Pragmatic · Agile · Lean · Design Thinking

The right lever.
The right moment.
The right problem.

Pragilism is how I turn engineers into product builders: pragmatic, agile and lean thinking, with Design Thinking and a Product Operating Model. Not frameworks followed blindly, but tools applied with intent.

What is Pragilism? Work with me
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The Pragilist logo on a deep purple card: Practical Agile and Lean, pragilist.com
25+ years leading
Dominic Townsend Dominic TownsendPragilist

The philosophy

Take the best of every world

The most effective teams don't follow one framework rigidly. They borrow pragmatically, and keep what works.

From Agile

Empowered, iterative

Empowered teams, iterative development and a customer-centric mindset.

From Lean

Value, without waste

Clarity of purpose, relentless focus on value, and process efficiency.

From Design Thinking

Empathy first

Empathy, rapid prototyping and framing the problem before the solution.

From Continuous Improvement

Reflect and adapt

A culture of reflection, learning and small changes that compound over time.

How I help

Six ways Pragilism gets put to work

Engineer → Product Builder

Moving teams from delivery-focused execution to outcome-focused product thinking, ready for the AI-first landscape.

Interim & acting leadership

Stepping in as interim CTO / CIO / COO, or building technical teams from scratch and maturing the ones you have.

Maturity assessment

Auditing how teams deliver, mapping capabilities against industry best practice, and recommending what to improve first.

Maturity improvement

Frameworks and tools to build maturity: Kanban, Hoshin, OKRs, DORA metrics, and a career development framework.

Agile–Lean coaching

Introducing agile and lean, or rescuing a stalled rollout, with a deep understanding of the thinking behind the practices.

Programme & delivery recovery

Planning, budget and risk ownership across complex programmes, including regulated, stage-gate and medical environments.

The hard part

Doing is easy. Being is hard.

Doing Agile & Lean

  • Daily stand-ups, sprints and retros
  • A Kanban board with three columns
  • Checking the boxes of the framework
  • Visible work, and visible waste

Being Agile & Lean

  • Trust, empowerment and a willingness to evolve
  • Questioning every step and removing what adds no value
  • A board that keeps changing as the team learns
  • Kaizen: everyone owns efficiency and feedback

The practices only reveal what's broken in your system. Being agile or lean means embracing the discomfort, questioning the norms and committing to a journey with no finish line. It's the harder path, and the right one.

Pragilism in practice

Twenty-five years, measured in outcomes

  • 25+YearsSenior engineering & product leadership across hi-tech
  • 1M+CustomersReached across every product I've owned or led delivery for
  • +35NPS gainVerizon Connect compliance product, from below 0 to 35+ in 18 months
  • 8SectorsSaaS, networking, medical, energy, controls, telecoms, silicon, fintech
  • 10Leadership rolesFrom senior engineer to Director & Associate Director
  • 65+Engineers led10+ global teams across NZ, US, UK, Europe & Asia

Words of WisDOM

Mercenaries to missionaries

Empowered product teams

The engineers' cheat sheet for moving from mercenaries to missionaries: understand the why, link every line of code to user and business value, and ask "what outcome does this drive?"

Doing is easy; being is hard

Why implementing the rituals isn't the same as transforming, and how to blend agile, lean, design thinking and continuous improvement pragmatically.

High performing teams

What Google's Project Aristotle found really matters: psychological safety, dependability, structure and clarity, meaning and impact.

Where it's been applied

From silicon firmware to AI-enabled SaaS

  1. Phocas Software · NZ

    Software Engineering Leader · Product & AI Engineering

    Lead four cross-functional teams on AI-enabled FP&A SaaS under an Inspired product operating model; grew engineers Graduate→Principal; built internal AI tools including training small LLMs.

  2. Verizon Connect · NZ

    Associate Director, Software Development · Head of Compliance

    Owned strategy and delivery for the Compliance unit (~50 reports across NZ/US/India); ELD products connecting 1M+ vehicles; drove Continuous Delivery through build/test automation, lifting NPS from below 0 to 35+ in 18 months.

  3. Voyager Internet · NZ

    Software Practice Lead · Software & Testing

    Built and led 14 engineers across four squads on broadband/VOIP platforms; established an automation-first testing practice and fit-for-purpose agile ways of working.

  4. CCL & Leaven · NZ

    Delivery Lead · Agile–Lean Coach · Principal CSI Manager

    Led agile delivery across cloud and transformation engagements; stood up the Principal Continual Service Improvement function with ROI-led governance. Worked with the C-suite to understand and streamline their work.

