Hi, I’m Andrew.
If you’re staring at a tangled mess of legacy systems, a stalled digital transformation, or a shadow IT sprawl that’s spiraling out of control... take a deep breath.
You’re not alone. I’ve been in your shoes, and I know exactly how heavy that feels.
The 30-Year Reality
Over the last three decades, I’ve navigated the messy middle of enterprise IT. I’ve worked with large-scale organisations to untangle technical debt, rationalise sprawling tech stacks, and steer digital transformations that actually deliver business value.
I’ve seen the "big bang" projects fail spectacularly. I’ve also seen the quiet, tactical, 90-day wins that genuinely change a business. I’ve sat in the boardroom trying to translate "spaghetti code" into business risk for a CFO, and I’ve sat in the war room at 2 AM figuring out why the legacy core just crashed.
I’ve learned that enterprise IT isn’t really about technology. It’s about people, trade-offs, and momentum.
What You’ll Find Here
Napkin Notes: My blog. Practical, jargon-free deep dives into the things keeping CIOs and IT Directors up at night—from automating JML and taming monitoring tool sprawl, to managing legacy debt.
The Podcast: Relaxed, unscripted conversations about the realities of keeping the lights on while building the future.
Let’s Chat: If you’re facing a specific, complex challenge and just want to bounce ideas around with someone who’s seen it before, my inbox is always open.
Why "Napkin Sketch"?
I started Napkin Sketch because I got tired of the 100-slide vendor decks, the paralyzing complexity of modern IT strategy, and the endless cycle of "discovery phases" that never actually lead to action.
The best solutions I’ve ever been a part of didn’t start in a sterile boardroom. They started over a coffee, with a simple sketch on a napkin, breaking a massive, terrifying problem down into its simplest, most actionable parts.
That’s the philosophy behind this site. No fluff. No vendor hype. Just practical, peer-to-peer advice to help you cut through the noise.