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Michael MancusoProduct & technology executive
Projects & case studies

Complex work.
Concrete results.

Two kinds of work: complex products built with teams of AI agents, and two decades of product and technology leadership. Each case study covers the problem, the decisions I led, and what changed.

AI-enabled product delivery

Two products, each with an overview and focused case studies
The through-line

The leadership principles carry forward. The way the work gets executed has changed.

Product & technology leadership

Leadership case studies

Showing 6 of 38

Wendy's

Transformed Wendy's product data management by replatforming to Acquia Drupal and implementing automation, achieving a 140x reduction in lead times and significantly lowering defect rates.

01

Challenge

Wendy's faced significant inefficiencies in managing product data. Adding new product images or making modifications required multiple touchpoints in a highly manual process, resulting in a high defect rate and prolonged lead times.

02

Action

To address these challenges, I led the replatforming of the Menu Data Management Tool using Acquia Drupal, implementing automation to streamline processes and reduce errors. Key actions included:

  • Replatforming: Transitioned the Menu Data Management Tool to Acquia Drupal, leveraging its robust content management capabilities to improve efficiency and reliability.
  • Automation: Implemented automation for image cropping and resizing, eliminating manual steps and reducing the potential for errors.
03

Results

The replatforming and automation initiatives led to dramatic improvements in the efficiency and accuracy of product data management:

  • Significant Lead Time Reduction: Achieved a 140x reduction in lead times for adding or modifying product images, accelerating the overall process and improving responsiveness.
  • Improved Accuracy: Automation significantly reduced the defect rate, ensuring higher quality and consistency in product data management.
  • Operational Efficiency: Streamlined processes and reduced the need for manual intervention, freeing up resources to focus on more strategic tasks.

Questions

How were lead times reduced by 140x?

Lead times were reduced by 140x by replatforming Wendy's Menu Data Management Tool to Acquia Drupal and implementing automated image cropping and resizing, eliminating manual touchpoints.

What was the Menu Data Management Tool?

The Menu Data Management Tool was a centralized system for managing Wendy's product data, images, and nutritional information across all digital channels including the website, app, and third-party platforms.

How did automation reduce defect rates?

Automated image cropping and resizing eliminated the manual touchpoints where defects most commonly occurred, dramatically reducing error rates while simultaneously cutting lead times by 140x.

What changed in the image-update workflow?

Replatforming to Acquia Drupal and automating image cropping and resizing removed manual touchpoints from adding and changing product images.

How many products and SKUs were managed through the tool?

The tool managed product data, images, and nutritional information for Wendy's entire menu across all digital channels — website, mobile app, and third-party platforms — ensuring consistency everywhere customers interacted with menu content.

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