  5. ARANZ Medical · NZ

    Director of Engineering

    Directed 26+ engineers across software, electronics, firmware, research and test in a regulated medical-device environment; recovered delayed wound-imaging products to market in about two months.

  6. Cavotec MoorMaster · NZ

    Controls Team Leader · Industrial Automation & HMI

    Led 8–12 controls engineers on PLC/HMI high-voltage mooring automation; Agile/Lean adoption removed hundreds of hours of rework and supported global FAT/SAT commissioning.

  7. Samsung, Cambridge · UK

    Senior Manager · Radio Firmware Group (Wi-Fi & Bluetooth)

    Led 20+ engineers across UK/Denmark/India/NZ delivering WLAN/BT silicon firmware; cut prototype cycle time from six months to two weeks (hundreds of thousands saved) through the CSR→Samsung transition.

  8. WhisperTech · NZ

    Principal Engineer · Software & Electronics

    Technical lead for embedded firmware and power electronics on micro-CHP control systems; re-architected safety-critical firmware and built a PC-based test harness with engine simulation.

  9. Allied Telesis Labs · NZ

    Software Department Manager

    Progressed from senior engineer to department leadership; led up to seven managers and ~65 engineers on L2/L3 networking firmware; turned around two stalled product deliveries on time and to budget via early agile adoption.

  10. Lincoln Ventures (now Lincoln Agritech) · NZ

    Research & Development Engineer

    Delivered applied R&D for industry and research partners; contributed to an image-based sensor using CMOS cameras and DSP for lift doors, generating valuable IP.

Education

The engineering foundations

2000

Master of Electronic Engineering (MEng)

University of Hull

Postgraduate

Postgraduate Diploma (DipEng)

Environmental and Ecological Electronic Engineering

1994

Bachelor of Electronic Engineering (BEng, Hons)

University of Hull

In a word

Pragilism

Pragmatic · Agile · Lean(ist)

Frameworks are tools, never the goal: the people, the organisation and the culture are what make any of it work. Pick the right lever, at the right moment, for the right problem.

Bring Pragilism to your team
The Pragilist logo on a deep purple card: Practical Agile and Lean, pragilist.com

Mnemonics is where it started. Pragilist is where it's going.

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Beyond work

Still building things, just smaller

Engineering never stopped being a hobby: home automation, a PID-controlled coffee roaster, a beer-fermenter controller, woodwork and painting. Pragilism applies at home too: the right lever for the right problem, usually with a soldering iron.

I've been brewing since 2015 as Broadleaf Brew House, home of Chief Scientist craft beer.

Also: psychology, reading, guitar, cooking, coffee roasting and designing logos and websites.

Chief Scientist Craft Beer logo, Broadleaf Brew House, since 2015

Explore the hobbies

Let's talk

Ready to move your team from output to outcomes?

I'm always happy to talk about product leadership, engineering transformation, coaching and getting stalled change moving again.

or reach me directly

dominic@pragilist.com LinkedIn Save contact (vCard)

2025 – Present

Phocas Software (NZ)

Software Engineering Leader | Product & AI Engineering

3 product teams • AI-enabled FP&A SaaS • Team coaching & delivery excellence

Lead multiple product teams delivering planning, reporting, and AI-assisted insights, with a focus on outcome-driven delivery and developer empowerment.

2023 – 2024

Verizon Connect (NZ)

Associate Director – Software Development – Head of Compliance (Hardware | Software | Test)

50 direct/indirect reports (NZ, US, India) • Fleet Compliance & ELD • AWS / .NET / iOS / Android

Owned strategy and delivery for the Compliance business unit, aligning product, engineering, and quality outcomes across globally distributed teams.

2021 – 2023

Voyager Internet (NZ)

Software Practice Lead | Software & Testing

14 engineers • Broadband / VOIP platforms • DevOps delivery & test automation

Headed the software and testing practice, strengthening delivery capability and raising the quality bar through automation and clear engineering standards.

2018 – 2021

Computer Concepts Ltd (CCL) & Leaven (NZ)

Delivery Lead | Agile–Lean Coach | Principal CSI Manager

Cloud transformation & managed services • Delivery leadership • Continuous improvement

Led agile delivery and continuous improvement across consulting and managed services, helping teams deliver value earlier, improve predictability, and focus investment on outcomes.

2017 – 2018

ARANZ Medical Ltd (NZ)

Director of Engineering | Software, Hardware/Firmware, Research & Test

26 engineers • Medical device quality systems • Wound imaging & 3D measurement products

Directed multidisciplinary engineering delivery in a regulated medical-device environment, strengthening collaboration while recovering delivery timelines on key product work.

