Hi, I'm Kris, a Product Manager in software engineering for digital transformation

Currently I support software development teams in all phases of the product life cycle, and mostly in design, solutioning and delivery. I have over 30 years’ experience in technology development in B2C and B2B for industries such as travel & hospitality, life sciences, energy and retail.

My 2022 Year in Review

This year I supported 3 teams with members across the country and the globe. The first was a Product Management training development team. We refined the training in response to data collected during the MVP. The second two teams I supported in releasing software product MVPs to production. Through various channels I was invited to perform 3 speaking engagements related to neurodiversity in technology. With my organization’s outreach program I participated in a program to teach JavaScript to middle school girls. I supported 3 direct reports and led 5 interviews for hiring product managers. I was promoted! Outside of work and health pursuits a lot of television was watched while “bubbling” at home. At the start of the year I was out for a quarter pursuing a treatment plan for CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome.) Happily I was able to improve my health and return to work.

Product MVPs launched

0 days

Average time saved by users

Continents partnered with

Direct reports supported

Product Manager interviews led

Additional cloud certifications

Speaking engagements

Peer and manager awards earned

Students in Javascript class

0 %

CIRS symptoms addressed

0 +

Foods eliminated

Episodes of "Doctor Who"

How it happened

I myself am consistently amazed by the things we all accomplish. I don’t think I’m doing much more than anyone else but the exercise of logging it is actually what provides the ability to marvel at what we can achieve.

Jan 2022

Started the year out of office.

My health not to mention my state of mind was being severely challenged. This time was spent:

logging 60+ inflammation symptoms logging at least daily
attending 30+ doctors visits with 10+ doctors and 10+ medical tests to determine or rule out specific causes
eliminating 20+ foods from my diet
adding 10+ supplements and medications
attending to 10+ communications with short term disability provider
achieving remission of most of my symptoms

Mar 2022

Achieved remission and returned to office.

I was relieved to be back in office. This time was spent:

working with the team who administered the financial services Product Management training to productize the training
supporting transition of the product community for infrastructure changes
gaining an Azure cloud certification
speaking on neurodiversity topics
continuing refining management of health management
continuing to petition for the first quarter short term disability benefits
receiving the promotion I had been evaluated for the prior year, yay! One of the best things to happen to me in 20 years

Jul 2022

Joined engagement to help launch MVPs.

2 teams were behind in getting to MVP production launch. This time was spent:

Joining and getting up to speed with my colleague, an anchor architect, to help the teams strategize how to get to production. This included:
clearing integration dependencies
getting the data designs in place
scoping and then supporting the MVP launches
scoping the roadmaps for the future of both products
restoring the confidence of the stakeholders
changing orientation from project to product orientation
joining the effort to interview product management candidates
taking on 3 direct reports
taking on leadership of one team for our internal buddy program during infrastructure changes
gaining a Google cloud certification
continuing refining management of health management which became more challenging with the pressures of engagement “fixing” and infrastructure changes that result in multiple flare ups
continuing to petition for the first quarter short term disability benefits

Sep 2022

Post launch activities

MVPs 1 and 2 were launched in September and October respectively. The last quarter was spent:

transitioning the teams to durable teams and/or next phase teams
handing off product 1, product 1 phase 1, and performing roadmapping and planning for product 2 phase 2
continuing support for the buddy program, 3 direct reports and the MVP team members
receiving management and peer awards for all of the above; in addition our customer product set got into the short list for our parent organization’s global project of the year (no small feat as our organization has 300k+ employees worldwide!)

What's next?

I’m looking forward to 2023. I’ll be focused on my health, work life balance, and maybe trying to up my social game a little. While I don’t expect to be extensively out and about as long as there are health risks for me, I’d still love to find ways to strengthen my relationships. Now that I’ve been in my home for a little while, I’d like to give even a little more attention and care to the place where I am spending so much of my time.