Project: Helios design system + new content management system roll out
Company: Loblaw Digital - Online grocery, Shoppers Drug Mart, PC Health
Role: Digital Production Manager/ Senior Manager, Digital Production - Online Grocery
Date: 2022-2025
What I did
In early 2022, Loblaw Digital recognized that its monolithic approach to website development was unsustainable, leading to complex maintenance due to unique tech stacks for each new launch. To address this, the company aimed for a single source solution, Project Helios, to create an integrated product catalog for seamless data sharing and integration across websites, apps, and other infrastructure.
For my team, this transition meant adapting to new content management system components that operated fundamentally differently from previous tools, requiring preparation for myself, my team, and key business partners (copy, design, marketing)
How I did it
I utilized my Project and Product management background to deeply engage with the Helios project's lifecycle, influencing tool development through participation in user research and requirements gathering. With the integration of Online Grocery platforms (web and PCExpress.ca apps), I developed detailed project plans to manage the rollout of loblaw.ca and its PCExpress.ca app equivalent, ensuring regular team check-ins and communicating critical blockers to senior leadership.
As a CMS and content authoring veteran, I focused on optimizing authoring capabilities by creating compelling user stories to map and plan new features with product leads.
Recognizing a significant gap in component documentation, I collaborated with other leads to create the first comprehensive Helios component library in CODA, consolidating scattered details into a definitive, scalable source of truth for all stakeholders.
Results
The launch of Helios was a significant success, fundamentally transforming content management and execution. It enabled our team to author content using a single component, which then seamlessly cross-hydrated multiple platforms, vastly increasing efficiency and accuracy.
Through my contributions in documentation, shaping, and supporting scoping/requirements gathering with product and tech teams, I facilitated the implementation of over 10 new features, greatly enhancing our operational outputs.
Since its launch, my team has executed over 200 high-visibility site and app-wide campaigns, generating millions in revenue, while the Helios component system has been instrumental in maintaining consistent content standards across various lines of business.
Helios component powered shopping experience on the PC Express app
Helios component powered shopping experience on the Shoppers Drug Mart app
Consolidating platforms and product catalogues into the Helios Platform Catalog. Less variation on websites means less components and easier to maintain / update architecture.
Loblaw.ca homepage updated with Helios CMS components. My team is responsible for updating and relaunching this page on a weekly basis using Contentful and our custom build components.
Helios component library built and maintained by my department. We created this library when we noticed the business did not have all details needed to manage the components at a high level.
Detailed breakdown of a headline component - how it works, specs and limitations. My team managed the entire library for all helios components.
Shoppersdrugmart.ca homepage updated with Helios CMS components. My team is responsible for updating and relaunching this page on a weekly basis using Contentful and our custom build components.
Helios components on the PC Express app. My team manages all updates to this app homepage.
Helios components on the Shoppers Drug Mart app. My team manages all updates to this app homepage.