Part of the 30-Point EBITDA Transformation journey.
The Real Problem
The board saw a technology problem. The real issues were cultural and structural: unclear roles, immature SDLC with no structured gates, virtually no automated QA, goals measured on output volume rather than outcomes, no customer connection or empathy, and broken relationships with every cross-functional partner. Engineering wasn’t just underperforming internally, the damage was compounding through eroded customer confidence, lost deals, and rising support costs.
The Rebuild
I led the rebuild from the operating model up. Replaced leaders who couldn’t or wouldn’t adapt. Overhauled the SDLC. Drove investment in automated QA. Shifted goals from output to outcomes. Rebuilt the fractured cross-functional relationships.
I also got directly involved with customers, taking over the executive sponsorship of the $1M account personally to rebuild trust, and driving broader customer engagement to restore confidence across the base. In parallel, my team built a balanced FTE-plus-outsourced workforce model that turned negative-EBITDA product lines positive while providing the flexibility to accelerate the rebuild. Hard decisions that affected people’s lives, approached with honesty and dignity.
Outcomes
- Change failure rate: 60% to 5%
- Test coverage expanded 750%; deployment times cut 300%
- Key $1M account saved through direct executive sponsorship
- Broader customer confidence restored
- Company turned from negative to positive EBITDA
- Full turnaround executed in 15 months, foundation for future growth
An engineering organization that can’t ship is bleeding value across the entire business. Fixing it requires rebuilding the culture, the operating model, the cross-functional relationships, and the trust, and getting in the room with customers to prove things have changed.