Scaling Chaos: How One CTO Built Order Through Agile and Automation

From Sprints to System: How a CTO Tamed the Chaos

Pavel Borisov took the helm as CTO at KITT in July 2023, inheriting what many technical leads dread: a growing team without structured processes. Over the next 27 months, he would transform scattered individual efforts into a well-oiled machine capable of delivering complex systems.

The first challenge was organizational. With engineers ranging from juniors to seniors, designers, technical writers, and automation specialists, there was no unified methodology. Borisov implemented Agile principles, introducing two-week sprints and establishing transparent task tracking systems. This wasn’t just about ceremonies—it was about creating visibility across the entire company. Teams could finally see what others were building, why, and when it would ship.

The infrastructure grew in parallel. Borisov built a complete CI/CD pipeline using GitLab, automating build and deployment processes for multiple products simultaneously. This decision proved critical: it meant developers spent less time on manual deployment rituals and more time solving actual problems. The pipeline would later support everything from web platforms (Tagat and Coddera) to specialized industrial systems.

One standout achievement was launching a service-based system in just five months. With a dedicated squad of frontend engineers, backend specialists, designers, and analysts, the team shipped an MVP on a sprint-based schedule. This success proved the process worked—and that it could scale.

The most technically ambitious project showcased the system’s maturity: an intelligent defect detection system for PAK (UEC Aviadvigatel), built with Avalonia UI Kit and deployed on RED OS with NVIDIA CUDA support. Integrating neural network models into production aerospace inspection equipment demanded rigorous QA and deployment discipline—exactly what the new processes provided. Today, this system runs in actual industrial production.

Perhaps the most telling achievement came later: a configurable SCADA system for electroplating manufacturing. Rather than custom-building solutions for each client, Borisov’s team created a flexible platform with scheduling precision down to three seconds. This shift from bespoke to platform thinking reflects mature technical leadership—understanding that infrastructure investments pay dividends across multiple projects.

Key insight for tech leaders: Implementing process doesn’t require abandoning flexibility. Borisov used Agile as a framework, not a religion, adapting it to support both rapid prototyping and industrial-grade reliability. The sprints accommodated innovation alongside stability.

The transformation demonstrates that technical directors who combine hands-on architecture skills with team leadership can multiply organizational output. Processes scale businesses; people scale impact.

😄 You know what they say about sprint planning—it’s the only time engineers agree on how long something will take to build.