I like working out how organisations really work.
Hello, I’m James. I work in business operations in the UK, mostly on planning, portfolio and workforce. In my spare time I build small things with AI and automation.
- Day job
- Leading a team across planning, portfolio, workforce, analytics, compliance and financial operations
- On the side
- DRGNFLY Studios, my own small studio for experiments with AI, automation and digital products
- Based
- United Kingdom
A sketch I keep redrawing.
The Operating System
When I’m trying to work out why something isn’t working, I usually end up drawing the same five things and the lines between them. Poke around: it’s a sketch, not a model.
Strategy
What are we actually trying to do, and what are we choosing not to do?
Strategy is mostly a set of trade-offs. I’m most interested in what happens after the statement is written: turning it into choices that people can fund, staff and measure.
What this touches in my work
- Enterprise and corporate planning
- Turning priorities into plans
- Governance of how decisions get made
Related work
Things I keep coming back to
I like finding a way forward when the answer isn’t obvious. A bit of curiosity, the right people around the table and a willingness to adapt usually get you further than a perfect plan.
- Be curious.
- Question assumptions, explore different perspectives and don’t be afraid to ask the obvious. Sometimes a simple question opens up a better way forward.
- Bring people in early.
- Good ideas get better when they’re shared. Involving others early helps challenge thinking, build understanding and spot things you might otherwise miss.
- Set guardrails. Keep iterating.
- Start with a clear direction and enough structure to move forward. Then test, learn and adjust rather than waiting for everything to be perfect.
- Know what better looks like.
- Decide what you’re trying to improve and how you’ll measure it. Keep checking progress and use what you learn to inform the next decision.
Career in brief
What I do day to day.
Now · Jaguar Land Rover
Head of Operations & Planning
I lead a multidisciplinary team across operational planning, financial operations, portfolio management, workforce strategy, analytics and compliance in a large, matrixed, global business. Day to day that means connecting what leadership wants with the resources, governance and information needed to make it happen.
- Operational planningPlanning across the business, so priorities turn into a plan that can be resourced and run.
- Financial operationsFinancial and resource planning, and the operational finance that keeps plans and spend connected.
- Portfolio managementPrioritising investment and projects, with governance that keeps choices clear and challenge constructive.
- Workforce strategyWorkforce and organisational planning that links capacity and capability to where the business is heading.
- AnalyticsAnalytics, automation and management information that make operations easier to see and steer.
- ComplianceGovernance and compliance that protect the quality of decisions without slowing delivery down.
- MSc Strategy and International Business, Aston University2012
- BA (Hons) Management Studies, University of Nottingham2008–2011
On the side
DRGNFLY is where I get to build things instead of planning them. I start from how a business really works, then use software, automation and AI only where they help. It’s a good way of finding out what technology actually does, at a scale where I can see all of it.
What the studio does
A small independent studio that helps businesses improve how they work. It starts with the software a business already has, and only suggests custom builds, AI or a particular vendor when they’re the right fit.
DRGNFLY is separate from my day job and from my employer’s work and intellectual property. I don’t claim any client work or results on this site.
Three ways of working
- ConfigureGet more out of software a business already has, or find and set up the right tool where something is missing.
- ConnectLink existing systems so information isn’t re-typed, lost or chased by hand.
- CreateBuild something tailored when nothing off the shelf will do.
Come and say hello.
If something here sparked a thought, I’d love to hear it.