BrightLogic, LLC

I believe experts should be experts, not task-jugglers. That's why I use AI and automation to free up 5-10 hours a week for service-based businesses. Less busywork, more genius work.

My passion lies in solving sales process challenges. If you're struggling to follow up with your leads, have a large client or lead database you haven't done anything with, or need to book more appointments, send me a DM with "AI Sales"

CEO - ⚙️ Chief AI Consultant

I have spoken (in person & online) at over 80 conferences and events worldwide since 2016. Find my sessions at: https://sessionize.com/heidi-araya/

Current focus of talks: How AI will impact jobs and careers; AI for non-tech folks; Improving Business Results with a holistic, customer-focused approach 

I am an approved Pluralsight author, international speaker, innovator, and experienced workshop designer and facilitator. My book on Lightweight Value Stream Mapping will be complete in 2024.

International Keynote Speaker, Author, Approved Pluralsight Trainer

Crooms Academy of Information Technology

Business Advisory Council

Young Entrepreneurs of Surry

Advisor

ForeverQuest

To empower individuals to unleash their infinite potential by guiding them on a transformative journey of personal growth and self-evolution. Enabling people to reach and exceed their business goals in a rapidly changing world with pragmatic business mentoring and coaching, based on 25 years of experience and ICF coach training. 
Check it out at www.foreverquest.org

Business and Personal Reinvention Guide (passion project)

Value Stream Management Consortium

Designing AI-powered experiences as a Director on the board. I pitched and implemented FlowBuddy, an AI chatbot designed to answer common questions about Value Stream Management.

Director, Board of Directors

BotLogic

We help businesses integrate generative AI technologies to improve productivity. 
We share generative AI tools and techniques for small and medium-sized businesses and organizations. 
We build, train, and maintain AI chatbots for clients.
 Check out our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@brightlogicai

Technical Advisor, AI Automations

Xpirit | Part of Xebia

Coaching, Consulting for Enterprise Transformation
Empowered clients to maximize their time and energy by leading strategic organizational transformations. Utilized a comprehensive approach, including productivity workshops, one-on-one coaching, and tailored interventions to identify inefficiencies and implement streamlined processes. Served as a Delivery Lead, ensuring successful adoption of productivity-enhancing solutions and facilitating lasting, positive change.
In this role, I:
Conducted in-depth assessments to uncover productivity bottlenecks and areas for improvement
Designed and delivered engaging workshops to educate teams on productivity best practices and tools
Provided personalized coaching to help individuals develop more efficient work habits and mindsets
Implemented strategic solutions to optimize workflows, and eliminate time-wasters
Acted as a Delivery Lead, overseeing the seamless execution of productivity initiatives and ensuring measurable results
Empowered clients to reclaim their time, reduce stress, and focus on high-value activities that drive growth and success
By leveraging my expertise in productivity optimization and change management, I helped clients transform their organizations and unlock the full potential of their teams.

Enterprise Transformation Consultant - Delivery Lead

Citrix

As a Director of TPM/Agile in the Engineering Operations Team at Citrix, I spearheaded the transformation of our software development processes, establishing a vision for lean-agile ways of working that empowered teams to deliver value faster and more efficiently. By focusing on principles and outcomes rather than prescriptive processes, I helped create an environment where innovation could thrive, and teams could adapt quickly to changing market demands.
Key achievements in this role included:
Developing and implementing a lean-agile framework that streamlined workflows and eliminated waste
Coaching teams and fostering a culture of continuous improvement
Establishing guardrails and principles to ensure alignment and consistency across the organization
Empowering teams to take ownership of their processes and make data-driven decisions
Driving significant improvements in productivity, quality, and time-to-market

Director, Engineering Operations - Technical Program Management

Enterprise Agile Coach (Director)

The Open Leadership Network

see www.openleadershipnetwork.com
The mission of the OLN is to advance real and lasting progress in the domain of business agility and organizational development through effective change management (e.g., Invitation-Based Model of Coaching)

Founding Member and Advisory Board Member

Coaching Agile Journeys

Coaching Agile Journeys was an online meetup held on Zoom (way before COVID!). We grew a community of passionate meetup attendees that engaged regularly with us for over five years, with average attendance of 50-90 people for the main monthly events. Once a month, we had a main event with a speaker. In between, we scheduled special events, like a special series, an agile cocktail, coaching circle, lean coffee, or meet up to discuss our podcast. Check the recordings out at www.coachingagilejourneys.com

Co-founder and Community Leader

Empowering small businesses to reclaim time and accelerate growth through AI-powered automation | Inventor | Keynote Speaker

Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed by inefficient processes and missed opportunities? 

As a business owner, you wear many hats, but juggling them all can leave you feeling stretched thin and unable to focus on what truly matters – growing your business.

Every inefficient process = A missed opportunity for growth

It's frustrating, isn't it? 
→ Wasting time on repetitive tasks 
→ Struggling to streamline operations 
→ Trying to keep up with the competition

Meanwhile... 

