How to work with me.

The 30-second version

I lead enterprise programmes end-to-end with two non-negotiables: outcomes first (we agree what "done" looks like before we agree how to get there) and cadence over heroics (a programme that survives one week without me is healthier than one that depends on me). I bring 14 years of PMO + Business Architecture and an active AI / GenAI practice. Not as a buzzword, as a delivery tool I actually ship.

How I communicate

• Async-first. Long-form written status > status meetings. If a decision can be made in a thread, the meeting is friction.
• Direct. I name the issue. I won't soften bad news into vague hedges. I expect the same back.
• Pre-read everything. If a 30-min meeting can be a 5-min read, I'll send the doc. Read it before you join.
• Always with a recommendation. I never bring you a problem without a proposed call and the tradeoffs.
• Response window: Slack / Teams within the same business day · email within 24h IST · escalations within 2h.

How I decide

• Time-box discovery. Two-week discovery, max. After that we ship something we can learn from.
• Reversible vs irreversible. Reversible decisions, made fast at the team level. Irreversible ones, made slow with a written decision log.
• Strong opinions, weakly held. I'll argue the position. I'll change my mind when the data does.
• One owner. Every decision has one accountable person. No "the team will decide" mush.

What I will do

• Set up a sharp PMO cadence (daily standup, weekly governance, monthly executive review) in week one.
• Own the RAID log personally for the first 90 days, then hand it to the team with a written hygiene playbook.
• Ship a one-page executive dashboard (Power BI / Zoho / Tableau) you can show your board.
• Embed AI / LLM tooling where it removes real toil. Requirements drafting, status synthesis, retro mining. Not where it's just a demo.
• Hold a written 1:1 ritual with every direct report. Weekly. Notes shared.
• Defend the team's calendar from low-value meetings.

What I won't do

• Lead with a tech choice before we've named the outcome.
• Run a programme on vibes. If we can't articulate what success looks like, we don't start.
• Ghost. Even when the answer is "no" or "not yet."
• Sandbag estimates. I'd rather overshoot scope than over-commit and miss.
• Pretend I know something I don't. "I don't know yet, I'll find out by Tuesday" is a complete sentence.
• Bring a slide-only deliverable. There will be an artefact (a doc, a dashboard, a working PoC) every time.

How I want feedback

• Specific > general. "The stakeholder map missed the regional ops lead" beats "comms felt off."
• In writing, then in person. The written version means I can sit with it.
• About the work, not the person. I'll do the same for you.
• If you're avoiding a conversation, that IS the conversation. Bring it.

What energises me, what drains me

My day, roughly

• 06:30 to 09:00 IST. Deep work, async catch-up, written status.
• 09:00 to 13:00. Collaboration window. 1:1s, governance, vendor reviews.
• 13:00 to 14:00. Break (yes, I take it).
• 14:00 to 18:00. Programme execution, stakeholder calls, EMEA / US East overlap.
• After 18:00. Async writeups, prep for next day, reading.

Comfortable extending into US East evening blocks for kickoff weeks. Hard limit on permanent late-night cadence. Burnout is a delivery risk, not a virtue.

If this all sounds right

Email me at varun.vashisht@live.com, or see the background page. I'm happy to do a 15-min intro before either side commits to anything longer.