance nightmare: blocked SQL Server 2016 AlwaysOn migration, complex OTDS/MFT/FFMPEG upgrades, access limited to the internal network.

The real business pain was elsewhere: dozens of departments across the Group constantly asked the Communications team for the same assets (photos, logos, plans, marketing visuals). The Communications team was spending a considerable share of its time manually redistributing the same content to the same requesters - a recurring, low-value workload that a well-structured DAM could eliminate, provided every Group employee could find assets on their own.

I took over this project in February 2019, at the same time as Stéphanie L. was hired as the new Group Communications Director and Émeline D. was designated as Business Owner. Together, we made a radical decision: rethink the whole approach in SaaS mode. In a few months, we turned those 360,000€ of sunk spending into a brand-new project delivered for just a few tens of thousands of euros - in production, used by the entire Group. A success where 5 previous attempts had failed.

Business Stakes

Group-wide Deployment

All Pichet entities (development, rental, hospitality, All Suites, student residences, marketing, communications) needed access to a single platform - this was a business transformation project, not just IT

Controlled Budget

Initial envelope of 65K€ (later revised down to 55K€ after precise costing), with Bynder license at 36,900€/year plus CI HUB (~15K€) and Activo Consulting (5K€)

Covid Context

The project was delivered during the pandemic - ahead of schedule, within budget and with zero Covid delay, a fact highlighted by the general management

Identified Risks
RisqueDescriptionProbabilityImpactMitigationStatus
Mass Import from Samba ServersThe previous OpenText DAM never reached production, so little could be migrated from it. The real challenge was mass-importing several terabytes of existing assets from the Group's Samba file servers into Bynder, while rebuilding a coherent folder structure and metadata model from scratch60%90%Structured import pipeline, coherent folder structure and metadata model defined with the Business OwnerMitigated
Diffusion & Self-Service AdoptionSince the previous system had never reached production, all 1,400 Group employees were starting from zero. The real challenge was to roll out the platform, onboard users, and structure content rigorously enough for anyone to find what they need on their own - without falling back to the Communications team70%80%17 weekly progressive onboarding sessions, TUTO DAM documentation, Business Owner (Émeline D.) as bridge to end-usersMitigated
PIM Integration ComplexitySynchronizing assets between DAM and PIM Akeneo via ESB required reliable automated flows with proper error handling50%60%ESB flow monitoring with post-launch error handlingPartial
Vendor DependencyMoving from on-premise to SaaS introduced dependency on Bynder availability. Two major legal topics had to be secured: SLA (uptime, response times) and reversibility (ability to exit the contract and recover all assets without lock-in)30%70%Legal review by Louise R. on the two key topics: SLA and reversibility clauses secured in the 3 Bynder contractual documentsMitigated

The Steps

Chronological phases and personal contributions

Phase 1
Legacy DAM Takeover
Feb - Nov 2019
  • I took over DAM leadership from Nicolas F.
  • On the legacy side, I led the OpenText technical upgrades (OTDS, OTMM, MFT, FFMPEG, Adobe CC)
  • I absorbed the existing DAM infrastructure through an in-depth knowledge transfer
  • For asset storage, I created the AWS S3 bucket (kariba-assets)
Phase 2
Benchmark & Vendor Selection
Feb - Jul 2020
  • I gathered the requirements through DAM workshops with Nicolas F. and stakeholders
  • On the team setup, we jointly agreed that Émeline D. would take on the Business Owner role (80% FTE sprint 1)
  • I ran the benchmark workshops, backlog/sprint reviews and roadmap sessions
  • On CELUM, I attended the vendor's live demos, carried the Pichet-side requirements and scored the tool in the benchmark grid
  • For SSO, I scoped the Azure AD integration with the infrastructure team
  • Together with Émeline D., we landed the Bynder selection on June 26, 2020, validated by Stéphanie L.
Phase 3
Configuration & Deployment
Jul - Nov 2020
  • Together with Activo Consulting, I configured the DAM end-to-end
  • On the business side, I attended the 17 weekly "OnBoarding Bynder" sessions, carrying the Pichet requirements to the vendor
  • On the specification side, I defined user profiles/permissions, groups, SNS notifications, External Uploader and IPTC mappings
  • To measure the project impact, I captured pre-launch statistics to enable a proper before/after comparison
  • On November 18, 2020, I launched the platform in production and communicated the rollout across Groupe Pichet
  • On the change management side, I coordinated user training
Phase 4
Exploitation & PIM Integration
Nov 2020 - Feb 2024+
  • I drove the ongoing DAM-PIM integration, piloting asset sync via ESB
  • I handled access management day-to-day
  • On the operations side, I monitored production alerts
  • Over the long run, I sustained platform continuity for more than 3 years
Project Phases
Project Phases
Contract Management
  • Professional Agreement - scope of services, responsibilities, intellectual property
  • SLA - uptime commitments, response times, escalation procedures
  • Contract - pricing, payment terms, renewal conditions, termination clauses
  • Vendor creation in Qualiac (command CARM.9821.1)
  • Budget validation by Franck C. (N+1)

