Experience with The Coca-Cola Company - Andrea Crossley
10X Squads: Scaling Growth Through Design-Led Agile Teams
With the ambition to grow exponentially, Mexico business unit needed to move beyond traditional project execution and instill a culture ambitious about the positive impact it could generate across all stakeholders — mobilizing 7 strategic bets.
CPG | Marketing Transformation Mx | 2019
We introduced a squad-based operating model — Design Thinking plus Agile delivery — to turn the 7 strategic bets into tested, real-world solutions. The RTM 2.0 squad reframed from "evolve our route to market" into “how to stay always present and available in the consumer's decision making, sustainably” — and used it to uncover where the business was leaving growth on the table.
How we did it
Squad Structure & Shared Purpose
7 dedicated squads (Scrum master, DT and Agile Coaches, Innovation Manager) around Mexico BU big bets, anchored in a shared purpose and a 10X mindset.
Design-Led + Agile Cycle
Ran every squad through a 6-stage Inception-to-Validate cycle, blending Design Thinking discovery with Agile sprints for continuous iteration.
RTM 2.0: From Insight to Pilots
Mapped macrotrends shaping the future consumer to identify 3 opportunity areas — Availability, White Spaces and Productivity — translated into 3 pilots.
OUTCOME
The RTM 2.0 squad delivered 3 validated pilots unlocking an estimated 70% availability opportunity (400MM CU), 100MM UC in white space (channels & categories), and 80MM USD in productivity gains, proving out a squad model scaled across strategic bets.