Delivery consultant and technical leader, Manchester
I help software and product teams get delivery back on track when good teams keep missing what they set out to deliver. I’ve spent over 20 years on both sides of that problem: building software, and leading the teams and agencies that deliver it.
Co-founded Manchester software agency Tariff Street · Led product and technology for The Changing Education Group for 12 years · Coached Cognitran’s delivery teams across Jaguar Land Rover’s retailer software systems
Get in touch →
How I can help ↓
How I can help
Team resets
For in-house product and software teams that aren’t delivering as well as they could.
Goals slip, work turns up half-ready, and effort goes into things that never ship. Everyone’s working hard, but it isn’t adding up. The causes are usually spread across how work is planned, prioritised and handed over, so I work with the team and the people who shape its work together. I work inside the rhythm you already have, making small changes and testing them quickly.
Agency delivery
For agency leaders whose projects keep overrunning.
Estimates miss, scope stretches, rework eats the margin, and delivery leads spend their days firefighting. I co-founded and ran an agency, so I’ve been on your side of this. I find where projects slip, from first estimate to final sign-off, and help your team fix it in ways that fit client work. Most start with a Delivery Health Check.
Technical leadership
For organisations that need senior technical judgement without a full-time hire.
That might be a digital strategy and roadmap, a decision about a platform, or an ageing system that needs modernising without disrupting the people who rely on it. I’ve led a product platform for over a decade and I’m modernising a live system right now, so the advice comes from doing the work.
Selected work
The Changing Education Group · Product and technology lead, 2011–2023
Grew a simple tool for managing schools into a web and mobile platform used by a dozen colleges, hundreds of schools and tens of thousands of students. I worked with the directors on strategy and the roadmap, then led development, infrastructure, security and support, including moving it to AWS with 99.99%+ uptime.
A Manchester SaaS company · Team reset
A product and engineering team of about 30 was split across three B2B products and struggling to keep them all moving. I helped refocus the team around owning fewer things. Releases went from monthly to weekly, with less context switching, fewer silos and clearer ownership.
North East Museums · Digital strategy and technical lead, 2019–present
Work with the Digital Producer on digital strategy, and lead a side-by-side modernisation of the system behind 14 websites and their admin tools, keeping everything running throughout. Part of a working relationship that goes back more than a decade.
Digital agencies · Delivery consultant, 2018–present
Helped agency leaders find where projects slip, from first estimate to final sign-off, and change how their teams plan and own delivery. At one agency, rework fell by 30% within three months.
Background
I started as a developer in 2004, built SaaS products through the late 2000s, and co-founded Manchester software agency Tariff Street (later Human Software) in 2011. I’ve worked independently since 2018.
The agency’s clients included Jaguar Land Rover, Manchester City, Telegraph Media Group, Morris Hargreaves McIntyre, Marshall’s Paving, Manchester Museum, Soup Kitchen and Medem Energy. I also run PagePlay, a CMS that has powered more than 500 sites.
Outside client work: non-executive director of product at social enterprise Noisy Cricket (2019–2025), and part of the Tech for Good Live podcast team.
Certified ScrumMaster · ICP-ACC accredited Agile coach
More about me →
LinkedIn Profile →
What people say
“It felt like the team were drowning in their work. Support and project challenges mounting up, making prioritisation incredibly challenging. Harry’s approach was calm, swift and immediately impactful.”
Sam, CTO at a Manchester SaaS company · Team reset
“He is able to switch between the strategic and the tactical effortlessly, showing a willingness to tackle problems, craft solutions and reflect on the procedural, cultural and operational impact of decisions and activities.”
Hilary Stephenson, MD, Nexer Digital · Agency delivery
“Harry brings far more to the relationship than technical delivery. What I value most is that it feels like a genuine partnership, with Harry helping us work out what we should be doing, not just building what we ask for.”
Susie Batley, Digital Producer, North East Museums · Technical leadership
Writing and talks
The move to pods, squads or workstreams
Delivery · 2026
Why splitting into teams often spreads delivery problems rather than solving them.
Yii3 can still look like MVC
Technical · Substack, 2026
Part of a series on moving long-lived Yii 1.1 applications to Yii3.
Agile in agency land
Podcast · The Everyday Agile Podcast
A conversation with Jac Hughes about delivery in client-facing teams.
I also write for Manchester Digital and give talks, including “Agile doesn’t work here: lessons from project-led teams”.
All delivery writing →
Yii 1.1 to Yii3 on Substack →
Technical notes & guides →
Common questions
How do we get started?
Send me a few lines about your team and what’s getting in the way. I’ll aim to reply within a working day to arrange a short call. Most work then starts with a focused review, usually completed within two weeks, so we agree what’s worth fixing first.
What does it cost?
Work starts with a short review at a fixed price, so you know the cost upfront and can stop there if you want. Prices are on the Health Check and Team reset pages.
Our team keeps missing its goals. What’s usually behind it?
Usually a mix of things around the team: how work is planned, prioritised and handed over, and how decisions reach them. That’s why I work with the team and the people who shape its work together.
Do you only work on agile?
No. Agile coaching is one tool. Much of my work is about planning, ownership, handoffs and decision-making. I also lead digital strategy and technical work, including modernising legacy systems. I use whatever fits how your organisation actually works.
How long before we see the benefits?
Often within weeks. A number of smaller changes can be made quickly. The rest takes longer, because it depends on buy-in from the people around the team.
How long is your average engagement with a team?
Most engagements run for between three and six months, after the initial review. The aim is a way of working that keeps going without me, so work is focused rather than open-ended. Some teams keep lighter ongoing support afterwards.
Do you work in person or remotely?
Both. I’m based in Manchester and work in person with teams across Manchester and the North West, where being in the room often helps. I also work remotely with teams elsewhere in the UK, and many engagements mix the two.
Get in touch
Send me a few lines about your team and what’s getting in the way. I usually reply within a working day with a couple of times for a short call.
Prefer email? hello@harrybailey.com
Not ready to talk yet? I post about delivery and leadership on LinkedIn every week. Follow me on LinkedIn →