Meet Robert
Software doesn’t have to be scary
I started uFunctional LLC in 2007 to help greater Madison, WI organizations with the people side of software. Because that’s often the hardest part.
I have this idea for a computer program that…
I’m on my third career in 30 years. So I’m not afraid of a blank sheet of paper.
I’ll help you turn that gleam in the eye into a successful purchase or project. There's a middle ground between a leap of faith (or desperation) and analysis paralysis. I’ll be your guide with the firms and technical people you’ll meet, and I’ll be off the clock as soon as you “can take it from here.” But because I’m local, I can be back on short notice with no travel if you need it.
And if you don’t talk to me about cash flow, ROI, revenue growth, cost avoidance, business processes, waste, value streams, regulations, and organizational mission & goals, relative to your software, I’ll ask. Software is fun (really), and working together will be fun, but that's not the point.
We have great programmers; it’s the other stuff…
I submitted my first FORTRAN deck in 1977, and I was hooked. When I turned pro fifteen years later, I promptly started asking, “Who came up with this schedule?” And I've literally seen requirements on the back of a napkin. In self-defense, I got involved with The Other Stuff—requirements (business analysis), project estimation, planning, & management, quality measures, process improvement, and software development methodologies (and the reasons why they work, and don’t), and I was hooked—again.
I actually enjoy The Other Stuff as much as I used to love programming (and still do, when I get the chance). If your IT/IS group or project house is strugging with The Other Stuff, your great programmers are as hobbled as if they were submitting card decks. I can do The Other Stuff for you, and if some of you get hooked like I did, I can teach you a lot in a hurry.
Waterfall? SDLC? Agile? RUP? Scrum? Lean?
I know them, I've done them, and more importantly, I know why they work and why they don't. I can help you end your religious wars, and I'm committed to helping everyone (including BAs and PMs) stay safe. I led a transition from RUPish Waterfall to a home-grown Agile method for a project house, and we went from underwater projects and death marches to consistent success and profitablity, with a life.
It never hurts to talk
The first conversation is free. There’s no sales pitch. I’ll listen a lot (I’ve actually been trained in how to do that), and after the meeting I’ll send you some notes and initial observations. If we agree that I can help, we’ll go from there.
