Plain Ops Consulting

IT Operations X-rays for investor-backed companies

IT operations diagnostics and execution for 100–750-employee investor-backed companies.When investors see strong product and market fit but view IT, operations or compliance as a drag on valuation and deal timing, I map how work really flows across teams and vendors, then design a simple operating model your existing team can run.

Cut the noise. Fix the work.

Plain Ops Consulting or When IT feels like a tax on growth

INCIDENT LOAD

Incidents eat the roadmap

Forty percent or more of IT capacity is chewed up by incidents and unplanned work, leaving little room for strategic change.

STALE BACKLOGS

Backlogs that never clear

Implementation and onboarding queues grow faster than they’re delivered, so “critical” work lingers for months and becomes invisible noise.

RELIABILITY DRIFT

Repeat incidents, fading trust

The same classes of outages and degradations keep reappearing, slowly eroding customer confidence and stretching support teams thin.

REPORTING THEATER

More dashboards, same problems

New tools, frameworks, and consultants add slideware and dashboards, but day-to-day work patterns and outcomes stay largely unchanged.

LEADERSHIP CHURN

Swapping people, not systems

Leaders and vendors are cycled in and out while the underlying operating model is untouched, so the same constraints persist.

BOARD NOISE

“We’re working on it”

Boards hear confident updates from IT, but without operator-grade evidence. The story sounds like risk and drag on valuation instead of leverage for the business.

What an IT Operations X-ray delivers

A four-week X-ray gives both investors and operating teams an operator-grade view of how IT is affecting enterprise value, and what to do first.

For investors and operating partners

  • Independent view of IT stability, scalability, and execution risk.

  • Clear link between operational constraints and growth, margin, or exit timing.

  • A prioritized, trackable list of improvements with indicative effort and impact.

  • Early signal when you have a structure problem, not a “wrong person” problem.

For portfolio company leadership

  • A shared, evidence-based view of where time, risk, and instability actually come from.

  • A bounded plan to move from firefighting toward managed operations.

  • A simple operating rhythm and metric set instead of another deck of slides.

  • Artifacts that make it easier to explain tradeoffs and progress to the board.

How the IT Operations X-ray works

Step 1

Intake and framing

  • 90-minute working session with the CIO, COO, or equivalent to map business goals, current pain, and non-negotiables.

Step 2

Deep dive on how work really flows

  • 2–3 weeks of focused interviews, artifacts review, and live-work observation across IT, operations, and key vendors.

Step 3

Readout and execution options

  • Operator-grade findings, a prioritized improvement map, and concrete options for who should own the first wave of changes.

Ways to work with Plain Ops

The IT Operations X-ray is the core offer. If you need help executing, the ladder stays simple.

IT Operations
X-ray (4 weeks)

  • Short, concentrated diagnostic focused on how work really flows through IT and vendors. Output is a concrete map your existing team can run with.

Execution leadership
block (3–4 months)

  • Temporary hands-on leadership to drive a focused wave of changes from the X-ray, stabilize day-to-day operations, and leave behind a self-sufficient team and operating cadence.

Fractional IT operations
leadership

  • Ongoing 0.25–0.5 FTE support across one or two portfolio companies to keep the operating model honest, watch capacity and risk, and make sure improvements actually stick.

About Plain Ops and Nick

  • I have spent about 20 years in regulated, risk-sensitive environments as an operator across financial services, insurance, and healthcare – from sysadmin to Director of IT, VP of IT Operations, AVP IT Operations, and CISO.

  • My niche is stepping into messy infrastructure and operations groups under incident or regulatory pressure, calming the system, and leaving behind a durable, self-running team.

  • Plain Ops is intentionally small and operator-led. When additional specialists are needed, they are brought in only when the work and budget justify it.

PLAIN OPS CONSULTING

Questions before you book?

If your situation is messy but you’re not sure an IT Operations X-ray is the right tool, share a work email and a line or two about what you’re seeing. I reply personally and will tell you quickly if I don’t think I can help.

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IT operations X-rays and execution leadership for investor-backed companies.

Thank you – I’ve got it.

Your note is in. I review every message myself and will reply directly. If I don’t think an IT Operations X-ray is the right fit, I’ll say that and, where possible, suggest a better next step.