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Akeneo PIM Project Management and Product Information Governance

Akeneo PIM Project Management and Product Information Governance

End-to-end project management of the central product data platform for thousands of real estate programs, with 4 external vendors, 10+ stakeholders and a migration to Akeneo SaaS.

2019 - 2024
5 years
Technical Lead then Project Manager - PIM/DAM
Groupe Pichet
Akeneo PIM EnterprisePHP / SymfonyMySQLElasticsearchRabbitMQDockerKubernetesGitLab CIHelmTyk API GatewayAzure AD SSO

Automated Reports

15,000+

Import reports generated over 4+ years

Vendors Coordinated

4

External vendors managed (Kariba, DnD, Akeneo, Claranet)

Partner Portals

25+

Fed via the downstream export flow

Stakeholders

10+

Internal and external stakeholders coordinated across 4 departments

Presentation & Definition

What is this project about?

The PIM (Product Information Management) is the central product data platform of Groupe Pichet. Built on the open-source solution Akeneo PIM (Enterprise Edition), it centralizes all information about the group's real estate programs (new builds, rental investment, property management) and distributes them to every sales and marketing channel.

It acts as the single source of truth for product data across the entire organization. Every real estate listing published on the group's websites (Pichet Immobilier, Pichet Investissement, Pichet Location), on partner portals (SeLoger, LeBonCoin, BienIci and 22+ others), on the internal CRM and on business intelligence dashboards is sourced from this PIM.

I took ownership of this platform when I joined in January 2019, after a full scope transfer from my predecessor. As Technical Project Manager I ran the full PIM lifecycle over 5 years: I coordinated 4 external vendors (Kariba, DnD, Akeneo, Claranet), I drove the version migration, I managed the import pipeline development, I led the SaaS migration, and I supervised daily operations with 10+ internal and external stakeholders.

Business Domain

Real Estate / MarTech - product data management covering new builds, rental investment and property management programs at a major French real estate group.

Target Users

Marketing teams, sales teams, partner agencies (ligneurs), business intelligence team - both internal B2B users and external partner integrations.

Objectives, Context, Stakes & Risks

Understanding the strategic landscape

Objectives
  • Migrate the PIM from v1.4 to Akeneo PIM v2.3 (then v3, v4) while preserving data integrity and service continuity
  • Automate data import from the internal ERP via a daily XML pipeline
  • Implement automatic matching between manually-created programs in the PIM and real programs coming from the ERP
  • Migrate to Akeneo SaaS: move away from on-premise Kubernetes hosting to the Akeneo-managed cloud platform
  • Set up Azure AD SSO for unified access to the PIM SaaS
  • Operate the PIM day-to-day (alerts, corrections, evolution of attributes and channels)
Context

Groupe Pichet is a family-owned real estate group headquartered in Pessac (Bordeaux Metropole), covering the entire real estate value chain: new builds, rental investment, property management, hospitality, student residences and vineyards.

The IT department was organized into dedicated divisions (Marketing IT, Middleware/ESB, Cross-functional IT, Finance/HR IT). The digital transformation required a robust, centralized product data hub to keep data quality consistent across every channel.

When I took over, the PIM was running on v1.4 - the state of the art at the time for that scope - with an import process still partly manual. Modernizing this critical platform while maintaining zero downtime on data distribution was the challenge to tackle.

Business Stakes

Direct Business Impact

The PIM feeds every group website and 25+ partner real estate portals - any data error propagates instantly to every sales channel.

Massive Data Volume

Thousands of real estate programs, hundreds of thousands of assets, 100+ automated reports per month in production.

Regulatory Compliance

The PIM carries commercial listing data (prices, availability, surfaces, docs) - errors can carry legal consequences for the group.

Project Constraints

Budget

Dedicated OPEX envelope for cloud infrastructure. Akeneo SaaS license contract negotiated with the vendor. Multiple vendor contracts managed in parallel (Akeneo, Claranet, DnD, Kariba).

Resources

No dedicated PIM team - I was the sole owner, coordinating 2 external agencies (DnD, Kariba) and 1 vendor (Akeneo). Internal resources shared across several IT projects.

Dependencies

Strong dependency on the internal ERP (daily XML exports), the ESB middleware, the Claranet hosting, Azure AD for SSO, and the API Gateway. Any change required cross-team coordination.

Identified Risks

Data Integrity During Migration

Critical attention point during the v1.4 to v2.3 migration - integrity guaranteed through an exhaustive acceptance test book and verification of hundreds of thousands of assets.

API Regression After Migration

High risk of breaking existing API consumers on the API Gateway - mitigated through dedicated API testing branches and a staged rollout.

Import Pipeline Failure

Any disruption of the daily import impacts data freshness on every portal - mitigated through automated monitoring and email alerts.

Program Matching Inconsistencies

Wrong automatic matching could corrupt listing data - mitigated through detailed fusion notifications and business team validation.

