Known Issues
Severity: Medium | Status: Resolved | Affected versions: 2.x (2023–2025)
Issue #001: Career Gap (2023–2025)
Description
Planned service interruption between September 2023 and October 2025, roughly 24 months.
Root cause
Twins. Two of them.
Impact
- Reduced professional output during the period
- Limited availability for new engagements
Resolution
Status: ✅ Resolved. Mastercard contract, November 2025.
The gap is behind me. In November 2025 I started at Mastercard on MDES Manager, the global card tokenisation platform. That engagement is live and ongoing.
The mitigation during the gap was staying current across payments, crypto and delivery tooling. The resolution is a contract at one of the largest payments companies in the world.
Why this is arguably a feature
- Time management. When the working window is two hours wide, you stop gold-plating
- Priorities. No capacity for perfectionism, so the important thing gets done first
- Boundaries. Sustainable pace, contained scope, no drama
Honest assessment: taking the time was the right call, and I stayed technically current throughout.
Issue #002: Geographic Constraints
Description
Based in the south of the UK. Not available for heavy travel or full-time on-site work.
Workaround
Remote is normal. I have run distributed teams across time zones since well before it was standard, and occasional travel is fine.
Issue #003: Domain Specialisation
Description
Strongest ground:
- Payments infrastructure and card tokenisation (Mastercard MDES)
- Blockchain and Layer 2 infrastructure (Starknet, Ethereum)
- Enterprise e-commerce and SaaS platform architecture
- Developer tooling and APIs
When this matters
In those domains I contribute from day one. Outside them, expect two to four weeks of ramp-up while I build context. I learn fast where the material is technically hard, which is most of the time.
Issue #004: I Will Tell You When the Plan Does Not Work
Description
If the date is unachievable, the architecture is wrong, or the scope has quietly doubled, I will say so. Early, in writing, to the people who can act on it.
Status
Working as intended. Not scheduled for a fix.
Notes
Some organisations want a delivery lead who absorbs bad news and reports green until the quarter ends. I am not that, and it is better for both of us to establish it before a contract starts.
Issue #005: Perfectionism (Deprecated)
Description
Early-career tendency to over-optimise before shipping.
Status
✅ Fixed in an earlier version
Resolution
Working software today beats a perfect plan next month. Ship, get real feedback, improve.
Reporting New Issues
Concern not listed here? Raise it directly:
→ Email me with subject line "Known Issue: [YOUR CONCERN]"
Response SLA: 24 to 48 hours
Philosophy: better to be straight about limitations than to oversell and underdeliver.