Consulting
Most organizations don't need another framework. They need to see clearly where value is getting stuck, and to improve from where they are. I work alongside leaders and teams to do exactly that, starting with what you do now.
Executive coaching and consultingOrganizational assessmentAligning strategy to executionLeadership developmentProduct and team coaching and consulting
Executive coaching and consulting
When
- You're leading through real uncertainty, and the pressure is to act as if there isn't any
- A transformation has stalled and you need to decide what to do next
- You want an experienced outside voice to think out loud with
How I help
One-on-one coaching and advisory for executives and leadership teams. I've held the seat myself, as Chairman at Kanban University, VP of Product Development at IHS, and Director of Software and Technology at Landmark Graphics, so the conversation starts from your reality: decisions under uncertainty, leading change that sticks, and building an organization that learns.
Related: Leadership Foundation
Organizational assessment
When
- You know delivery isn't what it should be, but not exactly where it breaks down
- Past improvement efforts changed the vocabulary but not the results
- You want an independent view before investing in the next change
How I help
A focused look at how work and value actually flow through your organization, using the leadership model and the Kanban Maturity Model. I talk with people across levels, observe how work moves, and look at your flow data. You get a clear picture of where value is getting stuck and a short, prioritized list of the changes most likely to make a difference.
Related: Process, Leadership Foundation
Aligning strategy to execution
When
- Everything is priority one, and the portfolio is overloaded
- Teams are busy, but can't connect their work to the strategy
- Strategy decks don't help anyone decide what not to do
How I help
Turning strategy into a filter rather than a bucket. Using tools like the Purpose Alignment Model, cost of delay, and simple prioritization schemes such as the ABCs, I help leaders decide where to differentiate and where good enough is good enough, limit work in progress at the portfolio level, and connect strategic choices to the day-to-day flow of work.
Related: Business Value
Leadership development
When
- Strong technologists have been promoted into leadership with little support
- Leaders control rather than enable, and decisions bottleneck at the top
- You want leadership at all levels, not just in the org chart
How I help
Developing leaders who create the conditions for teams to succeed. This can start with the Leading in Technology Organizations class and continue with coaching as leaders apply it, covering systems thinking, decisions under uncertainty, dealing with resistance, and people practices like performance reviews that support rather than undermine.
Product and team coaching and consulting
When
- Teams go through the motions of Scrum, but delivery hasn't improved
- Forecasts miss, and too much work is started and too little finished
- Product decisions are made without real evidence from customers
How I help
Hands-on work alongside product and delivery teams: designing Kanban systems that fit your services, using flow metrics and data-driven forecasting, making Scrum work better, and building product discovery practices that test ideas with customers before committing to them.
Related: Process, Business Value
How we usually start
A conversation
We talk about your situation, what you've tried, and what a good outcome would look like. No obligation.
A focused first step
Often a short assessment, sometimes a targeted piece of coaching or a workshop, sized to answer the most important question first.
Evolve from there
We make changes in small steps, measure what happens, and adjust, so improvement builds on itself rather than depending on a big-bang rollout.