A major licensed product program was days from missing its retail window — with $12M in seasonal sales and $400K in contractual penalties at risk. I was given cross-functional authority to lead the recovery and delivered on time.

The situation
A major licensed product program was in serious trouble. With a critical retail window approaching the kind of seasonal launch where missing the date means missing the market entirely. The program had fallen behind across design, production, and delivery. Contractual penalties with Licensor and major retail partners were at risk. Approximately $12M in seasonal sales was in jeopardy.

My role
I was given cross-functional authority to lead the recovery, pulling together a specialist team across more than 15 disciplines and driving the program back to delivery. I didn't have formal line management over anyone on the team. I had a mandate, a deadline, and a clear picture of what needed to happen.

What I did
I mapped the full delivery backlog and identified the critical path. I brought together senior leads from packaging, engineering, product design, illustration, 3D design, QC and quality assurance, finished art, licensing, marketing, copywriting, and production and gave each of them the authority to run their own area while I coordinated across all of them.

I established a daily standup rhythm that moved to bi-weekly WIP meetings as delivery stabilised. I introduced a modular packaging template system to reduce rework and streamline global approval workflows. Throughout the recovery, I made sure all stage gate requirements, licensor approvals, and retailer compliance obligations stayed intact — there were no shortcuts on the things that mattered.

What it delivered
Program recovered to on-time retail delivery. Approximately $12M in seasonal sales protected. Approximately $400K in contractual and retail penalties avoided. Rework reduced by 70% through the modular template system. Licensor and executive approval turnaround improved by 42%. The recovery model became the foundation for subsequent product wave delivery.