IT project management, architecture and transformation
Complex IT projects need clarity. And someone who takes responsibility.
I help organisations plan, structure and deliver complex IT projects and transformations. I bring together technical expertise, project management and leadership experience. I keep dependencies in view, bring the right people together and make sure decisions are made and actions followed through.
Project experience includes an international IT carve-out for an automotive supplier with 25,000 employees and architecture work on a network migration serving 70,000 users.
Challenges I see time and again in IT projects
Many problems stem not from one particular technology, but from a lack of visibility, too many competing priorities or unclear responsibilities.
Getting a clear picture of the IT landscape
Over time, systems, interfaces and dependencies accumulate. Eventually, the complete picture is often missing. Before planning a migration or transformation, we need to know what is in place, how the systems fit together and who is responsible for what.
Data centre network with numerous systems: understand the dependencies before setting the plan.
Fewer competing priorities, clearer decisions
IT teams often face more demands than their available capacity can handle. Meanwhile, every business unit sees its own request as the priority. That calls for clear priorities, realistic resource planning and someone prepared to push for decisions.
Looking across processes and interfaces
Many problems arise not within individual systems but at the handovers between departments, applications and service providers. That is where I focus my attention. A process only works if the entire chain works.
Technically sound and commercially justified
A great deal is technically possible. The real question is whether the effort makes business sense. Cost, benefits, risks and alternatives should therefore be part of every significant IT decision.
How I approach projects
I don't start with a fixed methodology or another PowerPoint presentation. First, I want to understand how IT actually works, what the organisation needs to achieve and where the difficulties lie. That is what determines the approach – not the other way round.
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Foundation
Understand first, plan second
I speak with the teams involved, review the information available and examine systems, projects and dependencies. A realistic plan needs a reliable understanding of the starting point.
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Clarify priorities and responsibilities
Together, we establish what matters most, what resources are available and who is responsible for each task. Not everything can happen at once, and not every request deserves the same priority.
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Prepare decisions and move them forward
I present options, effort, risks and dependencies clearly and discuss them with the technical experts. The accountable leaders make the decisions, based on evidence they can trust.
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Support delivery and hand over properly
I follow up on progress, outstanding actions and responsibilities, and raise issues early. Decisions and results are documented so the team can continue independently afterwards.
AI
AI cannot solve problems we have not yet understood
I am sceptical of introducing technology simply because everyone is talking about it. AI can make a real difference to business processes. But if data is missing, interfaces do not work or responsibilities are unclear, the results are unlikely to impress. I start with the use case, the data available and the business value – and only then consider the technology.
What often happens
New tools are introduced before the existing workflows are properly understood. Things may seem faster at first, but extra coordination, rework and new integration problems soon follow.
What matters to me
Processes, data and responsibilities need to fit together first. Only then can we assess where automation or AI will genuinely save time and deliver business value.
Understand the problem first. Then choose the right technology.
How I can help
My work centres on three areas: IT project management and transformation, IT architecture and infrastructure, and IT leadership and management advisory. These translate into six services, depending on what your organisation needs.
IT transformation and project management
I plan and manage complex IT initiatives, with realistic project plans, clear responsibilities and a practical understanding of technical and organisational dependencies.
Project and programme management
Interim Head of IT
When an IT leadership position needs temporary cover, I take responsibility for operations, the team and ongoing projects, drawing on my own years of leadership experience.
Interim leadership
IT infrastructure and architecture
I assess technical proposals and support infrastructure migrations, architecture decisions and modernisation projects. I consider the requirements of day-to-day operations from the outset.
Technical responsibility
Advisory for IT leaders and executives
I support important IT decisions by considering the technical options alongside costs, risks and their wider impact on the business.
Advice and decision support
Getting challenging IT projects back on track
When deadlines slip or responsibilities and dependencies are unclear, I establish the facts, address problems openly and work with the team to develop a realistic way forward.
Project stabilisation
Enterprise architecture
I help map applications, interfaces and dependencies, develop target architectures and establish architecture governance and technical standards – including work with TOGAF and LeanIX.
Architecture and governance
Experience from real projects
15+
Years in enterprise IT
7
Years leading IT, with my own team and budget
25,000
Employees in the carve-out engagement
70,000
Users in a network migration