2014 – 2017

Cavotec MoorMaster (NZ)

Controls Team Leader | Industrial Automation & HMI

8–12 engineers • PLC / HMI / high-voltage automation • Global commissioning support

Led a controls engineering team delivering industrial automation solutions for vacuum-based mooring systems, improving engineering effectiveness through process and tooling.

2011 – 2014

Samsung (Cambridge Solution Center, UK)

Senior Manager – Radio Firmware Group (Wi‑Fi & Bluetooth)

20 engineers across UK/Denmark/India/NZ • WLAN/BT silicon firmware • Delivery & technical leadership

Managed radio firmware teams delivering control firmware for Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth subsystems, balancing deep technical leadership with predictable delivery across multiple sites.

2008 – 2011

WhisperTech Ltd (NZ)

Principal Engineer – Software & Electronics | Micro‑CHP Control Systems

8 engineers • Embedded firmware & power electronics • Safety-critical control & test tooling

Provided technical leadership for embedded software and electronics, lifting a start-up capability into a more mature engineering function and improving testability of safety-critical systems.

2001 – 2008

Allied Telesis Labs (NZ)

Software Department Manager | Software Team Manager | Senior Software Engineer

Up to 65 engineers • L2/L3 networking firmware • Product delivery & operational leadership

Progressed from senior engineer to department leadership, responsible for delivery, people leadership, and operational improvement across multiple embedded firmware teams.

1996 – 2001

Lincoln Ventures Ltd (now Lincoln Agritech) (NZ)

Research & Development Engineer | Applied R&D and Productisation

R&D contracts • Client engagement • Embedded sensing & early computer vision

Delivered applied R&D projects for industry and research partners, combining technical delivery with client-facing engagement and small-team leadership.

Words of WisDOM

Empowered Product Teams

Inspired by Marty Cagan

Product Thinking Don’t just ship code – solve problems.

Active Discovery Participate early – Delivery and Discovery happen in Parallel.

Collaboration (PM + UX + Eng) Product innovation happens when everyone is aligned.

Outcome Execution Success is solving customer problems, not delivering features.

Aspire to Product Leadership Don’t wait to be asked – lead from your lane.

Be Strategically Aware Vision inspires, strategy focuses.

Process Fluency and Flexibility Use Agile & Lean to enable – not constrain.

Champion User Empathy Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.

Elevate the Team and the Culture Make your team stronger than you.

Team of Teams Avoid command-and-control.

An Empowered Model fits the Team of Teams concept, where teams are encouraged to communicate together to get things done which are aligned with the organization-wide Product Vision—rather than through an escalated channel. I liken this to the concept that a CEO cannot afford to spend their day authorising every single request... so they empower the teams to make them wherever possible!

Words of WisDOM

Doing is Easy; Being is Hard

Doing vs Being

Doing Agile vs. Being Agile

Implementing Agile practices—especially through frameworks like Scrum—often starts with the mechanics: daily standups, sprint planning, retrospectives, and so on. Teams quickly adopt these rituals and begin working in sprints. On the surface, it may look like transformation is happening.

But these practices, in isolation, only reveal what’s broken in your system. They expose bottlenecks, misalignments, poor communication, and unclear goals. They don’t automatically fix them.

Being Agile is about embracing change, fostering transparency, collaborating deeply, and continuously reflecting and adapting. It requires trust, empowerment, and a willingness to evolve—not just follow a framework. Agile becomes a mindset, not just a checklist.

And perhaps most importantly, teams often forget that Agility is a journey. There’s no endpoint, no final destination where you’re “done.” Being Agile means continuously improving, experimenting, and evolving. It’s a mindset of perpetual growth and adaptation.

Doing Lean vs. Being Lean

Lean, like Agile, has tools and practices that are easy to implement at face value. The Kanban board is a classic example: we set up columns—<To Do>, <Doing>, and <Done>—and begin moving tasks across the board. Immediately, we gain visibility into our workflow.

But that’s just the surface. Visualising your work doesn’t eliminate waste. It simply makes it visible.

Being Lean means going further—questioning every step in your process, identifying inefficiencies, and removing anything that doesn’t add value. It requires discipline, systems thinking, and a relentless focus on delivering customer value.

Even that simplest Kanban board should evolve quickly. If it survives multiple cycles without iteration, improvement, or a rethink, you’re likely missing opportunities to enhance flow and reduce waste. Being Lean means committing to continuous improvement (Kaizen). It’s about fostering a culture where everyone feels responsible for efficiency, where feedback loops are constant, and where small, incremental changes lead to big results over time.

