OVERVIEW

In the summer of 2023, I joined AECOM as the inaugural digital product leader to found and scale the Automation Foundry - a globally distributed, cross-functional group in the enterprise organization dedicated to transforming manual engineering and design workflows into high-craft digital products. Straddling product management and design, I built a cross-functional development team and established AECOM’s first end-to-end digital development lifecycle. To transition the organization from ad-hoc scripting to enterprise-grade product engineering, my team designed and deployed a universal design system, institutionalized rigorous QA frameworks, and launched a centralized digital product hub for tool discovery, training, and feature federation.

Under this unified operational framework, we scaled the initiative from a nascent concept into the definitive model for enterprise digital delivery at AECOM. By the end of my tenure, the team had shipped approximately 40 unique automation and AI tools accessible via a custom Revit ribbon and standalone desktop applications that served multiple global business lines including Buildings & Places and Water. Ultimately, this engine shifted the organization from reactive development to rapid, scalable innovation, turning deep human insights into high-craft software that redefined how massive infrastructure projects are delivered to clients.

GOALS

1. Eliminate high-friction, manual workflows and accelerate delivery - save 10,000+ operational hours within the first year

2. Drive measurable, continuous improvements in data integrity, model quality, and content health 

3. Centralize and scale adoption - streamline global tool discovery, support, and feedback loops, scale regional innovations into global solutions

4. Standardize enterprise product craft with robust UI/UX standards, a universal design system, and a predictable end-to-end product lifecycle