Open to Senior PM & Product Leadership roles · Leander, TX

Senior Product
Manager & Author

I turn messy, policy-heavy workflows into calm, reliable software. After 20+ years building SaaS for healthcare, state governments, and General Motors, I wrote the book on it. Literally. Builder of things that actually work.

See My Work → Let’s Talk
Firas Issa
Firas Issa
Sr. PM · Author · Product Strategist
CSPO Microsoft AI PM CQA · ASQ Strategy 0→1 Agile SaaS Roadmapping Published Author Scaled Agile Gov & Enterprise
20+
Years of Experience
9
States Served
5M+
Transactions Served
1
Published Book
Firas Issa
Firas Issa
Senior PM & Author
Healthcare SaaS Gov Tech Automotive 🎖️ US Army Vet

About Me

Building calm software
for complex problems

I'm a senior product manager and author. I spend most of my time turning messy, policy-heavy workflows into software that actually works for the people using it. After more than twenty years building SaaS platforms across healthcare, state government, and a very large car company, I wrote "The Simple SaaS Playbook, without the Jargon" to share what I've learned without the buzzword circus.

I do my best work when I'm close to the problem. That usually means spending real time with clients and stakeholders, collaborating with designers and engineers, asking more questions than anyone probably wants, and drawing boxes and arrows until something clicks.

When I'm not thinking about roadmaps, you'll usually find me reading and tinkering with new AI tools.

Industries I've built for
🏥 Healthcare
🏛️ State Government
🚗 Automotive (GM)
☁️ B2B SaaS

Selected Work

Featured Projects

From state government platforms processing millions of transactions to enterprise infrastructure at global scale, these are a decade's worth of projects where shipping software that actually works was the only option.

Tyler Technologies · GovTech
Texas Online Private Security (TOPS)
Built a statewide licensing and compliance platform from scratch as Lead PM, overseeing two PMs across the full lifecycle. The system was adopted by law enforcement, private security firms, and state regulatory agencies, cutting operational overhead by more than 45% and becoming the benchmark for how the state handles security licensing.
0→1 BuildGovTechComplianceTeam Leadership
Texas DPS Platform
Tyler Technologies · GovTech
Regulatory Licensing & Permitting (RLP)
Took a blank slate and turned it into a multitenant SaaS platform used by government agencies across multiple states. Coordinated delivery across three cross-functional teams while personally leading product sales introductions with government agency clients, walking decision-makers through the platform, earning trust, and converting conversations into long-term partnerships.
0→1 BuildMultitenant SaaSGovTechSales & GTM
Multi-State Platform
General Motors · Enterprise
Enterprise Infrastructure Platform
Coordinated product work across four infrastructure teams, managing a roadmap that covered the full lifecycle of 1,200+ application nodes across global environments. Drove the build-out of a single source of truth for platform documentation, which brought real clarity to a tangled multi-team landscape. Mentored incoming product owners and managed the external project backlog for a major strategic collaboration with large enterprise partners.
4 TeamsInfrastructureDocumentationPM Mentoring
GM
Tyler Technologies · GovTech
Illinois Statewide Hunt, Fish & Boating Platform
Led product definition and launch of Illinois' statewide licensure platform, a multimillion-dollar SaaS initiative that unified permits, reservations, and compliance across all state parks and natural resources agencies. Delivered on time and on budget, and it became the model for subsequent statewide rollouts.
GovTechMulti-State SaaSGTM
Illinois DNR Platform
QualTex Laboratories · Healthcare
STARLIMS SaaS LIMS Implementation
Led the implementation of a SaaS laboratory information management platform across multi-site healthcare operations, improving automation, traceability, and audit readiness under FDA, AABB, and ISO oversight. Applied Lean and Six Sigma principles that drove double-digit reductions in process deviations.
HealthcareRegulated Env.SaaS
BioBridge Global
Published August 18, 2025 · Hardcover & Kindle

The Simple SaaS Playbook, without the Jargon

In the second half of 2025, I stepped back from client work and finally wrote the book I had been putting off for years. The one I wished had existed at the start of my career.

SaaS can feel overwhelming. The acronyms, the buzzwords, the endless advice that sounds clever but doesn't actually help. Every founder and every team hits walls. What matters isn't perfection. It's learning, adapting, and trying again with a clearer sense of what you're doing. That's why I wrote this book.

