01 / 09
A deck, written to be read
Someone to think out loud with, who has nothing to protect.
Decisions on your desk
Illustrative example. Not a real client's.
I'm Badri. I have a standing conversation with leaders who have software delivery decisions to make: the date, the vendor, the hire or the plan.
This deck is for reading, not presenting. The big sentence on each slide is the short version, and the paragraphs under it are the detail. Prefer paper? Download it as a PDF.
02 / 09
The problem
Big decisions get made in rooms where nobody can say no.
The date
Everyone in the room needs it to be yes.
The vendor
The references were the vendor's picks.
The hire
Hiring takes four months. The date doesn't wait.
The AI gain
30% faster. Measured where?
The people closest to a decision usually have a stake in how it comes out. A date, a vendor, a hire and an AI claim all share that problem. I don't have a stake.
03 / 09
How it works
A standing conversation, kept small.
A regular time
Usually monthly. We agree it up front.
In between
Send a question, a draft plan or a contract. I answer straight.
What I don't do
I don't talk to your team, and I don't run anything.
I work only from what you tell me and show me. That's the point: an outside view without a project, a team to manage, or anyone to impress.
04 / 09
The AI question
Every AI gain in a plan should be marked measured or hoped.
Measured
Cycle time before and after, on the same kind of work.
Hoped
A vendor's 30%, copied into the schedule.
Most plans mix the two without saying so. Marking each claim forces the question of what it would cost if it were wrong. There's a one-page worksheet for it, free, and nothing is stored.
05 / 09
When advice isn't enough
I'll tell you when you need more than advice.
I won't let advice quietly turn into a project. When I think we've reached the edge of it, I'll say so.
06 / 09
Is this right for you?
This is for leaders who make the call and want a second set of eyes.
Call me when
- You're about to commit to a date, in a building where saying no isn't an option.
- You want to talk a hire, a vendor or a plan through with someone outside the politics.
- You'd like an outside view without starting a project.
Don't call me when
- You want someone to do the work. That's fractional leadership.
- You want me to talk to your team. That's a Reality Check.
- You're looking for a rubber stamp. I'll tell you what I'd push on.
07 / 09
Who you'd be talking to
I've spent years asking what a date is standing on.
Estimates
Led the group that reviewed estimates on large deals
Most of the job was asking what a date, a vendor claim or a plan rested on.
Career
Project manager to portfolio lead
More than twenty years in software delivery.
Now
Independent since 2026
One person. No team to sell you.
08 / 09
Ways to work together
If you need more than a conversation, there are two other ways in.
Advisory
You have a decision coming and nobody neutral to think it through with.
A standing conversation, kept small. Bring me the date, the vendor, the hire or the plan.
You are reading this one.
Fractional leadership
You need delivery run, not reported on.
I lead your program or delivery function part of the week, from inside your team.
Rescue
Something you committed to is slipping.
We start with a Two-Week Reality Check, then choose a recovery path and a date you can defend.
Both start with the same free call, and I'll tell you honestly which fits.
09 / 09
Next step
Start with a twenty-minute call. Tell me what you're deciding.
You tell me what's on your desk, and I say whether a standing conversation would help. If it wouldn't, I'll tell you that.
Or write to badri@deliveryliftpm.com. I reply within one business day.
Not ready to call? Start here