PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Our primary strategy centers on User Experience (UX)—a continuous cycle of hypothesizing, designing, testing, and refining each key element to ensure an optimal and consistent experience. This approach has been crucial in gaining the support of both stakeholders and residents. Every iteration of DSNY’s products reflects an ongoing evolution in UX and a commitment to modernizing the agency’s infrastructure.

Sustainability

Sustainability isn’t limited to waste management and climate change—it also guided our approach to product development and delivery. Our goal was to build a dynamic platform where content can be created, edited, and published independently, without requiring developer or IT support. This ensures a self-sustaining system that empowers teams to manage content efficiently and adapt quickly.

My Cross-Functional Roles

Throughout the development of the program, I took on multiple roles across its various milestone phases.

As a Program Manager/Project Manager

I successfully facilitated the delivery of the program, ensuring it was completed on time and met quality standards. Throughout the process, I proactively removed impediments to maintain steady progress and devised a clear, strategic roadmap to guide the program’s direction. I owned and managed the communication plan, keeping stakeholders informed and maintaining transparency around key decisions. Additionally, I built detailed program budgets and timelines by coordinating both internal and external resources. Amid shifting priorities, I provided clear direction and input to refine the program’s definition and maintain alignment across all teams.

As An Agile Partner

I facilitated key Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, reviews/demos, retrospectives, release planning meetings, and backlog refinement sessions. Throughout the development process, I championed Agile principles and frameworks, ensuring they were consistently applied and understood. I promoted a safe and open environment where team members felt comfortable sharing ideas, asking questions, and voicing concerns constructively. By encouraging self-reflection and continuous improvement, I helped the team identify areas for growth and enhance their performance. Additionally, I coached employees and stakeholders on Kanban fundamentals and implemented agile metrics—such as burndown and burnup charts—to effectively measure progress and success.

As a Product Owner

I presented concepts, documentation, and key program information to stakeholders, ensuring alignment and transparency throughout the project. Serving as an internal quality control checkpoint, I oversaw all phases of the development process to maintain high standards. I provided both user experience and technical development oversight, bridging the gap between design and implementation. Throughout the program, I proactively identified, communicated, and mitigated risks, assumptions, issues, and critical decisions. I also defined detailed functional specifications for feature sets and reviewed them during development to ensure thorough testing and validation at each stage.

As a Design Strategist / UX Lead

I collaborated with cross-functional leaders to identify and prioritize research activities essential to the program. Leading user testing and interviews, I validated design concepts directly with end users to ensure alignment with their needs. I guided the design process from framing the problem and synthesizing insights to ideating creative solutions, often using design sprints to accelerate progress. Throughout all stages—from discovery to validation—I employed a variety of methods to deeply understand customer needs and uncover new opportunities for innovation.

Product Roadmap

The product roadmap is grounded in evolving technologies, with ongoing coaching and guidance to help the team adapt to current industry trends.

ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE

The DSNY platform is the first sustainable Single Page Application (SPA) built on a content management system (CMS).