Verizon +Play
In managing cross-functional teams to deliver projects, one significant example from my career was leading the "+Play" project at Verizon. After significant research into Google and Adobe analytics business leaders identified an opportunity to capitalize on a number of streaming promotions by bringing them all under one experience.
+Play Platform Launch & Cross-Functional Program Leadership
Role: Program / Product Operations Lead
Company: Verizon
Product: +Play (Subscription Management Platform)
Website: verizon.com/plusplay
Scope: Multi-partner integrations, enterprise launch
Overview
+Play was a strategic initiative to launch a centralized subscription management platform that allowed users to manage multiple digital services under one roof. The program required deep coordination across software development, marketing, legal, and customer service, while integrating multiple third-party partners—each with unique technical, contractual, and operational constraints.
I led the cross-functional execution and governance model that enabled +Play to launch successfully, aligning technical delivery with business objectives, customer experience goals, and go-to-market readiness.
The Business Context
+Play represented a shift in how Verizon positioned itself in the digital services ecosystem:
- From a carrier to a subscription aggregation platform
- From isolated partner offerings to a unified user experience
- From siloed teams to coordinated platform delivery
The success of the platform depended as much on organizational alignment as it did on technical execution.
The Challenge
The program faced several compounding complexities:
- Integration with multiple third-party digital service providers
- Each partner introduced unique APIs, data models, SLAs, and legal requirements
- High visibility and executive scrutiny due to platform-level impact
- Parallel dependency between product readiness and launch operations
- Risk of misalignment between engineering delivery and customer-facing teams
A traditional, linear delivery model would not scale.
My Role & Responsibilities
I operated as the central orchestration layer across teams.
Key responsibilities included:
- Establishing program governance and decision-making structures
- Aligning engineering delivery with legal, marketing, and CX constraints
- Managing third-party integration dependencies
- Ensuring launch readiness across technical and non-technical teams
- Driving clarity, accountability, and momentum across stakeholders
Strategy & Execution
1. Program Governance & Steering Model
To manage complexity, I implemented a formal governance structure that included:
- Cross-functional stakeholder representation
- Bi-weekly steering committee meetings
- Clear escalation paths for risk and dependency management
These sessions were used to:
- Review progress against milestones
- Resolve cross-team blockers
- Re-prioritize work as partner or technical constraints evolved
This prevented drift and kept leadership aligned throughout the build.
2. Third-Party Integration Coordination
Each external service introduced distinct challenges:
- Technical integration variability
- Contractual and compliance requirements
- Partner-specific launch readiness dependencies
I ensured these integrations were tracked as first-class program risks, not background engineering tasks, and coordinated closely with legal and product teams to keep timelines realistic and defensible.
3. Business & UX Alignment
Beyond technical delivery, the platform needed to meet user experience and business expectations:
- Subscription discovery needed to be intuitive
- Billing, management, and cancellation flows had to be clear and compliant
- The experience needed to feel cohesive despite multiple providers
I worked to ensure engineering decisions supported user clarity and trust, not just functional completion.
4. Parallel Go-To-Market Execution
Rather than waiting for development to finish, we ran go-to-market planning in parallel, including:
- Training sessions for customer service representatives
- Enablement materials for internal teams
- Marketing coordination to build awareness and adoption
This ensured the organization was ready to support users from day one, reducing post-launch friction.
Results & Impact
- Successful launch of the +Play platform
- Seamless coordination across engineering, marketing, legal, and CX
- Effective onboarding of multiple third-party services
- Reduced launch risk through proactive governance
- Strong internal alignment around platform goals and execution
The launch validated the value of structured cross-functional leadership in complex platform initiatives.
Why This Work Matters
This project demonstrates my ability to:
- Lead large-scale, cross-functional programs
- Manage third-party integrations as strategic dependencies
- Align technical execution with business and customer outcomes
- Establish governance that scales with complexity
- Deliver high-visibility platforms under real organizational constraints
These are the same skills required to manage platform-level initiatives such as those within Apple’s App Store ecosystem.
Key Skills Demonstrated
- Program & platform leadership
- Cross-functional governance design
- Third-party integration management
- Go-to-market coordination
- Stakeholder alignment at scale
Strategic Takeaway
Complex platforms don’t fail because of code.
They fail because teams, incentives, and dependencies aren’t aligned.
+Play succeeded because alignment was treated as a core deliverable, not an afterthought.
