Case Studies

Coordinating 25 software teams for a luxury e-vehicle manufacturer

In 2021 I was approached by one of the luxury e-vehicle manufacturers. They had a problem. Their flagship car was scheduled to launch in nine months and they didn't know how they could get the software developed and implemented on time.

They had 25 software development teams and communication was lacking.

With a business partner, we guided a set of Zoom sessions to identify dependencies and get the teams to talk with each other.

Result: The car launched on schedule to rave reviews!

At a former employer, Symantec, I was brought in to run an IT program in support of the first SaaS offering they were developing. Project had a tight timeline, made tighter by a project freeze due to other initiatives.

We were required to use Waterfall. Yet I knew the value of Agile. How to address?

Using CBPM (Commitment-Based Project Management), a technique developed at Intel, I taught, coached, and led the five IT teams to plan and execute our program. Our commitments were met with no heroics. Internal customer was very pleased.

Team members proceeded to use this highly effective approach, CBPM, in other projects.

During one of our Duke Leadership Programs (DLP), one of my clients was the CEO of a mid-size firm in Virginia. He had a major presentation to make to his board of directors (BOD) the following week.

Leveraging the DLP instruction and my coaching, my client successfully delivered his presentation to the BOD, driving a major change in the organization. 

Driving change is what leaders do. Coaching is one of the ways to help leaders drive change.

As CIO at a prior employer, I found myself with an IT team that had received little leadership. The applications team worked in a haphazard manner. They were overloaded and projects were going nowhere.

Through my leadership and coaching, we first implemented Kanban to get control of the demand. Kanban, originating with the Toyota Production System, controls the demand and flow of work with teams. It allowed the applications team to focus on what was important, reduced the noise, and let them learn the new technical skills needed to succeed where we were going. 

I provided the protection by handling all demands for service as well as any interruptions. 

The team became a high performing team, delivering product every six weeks using Scrum.

More to the story, which we can discuss during a call.