→ Productivity suffers 
→ Valuable time is lost on low-value activities

I UNDERSTAND YOUR STRUGGLES. I'VE BEEN THERE. 

Let's revolutionize your business processes.

With over 20 years of experience in process improvement, I've helped countless businesses like yours break free from the daily grind and unlock their true potential.

Here's how I can help:

My 3-step strategy to transform your business: 

✓ I identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement. 

✓ Together, we develop custom AI solutions tailored to your unique needs. 

✓ You experience increased productivity, streamlined operations, and more time to focus on growth.

AI handles repetitive tasks, freeing up your time and resources. Boost efficiency and productivity without adding to your workload. No more missed opportunities and no more time wasted on manual processes.

My goal: You focus on what matters --Growing Your Business-- while AI takes care of the rest, from data entry and customer inquiries to complex workflows.

→ 50% more time for high-value activities 
→ Streamline your operations and reduce costs 
→ Scale your business without scaling effort

With our AI-Powered Process Improvement System 

You get all this without increasing headcount in a done-for-you system.

Curious to learn more? DM me.

Heidi 💡 Araya

Self employed

Portfolio professional

Healios

• Coached and mentored Managers, Leaders, and Developers to enhance their agility and effectiveness in achieving team objectives
• Acting as Chief of Staff to the CTO, led the development and implementation of team and cross-team processes and ways of working, breaking down silos and fostering collaboration and psychological safety in a remote-first environment

Head of Tech Strategy & Operations

• Facilitating Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Identifying where silos exist and actively working on removing them
• Being a bridge between different teams, encouraging open communication and information sharing
• Promoting cross-functional teams and initiatives to tackle complex problems with input from multiple areas of the company
• Addressing communication breakdowns and encouraging a culture of constructive feedback and problem-solving
Strategic Planning and Alignment:
•  Working with the CTO and executive team to develop and communicate the company's strategic goals and priorities
• Ensuring all teams understand how their work aligns with the company's objectives
• Monitoring progress on strategic goals and adjusting as needed to stay on course
Project Management and Execution:
• Overseeing critical projects and initiatives that have a direct impact on profitability
• Identifying bottlenecks and roadblocks, working to remove them and keep projects on track
Data Analysis and Decision Support:
• Collecting and analysing data to identify opportunities for process improvement and cost reduction, and provide data-driven insights to support decision-making
Streamlining Operations:
• Identifying redundant processes and inefficiencies within the organisation
• Optimising workflows, and reducing costs
Change Management:
• Leading efforts to help employees adapt to new ways of working and break down silos
• Communicating the benefits of collaboration and process improvements to employees, fostering a culture of continuous improvement
Resource Allocation:
• Assisting in resource allocation decisions to ensure that investments align with the company's strategic priorities
• Optimising the allocation of people, budget, and technology to maximise profitability
Executive Support:
• Providing essential support to the CTO or other executives in managing their priorities and responsibilities
• Regularly assessing the impact of initiatives and adjust strategies as needed

Engineering Manager | Chief of Staff to the CTO (acting)

• Led an initiative to rationalise and optimise the tooling landscape, resulting in substantial cost savings of over £8k/year
• Managed and supported the professional growth of developers across two tech teams, leading to increased job satisfaction, engagement, and overall productivity
• Regularly conducted individual coaching sessions, set Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), and facilitated career progression discussions to cultivate a growth mindset and promote innovation and controlled risk-taking within teams

Engineering Manager

• Pioneered the Agile coaching initiative at Citrix, guiding over 10 engineering teams worldwide to enhance their productivity by identifying and eliminating obstacles and tailoring processes to their specific needs. Demonstrated impact includes a calculated productivity increase of over $400k/year in a single team
• Designed and successfully implemented Agile@Citrix, a bespoke agile framework tailored to Citrix's needs. This initiative resulted in improved delivery predictability, higher software quality, increased team morale, and a culture of innovation
• Established and led the monthly Citrix Coaching Dojo, providing a platform for up-skilling colleagues interested in becoming agile coaches. This initiative not only fostered knowledge sharing but also generated cost savings of over $10k/year in training expenses
• Regularly conducted internal training sessions and workshops on topics such as feature mining for Product Managers, effective retrospectives for Scrum Masters, and prioritisation techniques for Engineering Managers, contributing to continuous learning and development within the organisation
• Consistently received positive feedback on coaching engagements, with an average feedback score of 9/10, showcasing effectiveness in facilitating professional growth and driving performance improvements
• Recognised with the TPM Impact award for contributions to productivity enhancements through the coaching dojo and process improvements
• Defined and refined the hiring process for agile coaches, emphasising diversity and inclusion at all stages of recruitment to ensure a well-rounded and inclusive team

Staff Technical Program Manager | Agile Coach

• First Agile Coach ever hired at Citrix
• Agile coach for the Workspace platform team
• Set up the new WSP Agile Release Train
• Acted as RTE for WSP ART
• Simplified PI planning for an ART preserving the advantages of an agile approach while ensuring stakeholders' interests were met

