Problem:
Pratt & Whitney's F100 engine maintenance program relied on scattered MS Access databases across global locations. This fragmented system made it impossible to maintain accurate funding estimates or track maintenance costs effectively. The lack of a single source of truth led to inconsistent reporting and decision-making delays.

Tasks and Actions:
As an Agile technical product and program manager consultant, I needed to consolidate these disparate systems into a unified solution. The project required mapping complex workflows across multiple departments and locations, then translating business requirements into clear technical specifications. The program followed 12-week Program Increment (PI) cycles, broken into six two-week sprints.

I began by meeting with business units worldwide to document their workflows and data needs. These sessions revealed intricate processes that varied by location and maintenance type. Each workflow needed careful analysis to ensure the new system would support all use cases.

Working with engineering teams, I translated business requirements into detailed technical user stories. Each story included specific acceptance criteria that addressed both functional requirements and data migration needs. The stories needed to account for regional variations while maintaining system consistency.

The PI planning process required careful prioritization. I worked with stakeholders to rank features based on business impact and technical dependencies. Each 12-week increment needed to deliver meaningful functionality while building toward the complete system replacement.

Daily standups kept the team aligned and surfaced blocking issues quickly. Weekly stakeholder meetings proved crucial for maintaining project direction. These regular check-ins allowed us to adjust priorities based on emerging needs without disrupting the overall program flow.

Sprint reviews and demos focused on validating that new features met business requirements. We used these sessions to gather immediate feedback and adjust upcoming sprint plans accordingly. The demos helped stakeholders visualize progress and understand how their requirements translated into working software.

Retrospectives after each sprint helped refine our process. The team identified communication improvements and technical approaches that worked best for this complex domain. These lessons shaped how we approached subsequent sprints.

Results:
The new system replaced dozens of separate databases with a single, reliable platform. Users across all locations now access consistent, up-to-date maintenance and funding data. The unified system enables accurate cost tracking and forecasting for the F100 engine program.

The structured Agile approach delivered regular value throughout the transformation. Each PI produced working features that users could immediately apply to their daily work. This incremental delivery helped maintain stakeholder confidence and user engagement throughout the project. The weekly stakeholder meetings created strong alignment between business needs and technical delivery. Quick adjustments to requirements or priorities prevented wasted effort and ensured the final system met user needs.

The project demonstrated that effective technical product management combines domain understanding with strong communication skills. Success came from translating complex business processes into clear technical requirements while maintaining stakeholder alignment throughout the transformation.

The modernization effort showed that even entrenched systems can be successfully replaced when the process accounts for user needs and provides regular value delivery. The focus on incremental improvement and constant stakeholder engagement created a smooth transition to the new platform.