Case Study 1: Scalable Project Data System for Food Processing Equipment
Overview
I led the build of a scalable project management and data workflow system for a food-processing equipment manufacturer (systems valued at $3M+). The existing process relied on siloed information and ad-hoc reporting, which made it hard to optimize workflows or generate reliable metrics.
My Role
Project Manager. I owned the business case, vendor selection, solution design, rollout, and ongoing maintenance.
Problem
- Project data was fragmented across teams, creating a "black box" for process performance.
- Reporting was unclear and inconsistent, limiting decision-making.
- Existing tooling was not scalable for growing program complexity.
Approach
- Secured leadership buy-in with a 6-page business case outlining the ROI of upgrading data management.
- Interviewed stakeholders across business units to map required reports, outputs, and workflows.
- Evaluated Notion, Coda, Monday.com, ClickUp, and Asana; selected Coda for flexibility, time-to-value, and pricing.
- Built custom workflows in Coda for multiple user types, with role-based data sharing.
- Implemented cloud access for mobile use (no VPN required), while maintaining security constraints.
- Wrote scripts and automations to connect ERP data into the Coda system.
- Trained users and documented the new workflows.
Results
- 100% adoption within the PM team.
- 600 users onboarded across 10 teams.
- Reporting time reduced by 1-2 days; reports now generated in minutes with no manual spreadsheet entry.
- Built 4 automated data pipelines to downstream departments.
- Centralized, secure cloud access eliminated the need for VPN while keeping data shared only as required.
Tech / Tools: CODA, Sharepoint Online, ERP integrations, custom scripts/automations.