The Actors - Interactions

How I interacted with stakeholders and collaborated

RACI Matrix
Activity / DecisionJosé DA COSTAEmeline D.Stéphanie L.Nicolas F.Louise R.
Requirements GatheringCR/AAII
Vendor SelectionRRACI
Contract NegotiationRCACR
Budget ApprovalRCACI
Platform ConfigurationR/ACIII
User TrainingCR/AAII
Go-Live DecisionRRACI
Production MonitoringR/AIIII

R = Responsible (does the work) | A = Accountable (approves) | C = Consulted | I = Informed

Results

Impact for me and for the organization

Results for Me - Professional Growth

This project was for me a defining experience in enterprise project management. Leading it at group-wide scale as IT Project Manager, in tandem with the Communications Director and the Business Owner, made me develop skills that go far beyond technical implementation:

  • Vendor management & procurement: I ran a structured, methodology-driven vendor selection, orchestrated the RFP processes, negotiated commercial terms and coordinated the legal review (SLA + reversibility).
  • Stakeholder management at scale: I coordinated across all Pichet entities (development, rental, hospitality, marketing, communications, IT infrastructure), each with its own needs and expectations.
  • Diffusion & self-service adoption: I rolled out a brand-new platform to ~1,400 employees, with progressive onboarding and rigorous content classification so that anyone could find assets on their own.
  • SaaS transformation expertise: I gained a deep understanding of on-premise-to-SaaS migration dynamics, vendor SLA evaluation, and cloud dependency management.

This project changed the way I work: I now reason "contract + SLA + reversibility" from day one on any vendor decision.

Results for the Organization - Business Impact

The DAM Bynder deployment exceeded expectations on every dimension:

  • Delivery: Launched ahead of schedule and within budget - with zero Covid delay despite the pandemic context
  • Budget: Actual Year-1 spend of ~57,000€ HT vs. initial 65K€ envelope - 12% under budget
  • User Reach: Legacy OpenText never reached real production; we scrapped it and started fresh, giving the entire Groupe Pichet (~1,400 employees) access to the new DAM
  • Infrastructure Savings: Eliminated on-premise OpenText servers (SQL Server, OTDS, OTMM, MFT, FFMPEG), removing ~70K€/year in infrastructure and maintenance costs
  • Communications team freed from recurring requests: with self-service access for every Group employee, the Communications team no longer spent its time manually redistributing the same assets to dozens of departments - refocused on higher-value work
  • Creative Integration: CI HUB connector enabled direct Adobe Creative Cloud ↔ Bynder workflow, reducing manual asset handling by marketing teams
  • PIM Synchronization: Automated DAM ↔ PIM Akeneo integration for product images, eliminating manual upload workflows
  • Management Satisfaction: Positive feedback from Benoit P. (CEO), Remi E. (Management), and the entire organization
Delivery Performance

Schedule

Ahead

Delivered Nov 18 vs. Dec 2020 target

Budget Variance

-12%

57K€ actual vs. 65K€ envelope

Scope

100%

All planned features delivered + PIM integration

Quality

Zero defects

Clean launch, no rollback, 3+ years stable

Project Aftermath

What happened after launch

Immediate Post-Launch (November - December 2020)

The launch on November 18, 2020 was met with enthusiasm across the organization. The platform immediately became the central hub for all visual assets.

