I have over 20 years of learnings from working at scrappy startups as well as Big Tech (Apple, Oracle). I can get your idea from 0-1 with my extensive experience in engineering, product management, UX, and project management. I can also scale your SaaS offering to the next level if you already have an MVP out the door.
Idea / Early Stage
Have an idea for a digital product or service, but don’t know where to begin? I have extensive experience helping customers get from 0-1, from ideation to MVP launch and beyond. Whether you need someone with connections to get a team in place to execute on your idea, or you have already hired a development team but need a trusted party to manage the project — I can bring your idea to life.
MVP Scoping & Feature Prioritization
A common challenge for founders is deciding when a product is ready to launch. Waiting too long to launch as you bolt on nice-to-have features can rob you of valuable early feedback on your idea. At the same time, releasing a half-baked product could turn off potential customers. I can help you find the right compromise of must-have features that properly demonstrate your product’s unique value proposition without throwing in the kitchen sink and delaying time-to-market.
MVP Development
Building the first iteration of a product involves a different skillset than scaling an already successful one. Small, nimble teams is the name of the game. Generalists with mental agility thrive in this space. Quick iteration and customer validation are key. I have guided countless MVP projects to launch, making tactical adjustments and keeping stakeholders informed along the way. I have the technical chops and connections to build and manage a team to get your idea to market.
Architectural & Data Flow Diagrams
Visual representations of your current or proposed architecture or data flow diagrams can do wonders. Opportunities for improvement can be more easily pinpointed, saving you time and money. Stakeholders and engineers will more quickly understand what’s under the hood if you’re able to show instead of merely tell.
Development Process
Have a development team in place but aren’t satisfied with their progress or visibility to stakeholders? I am well equipped to work with them to speed up development and help stakeholders understand the challenges they need to overcome. I have a track record of working with onshore and offshore teams alike to improve their processes and get them to the next level of productivity.
User Experience
You may already have an engineering leader and even a designer, but do you have someone skilled at creating an optimal user experience? User experience design is a cross-disciplinary approach at the intersection of technology, human psychology, and interface design. I can fill the gap to help delight your customers with an easy-to-use product that doesn’t leave them frustrated.
Product Development Tooling
People are what drive your product to success, but the tools they use can act as a multiplier or a hindrance. I can help you assess and select the right product development tools for your organization’s stage, size, and culture. Need help wrangling Jira or some other tool? Been there, done that. I can help save you money and/or work more efficiently.
Growth Stage & Beyond
I’ve seen it more times than I’d like to admit: a founder-led startup grows to beyond 30 people, and all of a sudden nobody knows what’s going on any more. You need processes in place catered to your company’s stage of growth. What worked with a handful of employees won’t scale once you cross a certain threshold.
Stakeholder Alignment
Transparency and adequate communication are key in building alignment between leaders at the executive level. I consider this my superpower. My breadth of knowledge in product management, engineering, and UX allow me to ask probing questions and identify and resolve friction between product development teams through better process. My experience as both an individual contributor and manager in all these disciplines grants me the empathy and credibility to effectively deliver high impact returns as a cross-functional leader.
Engineer Hiring
If you prefer to build your own team or add engineers to an existing team, I can help with the hiring process. Let’s face it: hiring good engineers is hard. I’ve seen many leaders lack the time or experience to properly vet candidates, resulting in wasted time and/or poorly constructed products. I have hired many engineers and have a formula that weeds out bad candidates while not being so onerous that it scares the good ones off.
Project / Program Management
If you have the personnel in place to execute on your digital product or service already, but need an experienced hand guiding and reporting on progress — look no further. I have the credentials and expertise to ensure your project gets done with transparency and efficiency. I can help with release management and aligning stakeholder activities for launch as well.
Agile Coaching
So you’ve heard the term “agile” but don’t really know what it looks like? Or you’ve been “doing agile” for a while but aren’t seeing the boost you thought it would have on the team? Chances are your team never really internalized the philosophy behind it all and instead is wrapped up in doing things that might look like things agile teams do without the results. I can advise on what flavor of agile will work best for your team’s culture and experience — but more importantly, I’ll coach your team on what it means to be agile.
Product Management / UX Hiring
Small companies often have a product-minded founder that fills the product management role early on, but as the company scales, so too does the need for individuals who can articulate and experiment with ideas that can deliver customer value. Product managers help keep teams focused and aligned on strategic goals, as well as advise on tactical trade-offs to keep customers happy and engaged with your product. I have hired product managers and know what to look for, as well as the red flags to be aware of.