Recent News
In 2023, catch Clare living in Austin, Texas as a Senior Consultant at capSpire, Inc. In addition to work, Clare is gardening - check out @OrganicAustin on Instagram for planting tips and tricks!
Agenda for Out of Scope Conversations with the client
August 2023 - Invited Trainer - Out of Scope Conversations with the CLient
I was invited to conduct training for new hires, focusing on the essential soft skills required to handle out-of-scope conversations with clients. In addition to my client work, I had less than a month to turn a presentation title into a full session and its contents.
The training began with the basics: scope definitions, identification, and management, and gradually delved into the nuances of effectively nurturing client relationships during these potentially challenging scenarios. Finally, we wrapped up the training with a Case Study, employing actual SOWs and Change Requests to consolidate and solidify the concepts presented.
june 2022 - rightangle Production go-live
June 6th, 2022 marks the RightAngle Production Go-Live for my Canadian O&G Transportation & Midstream client. As Cutover Manager, this is a huge accomplishment both personally, and for my client. The project started with Design & Build, moved into Training and Testing, successfully Cutover, and proceeded smoothly into Hypercare.
Throughout the implementation, my roles spanned across the project as Accounting Design Advisory, User Training lead, Cutover Manager, and Accounting Hypercare Support lead. These varying positions call for holistically managing the Accounting design, process mapping, testing, training, and hypercare support, while running Cutover activities for all testing and Go-Live actions, and leading the wider user Training initiatives.
capSpire’s June 2022 Pride logo, the month of Go-Live!
Follow Clare’s garden adventures @OrganicAustin on Instagram
2021 Year IN REVIEW - A YEAR OF PLANTING
2021 offered many opportunities to focus on small, everyday joys. On the opposing side, with all the uncertainty, many of my long term goals felt further away. As a born planner, finding balance between these dichotomies is difficult.
My backyard gardens imparted a beautiful chance to achieve a middle ground - planning for the future in a way that is safe and full. I hope 2021 was that for everyone - safe and full, with even more bursting seams in 2022.
NOVEMBER 2021 - SCrum master CERTIFIED
In November 2021, I became a Certified Scrum Master. Scrum Masters are change agents for their teams - leadership focused on clearing impediments.
While working with my first Fortune 50 in 2018, I became infatuated by the pseudo-Agile Scrum process they followed. After joining a Waterfall project in 2019, I couldn’t help but compare the two methods and what works best for different IT structures.
While Waterfall has a place, the core message of the Agile Manifesto struck me: satisfy the customer through early and continued delivery of valuable product. I love iteratively producing, and encouraging those principles in many areas of life.
Celebrating being promoted at a coworker’s house
APRIL 2021 - PROMOTED TO SENIOR CONSULTANT
In April 2021, I was promoted from Consultant to Senior Consultant. In parallel timing, I enrolled in an Implementation project for a Canadian O&G Transportation & Midstream company to lead Accounting Design Advisory, System Cutover, and User Training .
With the US-Canadian border still closed, this busy bee is enjoying working from home and fluttering around the Austin area.
2020 Year IN REVIEW - A YEAR OF MAKING SPACE FOR DUALITY
Checking out Austin’s local to-go coffee scene at Texas Coffee Traders
2020 was a lot of things. I won’t recap them here; but in the midst of semi-permanently working from home and experiencing the pitfalls and elation that accompanies that, 2020 was a year of making space. For me, that meant space to experience duality in its many forms: a home doubling as an office, joy and grief coalescing at similar points, challenges and growth whispering sweet nothings to each other at the dinner table (which, also happens to be the office desk). The wish for consistent strength and growth in 2020 did not go unnoticed or unanswered.
As 2020 wraps, Q2 2021 will transition me into a new role and new project. A Project Manager at heart, this is an opportunity to return to my roots to ground myself during a tumultuous moment in time. More to come - wishing everyone happiness and health in a year of possibilities.
June 2020 - PURCHASING OUR FIRST HOME IN AUSTIN, TEXAS
“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.”
A quick jaunt from the famous Austin Greenbelt
2019 Year in review - A year of firsts
2019 was a year of firsts. I continued working toward my goal of visiting a new country every year, perusing around Spain and Italy with a baguette in hand and espresso jitters. Growing into strength and maintaining courage spun persistent themes throughout the year. I went under anesthesia for the first (and second!) times, planned a wedding and walked down the aisle (shaking, in heels!), assisted my sister as Matron of Honor in her own wedding (speech, train holder, & all), and throughout the chaos, maintained my goal to learn videography.
I transitioned projects to begin work (for the first time!) in San Antonio, wrapping up a fruitful 1.5 year stint in Houston at a Fortune 50 company. Throughout the last year, I’ve honed my knowledge and practice of the Agile methodology, and begun practicing the Waterfall method as part of my budding project to onboard new lines of business to an existing ETRM instance.
2019 reminded me never to let fear stand in my way, and to be thankful for the struggles since they bring about true strength. Wishing everyone a happy holiday season and consistent strength and growth in 2020!
april 2019 - promotED to consultant
In April 2019, after a year of hard work in Houston, I was promoted from Associate Consultant to Consultant. This promotion acknowledges the proven quality of my work delivered on client sites, my ability to grasp new concepts quickly and efficiently, and was a testament to the relationships built within and outside my organization.
During my first year, I had experience working in Allegro and Endur, but primarily focused on my client’s needs in RightAngle managing their NGLs. Having come from a startup community and small company, working in an IT & Solutions department with a global footprint gave me a better appreciation of best Agile practices and the interconnections present in large companies.
capSpire’s annual company retreat (Clare’s holding the sign)
March 2019 - clare and their love are married
“You were born together, and together you
shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white
wings of death scatter your days (...)
