Operating model first
I clarify the business outcome, workflow, data, users, revenue motion, and constraints before the stack gets a vote.
Business Systems Architect | AI Systems Builder | Founder-Operator
AI-enabled business systems from zero to operating reality.
I build AI-enabled business systems that connect strategy, workflow, data, automation, user experience, revenue operations, and production software into one working operating model.
The work is 50/50 business impact and technical execution: see the operating problem, design the model, build the system, wire the workflows, and support production.
Proof bench
Total Freedom Life is the public umbrella and proof-bench layer connecting CriticalThink, CriticalThink HR, CriticalThink Advantage, SCMS / SCMS 2.0, SpectraCastr, HRTrainingClasses, and selected enterprise work.
CriticalThink HR and SpectraCastr are proof-bench assets, not the primary business model. They keep the patterns sharp for client work.
Michael D. Penn, SHRM-SCP
Fractional and project engagements, remote US-based.
Who this is for
Founders, operators, PE-backed mid-market, Series B-C, established organizations, and experts productizing methodology.
What I do
I architect the operating model and build the AI-enabled system that makes it real.
How to engage
Advisor on Call. Architect-on-Demand. Build Sprint. Program Director-in-Residence.
Selected proof contexts and enterprise work
USA TODAY college coaches salary reporting workflowsWME / EndeavorSpencer FaneWells Fargo AdvisorsCenteneCharter CommunicationsWashington University in St. Louis
Enterprise work includes engagements via Ferguson Consulting, Apex Systems, Nigel Frank International, Stinson Morrison Hecker, and Total Freedom Life.
One senior partner. The full arc of the work.
Most serious initiatives stall between strategy, workflow, data, automation, UX, revenue operations, and production software. I close that gap by designing the operating model and building the system your business can run on.
Architecture into execution
I turn the operating model into platform architecture, integrations, automation, data flows, user experience, and production-ready software.
Built to operate
The work is validated against the people who will use it, the metrics it must move, and the support path that keeps it alive after launch.
Four ways I engage with leaders
Most engagements land in one of four places, depending on whether you need senior judgment on call, architecture coverage, a build delivered, or program-level leadership for the duration.
Monthly advisory access
Advisor on Call
Get senior architecture and decision guidance before you commit the team, budget, or build path.
View detailsTypically 6-12 weeks
Architect-on-Demand
Translate vision into an executable solution architecture before the build starts.
View detailsTypically 3-6 months
Build Sprint
Direct the AI-native build team and deliver the first working solution your users can stand in front of.
View detailsTypically 6-12 months
Program Director-in-Residence
Embedded program-level leadership across the integrated solution landscape and the workstreams around it.
View detailsCurrently accepting one new engagement.
Best fit: PE-backed mid-market, Series B-C, or established operators launching an AI-native initiative. Remote, US-based.
What this method has produced
Business outcomes lead. Tech-stack details appear only where they help prove portability.
$125K+/month scale, operated by two founders and one customer-support team member through LMS, marketing automation, accounting integration, and remote/hybrid operations
HRTrainingClasses.com
Original SCMS platform and AI-powered SCMS 2.0 modernization supporting data workflows connected to USA TODAY college coaches salary reporting
SCMS / SCMS 2.0
Sales more than doubled through Order Automation and channel consolidation
Charter Communications
50% cost reduction through batch-processing optimization
CriticalThink HR content pipeline
Unified Member View Application for enterprise healthcare data integration
Centene Corporation
Key Client Solutions 4Front Portal, Financial Advisors Reporting Dashboard, and iPad executive prototype
Wells Fargo Advisors
The Lab
Proof you can inspect.
CriticalThink HR and SpectraCastr are production platforms I personally architect, build, and operate through Total Freedom Life. SpectraCastr began as the media system CriticalThink HR needed for training and marketing, then became production-ready because the pattern was useful beyond that first need.
The lab is proof of capability, not a competing commitment.
SCMS is the original 2010 sports contract management system. SCMS 2.0 is the new AI-powered modernization, supporting data workflows connected to USA TODAY college coaches salary reporting through batch document ingestion, AI-assisted contract analysis, structured data extraction, search, and reporting.
See the LabReady to turn the operating problem into a working system?
A short conversation is usually enough to see whether the work fits and which engagement structure makes sense.
Start a Conversation