The next 12 weeks
will happen. With or without a system.
The difference between companies that compound and those that spin in place is simply ownership of the through-line. No ceremonies. Just accountability.
Your teams don't have
a productivity problem.
They have an ownership problem.
Every company I walked into had smart people working hard, a clear roadmap, and Agile running. Yet, they were stuck.
The issue wasn't the framework. It was the absence of someone owning the through-line from business needs to shipped features, week over week.
This vacuum costs more than slow delivery. It creates strategic drift and burns out good teams building the wrong things.
If you recognise any of this, keep reading:
Busy but not moving
Sprints close on time. Velocity looks fine on the dashboard. But at every quarterly review, you're explaining why the needle didn't shift.
Strategy that doesn't land
The roadmap exists — in a doc, in a deck, somewhere. But it isn't alive in how the team makes daily decisions.
Coordination overhead
Engineering waits on product. Product waits on design. Design waits on a decision that no one seems to own. The work is there. The ownership isn't.
Good people, broken system
You hired strong people. The problem isn't the individuals — it's the absence of an operating system that connects them to a shared direction.
“The question isn't whether your team can execute. It's whether anyone is making sure they're executing the right thing — with the authority to enforce that direction when it gets contested.”
— Álvaro Villena
Not just a framework.
A scalable engine.
Three layers that compound. Execution without strategy wastes cycles. Strategy without execution stays a slide deck. Intelligence without both is noise.
Strategic Product Leadership
Direction. Alignment. Decision authority.
I act as your embedded CPO — an operator owning product direction, aligning stakeholders, and connecting business goals to sprint outputs.
- Product vision and roadmap ownership
- Business-to-engineering translation
- Quarterly strategy to sprint execution
Execution Infrastructure
An operating rhythm your team actually runs on.
I build the Villelab operating system — Scrum, Shape Up, or a hybrid — right inside your existing tools. A living system that improves every cycle.
- Sprint cadence design and facilitation
- Works inside Jira, Azure, Linear
- Retrospectives that generate real change
AI Intelligence Layer
Your delivery data, made actionable.
An operational intelligence system that surfaces blockers before delays happen. Turn PM tracking boards into active decision-support systems.
- Risk signals surfaced automatically
- Delivery pattern analysis and forecasting
- Executive dashboards without manual reports
All three layers operate together. Together, they compound.
Three ways to engage.
One operating standard.
The model depends on where you are and what you need to move next. We figure that out together in the diagnostic.
Fractional Product Leadership
Embedded CPO driving product direction, stakeholder alignment, and team accountability. 2–3 days/week on retainer.
- Product roadmap ownership
- Stakeholder management
- Embedded decision authority
- Monthly retainer (no lock-in)
Ideal for
Teams needing senior product leadership.
Scrum as a Service
Full delivery system operation. Built inside your existing stack and continuously refined. Accountability included.
- Full Scrum or Shape Up rollout
- Works in Jira, Linear, Azure
- Automated stakeholder visibility
- AI risk detection
Ideal for
Teams needing structured delivery without an internal PMO.
The Innovation Cycle
High-intensity engagement from problem framing to shipped product. Fixed timeline. You bring the problem — I build the engine.
- Framing → design → execution → launch
- Weekly executive decision gates
- AI delivery intelligence
- Full knowledge transfer
Ideal for
Product launches, pivots, or critical deadlines.
Not sure which model fits?
This isn't for everyone.
That's intentional.
I work with a small number of companies where the engagement requires depth. If these conditions match, we should talk.
This is for you if…
- You're a founder or senior executive at a tech company (15–250 people)
- You're scaling a digital product — SaaS, platform, marketplace, or internal tooling
- Your team is capable, but coordination breaks down as you grow
- You need CPO-level thinking without a CPO-level salary commitment
- You have a critical 12-week window you cannot afford to miss
- You want a partner who challenges the product direction, not just executes tasks
- You've tried Agile before — and know there's a better version of it
This is not for you if…
- You're looking for Scrum certification or training workshops
- You want a vendor to plug into a pre-defined process without judgment
- You need validation more than honest challenge
- Your company has no product or team yet
- You're looking for the cheapest offshore coordination option
If you're unsure, book the diagnostic anyway. The worst outcome is a clear conversation about what you actually need.
Scaling leadership
beyond frameworks.
Alvaro Villena is a verified expert in Technical Program Management and Agile Coaching. With a foundation in systems engineering and industrial innovation, he bridges the gap between complex ML capabilities and business outcomes.
Currently serving as an Agile Coach & Technical Program Manager for PepsiCo Global DPS, he orchestrates delivery for distributed AI/ML teams, ensuring strategic alignment from C-suite to sprint.
AI & ML Capabilities
PepsiCo Global DPS
Coached a 50-member technical program team and steered delivery across advanced machine learning initiatives.
Global Agile Standards
Toptal Network
Setting the bar for top 3% talent. Built agility assessment tools and facilitated cross-functional transformations.
Edtech Innovation
Ewaffle / Innovation Consulting
Leading digital transformation and LMS adoption for large-scale gamified training systems.
Certifications
Advanced Education
- Master in Innovation & EntrepreneurshipOBS Business School, Barcelona
- Master in Systems EngineeringUniversity of Concepción
Start with a
Strategic Diagnostic.
Your next product cycle starts in the next 12 weeks. Whether it moves the company forward depends on what you put in place now.
45 mins, no pitch.
I come with questions — about where delivery breaks and what the next 12 weeks must produce.
A clear diagnosis.
You leave the call with a clear picture of what's driving your execution gap and how to close it.
A custom model.
If it's a fit, I propose a specific engagement recommendation built for your actual situation.
The questions founders
usually ask first.
Honest answers. No spin.