CDR Analysis Platform for Government Intelligence

Role: IT Project Manager | Public Sector
Duration: 6 Sprints (~6 months) | Methodology: Hybrid Agile

Background & Challenge

In 2019, I led the delivery of a CDR (Call Detail Record) analysis platform for a national government agency. Their legacy tool IBM i2, was rigid, siloed, and disconnected from the agency’s internal suspect database. Analysts were manually transferring data between systems, losing time and context.

The goal was clear: replace manual workflows with an integrated platform that could analyze millions of records, surface investigative insights, and enable faster, smarter decision-making.

Discovery & Planning

We began by listening, first to leadership, then to the people doing the actual work. I ran early-stage interviews with over 10 investigators, uncovering core pain points:

• Manual data merging across tools

• Slow access to suspect information

• Workflow inefficiencies caused by system hopping

We prioritized insights using the RICE framework, focusing the MVP around automation, filtering, and central access to case-critical data.

To align stakeholders, I built a visual concept deck that mapped the platform architecture, core workflows, and early UI wireframes, helping technical and non-technical stakeholders get on the same page.

Agile Execution

We ran the project in six 4-week sprints, supported by:

• Daily stand-ups and weekly sprint reviews

• Backlog tracking in Jira

• Wireframing in Figma

• Retrospectives at the close of each sprint

Core MVP features included:

• Automated CDR Processing – Processed millions of call records in <5 minutes

• Dynamic Filtering – Search and sort by activity, time, and relational patterns

• Custom Dashboards – Visualize anomalies and behavioral shifts

• Centralized Personnel Database – Role-based access to suspect-linked info

Results & Impact

By the end of the engagement, the platform delivered:

• 90% reduction in manual data handling

• 5x improvement in query speed for CDRs and personnel lookups

• Dashboards adopted by 100% of the core investigative team

• Fully integrated search for suspect data across calls, identifiers, and history

Investigators could now pull up case-critical contact data in seconds. with no spreadsheet pivots or context switching.

Challenges & Lessons

Stakeholder alignment proved complex — investigators, IT, and leadership all had different expectations. An Agile delivery rhythm helped: new feedback was translated into user stories, re-prioritized in backlog grooming, and implemented in future sprints without derailing progress.

Data security was also critical. We introduced:

• Role-based access

• Audit trails

• Secure on-premise deployment

Key Takeaways

• Translate user interviews into product backlog clarity

• Prioritize speed-to-insight over dashboard density

• Run visual alignment sessions early to cut ambiguity

• Bring delivery closer to real investigative workflows

This project remains one of the best examples of how structured Agile delivery and user-led design can dramatically improve public sector tech, not by adding complexity, but by removing friction.