David Washburn

I have been a problem-solver throughout my career. I like the challenge of solving difficult problems.

My highest priorities are 1) to make sure my clients are solving the right problem; 2) to help them understand the impact that assumptions, explicit or hidden, have on the design and implementation of a successful solution; and 3) to give my clients confidence that they are making the best decisions.

My roles include consultant, designer, analyst, planner, advisor, inventor, and technology architect.

How I work:

Technology Futures Analyst

Technology
Futures Analyst

I help my clients anticipate the impact of technology on their organizations.

Projects Advisor

Project
Advisor

Using my board experience, I advise and guide my clients so they can run more successful projects.

Solutions Architect

Solutions
Architect

I work with my clients to design new products, services, strategies and business operations.

Background

I have a degree in psychology from Boston University, where I also studied anthropology and computer science. I worked for major healthcare institutions and a top IT consulting company in Boston; I worked at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland for two years; and I was Director for Information Services for a large agricultural cooperative bank for eight years.

In 1989 I founded my own independent consulting company based in Amherst, MA. I have traveled extensively for clients doing projects in the US, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. My clients are in healthcare, aerospace, high-tech, financial services, higher education and government.

Experience

I have worked on a wide variety of projects, including strategic planning; strategic application of technology; product design and development; software application architecture and design; education and training; team building; and organization and workflow design. I have acted as an advisor and advocate for clients when they needed to interact with technical specialists and technology vendors.

I was the chief architect of several large software applications including a bank-wide loan accounting system, a web-enabled enterprise-wide hazardous waste tracking system, several special-interest websites for top diabetes doctors and educators in Asia and Europe, and I developed and deployed a suite of tools for virtual team collaboration in the aerospace industry.

I have presented seminars and training programs in the US, Europe and Asia. Titles for these programs include Strategic IT Planning, Designing Executive Information Systems, Strategies and Techniques for Developing End-User Support Organizations, and Design of Distributed Databases and Applications. I led seminars for sales personnel at high-tech companies on How to Understand and Communicate with Business Managers.

Independent of my clients I am developing several inventions that will become “participants” in the rapidly emerging “Internet of Things.” These devices are narrowly task-focused – they integrate services, hardware and software, and exploit the “always connected internet.”

Highlighted

I have been interviewed for articles in the New York Times Business Section and the Boston Globe Magazine. My work was featured in the book Information Center: Strategies and Case Studies by Shaku Atre, and I was major source and technical advisor on the book Tech Trending: The Technology Survival Guide for Visionary Managers.

Travel

Travel, particularly international travel, has exposed me to many cultures. From this travel I have learned many things that apply to my work with clients. I now look at most client projects primarily in terms of how they will impact an organization’s people and its culture. Based on my experience, the people and culture factors are more critical to success than the technology elements of most projects. To have an impact, to be useful and successful, technology requires people to change. Mismanaged change initiatives are the biggest reason technology projects struggle or fail.
 
 
David Washburn(far right) speaking at a workshop at the Lift Conference, Geneva, Switzerland

David Washburn (far right) speaking at a workshop at the Lift Conference, Geneva, Switzerland