James Titus
James Titus is a program and product management leader based in the Seattle area with deep experience spanning full-time and consulting roles across enterprise technology. He specializes in stepping into complex, high-stakes technology programs — often ones that are already in trouble — and getting them back on track.
What I Do
I work as a consultant through Bradson Consulting, serving enterprise organizations that need experienced program management leadership. My typical engagement involves large-scale technology initiatives where the stakes are high, the stakeholders are many, and the path forward isn't obvious. I've led data platform migrations, built governance frameworks, stood up PMOs, and guided cross-functional teams through the kind of ambiguity that stalls most projects.
I'm currently on my second engagement at Costco IT, where I lead program management for the Unified Data Platform (UDP) initiative on Google Cloud. I stepped into a program in need of new direction and moved it from red to green status through stakeholder realignment, risk management, and clear communication to steering committees and the Value Management Office. Prior to UDP, I served as PM for Costco's Reverse Flow initiative — enabling secure, governed movement of enterprise data back into operational systems — partnering across engineering, architecture, InfoSec, and business teams to align complex technical delivery with enterprise governance standards and executive stakeholder objectives.
Background
My career started at Microsoft, where I held a range of roles across program management, product management, and people leadership — including M2 experience managing managers across technical teams. I later transitioned to consulting, completing 14 engagements through Revel Consulting across program management, product management, and operations management — primarily for Microsoft, giving me a perspective on the company from both sides of the table. I'm now with Bradson Consulting, continuing to do the work I do best: walking into complex situations, building structure where there isn't any, and delivering results.
Over that time, I've developed deep expertise in enterprise project and portfolio management, governance and PMO operations, stakeholder management at the executive and steering committee level, risk identification and mitigation, and large-scale cloud and data platform programs.
How I Think About Tools and Systems
I'm a systems thinker by nature, and I believe the best PMs don't just manage technology — they understand it deeply enough to build with it. I've spent years constructing and evolving personal knowledge management systems — from TheBrain to Obsidian — and I bring that same structured, tool-savvy approach to every engagement.
I also build. Through my side venture Titus Digital LLC, I'm designing and developing Mind Like Water — a GTD-inspired productivity application that unifies task management, project tracking, and long-form notes in a single system. The project has taken me through comprehensive product requirements, data architecture decisions (React, TypeScript, Supabase), market research that included migrating over 10,000 personal notes across five platforms, and hands-on development using AI coding tools like Claude Code. It's one thing to talk about AI transforming how we work; it's another to sit down and ship something with it.
I'm deeply fluent in the modern project management and collaboration toolset, and I'm a strong believer that the right systems and processes are what separate projects that drift from projects that deliver.
I'm also a close follower of how AI is reshaping program and project management, and I actively incorporate these tools into my work to improve analysis, communication, and decision-making.
A Bit More
Before consulting, I also ran a 1-800-Got-Junk franchise for five years and co-built a task management app that was featured in Lifehacker — so I understand what it means to build something from scratch, not just manage it. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, Seattle sports, and staying active.