I’m Denise Graf.

At Vanguard, I led two technology projects and owned the business side of each. I was given a budget and a technical team to turn a business need into a working solution.

Later, during Vanguard’s multi-year systems modernization initiative, I worked with colleagues across departments to understand what was really getting in the way of their work. We went beyond the initial requests—sitting with people, following transactions through the process, and investigating bottlenecks and delays. That understanding shaped the processes and technology we developed, helping teams work smarter and more efficiently. We reduced cycle time, touch time, and manual effort, giving teams more time to focus on work that needed their attention.

I built a network of cross-site subject matter experts and held weekly meetings so each location had a voice in the design. Their teams faced different challenges, and their feedback and suggestions were integral to the solutions we developed.

I turned what we built into documented business processes, Q&As, procedures, and workflows, then trained hundreds of people across several departments so they understood how it worked and how it would help them. The SME network kept that knowledge within the departments, giving teams ongoing guidance and support.

My years of business experience gave me a strong foundation for system testing. Understanding how our internal and external clients used our systems—and what could happen downstream when something went wrong—helped me design test scenarios that reflected real-world use, reproduced reported issues, and identified potential impacts. I ran those scenarios alongside regression tests to establish a baseline, then repeated the full set once the developers’ code changes were ready for testing to confirm the original issue was resolved without breaking anything elsewhere in the system.

I also became the go-to person for developers who needed business context for unfamiliar tickets, helping them understand the processes and workflows behind the reported issues.

The business teams I had worked with on earlier technology projects continued to seek my expertise while I was a tester. They brought me into client calls to explain complex system processes in business terms, helping clients understand how to use the services we had built to administer their retirement plans correctly.

That testing work continued through the transition from Vanguard to Infosys.

I adapt my leadership style to the person rather than expecting everyone to respond to the same approach. By understanding how each team member learns and what support they need, I tailor my coaching, communication, and guidance to help them succeed. I recognize contributions often and give honest, constructive feedback privately when something needs attention.

I make time to talk to each team member regularly. It helps me get to know them, understand how they work, where they feel confident, and where they need support.

One developer was struggling, but working different shifts gave us few opportunities to talk. I worked late on several occasions so we could connect. I got to know him better through conversations about his background, what brought him to Infosys, and which parts of his work he enjoyed or found challenging. Those conversations helped me identify where he needed support and pair him with a developer whose strengths complemented the skills he needed to build. Progress took time, but within six months his skills had improved, and I was impressed with the work he was producing.