Sarah Moody
21 May 2026
When people talk about D365 programmes, they often jump straight to technology - integrations, data, testing, go‑live. But Episode 8 of the D365 Insights Podcast reminds us of something far more important:
Programmes succeed or fail because of people, not software.
I was joined by Lionel Wilson, a Programme Director with decades of experience across Microsoft, retail, government, private equity and some of the largest D365 implementations in the market. Lionel has lived with these systems, not just delivered them - and that perspective shapes everything he shared.
This episode is a masterclass in leadership, communication, and building teams that perform under pressure.
🔧 From Mechanical Engineer to D365 Programme Director
Lionel's journey is anything but linear. He started as a mechanical engineer and industrial designer, moved into Microsoft in the early MSN days, became a CIO across multiple industries, and eventually found his way into Dynamics programmes - AX, NAV, CRM, and now D365.
He’s led transformations across Just Eat, Heineken, Carlsberg, EWG, government organisations and private‑equity‑backed groups. His most recent programme? A £180m transformation covering Finance, HR, CE and CPQ.
This breadth of experience gives him a rare, grounded view of what actually makes programmes work.
💡 What Does a “D365 Programme That Works” Really Mean?
For Lionel, success isn’t just measured in time and money - although the board will always look there first.
Success is measured by:
Business value delivered
User adoption and enjoyment
Resilience of the solution over time
How well the organisation can live with the system after go‑live
He’s lived with these systems as a CIO. He knows what happens after the consultants leave. And that’s why he pushes for honesty, clarity, and long‑term thinking from day one.
👥 Building High‑Performing Teams
Lionel uses the Tuckman model (forming, storming, norming, performing) but he adds something many forget: adjourning.
His definition of a high‑performing team is simple and brilliant:
“If someone drops the wheel nut, the next person picks it up and drives it home.”
In other words: No silos. No ego. No “that’s not my job.” Everyone steps in. Everyone knows the programme inside out.
He builds teams of highly experienced individuals who can each do the work of two or three juniors. They cost more, but they save time, reduce risk, and remove the need for micromanagement.
🤝 Internal Teams vs Partners: Getting the Balance Right
One of Lionel's strongest messages:
“It is your programme. The partner gets to walk away.”
He’s seen too many organisations outsource testing, data migration, or decision‑making to partners - only to struggle later.
His advice:
Engage internal teams from the very start
Bring support teams into testing early
Treat data migration, integrations and reporting as upfront activities
Build internal ownership long before go‑live
Partners bring expertise, but the business must own the system.
⚠️ Navigating Resistance and Misalignment
Resistance often comes from miscommunication - especially when senior leaders jump in without the full picture.
Lionel shared a story where a CIO escalated an issue publicly before understanding the context, damaging trust and derailing momentum.
The lesson?
Communicate early
Communicate clearly
Communicate honestly
Never hide issues
Never sugar‑coat risks
Transparency builds trust. Silence destroys it.
🧠 Hiring for Transformation: What Matters Most
Technical skills get you through the door. Personality determines whether you get the job.
Lionel looks for:
Common sense
Confidence with senior stakeholders
Lateral thinking
Calm under pressure
Ability to step into any meeting and lead
He prefers small, senior teams over large junior ones - and he always tries to upskill internal staff before hiring permanent roles.
📊 Performance, Value & Early Warning Signs
When Lionel takes over a struggling programme, he looks at two things first:
RAID logs
Estimate‑to‑complete (ETC)
If risks aren’t being tracked and budgets aren’t being re‑forecasted, the programme is already in trouble.
But he also measures the “softer” side:
How the business feels
How engaged stakeholders are
Whether people understand the change
Whether the team is communicating honestly
His change lead is one of the most important roles on the programme.
📣 Communication: The Make‑or‑Break Factor
This theme came up again and again.
Communication isn’t a weekly email. It’s not a slide deck. It’s not a steering committee.
It’s:
Coffee chats
Walk‑arounds
Humour
30‑second TikTok‑style updates
Quarterly town halls
Yammer/Teams posts
Human connection
People don’t read 200‑page updates. They will watch a 30‑second video.
And they will always remember how you made them feel.
🧭 Lionel’s Biggest Lessons
His final reflections were powerful:
Be the most honest person in the room
Drop the politics
Show genuine interest in people
Support your team relentlessly
Never let anyone fail alone
Communicate early, often, and with empathy
Don’t hide issues - ever
Build trust through clarity, not perfection
And perhaps the most important:
“Don’t do the project to people. Do it with them.”
🎧 Listen to Episode 8 here:
If you lead programmes, work in transformation, or simply want to understand what makes D365 delivery succeed, this episode is full of real‑world insight you won’t find in a methodology document.
👉 People, Performance & Communication: How to Lead a D365 Programme That Works Featuring: Lionel Wilson