Platform Assessment Proposal

BlueVoyant - Project Recovery & Timeline Optimization

Qualifications

With over 15 years of progressive experience in software engineering and cloud architecture, I bring a proven track record of successfully intervening in projects that have fallen behind schedule and require immediate strategic assessment. My expertise in C# and Azure-native technologies, including Azure Functions and Cosmos DB, directly aligns with your current technical stack and organizational needs.

Throughout my consulting career as a Solution Architect, I have consistently been brought into challenging scenarios where projects were significantly behind timeline and required comprehensive evaluation for both delivery optimization and architectural stability. My approach combines deep technical analysis with pragmatic timeline reassessment to get projects back on track.

Relevant Project Recovery Experience:

  • SOLUTION ARCHITECT – FINANCE - JOHN HANCOCK: Provided recommendations and guidance on revamping integral processing engines while architecting newer internal applications. Successfully assisted in converting monolithic software to microservice-based implementations under tight timelines, demonstrating my ability to assess complex codebases and chart realistic paths forward for projects behind schedule.

  • SOLUTION ARCHITECT – HEALTHCARE - FERRING PHARMACEUTICALS: Developed an external-facing content-driven web application with microservice architecture while ensuring all security standards were in place, including PII and PHI compliance. Integrated a modern scheduling web application with Centricty EMR using Mirth as an integration platform, showcasing my ability to work within regulated environments where security and compliance cannot be compromised.

  • SOLUTION ARCHITECT – PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATICS - ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES: Designed a scalable microservice healthcare solution to track contagious diseases, integrating massive data volumes from HL7, CSV, and web input. Each disease required distinct reporting rules handled through a modular, rules-driven architecture, demonstrating my capacity to architect flexible, maintainable solutions under complex requirements and tight deadlines.

  • SOLUTION ARCHITECT - GENERATIVE AI INTERFACE - VIZIO: Designed a generative AI interface for Vizio's internal use, leveraging Azure OpenAI, Azure Foundry, and Azure Document Intelligence to consume and analyze documentation and databases. This project required deep integration with Azure services and showcased my ability to architect modern, cloud-native solutions that deliver measurable business value.

My technical expertise spans the complete Azure ecosystem, including hands-on experience with Azure Functions, Cosmos DB, Azure Web Apps, Azure Container Instances, and comprehensive DevOps implementations using Azure DevOps and GitHub Pipelines. I have overseen platforms supporting over 30 million users and $40 billion in assets, providing me with the perspective necessary to assess both immediate tactical concerns and long-term strategic implications.

Beyond technical capabilities, I excel at rapidly assessing team dynamics, identifying skill gaps, and implementing mentoring strategies that elevate existing talent rather than replacing it. My philosophy centers on growing the capabilities of current team members through leading by example and challenging them with proper software design patterns, which is almost always more productive than onboarding new engineers.

Phase I: Onboarding

The onboarding phase establishes the foundation for an accurate and comprehensive assessment. To effectively evaluate your current state and identify the path forward, I require full access to all project assets and team resources.

Required Access:

  • Documentation: All existing project documentation, technical specifications, and architectural decision records
  • Diagrams: High-level architecture diagrams, infrastructure diagrams, and data flow documentation
  • Source Code: Complete access to all source code repositories with full commit history
  • Azure Environment: Access to your Azure portal, subscriptions, and all deployed resources
  • CI/CD Pipelines: Access to build and deployment pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, etc.)
  • Project Management Software: Full access to JIRA, Azure DevOps, or other project tracking tools being used

Direct examination of the source code is absolutely critical. While high-level diagrams and documentation provide valuable context, they frequently become outdated and rarely paint the complete picture. The code reveals the actual implementation details, technical debt, and architectural decisions that documentation may not capture.

Project Management Assessment:

  • Understanding your current project management methodology (Scrum, Agile, Waterfall, Kanban, or hybrid approach)
  • Details on estimation practices—whether you use story points or hours
  • Historical sprint data showing the team's delivery performance and velocity trends
  • Reporting on previous sprints that indicate delivery patterns and potential bottlenecks
  • Clarification on the role and effectiveness of your current project manager

Team Structure and Dynamics:

  • Names and contact information for all developers (Backend, Frontend, and DevOps)
  • Understanding of how each team member works—communication styles, collaboration patterns, and work preferences
  • Insights regarding individual personalities, working styles, and past performance
  • Assessment of whether developers work collaboratively or tend to operate in silos
  • Any existing performance documentation or feedback that can inform my evaluation

If we proceed beyond the assessment into an implementation phase, my objective will be to grow your existing talent through leading by example and challenging them to adopt proper software design patterns. This approach of elevating current team members is consistently more productive than cycling through recruitment and training for new engineers, particularly when timelines are already compressed.