Medium-Term Exploitation (2021 - 2022)

The DAM-PIM integration entered continuous operation mode, with automated synchronization of product images between Bynder and Akeneo. The ESB flows handled the bi-directional asset synchronization.

Long-Term (2023 - 2024+)

The architectural decision to choose a SaaS platform over on-premise proved durably correct: zero version upgrade hassles, no infrastructure maintenance, and automatic feature updates from Bynder. The initial investment in a rigorous benchmark process paid dividends in vendor satisfaction and platform stability over 3+ years.

Critical Reflection

How I judge this project with hindsight

What went well

With hindsight, here are what I identify as the key success factors:

  • Structured benchmark methodology: I see this independent framework (Codified DAM Consultant) as the deciding factor - it gave me a rigorous, vendor-agnostic evaluation that lent credibility to my Bynder recommendation and prevented an emotional or relationship-driven selection.
  • Progressive onboarding: I ran 17 structured working sessions with Bynder's professional services team to master the platform before go-live. No shortcuts, smooth launch.
  • Transparent communication: I kept regular touchpoints at every level - from Business Owner to general management - which maintained alignment and prevented surprises.
What I would do differently

With hindsight, here are the aspects I would have improved:

  • Earlier user involvement: I would have involved a broader panel of end-users earlier in the configuration phase, to surface edge cases and specific needs sooner.
  • Formalized import plan: on the mass import from the Samba servers to Bynder, I would have written a more detailed, documented plan with explicit validation checkpoints.
  • PIM integration planning: I would have pushed the ESB flow specifications further upfront - I later saw it would have reduced my post-launch monitoring load.
  • Knowledge documentation: beyond the user-facing TUTO DAM, I would have expanded the technical architecture and integration documentation to secure long-term maintainability.
The lasting lessons this project brought me

This project reinforced several principles that shaped the way I approach subsequent initiatives:

  • Independent consulting buys credibility, not expertise: I invested 5K€ in an external consultant not to fill a DAM knowledge gap - we had it in-house - but to secure the posture of neutrality that convinced management and neutralized relational bias. On politically charged projects, I would do it again every single time.
  • SaaS vs. on-premise is not just a technical choice: I experienced that it is an organizational transformation that changes maintenance culture, budget models, and accessibility expectations.

Related journey

Professional experience linked to this achievement

Project Manager / Product Owner · Flows and Products: PIM & DAM & ESB

Skills applied

Technical and soft skills applied

Soft Skills

Project Management5/5

Project Piloting & Agile Methodologies

Sole pilot of group-wide DAM deployment for ~1,400 employees - benchmark, vendor selection, contract negotiation, onboarding, go-live - Coordinated 10+ stakeholders (management, marketing, IT, legal for SLA & reversibility, vendor teams) - Hybrid approach with sprint reviews, backlog grooming, and iterative deployment - applied pragmatically before PSPO certification obtained in 2021

Problem Solving & Adaptability5/5

Problem Solving & Adaptability

Radical SaaS pivot after 5 previous failed attempts (360K€ wasted) and 6-step independent benchmark methodology - the cognitive anchor that turned failure into success. Mastered DAM ecosystem (Bynder, CI HUB, OpenText migration) and delivered despite Covid constraints

Communication & Collaboration4/5

Pedagogy & Communication & Collaboration

Led 17 weekly onboarding sessions, user training, and transparent reporting to executive management

Image gallery

Project screenshots and visuals

Bynder DAM media library interface showing Groupe Pichet real estate photo assets with filters and grid view
Bynder DAM - Media library with real estate photo assets
DAM Pichet project timeline showing 3 phases over 6 months from RFP to production deployment
Project timeline - 6-month rollout in 3 phases
DAM solutions market landscape in 2020 showing 30+ vendors including Bynder, Adobe, Wedia and Celum
Market analysis - DAM solutions landscape in 2020
Cloud migration model comparison showing On-Premises, IaaS, PaaS and SaaS responsibility layers
Migration strategy - PaaS/SaaS hybrid cloud model
Vendor financial comparison table for Groupe Pichet DAM project showing Adobe, OpenText, Bynder, Celum and Sollan
Vendor comparison - Financial proposals from 5 editors

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