The Steps - How I Managed It

A chronological journey through 5 years of project ownership

Phase 1
Scope Takeover & Migration Coordination
Jan - Sep 2019
  • I ran the knowledge transfer with my predecessor and documented the entire scope
  • For the v2.3 migration, I coordinated 3 vendors (Kariba, DnD, Akeneo) and steered 50+ Jira tickets
  • On the DnD acceptance testing, I drove the verification of hundreds of thousands of assets with the business teams
  • I kicked off PIM v2 and built the release plan for deployment
Phase 2
Pipeline Go-Live & Operational Setup
Oct 2019 - Dec 2020
  • I delivered the ERP import pipeline to production with automated monitoring (100+ reports/month)
  • On operational reporting, I was sending daily automated email reports to 5+ stakeholders
  • Alongside the business teams, I launched the automatic program matching system
  • I drove the PIM v4 POC and ran the cost/benefit analysis between version upgrade and SaaS migration
  • On the SaaS migration kick-off, I opened the vendor negotiation and produced the first bootstrap archive
Phase 3
SaaS Migration - Strategic Project
Jan 2021 - Dec 2021
  • I negotiated the Akeneo SaaS contract: license terms, SLA and MSA clauses
  • Alongside the internal security team, I integrated the Azure AD SSO
  • On deployment, I defined the strategy across 5 environments with Claranet and Akeneo
  • I designed the rsync pipeline: ERP → AWS → PIM SaaS
  • On go-live day, I delivered the zero-downtime migration with a full deployment and rollback plan
Phase 4
Run Management & Handover
Jan 2022 - Feb 2024
  • For data quality, I put in place continuous validation via PIM/CRM comparison files across all environments
  • On the run side, I supervised error monitoring, import reports and alerts day-to-day
  • Alongside 3 internal teams, I integrated the PIM into the new group website project
  • On the handover front, I ran the progressive transition with documentation, training and knowledge transfer to my successor
Gantt Timeline - 5-Year Project
PIM Akeneo - 5-year project timeline
Environment Distribution

The Actors - Interactions

Who I interacted with directly and how I orchestrated the collaboration

On this PIM project, I interacted with a diverse set of stakeholders:

  • Management: with Franck C. (my N+1), I held weekly syncs and obtained deployment validations
  • Development: I worked with a mixed Kariba team (Andoni L. predecessor, Thomas R.) and the DnD agency (Julien G., Vianney C.) on development, testing and sprints
  • Business & operations: I orchestrated alignment with Cyril M. (digital production), Nicolas F. (cross-functional, ESB/PIM), Kalala M. (marketing IT) and Gaetan B. (business lead)
  • Vendor partner: on the Akeneo side, I had Elie C. as my main counterpart for project follow-up

I acted as the central coordination point for the entire PIM ecosystem - the sole project owner managing vendor deliveries, internal stakeholder expectations and daily supervision. From 2021 onward, my role was formalized as Product Owner while I kept full project management and technical oversight.

Methodology & Governance

I shaped the project with a hybrid Agile methodology adapted to a large enterprise context, with clear governance at every level:

  • Agile Scrum - 2-week sprints for development phases (migration, pipeline, SaaS), tracked in Jira with formal planning, reviews and retrospectives
  • Steering Committee (COPIL) - strategic decisions with management and my manager Franck C.: budget validation, SaaS go/no-go, vendor contract approvals
  • Weekly operational sync with Franck C. covering sprint progress, risk status, vendor deliverables and upcoming milestones
  • Confluence documentation - architecture decision records, environment guides, API credentials, Postman collections
  • Formal acceptance gates - test book validation (DnD/Pichet) before every major release, signed off by the business (Gaetan B.)
  • Release management - deployment plans with rollback procedures, coordinated with DevOps and Claranet
  • Vendor reviews - quarterly business reviews with Akeneo, monthly coordination with Claranet, sprint cadence with DnD, ad-hoc sync with Kariba
  • Change management - RACI matrix for cross-team decisions, especially when changes impacted the 25+ downstream portals
Project Governance Structure
Project Governance Structure
Effort Distribution Across PM Activities

Results - Impact

Measurable outcomes for project management maturity and business value

For Me - Skills Acquired & Reinforced Through This Project
  • Multi-vendor coordination: I orchestrated 4 partners in parallel (Kariba, DnD, Akeneo, Claranet), from negotiation to validation, across 3 engagement models (fixed-price, T&M, SaaS).
  • Full project lifecycle: I covered the scope end-to-end - framing, vendor selection, go-live, operational run and handover.
  • Strategic migration leadership: I carried the on-premise → SaaS decision, built the business case, negotiated the Akeneo contract and delivered without disruption.
  • Stakeholder management: I managed 10+ contacts across 4 departments, tailoring my communication to each audience.
  • Budget & contracts: I steered infrastructure OPEX, vendor contracts and annual license renewals.