Blending the Best of All Worlds

In practice, the most effective teams don’t rigidly follow just one framework. Instead, they take a pragmatic approach, borrowing from Agile, Lean, design thinking, and continuous improvement philosophies.

The goal is not to follow a methodology perfectly. The goal is to build a culture that encourages experimentation, values feedback, and seeks better ways of working every day.

Final Thought: The Harder Path is the Right One

Doing Agile or Lean is easy. You can implement the practices, go through the motions, and check the boxes.

But to truly be Agile or Lean is to embrace discomfort, question norms, and commit to a journey of ongoing growth. It’s harder—but it’s also where the real transformation happens.

Words of WisDOM

High Performing Teams

Google Aristotle Framework

Google’s Project Aristotle found that what really mattered was less about who is on the team, and more about how the team worked together. Surprisingly, variables like colocation, consensus-driven decision making, extroversion, seniority, and team size were not significantly connected with team effectiveness.

Psychological Safety

What do we want?

Teams and individuals to have the belief that they are safe from being seen as ignorant, incompetent, negative or disruptive, and can take risks and experiment.

Keeping it real

“This is your safe space”… is something to reiterate during meetings particularly if people aren’t responding or appear to be keeping quiet.

Psychological Safety Diagram

Dependability

What do we want?

Trust! Everyone feels they can rely on their team members.

How can we create an environment where they do?

Keeping it real

Perception management is key. Coaching the team helps build confidence and change negative perceptions held about individuals who may have suffered from past incidents.

Structure & Clarity

What do we want?

Everyone understands their job expectations and the process for meeting these expectations, as well as how their performance contributes to the effectiveness of the team.

How can we create an environment where they do?

Keeping it real: OKRs at a glance

Meaning

What do we want?

Everyone feels that the work they do has meaning to themselves and the company. Motivation and enthusiasm TRUMP skills and experience.

How can we create an environment where they do?

Keeping it real

Understand your people using models like SCARF (Status, Continuity, Autonomy, Relatedness, Fairness). Think of it as the brain's graphic equalizer! For example: reduce your own Status to raise someone else’s.

Impact

What do we want?

Everyone should feel the result of their effort is making a difference to the team and the company.

How can we create an environment where they do?

Keeping it real

Use Customer Journey Mapping. Engineers often think they know what is important; journey maps often show that things you don't think are important are critical to the customer.

Beyond work

Woodworking & Cabinetry

I have built my own cabinet and woodworking workshop, including movable workbenches, and have used it to make bedroom furniture and coffee tables.

WorkshopWoodworking ChestCoffee TableDecking ProjectDetail WorkCabinetryBuild Process

Beyond work

Painting (Pictures not Walls)

I have always loved to paint and draw with a special passion for watercolours, but also pen, pencil and acrylics. Think my talent came from my Grandfather who was an extremely talented oil painter.

Devonshire PaintingGraveyard StudyOld GatehouseOriental Boat

Beyond work

Craft Beer Brewing

Fully automated brewing set-up using a 3 kettle approach. Built a temperature controller for the fermentation to precisely controlled fermentation and remote control.

Brewing SetupBrew ControllerBrewing KettleBrewing ProcessBrewing ChartBottlingFinished Beer

Beyond work

Electronics & Software

Built home automation projects for RFID Cat-flap, remote controlled Home Alarm, Remote Garage Door operation, Beer Fermenter controller, PID controlled Coffee Roaster, Large Screen Cricket Score Board, AndroidAuto box with wheel control, retro arcade games console, all using ARDUINO and RASPBERRY PI and peripherals.

Roaster ScreenAutomation CtrlElectronics Project

Beyond work

Sports & Outdoors

Playing soccer, table-tennis, golf, tramping, running, cycling, and card tricks (is that a sport?). I also enjoy taking my kids to their sporting events and being part of their active journeys.

Sports Activity

Beyond work

Other Interests

Psychology, designing websites and company logos, reading, playing the guitar, Taskmaster (for the kids), cooking, coffee roasting, and some fun stuff.

Apps I've built

Designing things extends to software. These are some of the small, self-hosted Broadleaf Apps I build and actually use.

See the Broadleaf Apps

Gallery

Martial ArtsSamurai ArtHistorical Study

Let's connect

Contact details

Name
Dominic Townsend
Phone
+64 21 365 077
Email
dominic@pragilist.com
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/dominic-townsend
Address
10 Sedgwick Way
Westmorland
Christchurch 8025
New Zealand
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