Examples
Examples of the work
The examples below reflect work I’ve done through insight206 over the past few years with organizations including ServiceNow, Community Attributes, Virga Labs, Dean Camps, and doxo.
I’ve organized the examples around recurring situations where teams tend to want an outside perspective: when something is stuck, high-stakes, or hard to see clearly from the inside.
The through-line isn’t a role or a method. It’s a focus on clarity first — and on leaving people and systems better positioned than before.
At a glance
Owning time-bound, high-stakes work
The situation
From time to time, organizations encounter work that is both important and time-bound — the kind that benefits from clear ownership and a short feedback loop.
These moments often sit outside the core roadmap and can’t be learned casually as they unfold. The challenge isn’t just execution; it’s moving a narrow slice of work forward end-to-end without pulling the rest of the organization off course.
My role in these engagements has been to take responsibility for that slice, keep the path clear, and leave the team better positioned once the work is complete.
Examples from practice
Billing network certification
Organization: doxo
doxo needed to certify its ability to operate as a billing concentrator on Mastercard’s RPPS network — a prerequisite for expanding how billers could be supported. The process was externally governed, deadline-driven, and allowed little tolerance for missteps.
I ran the certification program end-to-end: coordinating directly with Mastercard’s technical and certification teams, leading an outsourced development effort responsible for generating and processing certification files, and partnering with doxo engineers on secure file transfer workflows. The work moved forward without pulling the core team off their roadmap and concluded with successful certification and a clean handoff.
Early AI experimentation before platforms matured
Organization: doxo
At a time when modern LLM tooling, RAG frameworks, and managed AI platforms did not yet exist, doxo explored whether AI could extend its IVR system to handle more nuanced customer questions.
While external vendors proposed large proof-of-concept engagements framed as exploratory, I built a working internal prototype that combined keyword search with early LLM summarization. The goal wasn’t production readiness, but clarity — surfacing feasibility, limitations, and edge cases early enough to ground future decisions.
Channel extension without rewriting the core
Organization: doxo
In another engagement, the question was whether an existing automated telephone bill-pay system could support chat-initiated bill presentment and payment without a wholesale rewrite.
I designed and built a prototype that reused the existing infrastructure while integrating with Amazon’s chat tooling, working alongside a contract developer to explore the system’s real limits. The outcome wasn’t just a prototype — it was clarity around what could be extended safely, where architectural boundaries lived, and what future investment would actually require.
Making complex operations legible
The situation
In many organizations, operational complexity doesn’t come from neglect. It accumulates gradually as teams grow, tools proliferate, and decisions are made locally to solve immediate problems.
Over time, work continues to get done — but it becomes harder to see where decisions live, how effort is allocated, or why outcomes look the way they do. Conversations rely more on intuition than shared understanding.
My role in these engagements has been to help make the system visible — not by imposing process, but by shaping tools and structures that reflect how work actually happens.
Examples from practice
Internal program and training operations
Organization: ServiceNow
Core operational work — programs, projects, resourcing, and governance — was spread across multiple systems and informal workflows. Reporting lagged reality, and leadership struggled to reason clearly about capacity and outcomes.
I designed and built Airtable-based systems that reflected how work actually flowed, creating shared visibility without forcing premature standardization. The effort clarified ownership, aligned data with decisions, and translated fragmented information into coherent inputs for downstream Power BI reporting.
Operational tooling for seasonal programs
Organization: Dean Camps
Dean Camps operates a set of seasonal programs with shifting enrollment, staffing, and financial dynamics. During peak periods, decisions needed to be made quickly, often with partial information.
I designed an Airtable-based operational suite that surfaced the information operators actually needed in the moment. The focus wasn’t automation for its own sake, but trust — creating a system people could rely on when pressure was highest.
Process compression through clarity
Organization: Bento
A meal-planning process involved many stakeholders and routinely took weeks to complete. The delays weren’t caused by lack of effort, but by unclear ownership and an overly complex workflow.
By mapping how work actually happened and shaping an initial Airtable system around that reality, the team compressed cycle time from weeks to hours. The improvement came less from automation than from shared clarity.
Turning fragile systems into durable platforms
The situation
Many organizations reach a point where their systems technically work, but confidence in them is eroding. Changes feel risky. Onboarding takes longer than it should. Teams quietly work around limitations.
In these moments, the problem isn’t just architecture — it’s trust. Leadership loses confidence in the system, and teams lose confidence in their ability to evolve it safely.
My role has been to help organizations regain that confidence deliberately, aligning technical decisions with real organizational needs rather than abstract ideals.
Examples from practice
Platform modernization and technical leadership
Organization: Community Attributes
Community Attributes operated a mapping and analytics platform that had grown organically over time. While it continued to deliver value, the system had become expensive to operate and difficult to evolve.
We stepped back to clarify what was truly core, where complexity was accidental, and what durability meant for the business. I led a deliberate re-architecture, staying close to the team to reinforce that change could happen safely.
The work resulted in a service-oriented architecture, a significant reduction in AWS costs, faster client onboarding, and — just as importantly — renewed confidence in the platform’s future.
Creating momentum in uncertain moments
The situation
Some of the hardest moments organizations face aren’t technical or operational. They involve unclear goals, competing priorities, and sustained pressure that makes even simple decisions feel heavy.
In these moments, teams often feel compelled to force certainty too early — creating more friction instead of relief.
My role has been to help teams move forward honestly, creating momentum without pretending ambiguity can be eliminated all at once.
Examples from practice
Head of Delivery and strategic advisor
Organization: Virga Labs
At Virga Labs, I led delivery for a complex, high-impact system built for the Bureau of Reclamation. The work required navigating stakeholder expectations while helping the organization mature its operating cadence.
By taking on delivery leadership and supporting strategic decision-making, I helped reduce constant triage and created space for the CEO and team to focus on longer-term sustainability.
Confidence-building in ambiguous moments
Multiple engagements
Across several engagements, my most valuable contribution wasn’t technical direction but confidence-building — helping teams see uncertainty as shared rather than personal, and creating conditions where people could step up without fear.
The impact showed up gradually: calmer conversations, healthier dynamics, and a renewed willingness to engage with hard problems directly.
Want to talk this through?
If something here resonates — or mirrors a situation you’re navigating — I’m always open to comparing notes and thinking it through together.
I’ve captured a few additional reflections in Insights.