Bryan Bates
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Bryan is a tenacious people leader and coach with experience in energy, technology, construction, and professional services. He is skilled in simplifying technical topics to build understanding and influence stakeholders. A straightforward, calm, and concise communicator, Bryan uses facts and frameworks to tie concepts together. He's intensely curious about innovatively applying technology to solve internal and external customer pain points, while reducing the cost of execution.
Project Highlights
Expertise
Work Experience
Power Platform Developer | Product Lead
Outdoor Living Supply
- Assessed needs with stakeholders and architected a mobile app solution for inspecting over 30 store locations to enable the organization to focus on key improvements to its customer experience.
- Delivered a working prototype within a few weeks and converted this to an accepted production solution shortly after.
- Created a 2-way connection between the app and the company's data warehouse (Microsoft Fabric) to sync information from NetSuite into Microsoft Power BI reports.
- Included enterprise-level security features in the solution that aligned with the company's policies.
Project Management Consultant
Cogitact Management Consulting
- Coached a construction company by reimagining and implementing a custom mobile app-based timekeeping and payroll solution. Reduced payroll processing time from days to minutes, making it easier for the staff to execute.
- Delivered project visibility and analytics using Microsoft Power Platform mobile technology for a company with project sites located 600 km away from the office. Provided real-time access to production information and paperless forms.
- Developed a firm-specific project process and data-tracking assets for a first-time prime contractor engaged in a significant powerline construction project to help them deliver within the contracted milestones and budget.
- Implemented Agile methodology and governance to engage an entire law firm in its business model transformation, resulting in increased transparency and buy-in, plus an acceleration of the anticipated timeline.
- Built and implemented an equipment maintenance software solution in roughly two weeks, allowing a company to manage repairs and upkeep remotely or in the shop without relying on paper records. Enabled them to understand data trends.
- Integrated HubSpot and Autotask for a growing managed services provider, relieving their team from duplicated entries, facilitating new sales insights, and increasing information transparency within the company.
Automation Specialist
Simplyclose, Real Estate Law
- Implemented several Microsoft Azure and Power Platform-based integrations to share key data between the law firm's applications and replace an expensive software package. Connected the applications using REST and SOAP-based APIs.
- Envisioned and constructed a custom application to give them instant visibility on the status and progression of their projects. Developed the application incrementally and delivered results starting within the first week.
- Consulted frequently with the founder and team to understand his vision and their needs and based the product feature roadmap on items that generated the most impact quickly.
- Recommended and utilized a solution platform that emphasized privacy and security while facilitating the speedy implementation of their desired functionality.
Startup Process and Operations Lead
Confidential Company
- Joined a startup company in the health and beauty space to develop appropriate operational processes and team engagement practices as they began their journey to launch new hardware and software products.
- Consulted on the business structure and revenue model to assist the founder in gaining additional funding for the product launch.
- Conducted market size and customer persona research to supplement existing market fit tests and focus the product development.
- Guided the team in creating a roadmap of key activities and building momentum toward the product launch.
Project Manager
CBV Collection Services
- Led the migration of a mission-critical SAP BI system for a financial services company from an older, buggy system to an updated, stable, and properly governed one. Coordinated efforts cross-functionally and with an external vendor.
- Facilitated the diagnosis and resolution of long-standing data reliability and stability issues with the overall business intelligence solution, dramatically reducing the frequency and severity of reported issues.
- Crafted governance recommendations aimed at bringing the legacy system into a manageable state and setting it up for additional user capabilities.
VP of Operations | Branch Manager | Project Manager
Can-Am Geomatics
- Led the development of four novel geomatics technology products to the market, leading to an additional $1 million in revenue in the first year.
- Drafted and presented a business case for a significant investment in new geomatics technology, followed by implementation and training. This led to a 30% boost to staff productivity and the average process timeline improved by five days.
- Envisioned an internal geographic information system to catalog and search regional spatial data that was otherwise non-existent, leading to a 3-5% cost reduction for customer work.
- Acquired an existing geomatics company and managed the full integration into the existing firm. Generated successively record revenue for the branch in the years following the acquisition and grew that branch to the largest in the company.
Project History
Timekeeping/Payroll System
Led a small, multi-disciplinary team to deliver a custom, mobile-app-based timekeeping and payroll solution in a matter of weeks.
We commenced with an exploration of the current process and identification of specific improvements with a new process. Recommended a Microsoft 365-based solution due to straightforward technical requirements, good integration, and delivery speed.
Delivered an MVP at the end of two weeks, adjusted slightly, and was ready to release the solution widely at the end of the third sprint. The solution took a timekeeping and payroll process measured in days. It was reduced to a matter of minutes, saving the company significant time while reducing data entry errors. Front-line staff commented on how the mobile app made it easy and intuitive to submit their data.
Production Data Gathering
Created a complete digital production data solution in a week for a small construction company, operating far from home.
Application Integrations
Integrated several third-party applications to share data with a custom-built project/process management application.
Clearing and Construction Project Management
Led a small team to successfully deliver on a $20+ million power line clearing and construction project, on time, on budget, and on quality.
Agile Transformation
Coached a professional services firm to drive its own transformation through agile practices.
Acquisition Integration
Successfully managed the integration of another company, and then grew the new branch to record revenue levels.
Other Experience
Education
Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Business
Smith School of Business at Queen's University - Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Bachelor's Degree in Geomatics Engineering
University of Calgary - Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Certifications
Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
Scrum.org
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
Amazon Web Services
Power Platform Functional Consultant Associate
Microsoft
Digital Product Management Specialization
UVA Darden
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (MB-901)
Microsoft
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Project Management Institute (PMI)
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