Senior Systems Strategist & Operations Architect
I build human-centered systems that reduce chaos, strengthen decision-making, and give growing organizations the structure they need to move smoothly as they scale.
Ready to elevate your operations?
Let’s make your tools work for your organization — not the other way around.
First Time Here?
Sign up for my weekly newsletter & daily field notes.
For leadership, operations, and systems professionals who are tired of the "best practices" that don't work in real systems with real humans.
Here's What to Expect When You Sign Up
I'll introduce my approach. You can decide for yourself if the insights are helpful. Unsubscribe anytime if it's not a fit.
Field notes are sent daily.
These short messages meant to be slightly disruptive — naming failure modes, system boundaries, and patterns to watch in real time.
These are unpolished thoughts and I reserve the right to change my thinking when new data or patterns are evident. My goal is to earn a spot in your "primary inbox." You don't need to read them all to get value.
Deep-dive articles are sent periodically.
These longer messages are diagnostic. They examine real system dynamics in depth — often through anonymized case material — naming underlying mechanisms to illustrate what’s actually happening in complex systems.
While field notes capture live observations, these pieces reflect considered analysis — connecting signals over time into clearer diagnoses and implications for how systems should actually be designed. Published roughly every 4–6 weeks.
How it Works
I'll introduce my approach first — then after about a week you're automatically added to both cadences so you can see how they feel and decide what's most helpful for you in this season.
You can pick which cadence and style you prefer. Get both. Get only one. You're in control. There's a button at the bottom of the messages to change your preference. Either way you'll get my musings about what works and what doesn't when it comes to systems that stick.
Also — I often have a wait list for project work. Subscribers get first notice on my availability. Timing is everything.
I don’t just clean up messy systems — I eliminate the operational chaos that’s bottlenecking your organization.
If you’re ready to drop scattered workflows, fuzzy ownership, and ten different “sources of truth,” you’re in the right place.
I design cohesive operating systems built on decision clarity and real governance — then we layer in tools and workflows your team can actually use, so the whole thing sticks.
If you need a title to give me, the closest might be Fractional Operations Architect.
Functionally, a Chief Governance & Systems Officer (CGSO) would be a better fit. I legit may have just made that title up! I joke but accuracy and precision matter when it comes to taxonomy.
This is a role that consolidates fucntions that most organizations require. Sometimes it exists but the responsibilities are fragmented. Almost no one has a good name for it or description for it:
The person whodesigns the operating environmentin a way that reflectsreality.
Important Note
I mean actual reality — not an idealized version of workflow that won't hold under load. Authority, decisions rights, workflows, systems, and people actually have come together for the system to stick. And we do not minimize the importance of data provenance — regardless of how complex or simple your data is.
Your systems are producing results — but the way they’re working is signaling issues.
- Decisions do not have clear pathways.
- Data lives in too many places.
- Keeping everything on track takes vigilance — and too many disconnected, bloated spreadsheets.
Maybe the work is getting done.
But complexity in operations is increasing. Your systems won't handle your next chapter — and you know it.
The question is not "what are you going to do about that?"
The question is when.
Addressing it is not optional.
(My clients are the people for whom that last sentence was extra.)
When decision-making, ownership, and workflows aren’t aligned, even good teams end up compensating with effort instead of structure.
Most organizations I work with are moving fast.
They're expanding, scaling, acquiring, and refining how they operate to meet those demands.
Meanwhile, their systems evolved organically and no longer map to how they actually operate.
High effort, chaos, drama, whatever you want to call it, is a sign that scaffolding is missing. That structure is what makes growth smooth.
I offer strategic (and compassionate) support for organizations moving from ad-hoc, early-stage systems to coordinated, scalable operations.
We start with discovery to define the real challenges—mapping what’s functional, what’s creating friction, and where the structural gaps live.
Then we build systems that reflect your actual processes, support your culture, and grow with you.
No bloated tools, generic templates, or cookie-cutter solutions. Just calm, thoughtful, infrastructure that fits—so you can be ready for what's next.
Hi, I'm Sandra.
I'm the least obnoxious technical person you will ever meet.
I realize that's not a high bar, and it is worth mentioning for precisely that reason.
Implementing systems takes patience and grit. Even the smoothest projects have frustrating moments.
When those moments happen, you want someone who’s easy to work with and genuinely on your side.
A collaborative straight-shooter who is mildly amused but unfazed by chaos? That's me.