RCS | ClerksWell

Royal College of Surgeons

Pharmaceutical | CRM Integration Project

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. They provide education and assessment to nearly 30,000 surgeons and dental surgeons at all stages of their careers.

The Challenge

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) had relied for decades on a bespoke, internally developed CRM called SIMS [Surgical Information Management System]. Built over 30 years by an internal IT team member, the system was deeply embedded in their operations but had become increasingly problematic. It was not future-proof, lacked scalability, and was heavily dependent on one individual for maintenance. This posed a significant risk and did not align with RCS’s broader digital transformation strategy.

Discussions to replace the CRM began in 2019. As an existing digital partner to RCS supporting their Sitecore website, we were invited to join the project in 2022, with full engagement commencing in August 2024. Our challenge was to integrate the new CRM, developed by Incremental (now Telefónica Tech), with the existing Sitecore website, ensuring that critical user processes remained intact and performance was not compromised.

Challenges

Time Pressure: The integration had to be completed quickly, despite a vast number of user stories and dependencies.
Complexity: Matching legacy processes to new CRM capabilities required detailed analysis and creative problem-solving.
Stakeholder Management: With numerous internal teams and external partners involved, communication and alignment were critical to avoid delays and ensure consensus.

The Approach

Given the complexity of the project, we adopted an Agile delivery model. This allowed us to break the work into smaller, manageable sections aligned with different areas of the business.

We began with a proof of concept to demonstrate API connectivity and validate our approach. From there, we mapped user stories to ensure every process was accounted for.

Each user story was carefully analysed against the old system’s functionality and the new CRM’s capabilities. This required deep discovery during each sprint, where we examined existing workflows, identified gaps, and aligned them with RCS’s strategic goals.

Delivery was structured into 13 sprints of three weeks each, enabling regular progress and continuous stakeholder feedback. This iterative approach was essential given the tight timeframe, large scope, and complex stakeholder landscape, which included multiple departments, varying levels of seniority, another agency responsible for the CRM build, and our own team.

The Impact

The cutover to the new CRM was executed with minimal impact on users, preserving key business processes throughout the transition. The new CRM and Sitecore website now communicate effectively, supporting essential operations such as exam bookings and payments.

Following go-live, we entered a Hypercare phase to address immediate issues and stabilise the system. This was followed by a retainer, ensuring continuity and enabling us to work through a prioritised backlog of enhancements. Today, RCS has transitioned to Business-as-Usual (BAU) with a clear roadmap for ongoing improvements aligned to their digital transformation strategy.

30+ years

Legacy System Replaced

A bespoke CRM built over three decades was successfully transitioned to a modern, scalable platform.

Agile Delivery Sprints

Work delivered across thirteen three‑week sprints, enabling continuous feedback and controlled progress.

Seamless CRM Cutover

The transition to the new CRM was completed with minimal disruption to critical user journeys.

2019–2024

Transformation Journey

From initial replacement discussions to full implementation and BAU, supporting long‑term digital strategy.

Research Innovation Items World Science Day Celebration (1)

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Industry Perspective

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