A note from the founder, Rachel Irelan
I’ve been managing people, projects, and strategy for 19 years. The first four were in retail management and university academics, where I ran projects well before anyone gave me the title. The last 15 have been in tech, in project and portfolio management, from enterprise work at Deloitte Consulting to growing startups.
With hundreds of projects, numerous programs, and dozens of client engagements, I’ve had to navigate the simple to the complex.
Learning how companies operate, what motivates the people working within them, and creating an environment that feels safe enough for people to show vulnerability is when I see the real opportunities for growth rise to the surface.
I’ve always loved variety, and that’s what makes consulting a space where I prefer to operate.
I work through honesty, relentless curiosity, and all the data I can get my hands on to collaborate and find the best solution for clients so they can make the most informed decisions possible and finally take a breath.
Credentials and affiliations
PMI | PMI Central Indiana | Indy Chamber | Women & Hi Tech | Indiana AI Innovation Network
The meaning behind the name
In photography, leading lines are the lines already in the frame that pull your eye toward the subject. A road, a fence, a hallway, a row of windows. The photographer doesn’t put them there.
The photographer decides where to stand. Move 3 feet left and that same hallway leads nowhere. The lines do the work, and they only do it because somebody chose the angle.
That’s the job here too. Most companies already have the paths that would get them where they’re going. The people know where the problems are. The processes exist somewhere, in somebody’s head or in a document nobody opened this year.
What’s missing is the composition. Somebody to decide what comes first, what gets fixed instead of replaced, and where all of it is supposed to point.
In their words
Rachel has a rare ability to synthesize the challenges and needs of multiple perspectives into a single, cohesive solution. In our time at Inverse-Square, she structured a robust yet nimble project management function which drove the business forward while adapting to constant change.
Working with Rachel is a breath of fresh air. She has a rare ability to slow things down, ask the right questions, and isn’t afraid to call it as it is. I saw that firsthand as we began developing a show pod model together, where she brought clarity to a complex organizational shift and helped move the right people toward a shared path forward. Her judgment, tenacity, and leadership make her an invaluable asset to any project she touches.
As the leader of our PMO, Rachel really listened to me and my fellow project managers. Our segment leaders respected her for her honesty, and relied on her strategic input when it came to managing people and delivering value to clients.
Rachel brings clarity to chaos and shows how you can sustain and scale your project or business. She listens, learns, and incorporates all her findings to create the greatest and most impactful system she can. I was lucky to have had her expertise as a resource.
Rachel's professional experience is second only to her professional demeanor. She's highly motivated to provide you with solutions that work for you as opposed to a canned answer or traditional approach. I've worked with her on several large projects including multiple work-item management system migrations. She's balanced, genuine and passionate about getting and keeping things organized!