Phase II: Assessment

The assessment phase will deliver a thorough, systematic review of your source code, Azure infrastructure, and software development methodology. The primary objective is to identify areas requiring immediate intervention and evaluate where the greatest risks to successful delivery exist.

Technical and Architectural Review:

  • Comprehensive examination of source code quality, maintainability, and technical debt
  • Analysis of Azure infrastructure including Azure Functions implementations, Cosmos DB data modeling and partitioning strategies
  • Review of integration patterns and overall cloud architecture for scalability and cost optimization
  • Identification of quick wins through simplifying unnecessarily complex architecture
  • Methodical process improvements that can be implemented without starting from scratch

Team Capability Mapping and Support:

  • Understanding each person's responsibility on the project and where they may need additional support
  • Identifying areas where developers can take on more responsibility with proper guidance
  • Providing frameworks within which team members can make autonomous decisions
  • Creating space for developers to rise to challenges while solving legitimate problems
  • Assessment of where individual developers may need coaching on specific technical areas

The goal is not to reduce team members' responsibilities, but to provide more focused guidance and clearer frameworks for decision-making. Developers generally rise to challenges when given the autonomy to make decisions within a well-defined structure that ensures consistency, quality, and alignment with project objectives.

Process and Communication Evaluation:

  • Assessment of team communication patterns and collaboration effectiveness
  • Evaluation of current development methodology and its suitability for the project
  • Review of CI/CD pipeline maturity and deployment frequency
  • Analysis of code review practices and knowledge sharing mechanisms
  • Identification of workflow bottlenecks that impede velocity and delivery

Phase III: Action Plan

The action plan will provide specific, actionable recommendations prioritized by risk level and implementation complexity. This document will serve as your roadmap for getting the project back on track with realistic timelines that account for your current state and team capabilities.

Comprehensive Risk Assessment:

  • Clear identification of where the most significant risks exist in your platform
  • Specific details on how each risk should be addressed with immediate, short-term, and long-term actions
  • Honest evaluation of critical threats to delivery or stability
  • Assessment extending beyond technical factors to include team communication and software development methodology

Realistic Timeline Projections:

  • Most realistic timelines based on comprehensive assessment of current state
  • Timeline recommendations that balance the most perfect approach against what is most practical
  • Projections grounded in observed team velocity and actual capacity
  • Clear explanation of factors contributing to schedule delays and path forward

Resource and Support Recommendations:

  • Determination of whether additional resources should be brought in (e.g., dedicated DevOps Engineer)
  • Specific areas where I can contribute as an individual contributor to increase velocity post-assessment
  • Recommendations for team structure adjustments or process improvements
  • Guidance on growing existing talent versus hiring additional engineers

Deliverable:

The comprehensive action plan will be delivered as a professional PDF document at the conclusion of my assessment contract. This document will serve as both an immediate tactical guide and a strategic reference for long-term improvements, providing the clarity and direction necessary to get your project back on track.

Contract Specifics

Given the urgent nature of your project situation and the need for rapid assessment, I can commit to delivering a comprehensive evaluation within 2-3 weeks, representing 40-60 total hours of focused effort.

Engagement Terms:

  • Rate: $200/hour for this strategic assessment
  • Billing: Invoices sent on a weekly basis
  • Timeline: 2-3 weeks to deliver a solid, comprehensive assessment

Current Commitments:

I want to be transparent that I am currently balancing other client engagements, which is why I'm proposing the 2-3 week timeframe rather than a more compressed schedule. However, this timeframe is actually beneficial for assessment work—it allows time for thorough analysis, stakeholder conversations, and careful consideration of recommendations rather than rushing to premature conclusions.

Next Steps:

Upon agreement to proceed, I can begin the onboarding phase immediately with access provisioning. The sooner I can gain access to your systems, documentation, and team, the sooner I can begin providing the insights you need to make informed decisions about your project's future.

I'm confident that this assessment will provide the clarity and direction necessary to get your project back on track with realistic timelines and a sustainable path forward.