Case Study - Digital framework review and IT service delivery for a global humanitarian organization

Client

LWF World Service is the humanitarian arm of the Lutheran World Federation, operating in 24 countries with programs spanning humanitarian response, development, and advocacy.

Opportunity

LWF's IT unit had made real progress: they had moved to cloud, consolidated tools, and built dashboards. But the team was working in silos, coordination funneled through a single person, and decisions lived in inboxes rather than shared documentation. Across 13 active applications, only five had proper support models. Rollouts happened without consistent scoping, governance was ad hoc, and the balance between in-house ownership and vendor reliance was off.

The organization needed a clearer picture of where things stood, a structure that let the team operate more like a focused project delivery unit, and hands-on support to close gaps in governance, security, and adoption.

Approach

We started with a full review of the digital landscape: what was working, what was stuck, and where the pain was. We mapped each application's current state, identified gaps in support and ownership, and documented the team dynamics holding things back. This built on a long-running partnership with LWF World Service that began with developing their enterprise data warehouse and continued through user discovery for their project management system.

From there we designed a service delivery model that restructures the IT unit around project-based delivery. Rather than each person owning a single application in isolation, the model creates cross-functional project teams that move from scoping through rollout to handover, with a separate support track for maintenance. The goal: an internal team that operates like a consulting practice, gaining ownership over product vision and working with vendors without being led by them.

In parallel, we worked hands-on across several platforms. We reviewed the technical architecture of their HR system, established first-line support processes, and assessed vendor capabilities. We configured their service management tool for organizational use, designed the service catalog, and documented triage workflows. We drafted governance documentation for their intranet, worked through security audit remediations, and set up data protection tracking. We also advised on AI adoption, a strand of work we explore in our AI adoption strategy for a global humanitarian organization.

Outcomes

The engagement delivered:

• A digital framework review identifying successes, pain points, and opportunities across all platforms
• A proposed service delivery model with defined roles for project teams, shared support, and vendor management
• Application governance and support documentation across service management, HR, intranet, and cloud platforms
• Security and compliance documentation including backup protocols, data protection tracking, and disaster recovery planning

LWF's IT unit now has a structure for moving from reactive, siloed support toward focused project delivery with clear ownership, proper governance, and a realistic plan for where vendor support ends and in-house capability begins.

Technologies used

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At Hikaya, we help NGOs and nonprofits worldwide get from scattered digital initiatives to a coherent service delivery model, with governance that scales and teams structured to deliver rather than just maintain.

If your IT team is stretched across too many platforms with no clear delivery structure, or your digital strategy exists on paper but hasn't translated to how work actually gets done, start a conversation with us, or explore how we work from assessment through implementation.