Agile Program Manager | Agile Coach

• Led and coached three teams to achieve timely project delivery while prioritising work-life balance
Implemented strategies resulting in a 99% increase in delivery predictability and a tenfold acceleration in project delivery within a month (see details in this presentation: https://www.slideshare.net/MariapaolaSorrentino/the-art-of-being-10xfaster-99-more-predictable )
• Developed and delivered bespoke training sessions and workshops for the Agile Centre of Excellence, focusing on topics such as prioritisation techniques to enhance team efficiency and effectiveness (e.g. my Prioritisation Techniques workshop: https://www.slideshare.net/MariapaolaSorrentino/prioritisation-techniques-tutorial-agile-cambridge-2019 )
• Implemented a holistic approach to Agile methodologies by integrating elements from various frameworks, maximising the benefits of Agile practices and ensuring alignment with organisational goals and values

Scrum Master

Speechmatics

• Led and coached multiple technical teams, driving significant improvements in efficiency and productivity
• Dramatically shortened time to production from three months to four weeks by proactively identifying and addressing blockers in the development process
• Developed and implemented a comprehensive software defect management process, resulting in a substantial reduction of the bug list from approximately 500 issues to just 50 over a six-month period, while concurrently delivering new features.
• Facilitated company-wide Agile events, including sprint review webinars and various inspect and adapt sessions such as quarterly Engineering Health Checks inspired by the Spotify model, and the annual company retrospective

Scrum Master | Senior SDET

Brocade

• Championed the adoption of Agile and Lean values, principles, and practices, leveraging techniques such as information radiators to enhance transparency and collaboration within teams
• Developed and implemented comprehensive Quality Assurance procedures to uphold standards and ensure the delivery of high-quality software products
• Enhanced the effectiveness of the testing framework (PERL), implementing improvements to streamline processes and increase efficiency in software testing

Brocade acquired the SteelApp Business Unit from Riverbed in March 2015

Staff Software Test Engineer

Riverbed Technology

Software QA Engineer

Velocix

• Guided teams in the adoption of Agile and Lean values, principles, and practices, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration
• Transformed an underachieving hardware team into a high-performing unit that consistently delivered projects on time while maintaining high morale
• Implemented best practices such as Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) to enhance software quality and ensure robustness
• As one of four gatekeepers of all Python code within the Video Business Unit, upheld code quality standards and promoted a culture of excellence in software development
• Developed and maintained a robust testing framework using Python and Django, enabling efficient and effective testing processes to support high-quality software delivery

Velocix was at that time part of Alcatel-Lucent's Video Business Unit

Scrum Master | Senior Software Test Developer 

Conservatorio di musica “D. Cimarosa” di Avellino

Teacher of Electronics at MA level.

From Ohm's law to programming microcontrollers for artistic performances, especially for music and sound effects driven by external events, the lectures cover a wide range of technical aspects and focus on designing experiences and explores the possibilities of human-machine interaction.

A wide range of sensors, both commercial and home made, is explored and used to fill the gap between technology and arts.

Final projects include microcontrolled programmed lights effects (reacting to live events) for stage performances, MIDI controllers reacting to different inputs (sound, light, pressure, torsion, temperature, etc.) and many other projects based on the students' background and needs.

Visiting Professor

DANTE

During my time at DANTE (now GEANT), I worked in the technical customer support department, part of the team in charge of the account management of strategic customers.

As an example, I liaised with an international organisation that was interested in moving part of their traffic from satellites to optic fibres, planning, coordinating and executing the first high-bandwidth multicast tests on the largest research and education network.

I was responsible for planning large-scale tests across multiple Countries, coordinating experts from network operations, security, logistics, help desks and network engineering. I executed the plan on time, with the resources I had available and the results were a big success: this organisation become a customer of GEANT’s (and still is) and the technical outcomes were presented at the TNC (http://tnc.geant.org, the world largest network conference for the research and education community).

Technical Customer Support

People-oriented Agile Coach with over a decade of hands-on experience in driving transformations promoting agile ways of working. Deeply motivated by the opportunity to lead and nurture multidisciplinary teams. Fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional development with a proactive and results-oriented approach.

I love coaching, training, and mentoring teams and individuals across different roles and levels.

As the Head of Tech Strategy & Operations at Healios, I worked closely with the CTO and to develop and communicate the company's strategic goals and priorities, ensuring alignment and collaboration across all teams and functions.

I have a passion for bringing order to chaos, leading with enthusiasm, empathy, compassion, and kindness. I have applied and blended various agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe) to create custom solutions that accelerate the delivery of high-quality output at a sustainable pace, while tracking and improving key metrics such as velocity, say/do ratio, and cycle time. I have also leveraged my technical background as a developer, tester, Scrum Master, and Release Train Engineer to train and mentor less experienced colleagues on agile best practices, lean product management techniques, and coding standards. My definition of success is to see the people and the teams I work with thrive and succeed.

taplio

The Battle

Heidi 💡 Araya

Mariapaola Sorrentino

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