How I Work

No lock-in, no employee overheads, no yes-man. Here's what working with me looks like.

Engagement Models

I work through my company, Heggie Enterprises Pty Ltd, as a consultant — not an employee. That means you get senior expertise without the HR overhead, payroll obligations, or difficulty of letting someone go if the project wraps up.

One-off Consultation

Stuck in a hole and need a straight answer? I can get you out and on your way again, equipping your team to avoid similar traps next time.

Prepaid Hour Blocks

10 or 30 hour blocks at a discounted rate. No expiry pressure, no lock-in. Use them as you need them.

Ongoing Engagement

Regular contract work — typically 5–15hrs/week. Ideal for teams who need a steady hand on the hard stuff or distracting side issues.

Contract

Formal fixed-term arrangements also possible where that suits your procurement process.

What I'm Good At

My focus is Rails development, DevOps and Agile coaching — but I have over 30 years of experience across 30+ languages, so I'm not afraid to go wherever the problem is.

Ruby on Rails — web application development, upgrades, refactoring
Databases — MySQL (primary), PostgreSQL; schema design, performance, maintenance
AWS — EC2, RDS, S3 and associated services
DevOps / Infrastructure as Code — Ansible provisioning, repeatable environments, CI/CD
Automated Testing — BDD, TDD, RSpec, test coverage uplift
Agile Coaching — methodology, process, getting teams delivering reliably
Integrations — APIs, legacy systems, the gnarly stuff nobody else wants to touch
Linux / Unix administration — servers, security, networking

I've also written a couple of domain-specific languages and a state machine from scratch — so if it's genuinely hard, I'll find it an interesting challenge.

AI — Useful Tool, But Has Sharp Edges in Unexpected Places

AI shifts where the effort is required rather than eliminating it, and amplifies what's already there: experts become more productive, while poor practices and practitioners cause even more problems — costing you more down the line than you feel you saved up front. I've used it as a coding aide and have a clear-eyed view of the trade-offs and practices needed to introduce it as a useful tool. If you're trying to make a grounded decision about where AI fits in your business rather than just chasing the trend, that's a conversation worth having.

Rates

I charge professional consulting rates commensurate with senior experience. Prepaid blocks of 10 or 30 hours attract a meaningful discount over casual rates — and there's no pressure to burn them quickly.

I'm flexible for the right fit, but I won't undersell my value. If you're looking for cheap and nasty, I'm probably not your person — and I'll tell you that upfront rather than waste your time.

Contact me to discuss rates for your specific situation.

How I Engage

I work remotely from Colac, Victoria, with a solid internet connection. I'm available approximately 15 hours per week currently.

I don't take on work I think is being approached the wrong way without saying so. If I think there's a better path, I'll tell you — even if the right answer means less work for me. That's not me being difficult; it's me caring about your outcome.

My clients tend to stay for over a decade. I'd rather build that kind of relationship than chase quick engagements.