Project Ops Leadership

Overview

In September 2022, after completing a 3-month internship, I was hired full-time by the startup to bridge the gap between stakeholders and a globally distributed development team. As I had firsthand experience with developer challenges, I introduced structured communication, aligned tasks with business priorities, and streamlined workflows. This enabled team to operate more efficiently and helping the company focus on growth and securing seed funding during a critical stage.

The Challenge

The startup faced three critical hurdles that threatened its growth:

Operational Cost Leakage

Unclear project scopes, inefficient resource allocation, and misaligned priorities led to wasted time and marketing budget.

Fragmented Team Management

With 10+ developers across four continents and 3 external agencies, asynchronous communication and differing goals caused missed deadlines and inconsistent quality.

Leadership Void

The main stakeholder was non-technical and focused on securing funding, leaving a gap between business objectives and development execution.

Tools & Methodologies Used

Asana Slack Miro Notion Google Workspace Calamari Figma Zapier flow.io

Key Initiatives

Resource Optimization

Introduced a skills-based matrix to align developers' strengths with project needs, ensuring tasks matched individual capabilities.
Leveraged project management and collaboration tools for task tracking, design collaboration, and knowledge sharing.
Established structured check-ins and progress reviews to improve visibility, reduce redundancy, and keep teams aligned.

Managing Agency Relationships & Project Scopes

Defined clear scopes, deadlines, and performance-based payment structures for external agencies.
Streamlined invoicing, NDAs, and deliverable integration to ensure smooth collaboration.
Conducted regular check-ins to maintain quality, track progress, and keep everyone on the same page.

Stakeholder Management

Acted as the bridge between development, marketing, and business teams.
Created transparency around development processes to help non-technical stakeholders understand priorities and challenges.
Coordinated cross-department efforts to ensure timely feedback, proactive collaboration, and alignment with business goals.

Results & Impact

Cost Optimization

Achieved annual savings of €50K–75K through better resource allocation, renegotiated contracts, and elimination of redundant processes.
Improved efficiency by 30% and reduced project overruns by 40% thanks to clearer scope definitions and stakeholder alignment.

Stakeholder Time

Freed 100+ hours per month for the main stakeholder, enabling focus on business growth.
This directly contributed to securing €500K in Series A funding, strengthening the company's financial position.

Team Alignment & Cross-Department Collaboration

Strengthened communication and collaboration across development, marketing, and business teams.
Regular check-ins and structured workflows enabled a cohesive, synchronized team, improving delivery quality and responsiveness.

Conclusion

The startup had strong momentum but was held back by scattered processes and misaligned teams. By introducing structure, improving communication, and aligning development with business goals, we saved significant time and costs.

The main stakeholder regained 100+ hours per month, enabling focus on growth and securing a €500K funding round, while smarter resource use cut €50K–75K in annual development costs. Small, strategic shifts made a measurable difference—turning operational chaos into scalable, efficient workflows.

Want to discuss this project?

Happy to chat more about how we made things run smoother and freed up time and budget. If you're dealing with messy processes or teams that aren’t quite clicking, I’m always up for a conversation.