Logo for Umlaut Initiatives; a colored field, fading from red-orange at the top to yellow-orange at the bottom. Over the face of this color field is a white curved bar that dynamically swoops across the field, toppped by two slanted rectangular white boxes representing umlaut markes over the top portion of a letter. UMLAUT
INITIATIVES
SERVICES | MEET DÆRICK | WHY UMLAUT | INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES | CONTACT
Logo for Umlaut Initiatives; a colored field, fading from red-orange at the top to yellow-orange at the bottom. Over the face of this color field is a white curved bar that dynamically swoops across the field, toppped by two slanted rectangular white boxes representing umlaut markes over the top portion of a letter. Surrounding this is a white box with art deco font text in black, the word UMLAUT above the colored field and INITIATIVES below. Targeted Project Engagement.
Targeted Project Engagement.
Course Correction and Incident Management for your Critical Project Delivery Needs

Firefighting Is My Wheelhouse

It happens. Projects fall off track for a myriad of reasons... uncontrollable circumstances, planning errors, system crashes, that one critical person gets sick, etc. There is no shame in having to face a project that is off target; the issue is recognizing the challenge in time to do something about it.

Incident management and course correction for emergent events and distressed programs are areas I specialize in. I help teams regroup, identify what went wrong without turning it into a blame exercise, reset expectations, and focus on the work needed to recover and deliver. Even in the face of a disastrous complication, there is often a path to delivery and salvaging the project.

Let's talk about the challenges your initiative is facing and how I can help.

Critical Incidents Mitigated

100%

Triggers/Root Causes Identified & Resolved

90%

Delivery Timelines Maintained/Minorly Impacted

85%

Value-based Leadership

The magic secret for world-class project leadership isn't magic at all. Putting people first and honoring their perspectives and contributions is the backbone of successful delivery.

SERVICES

Let's get your project moving again

FIREFIGHTING & INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
Leadership through emergent events such as major system failures and course correction for distressed initiatives
ANALYSIS & EVALUATION
Let's review a specific project challenge or your broader delivery process and identify where the work is getting stuck
COACHING & MENTORSHIP
General training and guidance for your emerging team of Project professionals, or for specific areas of need
CROSS-TEAM COLLABORATION
Help cross-functional teams communicate clearly, rebuild trust, and coordinate delivery
FRACTIONAL PMO LEADER
Part-time assistance in forming, unifying, and leading your Project/Program organization
CONTRACT PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Temporary, hands-on project management for specific, complex project delivery
PROJECT STRATEGY & CONSULTATION
Have a big delivery or launch and need help getting started? Let's talk through and design your project steps
SCRUM MANAGEMENT
Temporary Scrum Manager duties and Agile coaching for technical/execution teams

Image of Daerick Gross, owner of Umlaut Initiatives
he/him   |   pro-DEI   |   diversity is strength
More about my Project background
More about me in general


AUDIENCES & DOMAINS

Traditional & Marketing

B2B, B2C, SEM, and internal product and project development for large and small companies including AT&T, Vineyard Vines, Bruce Clay, Inc., Healthy Minds Consulting, and MTV.


Creative & Publishing

Small-press and publishing project development and creative direction and oversight for small businesses not accustomed or staffed for publication or creative development.


Software & Technical

Individual cross-organizational program management and Technical PMO leadership for technology orgs, including streaming and AdTech experience for Hulu, Disney, and Rubicon Project (now Magnite, Inc.) as well as other industry areas, including projects for Sleepy Giant (now part of Swrve) and Allergan Aesthetics (AbbVie, Inc.).



MEET DÆRICK GRÖSS

Leadership and direction for Project and Program initiatives


I have spent more than twenty years helping projects move from idea to delivery, often in messy, complicated environments. I've worked in creative houses, marketing organizations, and software environments bringing disconnected teams and competing priorities into the same conversation. Across different time zones and internationally, I'm experienced in coordinating siloed, cross-functional, and cross-organizational teams and vendors, guiding them to a united delivery and successful outcomes. I'm also experienced in department and PMO leadership, directly managing and mentoring project and program staff and outlining practical ways to track work, manage risk, and keep delivery moving.

With more than a decade of leadership roles, I have consistently built programs, teams, and processes that thrive and deliver in complex technology environments. While the industries and audiences have varied, the common thread has been people, communication, clarity, and delivery. I've led teams of project professionals through platform migrations, tooling overhauls, global product rollouts, and a challenging corporate merger, always keeping delivery status transparent and business outcomes at the center.

Some highlights of my experience:
  • Seasoned technical PMO leadership experience across the Aesthetics, AdTech, games and entertainment, and SEO industries with 20+ years directly leading technical initiatives and 10+ focused specifically on Program team leadership, PMO formation and steering, and TPM mentorship and career development
  • Repeated cross-functional alignment among product, engineering, marketing, and operational leaders to ensure coordinated planning, clear decision-making, and effective delivery across business units
  • A track record of building collaboration across silos, bringing clarity and structure to ambiguous situations, and surfacing risks before they grow, all supported by clear and transparent status reporting

I look forward to the opportunity to discuss with you how I can help your organization deliver the work that matters.

WHY UMLAUT

More than just a funny-looking letter...

Experienced

Over twenty years of creating, driving, and successfully delivering projects and programs in traditional, creative, and software environments

Authentic

A people-first focus that keeps communication and coordination approachable across all teams and stakeholders

Individualized

Flexible methodologies that provide structure and promote rigor without over-emphasizing process to the detriment of delivery

Uncomplicated

Straightforward solutions that focus on uniting people around a common goal, incrementally eating the elephant one bite at a time

Logo for Umlaut Initiatives; a colored field, fading from red-orange at the top to yellow-orange at the bottom. Over the face of this color field is a white curved bar that dynamically swoops across the field, toppped by two slanted rectangular white boxes representing umlaut markes over the top portion of a letter. CONTACT

Email me and we'll set up a call for a free consultation to discuss your project challenges and how I can help.
umlaut@daerickgross.com