Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - Mercedes-Benz Aftersales: A cloud-first transformation (ARC329)

Summary

Mercedes-Benz Aftersales shared their cloud transformation journey at AWS re:Invent 2023.
Eva Rieber and Michael from Deloitte, along with Fuad Mohajiri, presented their experiences and roles in the transformation.
They discussed the strategy and vision behind Mercedes-Benz Aftersales' move to the cloud, including service contract management systems and leveraging esports events for customer engagement.
The team faced challenges with siloed operations and redundancy, which they overcame by adopting a holistic change approach, not just technological but structural and organizational.
They implemented the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) to improve collaboration and planning, which was initially challenging but eventually led to successful onboarding of applications onto the platform.
The team established various support teams like Application Onboarding, Application Enablement, Cross-Functions, and AWS Learning Path to assist with the transition and ongoing operations.
They emphasized the importance of the shared responsibility model, continuous compliance processes, and listening to developers to adapt frameworks accordingly.
The session concluded with a Q&A and a shout-out to their colleagues for their dedication and hard work.

The cloud transformation at Mercedes-Benz Aftersales was not just about technology but also involved significant changes in organizational structure and processes.
Adopting SAFe and implementing it gradually helped the organization manage the complexity of the transformation and improve collaboration across teams.
The shared responsibility model was key to their success, allowing different layers of the organization to focus on their specific roles while maintaining overall alignment.
Continuous engagement with compliance processes and well-architected reviews helped the team to be less apprehensive about corporate audits and maintain high security standards.
The establishment of specialized teams to support different stages of the application lifecycle (onboarding, enablement, cross-functional support, and learning) was crucial in managing the scale of the transformation and ensuring that developers could focus on their core tasks.
The team's approach to handling risks and dependencies, as well as their iterative planning and review processes, were critical in maintaining momentum and confidence throughout the transformation journey.
The presentation highlighted the importance of community and knowledge sharing, as evidenced by the self-organized user groups and the developer system demos that fostered a sense of ownership and pride in the work being done.