Platform Modernisation – HealthTech
Sector: HealthTech
Role: Fractional Staff Engineer / Technical Coach
Engagement: Embedded leadership during platform transformation
Type: Hands-on technical leadership and architecture modernisation
A national HealthTech provider was shifting to a digital-first model – but legacy systems, brittle releases, and delivery fatigue were dragging them down.
They didn’t just need a new platform. They needed delivery to stop hurting.
The Challenge
- Fragile, tightly coupled legacy systems
- Daily hotfixes and manual production releases
- Inconsistent quality and team practices after vendor churn
- Delivery overruns measured in quarters
- Low morale, high stress, and collapsing trust in engineering
What I Did
Modernised Architecture & Delivery Flow
- Introduced hexagonal architecture and domain-driven design
- Co-designed a new event-driven, microservices platform (Kubernetes + Kafka)
- Decoupled legacy systems using Change Data Capture to enable safe parallel running
- Delivered CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure as Code for on-demand deployment
Reduced Risk & Improved Feedback
- Moved from manual regression to test automation, static analysis, and feature flags
- Enabled safe rollouts via dark launches, mirrored environments, and progressive exposure
- Set feedback targets (<1 min local tests, <5 min pipeline feedback) to reduce cycle time
- Shifted teams towards trunk-based development and releasable-by-default workflows
Led from the Inside
- Embedded as a Staff Engineer – pairing, reviewing, and unblocking delivery teams
- Ran group coaching and influenced architecture across squads
- Worked closely with CTO, delivery, and product to balance scope and risk
- Helped reshape teams around domains to cut coordination overhead
What Changed
From Firefighting to Fast Flow
- New services moved to daily deploys
- Legacy systems became stable, with predictable cadence
- Scope negotiation turned into rhythm, not rework
From Fragile to Safe
- Hotfixes dropped dramatically
- Feature flags and observability made production safe to learn in
- Quality issues were caught early, not cleaned up later
From Stress to Confidence
- Shorter feedback loops calmed delivery
- Developers felt trusted, in control, and able to improve
- Teams stopped burning out – and started owning the flow
From Bottleneck to Business Partner
- Product decisions accelerated – even mid-cycle
- Engineering was no longer feared – it was trusted
- Momentum returned
Reflections
Modernising delivery isn’t just about better tech – it’s about shifting how teams feel and how businesses trust.
By embedding as a fractional leader, I helped this team move from reactive chaos to confident flow – and when they no longer needed me, I knew the work had stuck.
Scaling a legacy platform or stuck in firefighting?
Let’s rebuild delivery so it holds – and accelerates under pressure.
Book a 20-minute discovery call