Hello
Hi! I'm Ashley. I've been a "leader" since I was a kid, or "bossy", if you ask my mom. I like to create order out of chaos, clarity out of nuance, and lots of spreadsheets.
I like a good plan and I think other people do too.
My Story
I've been a DPM at Microsoft for four years and have had the privilege of working with brilliant, kind, talented people.
Prior to Microsoft I worked as an advertising producer. I stood up and lead two digital advertising content studios–making the case for internal creative teams by demonstrating potential, forecasting ROI, and incorporating research.
In 2019 I ushered the Azure IoT team through a reorg into CXS, strengthening and establishing process as we scaled from 20 to 70. I've learned to understand and follow the flow of Microsoft's ever-changing landscape. In these times of transitions I like to support teams by establishing order and expectations through process and kindness. I like helping people, however I can.
Priorities: 30 - 60 days
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Clean transition and integration into new centralized DPM team (*new*)
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Discuss opportunities, goals, mission, vision, ROB, and expectations.
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Product support on Azure IoT Hub and Azure IoT Operations. (cont.)
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Reporting quality metrics + AI initiatives for the digital operations team. (cont.)
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Preparing for MBR and GEM alignment. (cont.)
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Lead exec comms work for Digital Operations LT (cont.)
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Support EPRD culture initiatives (cont.)
What I bring
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Collaborative leadership
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Change management
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Strategic thinking
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Executive communications production
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Culture curation
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Adaptability
Impact
Operational excellence
Built the internal R+D foundation for the Azure Adaptive Cloud initiative that brought PM, Eng, research and design together to create a cohesive end-to-end solution across dozens of individual Azure services across Edge, Hybrid, IoT, Kubernetes, Data, and AI. Adaptive Cloud was included in Satya's 2024 Ignite Keynote and has remained central to the Azure Digital Operations product and sales strategy.
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I worked closely with the PM team to define the relationship between R+D and PM
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I was the R+D conduit between our two teams.
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Established R+D ROB for 30+ people, across four time zones
Leader of Leaders
Lead design for the Gartner Magic Quadrant evaluation with VP Mike MacKenzie. Microsoft earned the top spot as the "Leader of Leaders" in IIoT category.
Unifying people, product, and process
Supported multiple teams that came together under the new Edge + Platform Research and Design (EPRD) team, under a new studio manager.
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Phase 1: Established ROB: team meetings, calendars, Teams chats, Security Groups/Distribution groups/aliases
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Phase 2: Created shared understanding of the project, priorities, and people, through a studio inventory.
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Phase 3: Amplified EPRD mission and vision through CXS team page. Created internal SharePoint for internal . messaging and resources.
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Ongoing: build and maintain culture, clarity, and collaboration.
How can I help?
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What are your priorities?
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How do you like to communicate?
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Teams messages, email, video calls
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What are the expectations for a DPM on your team?
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How do you define success in this role and on this team?
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How do you anticipate the division of labor and attention across the DPM + product teams
How I work best
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I thrive with clear, direct communication and explicit expectations.
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I work to understand the why of an assignment before getting started–to tailor my approach to the goal, audience, and desired result.
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My communication style:
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Clarity is a gift. Kindness is free.
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Brevity and bullet points when possible.
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Exclamation points and emojis, when appropriate. Express yourself! ❤️
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Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
123-456-7890