From a hard deadline to a repeatable migration approach. Delivered wave by wave.
Faced with an expiring Tableau Server license and a decentralized environment, Siemens moved directly into production. Together, Siemens AG, the participating business units, M2, and Biztory established a wave-based migration approach that created structure, repeatability, and planning certainty across the program.
A fixed deadline.
A decentralized environment.
Tableau Server was deeply embedded across independently organized Siemens business units, each with its own requirements, dependencies, and timelines. At the same time, the program had a non-negotiable target: the existing Tableau Server license would expire on March 31, 2026.
A separate proof of concept was initially considered. Following stakeholder alignment, Siemens decided to move directly into production. With no internal reference project to rely on, the first production wave had to establish a reliable method for every migration that followed.
What was at stake
From big bang to migration waves
During planning, the joint project team recognized that a big-bang migration would not fit Siemens' federated environment. The program therefore adopted a wave-based approach that allowed each business unit to prepare according to its scope, dependencies, and readiness.
The waves created a clear structure for the overall program, streamlined the migration procedures from one rollout to the next, and gave the participating business units the planning certainty they needed.
Four perspectives.
One migration program.
The migration was delivered as a joint effort by Siemens AG, the participating business units, M2, and Biztory. Each party contributed a clearly defined role, while decisions, readiness, and delivery were coordinated as one team.
- Program sponsorship and decision-making
- Group-wide governance and compliance framework
- Alignment across central IT and business units
- Overall strategic direction
- Local requirements and dependencies
- Content ownership and validation
- User communication and migration readiness
- Coordination of testing and cutover windows
- Project, stakeholder, and escalation management
- Wave planning and migration methodology
- End-to-end testing, governance, and compliance
- Manual migrations and adjustments not covered by tooling
- TabMove as the migration technology
- Around 60% of content migrated semi-automatically
- Support for workbooks, data sources, subscriptions, and custom views
- Technical troubleshooting and migration support
Success came from shared ownership: Siemens AG set the direction, the business units prepared and validated, M2 orchestrated delivery, testing, governance, and compliance, and Biztory provided the technology foundation.
Structured for complexity.
Designed to repeat.
The program succeeded because the team did not force one migration model onto every business unit. A wave-based approach, flexible levels of support, and a continuously refined delivery playbook created both control and room for local planning.
The existing Tableau environment was already distributed across separate business units, each with its own requirements, dependencies, and timelines. A single big-bang migration would not have reflected this reality. The joint project team therefore structured the program into migration waves, allowing each business unit to prepare, test, and transition within a coordinated framework.
The result: clearer planning, reusable procedures, and a delivery model that improved from one wave to the next.
Rather than prescribing a uniform delivery model, the program offered three clearly defined options. This gave each business unit the freedom to select the level of support that matched its internal capabilities, complexity, and risk profile.
The business unit carried out the migration independently, using the agreed standards, governance framework, and procedures.
A focused support package covered selected activities while the business unit retained responsibility for the wider migration.
The joint migration team managed preparation, coordination, testing, execution, and transition end to end.
The fully managed model was selected by the two largest participating business units.
Every wave contributed to a continuously refined migration playbook. M2 coordinated the test strategy, test planning, execution, supervision of additional testers, and documentation. Governance and compliance requirements were embedded throughout the process. Activities not covered by automation were handled through targeted manual migrations and adjustments.
What began as a first production migration became a repeatable method that could be applied with greater confidence and efficiency in subsequent waves.
Four capabilities that turned complexity
into a repeatable migration program.
From stakeholder alignment and wave planning to escalation management and structured reporting, M2 provided one consistent delivery lead across the program, multiple languages, and several time zones.
M2 owned the test strategy, test plans, execution, coordination of additional testers, and documentation. At the same time, the team ensured adherence to Siemens governance and compliance requirements throughout every migration wave.
Each wave refined a standardized procedure for preparation, validation, controlled content freezes, cutover, and handover. This reduced uncertainty, streamlined delivery, and gave subsequent business units a proven path to follow.
Together with Biztory, M2 used TabMove for around 60% of the migrated content. Where tooling alone was not sufficient, the team handled the necessary manual migrations and adjustments to complete the transition reliably.
Turn migration complexity into a clear path.
One wave at a time.
M2 combines end-to-end program leadership, proven migration methods, and the right technology partner. The result is a Tableau Cloud migration that is structured, controlled, and repeatable.