The Simple SaaS Playbook, without the Jargon is a practical, plain-language guide for founders, product managers, UX managers, and teams who are just trying to make sense of it all. No overcomplicated frameworks. No thought leader fluff. Think of it less like a manual and more like grabbing coffee with someone who's been through the ups and downs and actually wants to help.

✓ Real stories of what worked and what didn't
✓ Simple plays you can try with your own team
✓ A reminder that SaaS is a journey, and nobody has it all figured out
Published Aug 2025 Hardcover & Kindle B2B SaaS Governance & Renewal Illustrated by Dan Peacock
Buy on Amazon →
The Simple SaaS Playbook without the Jargon by Firas Issa

Framework

Your SaaS Software Development Cycle

A clear, repeatable framework for taking SaaS products from concept to launch and keeping them healthy long after.

Every stage, from Planning and Design through Development, Testing, and Deployment, is connected to the next. The outer ring reflects the broader lifecycle: Growth, Maturity, Renewal, and Sunset.

This is how complex products get delivered on time, on budget, and with fewer surprises.

Inception Growth Maturity Renewal Sunset Plan Design Develop Test Deploy Monitor YOUR SAAS SOLUTION

Career History

Experience & Education

Interested in my full resume? Contact me directly →

Work Experience
2025 — Present
Product Strategy Consultant & Author
Self-Employed · Remote
Advising early-stage SaaS teams on product strategy and roadmap prioritization. Completed Microsoft AI PM Certification. Published The Simple SaaS Playbook, without the Jargon on Amazon.
2021 — 2025
Sr. Product Manager · Staff Systems Engineer
General Motors · Austin, TX
Owned the infrastructure roadmap for 1,200 global application nodes and delivered double-digit gains in performance, resiliency, and cost efficiency. Led the EOL migration from a legacy platform to a modern SaaS toolchain, which freed a six-engineer team to focus on core product work.
2014 — 2021
Sr. Product Manager
Tyler Technologies (NIC Services) · Austin, TX
Owned end-to-end delivery for statewide SaaS platforms processing millions of public-facing transactions. Led Illinois’ Hunt, Fish & Boating Licensure platform launch and built Texas Online Private Security (TOPS) from the ground up, improving operational efficiency by 45%+.
2004 — 2014
Product Manager & Quality Leader
QualTex Laboratories (BioBridge Global) · San Antonio, TX
Advanced from Quality Auditor to Product Manager over 10 years. Led STARLIMS SaaS LIMS implementation across multi-site operations. Applied Lean/Six Sigma to reduce process deviations and audit findings by double-digit percentages under FDA, AABB, and ISO oversight.
Veteran
U.S. Army
United States Army
8 years of service. Military discipline and leadership principles continue to inform how I lead cross-functional teams and navigate complex, high-stakes environments.
Education & Credentials
MBA
MBA, Management
Florida Institute of Technology
Graduate degree in Management with focus on business strategy and leadership.
BS
Bachelor of Science
Iowa State University
Undergraduate degree providing the technical and analytical foundation for a career in product and quality management.
General Science
General Science Studies
University of London
Completed general science coursework through the University of London's international programme.
Certified
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
Scrum Alliance
Certified in agile product ownership, covering backlog prioritization, sprint planning, and delivering continuous value to stakeholders.
Former Certified
Certified Quality Auditor (CQA)
ASQ — American Society for Quality
Former ASQ-certified quality auditor with deep expertise in quality systems, process improvement, and organizational compliance.

Credentials

Certifications & Expertise

A multi-disciplinary credential stack spanning agile product ownership, AI strategy, and quality assurance.

Scrum Alliance
Certified Scrum Product Owner
CSPO

Expert-level agile product ownership, from backlog management and sprint planning to stakeholder communication and delivering continuous product value.

Active
ASQ — American Society for Quality
Certified Quality Auditor
CQA

Former ASQ-certified auditor with hands-on expertise in quality systems, process improvement frameworks, audit methodology, and organizational compliance standards.

Former
Microsoft
AI Product Manager
Microsoft AI PM

Just completed. Covers AI/ML product strategy, responsible AI principles, prompt engineering for PMs, and building intelligent features into modern products.

New ✦
✦ Let's Connect

Currently interviewing for
Senior PM & Director roles

Based in Leander, TX. Open to remote and Austin-area opportunities. Whether you're hiring for a product leadership role, looking for a product strategy consultant, or want to collaborate — my inbox is open.

✉ firashissa@gmail.com