Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) · Data Integration · PepsiCo
Data Integration Project Manager Simulation — PepsiCo
Lead a $3.4M ERP-to-CRM data integration project for PepsiCo's North America Beverages division. Build the integration from scratch — connecting SAP S/4HANA to Salesforce Sales Cloud through MuleSoft — while aligning sales, supply chain, and finance stakeholders who each want different things from the same data. Gain hands-on project management experience over 27 days of real decisions, stakeholders, and PMO deliverables — no prior experience required.
The scenario
PepsiCo's North America Beverages (NAB) division — responsible for brands like Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, and Tropicana — has operated SAP S/4HANA as its core ERP and Salesforce Sales Cloud as its CRM for three years. But the two systems have never been properly integrated. Sales reps enter orders in Salesforce, then someone on the operations team manually re-enters them into SAP. Customer master data exists in both systems with no single source of truth. Pricing discrepancies between ERP and CRM cause invoicing errors that damage retailer relationships. The business case is straightforward: manual data re-entry costs an estimated $1.8M annually in labor, errors, and lost sales. Retailers like Walmart, Kroger, and Target have complained about pricing inconsistencies. The NAB division's new SVP of Sales wants a unified commercial data layer before Q4 planning season. You have been brought in as the IT Project Manager to lead this integration from scratch. There is no predecessor — this is a new project. Deloitte Digital is the integration partner. MuleSoft Anypoint Platform is the middleware layer. The project has executive sponsorship, a defined budget, and a clear business need. Your job is to build it right.
What you'll do as the project manager
- →Establish real-time bidirectional data sync between SAP S/4HANA and Salesforce Sales Cloud for customer master data, product catalog, and pricing
- →Automate the order-to-cash flow: orders created in Salesforce flow to SAP for fulfillment without manual re-entry
- →Achieve a single source of truth for customer master data — eliminating duplicate records and conflicting account hierarchies
- →Reduce order processing errors by 80% within 90 days of go-live
- →Complete integration deployment for the NAB division within budget and ahead of Q4 planning season
Project management skills you'll build
The challenges you'll navigate
- •Master data quality — customer records in SAP and Salesforce may have conflicting hierarchies, duplicate entries, and inconsistent naming conventions
- •SAP global IT approval process — 2-week change windows could create schedule bottlenecks if integration requires SAP-side configuration changes
- •Shared Salesforce instance — CRM changes must not break Frito-Lay's configuration, requiring careful sandbox testing
- •Real-time vs batch sync decision — stakeholders have different expectations about data freshness that could expand scope
- •Q4 planning deadline is immovable — any schedule slip directly impacts the business case
Technology & stakeholders
You'll manage 6 stakeholders, including Athina Kanioura (Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer), Seth Kaufman (Senior Director, Enterprise PMO), Katie Haniffy (VP Sales Operations, North America Beverages), and more.
What you'll walk away with
A verified, shareable record of a completed enterprise project — plus the PMO deliverables you produced along the way (charter, project plan, SteerCo deck, closure document). It's real, demonstrable project management experience you can put on your resume and speak to in interviews.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need project management experience to start?
No. This simulation is built for aspiring and practicing project managers alike — you learn by doing. You make real decisions and get feedback, with no PMP or prior PM job required.
How long does this simulation take?
It runs over 27 days, roughly 24 minutes per day, covering the full project lifecycle from initiation to closure.
What will I learn?
You practice the core of project management — stakeholder management, budget and schedule control, risk, scope, and PMO governance — in the context of data integration in consumer packaged goods (cpg).
Is this based on the real PepsiCo?
It's a realistic scenario inspired by PepsiCo and the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) sector. Details and names are fictionalized for training — it's a simulation, not a record of any actual project.
What do I get at the end?
A verified project completion plus the PMO deliverables you produced (charter, plan, SteerCo deck, closure) — proof of hands-on experience you can show employers.
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