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance
between you.
”
ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT AT CAPSPIRE, INC.
In January 2018, I joined the capSpire family. capSpire is an agile company of problem solvers who are motivated by challenges, passionate about technology, and excited about changing the future.
In my position as an associate consultant, I fulfill my goal of bridging the gap between technology and the human capital which interacts with it. capSpire also allows me to accomplish another ambition: working in a challenging environment with good people in order to gain exposure in various fields.
Clare in their new capSpire swag. Learn more about capSpire's solutions at www.capspire.com.
In December 2017, Clare graduated Texas A&M University as a Mechanical Engineer!
mechanical engineer from texas a&M university - December 2017
In December 2017, I graduated from Texas A&M University as a Mechanical Engineer.
The opportunity to advance myself through higher education truly taught me how to learn - both independently, and guided. Mechanical Engineering allowed me to stretch my brain in unique ways; I was able to understand the technical startup companies I was assisting, gain an understanding of how design and implementation both affect each other, and I learned methods to help manage a seemingly constant schedule with balance.
Through lifelong mentors, Career Fairs, student jobs, and challenging coursework, Texas A&M gave me a foundation to hit the ground running. Thanks & gig’em!
halliburton Global Ambassador
In order to promote international education and global competency on Texas A&M's campus, I applied (and was accepted!) to the 2017 Halliburton Global Ambassador cohort.
Our goal is to volunteer our time and efforts to get more Engineering students abroad. Texas A&M helped me discover my love of travel, and has allowed me to pursue it vigorously since. I feel called to give back to the university which assisted me during my travels, and convincing more students to experience the world is one of the most tangible methods available.
Traveling abroad has taught me the universal language - hot beverages, hand gestures, hugs, smiles, and food. With the realization that humans share similar experiences all around the world, my pre-travel jitters have virtually disappeared. My personal goal is to utilize this program to impart what I've learned during my travels in order to help students feel comfortable abroad.
The 9 members of our 2017 Halliburton Global Ambassador team and two study abroad staff members (top right).
1/8 interns chosen as part of Tenaris' Summer 2017 Internship program
Tenarisbaycity - summer 2017
In one summer, I had the opportunity to re-engineer how a company quenches their pipe. Implementing many techniques learned in my Experimental Design class at Texas A&M University, alongside consulting with experts in my area, allowed me to create an influential Design of Experiment. In the midst of starting up, TenarisBayCity afforded me the opportunity to make a difference as a student.
By the end of the summer, the process variables I improved upon moved from being within 10-12% of their set points to within 1-2% of their set points. In order to achieve this accuracy, correct communication between Services and Operations had to be ensured. This allowed Tenaris to achieve a predictable quench, permitting them to run more sensitive steel grades.
This mix of improving communication and understanding the technical depth of the problem was a new and unique way of implementing my combination of interpersonal and mechanical skills.
Blackstone LaunchPad at Texas A&M University
In August 2016, mentor Don Lewis approached me and asked if I would be willing to create something new with him at TAMU. Having trained the past three years in helping students launch their own businesses, I felt excited to shape Texas A&M's campus for the better in a lasting fashion.
With a team of two other students, we spent the Fall 2016 semester strategizing and structuring Blackstone LaunchPad's presence at Texas A&M. Through that process, we built a sustainable structure to help entrepreneurial-minded students find their unique place in A&M's large ecosystem.
During this process, I spearheaded multiple projects, including our grand opening and creating a student touchpoint in central campus in Koldus. Running a select team of students, we spread our message to over 8,000 students, 12% of our campus population, by our first birthday in August 2017.
Learn more about Blackstone LaunchPad here.
Team with completed chair. Learn more about Mark at www.marksterle.com.
SENIOR DESIGN - Spring 2016 - Fall 2017
At the start of Spring 2017, I embarked on a year-long journey alongside five team members and our customer, Mark, to design a wheelchair to specifically meet Mark's quadriplegic needs. Our team, split into two Administrative and four Modeling members, successfully modeled a chair which met Mark's needs by the end of the spring semester.
On track to a successful project, the team began manufacturing in Fall 2017. While becoming shop certified, the team ran through multiple design iterations to better meet Mark's needs. By late September, the design was complete and the team started machining. All of the fabrication and assembly were completed in-house at the Engineering Innovation Center (EIC) by the students.
This project introduced me to new project management workshopping tools - including Work Breakdown Structures, Independent Intuitive Averaged Evaluation Matrices, Pugh Matrices, and Quantitatively Driven Team Effort Selection Matrices. In addition to creating and sustaining a working timeline, I directly maintained communication between both my teammates and our sponsor. The interwoven nature of class requirements and sponsor requests reflects how I see myself balancing customer and company needs in the future.
TenarisTAMSA - summer 2016
Through a combined work, cultural, and human experience, this summer work abroad program offered my first introduction to a global manufacturing environment. For 10 weeks, Tenaris sent me abroad to their seamless pipe facility in Veracruz, Mexico to work on creating lock out processes for their Premium Quality Finishing area of the mill.
By the end of the summer, I had an increased awareness and understanding of human safety in a manufacturing environment and a cultural love for mi nuevo hogar lejos de casa. Upon returning home and reflecting, this first manufacturing experience taught me how to break down seemingly impassible problems to identify a solvable root cause.
Chosen as 1/15 summer interns to offer a testimonial of the TenarisTamsa summer internship program to a group of 72 interns (summer and semester). The speech was aimed to represent the holistic experience of working and living abroad, and was delivered in Spanish.