Springfield, Illinois · Est. 2017
Bridging the gap between business needs and technology — 30+ years of software engineering experience bringing structured strategy, sound architecture, and iterative delivery to organizations of every size.
Core Competencies
Good technology decisions don't start with technology — they start with understanding the business. Brian's role is to sit at the intersection of strategy and execution: translating organizational goals into IT investments that actually support them, rather than existing in isolation.
That means defining standards, managing complexity across legacy landscapes, governing change, and aligning stakeholders from the C-suite to the development team — so that every technology decision moves the organization forward.
Whether you're a government agency modernizing decades-old infrastructure or a growing company navigating a complex technology transition, we've navigated it before and we know what works.
Translating business goals into IT decisions that align, integrate, and last.
Modern cloud strategy and migration.
Transforming aging systems without disruption.
Iterative, architecture-aligned delivery for real teams.
High-availability, fault-tolerant design.
Technical leadership across complex programs.
Our Approach
Engagements at Decker Innovations follow an Architecture-Led Agile model — structured discovery, documented decisions, and incremental delivery. We start by deeply understanding the business problem, not just the technical symptoms. From there, we architect incrementally rather than upfront, delivering working solutions in stages and adapting as requirements evolve.
Because in complex systems, they always do.
Every engagement is different. Some clients need a strategic assessment before a single line of code is written. Others need hands-on delivery leadership from day one. Either way, you get the same senior architect from discovery through delivery — right-sized for your organization, not built for a Fortune 500.
The Three-Phase Engagement Model
Architecture-Led Agile delivery — the strategic discipline of TOGAF ADM, right-sized for small to mid-sized business engagements, without the enterprise overhead.
TOGAF ADM — Architecture Vision
Goal: Deeply understand the business before touching technology.
TOGAF ADM — Business, App & Technology Architecture
Goal: Design the solution from business capability down to technology stack.
Agile — Iterative Delivery with Architecture Governance
Goal: Ship working software incrementally, never in one risky go-live.
Architecture informs the iteration backlog. Delivery informs architecture. The two never operate in isolation — the architecture evolves with the engagement, never frozen at day one.
Current Initiatives
Long-term enterprise systems engagement with a major Illinois public pension system. Delivering distributed systems design, legacy modernization, and technology strategy in a complex, mission-critical environment.
Inquire about consulting →Exploring enterprise-grade operations management software purpose-built for craft breweries. Currently in customer discovery — interviewing brewery owners and operators across Illinois and the Midwest before writing a single line of code.
Coming soon — site not yet availableSelected Experience
Senior Technical Systems Architect on a long-term modernization of a large-scale pension administration platform. Responsible for aligning project designs with the organization's technology roadmap, governing integration standards across application packages, databases, and middleware, and driving technical consensus across multiple Scrum teams.
Served as the strategic technology advisor spanning security, infrastructure, data, and solution domains. Defined standards and principles for technology selection and integration, assessed emerging technologies, led proof-of-concept efforts, and delivered risk assessments to align the agency's IT investments with organizational goals.
Application Development Manager leading a team of 16+ developers — state staff and consultants from multiple firms. Responsibilities spanned project planning, system analysis and design, and managing successful transitions between analysis, development, and testing phases.
Project Manager and Solution Architect for a 17+ person team delivering a large-scale grants management web portal. Led hardware and software architecture, development environment setup, and coordinated across multiple bureaus and state agencies to ensure successful delivery.
Lead technical consultant to KPMG during customization and implementation of a pension administration product. Provided developer training and mentoring, validated requirements and design, and resolved complex development issues throughout the engagement.
Solution Architect and lead developer for a web-based eligibility intake application serving 3,000+ users. Responsibilities included hardware and software systems analysis, single sign-on implementation, and establishing a robust development framework for future service projects.
About
I've spent 30+ years building software systems for organizations that can't afford to fail — from small businesses to large enterprises. I founded Decker Innovations in 2017 to bring that same rigor to clients who need senior-level technical leadership without the overhead of a large firm.
My work sits at the intersection of business strategy and technical execution. I don't just design systems — I own outcomes.
Based in Springfield, Illinois. Member of the Brewers Association and Illinois Craft Brewers Guild.
Decker Innovations is intentionally small — built to deliver senior-level technical leadership with the responsiveness and accountability a large firm can't match.
When you engage Decker Innovations, you work directly with Brian. Not a project manager who hands off to junior staff, not a rotating cast of consultants — the same senior architect from discovery through delivery.
30+ years of experience means fewer surprises, faster decisions, and solutions designed to last. No overhead. Just focused, expert attention on your problem.
Work with BrianSmall business to large enterprise — full spectrum
Bridging business goals and IT decisions across complex organizations
Software engineering depth grounded in hardware, electronics, and industrial systems
University of Illinois Springfield · Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Process optimization, quality management, and agile delivery
Founded 2017 · 8 years in business · Springfield, Illinois
Illinois Craft Brewers Guild Member
Get in Touch
Whether it's a complex technology strategy, a modernization challenge, or a bold new initiative — reach out. Every engagement starts with a conversation.
Brian responds personally to every inquiry, typically within one business day.
Prefer to reach out directly?
bdecker@deckerinnovations.com