Transformed product development from reactive bug-fixing to proactive feature building, implementing processes and optimizing operations across teams.
From May to October 2023, I served as Fractional Product Manager and Strategic Growth Advisor for Wevolver, a platform that connects engineers and accelerates hardware innovation. This six-month engagement focused on transforming product development processes, optimizing team operations, and establishing scalable growth strategies.
Wevolver operates at the intersection of engineering knowledge sharing and collaborative innovation. The platform serves thousands of engineers worldwide, providing tools for documentation, collaboration, and knowledge management for hardware development projects. When I joined, the company was at a critical juncture – having achieved product-market fit but struggling with the operational challenges that come with scaling.
The most pressing challenge was shifting the development team from a reactive, bug-fixing mode to a proactive, feature-building mindset:
Agile Process Implementation: Introduced structured development cycles that brought predictability to the chaos:
Shifting Development Focus: The transformation from firefighting to strategic development required cultural change:
A significant portion of my impact came from identifying and eliminating inefficiencies across the organization:
Commercial Team Optimization: The commercial team was spending hours on repetitive data analysis tasks. I implemented automated solutions that:
Cross-Functional Process Improvements: Identified and optimized workflows across departments:
One of the most impactful contributions was establishing clear communication channels between previously siloed teams:
Stakeholder Alignment: Created structures for effective cross-team collaboration:
Documentation and Knowledge Sharing: Built systems to capture and disseminate knowledge:
Drawing from my startup experience, I provided guidance across multiple business dimensions:
Hiring and Team Building: Helped scale the team effectively:
Marketing and Sales Strategy: Contributed to go-to-market improvements:
Growth Strategy Development: Leveraged data and experience to identify growth levers:
The focus throughout was on creating changes that would persist beyond my engagement:
Process Documentation: Ensured all new processes were thoroughly documented:
Team Empowerment: Developed internal capabilities to maintain improvements:
The transformation at Wevolver during my six-month engagement delivered concrete results:
Beyond metrics, the engagement fostered lasting cultural changes:
From Isolation to Collaboration: Teams that previously worked in silos began actively collaborating, sharing insights, and working towards common goals.
From Reactive to Strategic: The shift from constant firefighting to strategic planning allowed the team to focus on long-term value creation.
From Assumption to Data: Decisions became increasingly data-driven, with clear metrics guiding product and business choices.
From Chaos to Structure: The implementation of clear processes brought predictability without sacrificing agility.
The Wevolver engagement reinforced several important principles:
Small Changes, Big Impact: Often, the most impactful improvements came from small process optimizations that eliminated daily friction.
Communication is Key: Many problems stemmed not from lack of capability but from poor communication. Establishing clear channels unlocked significant value.
Empowerment Drives Engagement: Giving teams the tools and processes to succeed independently created more engagement than top-down directives.
Balance is Essential: Successfully balancing immediate needs with long-term improvements was crucial for sustainable growth.
The engagement with Wevolver demonstrated how fractional product leadership can catalyze transformation in growing companies. By establishing structured processes, fostering collaboration, and building sustainable practices, we created a foundation for continued growth and innovation.
The frameworks and culture established during this engagement continue to serve Wevolver as they scale their platform and expand their impact in the engineering community. The transformation from reactive operations to proactive product development positions them to better serve their users and achieve their mission of accelerating hardware innovation globally.
