About

I’ve spent seventeen years in software engineering, with systems integration as the through-line, most recently as a lead engineer. I now consult independently from Chicago through BobRz LLC. The full work history is on LinkedIn.

How I work

I start by reading: the systems, then the people, then the process. I don’t quote what I haven’t seen. Most engagements begin with a bounded assessment that ends in a written plan, and the plan is yours whether or not the larger work goes ahead.

I work for the buyer. I don’t resell software or take commissions from vendors, so when I recommend a product, a vendor, or a bit of custom code, it’s because I think it’s the right fit for you. Sometimes the right answer is the thing you already pay for.

I also try to keep the human side of the work in view. Software and systems are only as good as they are for the people using them every day, so I spend time with those people and write in plain language they can act on.

Range, on purpose

I range widely by temperament. I came to engineering by way of film school, and my interests run from warehouse software to camera rigs. For a long time that read to me as a lack of focus. It turns out to be the skill clients actually pay for: walking into a business I don’t know yet, whether that’s a distribution floor, a retail counter, or a vendor contract, and learning it fast enough and carefully enough to ask the right questions. The people inside a business know it far better than I do. My job is to learn enough to be useful quickly, and to bring what I’ve seen elsewhere.