How I Engineered a $494M Digital Growth Engine from a Multi Million Dollar At Risk Account
Texas Roadhouse’s $5M partnership with Bounteous was on the brink of cancellation, plagued by missed releases, reactive hotfixes, and a total breakdown of trust. I led a strategic turnaround by diagnosing systemic issues, architecting three scalable operating models, and operationalizing accountability. The result: zero missed deadlines, a multi-year renewal, and digital channels that now drive over $494M ARR for the client, proving that disciplined product leadership can transform chaos into industry leading growth.
Phase 1: The Inherited Mess
When I returned to the Texas Roadhouse account, the situation was critical. Contract cancellation was on the table. Here's what was actually broken.
The Real Problem
This wasn't a technical problem. It was a trust problem masked by process theater. QA didn't own quality because PMs didn't trust them. Clients didn't have visibility because documentation lived in the wrong place. Deadlines were negotiable because there was no rhythm. Leadership escalations happened weekly because operational decisions weren't visible.
Phase 2: The Tactical System
I replaced chaos with three strategic operating models that made predictability and trust automatic.
Fixed Release Cadence
- System: Last Tuesday of every month, we release what's ready
- Rule: If it’s ready, it ships. If not, it waits. No deadline debates, just consistent delivery
- Impact: Eliminated deadline negotiations. Everyone knew when releases happened. Planning became predictable.
- Result: 12+ months, 100% on-time
True Ownership Model
- QA Authority: QA owns sign off, PMs focus on product strategy
- Client UAT in Jira: Killed manual Confluence pages. Clients test directly in the system of record.
- Single Source of Truth: No more documentation theater. Everything lives where decisions are made.
- Result: Accountability restored, redundant work eliminated
Visible Decision Architecture
- Weekly Product Sync: Me + 2 TXRH PMs. Roadmap, WIP, blockers, decisions that need making.
- Weekly Client Status: Echo decisions made in product sync. What we decided, why it matters, what's coming.
- Right People, Every Time: Decision makers in the room, blockers surfaced and solved
- Result: Escalations disappeared, trust rebuilt
Phase 3: The Outcome
The impact was immediate and sustained:
No missed deadlines, no escalations, no surprises
The Money Quote
"Previously, leadership met with leadership to manage crises. Under my system, we course-corrected in weekly syncs and moved on. No escalations necessary when everyone has visibility."
What This Proves to Directors and VPs
I Can Inherit Disaster and Stabilize It
Contract cancellation to multi-year renewal. Hotfix culture to 12+ months of zero missed deadlines. This wasn't incremental improvement. This was turnaround.
I Build Systems, Not Heroics
Fixed cadence, true ownership, visible decisions. These systems work whether I'm in the room or on vacation. Repeatable, scalable, sustainable.
I Eliminate Political Escalations
Weekly syncs with visible decisions kill surprises. Misalignments become conversations because trust is built through transparency. Leadership focuses on strategy, not operational firefighting.
I Make Directors and VPs Look Good
Their biggest problem (dysfunctional account threatening cancellation) disappeared. They got credit for stability. I got credit for execution. Everyone wins.
This Is What I Do
I walk into chaos, diagnose the real problem (usually trust, not technology), build systems that create rhythm and visibility, and turn dysfunction into sustained execution. If you have an account, product, or organization that's stuck, I can unstick it.