Outsourcing Guidance Reviews

“. . . pinpointed inefficiencies in our product development process and global team structure”

We engaged Michael to conduct a product development assessment at Cloud Age. His thoughtful approach and ability to grasp the complete picture have brought clarity and direction to our scaling efforts. His comprehensive review pinpointed inefficiencies in our product development process and global team structure, which I have no doubt will lead to improved productivity and product quality. In particular, his guidance in leveraging modern, cloud-native technologies and managing outsourced development has given us a framework to enhance our software development and operational capabilities. Michael’s expertise not only met our immediate needs to establish a baseline but also laid the groundwork for better ways of working, happier teams, and best practices for scaling to meet our future technical and business targets. His role as a trusted strategic advisor continues to be essential, guiding us towards a brighter, more innovative future.

“. . . an exceptional consultant and software engineering leader who has made a transformative impact on our organization”

It is with great sadness that I highly recommend Michael. I say that, because I don’t have the pleasure of working as closely with him as I used to. Michael is an exceptional consultant and software engineering leader who has made a transformative impact on our organization. I had the pleasure of first working with Michael in early 2021 when he was brought on as a consultant to assess the Data Analytics group at Anglo American. His comprehensive evaluation not only addressed our technical and product development capabilities but also our organizational design and how we work with vital third-party vendors.

Michael’s insightful analysis resonated with the entire team, and his ability to articulate complex issues in an easily digestible manner facilitated a collective understanding. What truly set Michael apart, however, was his pragmatic approach to problem-solving. He presented actionable solutions for each challenge, accompanied by a strategic roadmap that guided us back to the path of success.

Recognizing his value, Anglo American wisely appointed Michael as our Head of Software Engineering. Over the course of two years, our close collaboration enabled us to drive significant improvements throughout the organization. Michael’s extensive expertise working with offshore development partners, software engineering and product delivery, coupled with his unwavering dedication, has left a lasting impression on our team and helped position us for success in the future.

Now that Michael has returned to independent consulting, I cannot recommend him highly enough as a trusted advisor capable of elevating any organization. Don’t miss the opportunity to engage with someone as knowledgeable, skilled, and passionate as Michael. Your team will undoubtedly benefit from his unique insights and transformative guidance.

“. . . extensive technical and international business experience”

Hiring and implementing an outsourced software development team to work on a critical software project comes with some risk and trepidation. Accelerance has helped companies to successfully outsource for the past two decades. To do so, we utilize technology leaders who have extensive experience with leading offshore and nearshore teams. Michael joined our team more than two years ago and was able to contribute from the start. His experience has been leveraged working with companies ranging from startups to rapidly scaling mid-size businesses to Fortune 500 enterprises. Michael brings extensive technical and international business experience and has become a trusted advisor to our clients. I’ve found him to be very intelligent, an effective communicator, up-to-date with current technologies and tools, and transitions well from business conversations into the details of the technology.

“. . . knows the ins and outs of working with remote software teams”

I met Michael one year ago when our company was looking for a way to streamline our internal software development process and modernize our Jira implementation. The entire experience working with Michael was fantastic. He worked with us to determine our exact needs and facilitated the process of engaging an outsourced team in Brazil. He has a rare combination of excellent technical skills, a ton of practical business experience, and he knows the ins and outs of working with remote software teams. Michael maintains the highest degree of professionalism, integrity, and honesty. It was an absolute pleasure working with him. If you get a chance to work with him, you should.

“. . . a fantastic job documenting and explaining the client’s needs”

I worked with Michael on a software project for one of his clients in 2019. My role was Consulting Analyst, and I was also the Lead Developer on this project. Michael is a great communicator and facilitator, which allowed my team to ramp up quickly. Michael did a fantastic job documenting and explaining the client’s needs, including detailed workflow diagrams and a thorough description of the software requirements which he had created with the client. It would have been difficult for my team in Brazil to get the level of detail that Michael could get from his extended conversations on-site with the client. Michael was also great at explaining our completed development work to the client clearly and logically. He made our development team look good, and the client was able to clearly understand all the effort we put in to make the project successful. Michael is a real professional, and I look forward to working with him again on future projects.

“. . . able to motivate the engineering teams under him to accomplish goals no one believed were possible”

I have been working with Michael Marmor since 1998. During that time, he has served at various times as a supervisor, a mentor, a colleague, and a consultant. We have worked together to create startups, resurrect agencies in crisis, and make a dramatic positive impact on a variety of organizations.

During our time at Exceed Communications International in the late 1990s to mid-2000s, Michael was my direct supervisor in both our New York City headquarters and Hyderabad, India software development center. He was an outstanding thought leader and mentor. He was able to motivate the engineering teams under him to accomplish goals no one believed were possible. I always felt during that time that I was able to reach a much higher standard when working with him, and this has served me well throughout my career.

After Exceed, we maintained contact for several years and used each other as technical advisors. Eventually, I joined The Keffi Group, where Michael was leading the technology efforts for this newly founded private equity firm. While there, among other things, Michael’s team in India designed and built a complex software system for the telecom industry. This project was on behalf of one of the firm’s investors and used Michael’s hand-picked team of software engineering staff based in New Delhi. The software Michael’s team created ended up being one of the most valuable market differentiators for the company, prominently highlighted in sales and investor marketing efforts.

During his time at the Royal Thimphu College in Bhutan, I maintained contact with Michael. He transformed the IT department of this newly formed college from a procurement focused, non-technical group to one that focused on implementing appropriate technologies that could provide genuine value to the teaching and learning effort.

In my role as the Director of Global Infrastructure at the International Rescue Committee, the IT department engaged Michael in various diverse projects. He led a challenging discovery project to save a software project in crisis in our Silver Spring office. Thanks to Michael’s careful research and insight, the project got back on track and in the hands of a skilled outsourced software development partner. He also became involved in sensitive discovery and negotiations with a national cloud vendor used by all of our US Resettlement Offices. His calm manner and insights kept the meetings focused and productive. IRC also engaged him in a series of technology audits and successfully used his analysis to establish a baseline and develop improvement roadmaps.

Few people have the depth of software engineering, business, and overseas experience that Michael has. As a technologist, a leader, and a creative thinker, I can confidently recommend Michael, and I urge you to consider engaging him to work on your software projects.