This project changed the way I work: I now approach my Technical Project Manager role by combining technical vision, formal governance and long-term vendor relationships.

For the Company - Business Impact
  • Data centralization: single source of truth for thousands of programs, 25+ partner portals and every group website
  • Automation: 15,000+ automated reports over 4 years, no more manual entry
  • Zero-downtime migration: on-premise to SaaS move without service disruption
  • Cost optimization: lower OPEX (no more Kubernetes maintenance), team refocused on business-value work
  • Vendor consolidation: simpler hosting on the Akeneo-managed SaaS platform
  • Data quality: listing duplicates removed through automatic program matching
  • Operational excellence: early detection of issues before user impact
  • Structured handover: documentation, training and progressive autonomy for my successor
Akeneo Version Migration Journey

Project Aftermath

What happened after delivery?

Immediate aftermath (2022)

Once the SaaS migration was live, the focus shifted to stabilization and validation. PIM/CRM comparison files were generated after every import cycle across all environments to ensure data consistency between the PIM and the internal CRM.

Medium term (2023)

The PIM was integrated into the new group website project, which required adapting the import reports for both rental properties and new build programs. Error supervision continued on internal data files across every environment, showing the platform's maturity and the reliability of the monitoring infrastructure.

Long term (2024 and beyond)

The PIM SaaS platform still operates as the central data hub for Groupe Pichet's real estate distribution. The architectural choices made during the migration - in particular the rsync-based pipeline from ERP to AWS to PIM SaaS - proved robust enough to support years of production operation without major incidents.

The SaaS move allowed the IT team to refocus on higher business-value topics. The progressive handover I structured ensured knowledge continuity for the team taking over PIM operations.

Critical Reflection

How I judge this project with the hindsight of 5 years of ownership

What went well
  • Structured vendor coordination: I steered 4 external partners through clear scopes, regular syncs and formalized acceptance gates.
  • Zero-downtime SaaS migration: I delivered the on-premise → SaaS transition without disruption via a phased strategy with rollback at each stage.
  • Knowledge transfer discipline: I structured both my incoming and outgoing handovers with documentation, training and progressive autonomy.
  • Monitoring from day one: I set up the automated alerting and reporting that prevented data-quality issues from reaching the 25+ downstream portals.
What I would do differently
  • Progressive COPIL formalization: I let the project evolve from agile coordination toward a formal steering committee - a classic progression, but I could have made that shift earlier.
  • Architecture Decision Records from the start: I would have written formal ADRs to make key choices (SaaS vs on-premise, vendor selection) more traceable than my email threads.
  • Earlier SaaS business case: I would have anticipated the SaaS business case sooner to free up product capacity, since the on-premise phase demanded heavy PM investment on infrastructure.
  • Earlier SLA contractualization: I would have formalized SLAs and escalation paths upfront to further strengthen the already solid framework I set up with partners.
The lasting lessons this project brought me
  • Project ownership needs business fluency: I learned that PM skills alone are not enough - understanding the domain (product codes, multi-channel, regulations) is what turns a PM into a trusted advisor.
  • Vendor management is relationship management: I saw that the best contract terms mean nothing without a working relationship - the quarterly business reviews are what built that trust.
  • Long-term projects need evolving governance: over 5 years, I watched governance shift from informal to a structured COPIL and formalized PO - adapting to the project's maturity is critical.
  • Handover is a project in itself: I measured first-hand that a 5-year transfer cannot be done in a week - the 6+ months of parallel operation were essential.

Related journey

Professional experience linked to this achievement

Engineering Manager · Project Manager / Product Owner · Technical Lead

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

Skills applied

Technical and soft skills applied

Hard Skills

DevOps & Cloud4/5

DevOps, Cloud & Production Industrialization

Managed migration from on-premise Kubernetes to Akeneo SaaS, designed rsync pipeline from internal ERP to AWS to PIM cloud

Soft Skills

Project Management5/5

Project Piloting & Agile Methodologies

Piloted PIM lifecycle over 5 years: version migration, pipeline automation, SaaS migration, and daily operations as Technical Lead then PO, Coordinated with 10+ stakeholders: DnD/Kariba agencies, Akeneo vendor, marketing teams, business leads, Claranet hosting

Problem Solving & Adaptability5/5

Problem Solving & Adaptability

Designed G2P mediation system for automatic program reconciliation, resolved import pipeline issues, managed API migration risks. Mastered Akeneo PIM ecosystem from v1.4 through SaaS, learned real estate domain and multi-channel distribution requirements

Communication & Collaboration4/5

Pedagogy & Communication & Collaboration

Managed knowledge transfer from predecessor, coordinated across development agencies, business teams, and vendor representatives

Image gallery

Project screenshots and visuals

API Gateway architecture diagram
API Gateway architecture connecting PIM, CRM and partner systems
Project governance process diagram
Governance workflow with COPIL, product ownership and vendor coordination

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