Managing the Delivery of Technical Solutions
The software development lifecycle involves various management roles. A Project Manager focuses on specific project delivery. A Program Manager oversees timelines, sprint planning, and development cycles. A Product Manager, however, owns the end product—gathering business needs and translating them into actionable requirements for technical teams.
While working for a top global consulting firm, Tony was assigned to a Department of Defense (DoD) client requiring a procurement web application. The application needed to be deployed in an AWS Impact Level 5 GovCloud environment. At the time, Tony had no prior experience with AWS or DoD systems.
Tony conducted weekly meetings with the client to understand their needs and soon realized the original requirements were inaccurate. He redefined the requirements from scratch, then assembled a team of experts to build the application to specification. Using an agile approach, Tony managed the team, enabling continuous deployment so the client could monitor progress in real time.
Midway through the project, Tony identified budget constraints that threatened delivery. He escalated the issue to senior leadership, proposed a new funding plan, and secured approval well in advance. The project was delivered on time and within the revised budget, meeting all client expectations.
Tony has long been skeptical of blockchain’s disruptive potential. While blockchains eliminate the need for third-party trust and counterparty risk, they are often expensive and inefficient compared to existing technologies.
To validate his hypothesis, Tony initiated a blockchain exploratory research program, partnering with students at Tufts University. He managed the program end-to-end, defining requirements, timelines, deliverables, and organizing the final presentation. While the research identified no clear use cases where blockchain added value over current technologies, Tony successfully managed the program, ensuring it met all objectives and delivered actionable insights.