Piloting Agile for a Smoke-Free Future with Philip Morris
We helped the Agile Transformation team at Philip Morris International (PMI) strategically frame agile change and deliver a pilot of an agile transformation for their Smoke Free Products (SFP) division.
Context
As part of its commitment to a smoke-free future, Philip Morris International (PMI) needed to evolve how its central teams operated - particularly in branding, customer experience, and strategy.
Enabling a Smoke-Free Future through New Ways of Working
To support this, the Smoke-Free Products (SFP) Agile Transformation (AT) team engaged Studio Zao to design and deliver a focused pilot. The goal was to demonstrate how changes in working practices and product development processes could lead to measurable improvements in performance and employee satisfaction.
Approach
Building and Testing Agile “as a Product”
We approached agile transformation as an internal product - something to design, test and iterate, rather than implement wholesale.
Pilot Design
We created a structured pilot with clear hypotheses and success metrics to assess agile’s impact on both operational efficiency and team engagement.
Pilot Implementation
We supported three product teams through strategy development, roadmap creation, and day-to-day product management and ownership.Leadership Alignment
We worked closely with senior leaders to redefine roles and operating structures in support of agile delivery.
“Studio Zao have been an instrumental parter for us in SFP. They have been helping us innovate on our agile journey, taking us from a strategic framing of the opportunity to piloting in practice. They blend the ability to engage strategically to frame and communicate innovative change while also making it simple and pragmatic to put into practice, deliver value, and always a pleasure to work with.”
Impact
Validating Impact through Real-World Data
To support scaling decisions, we helped the AT team generate and communicate robust evidence of the pilot’s value:
Strategic Framing
Positioned the pilot findings within the broader transformation strategy to engage key stakeholders.Performance Insights
Identified specific areas where efficiency and delivery could be improved further.Operational Analysis
Conducted before-and-after assessments, revealing over 64 hours saved per person in just three months — highlighting the broader potential for impact at scale.