I help organizations create, enhance and sustain product management and engineering functions. I focus on non-startup organizations that are digitizing existing business functions or wish to introduce new software products into new or existing markets. (But I am also open to working with startups.)
My background is in the technology consulting industry, where I worked on the “business side” of software implementation projects for more than a decade. In this context, I became expert at many of the component tasks of making software: envisioning, eliciting and documenting requirements; information architecture; user experience research, prototyping and testing; project planning and management; governance and privacy planning; and vendor selection and negotiation.
While I am not a developer or system administrator, I am deeply technical in my understanding of how complex software systems work, and two decades in the technology industry have taught me how to work intelligently and respectfully with software and hardware engineers. I am able to translate these traits into positive working relationships with all members of a software implementation team.
I combine these “real world” insights with modern product management methods such as Pragmatic Marketing and agile software development to help create and support high-performing product management and engineering groups.
I have successfully helped organizations along the entire journey of this transition process. My involvement varies depending on when I become involved, what the client’s current capabilities are, and how we are planning to achieve our goals. I perform well as an “instigator” and change agent, a consulting product strategist/planner/manager, and as a market/user researcher. I help with recruitment of key team members through my extensive network and long-standing contacts in the recruitment industry, and in cases where initial MVPs need to be built before an engineering team can be stood up, I am able to help with technology vendor selection and management.
My aim is to make my clients successful by helping them create and operationalize sustainable product management and engineering functions, and through them, great products.
Occasionally, I enjoy working with non-profits to help them procure and deploy major software platforms or applications. As someone who has worked in “software consulting” for most of his career, I am good at helping conceptualize solutions, write RFPs, manage vendor selection, and assist with implementation oversight/project management. References on request.