Michael Shambaugh

Technology Leadership & Systems Engineering

Portfolio

A selection of notable projects demonstrating technical problem-solving, system architecture, and pragmatic engineering approaches. Each project reflects a commitment to building maintainable, performant solutions that solve real business needs.

S3-Integrated Backup System

Infrastructure & DevOps

Designed and implemented automated backup infrastructure integrating local systems with S3-compatible cloud storage. Includes intelligent retention policies, verification workflows, and automated monitoring.

Technical Highlights

  • Bash-based automation with robust error handling and logging
  • s3cmd integration for reliable cloud uploads with resume capabilities
  • Automated verification and integrity checking
  • Email alerting for backup failures and anomalies

Impact: Reduced manual backup overhead by 95%, improved disaster recovery confidence with verified off-site storage, and enabled automated compliance reporting.

API Testing Framework

Quality Assurance & Testing

Built comprehensive API testing framework for production REST endpoints, supporting automated regression testing, performance validation, and continuous integration workflows.

Technical Highlights

  • Command-line driven with JSON-based test definitions
  • Support for authentication, session management, and complex workflows
  • Automated response validation and schema checking
  • Integration with CI/CD pipelines for pre-deployment validation

Impact: Caught critical regression bugs before production deployment, reduced QA time by 60%, and provided confidence for rapid iteration on API changes.

Twilio Call Management Integration

Third-Party Integration

Integrated Twilio APIs for automated call routing, recording, and management within ClientSmart platform. Handles high-volume call operations with reliability and detailed audit trails.

Technical Highlights

  • RESTful integration with Twilio APIs for call control
  • Webhook handlers for real-time call status updates
  • Database-backed call logging and analytics
  • Error recovery and retry logic for network failures

Impact: Automated call routing reduced manual intervention by 80%, improved customer experience with faster call handling, and provided detailed analytics for business intelligence.

Remote Development Workflow Tools

Developer Productivity

Created tooling to bridge SSH-accessible production servers with local editing environments. Enables safe, efficient development on remote systems while maintaining local editor preferences and workflows.

Technical Highlights

  • rsync-based synchronization with intelligent change detection
  • BBEdit integration for seamless remote file editing
  • Automated deployment scripts with rollback capabilities
  • Environment-aware configurations for sandbox/testing/production

Impact: Reduced deployment friction by 70%, enabled rapid iteration on production issues, and maintained consistency across development environments.

Database Query Optimization

Performance & Scalability

Systematic analysis and optimization of MySQL/MariaDB queries across multiple production applications. Focused on identifying N+1 queries, missing indexes, and inefficient JOIN patterns.

Technical Highlights

  • Query profiling using EXPLAIN and slow query logs
  • Strategic index design for common access patterns
  • Schema normalization and denormalization trade-offs
  • Query rewriting for improved execution plans

Impact: Improved page load times by up to 85% on high-traffic pages, reduced database CPU usage by 40%, and enabled application scaling without hardware upgrades.

ClientSmart™ Mystery Shopping SaaS

Revenue, Scale, and Longevity

Architected, implemented, and maintained a multi-tenant enterprise SaaS platform serving mystery shopping industry. Designed and built a flexible reporting system with 90+ customizable report types. Managing a large-scale codebase (750+ files) with structured planning and documentation.

  • Has generated multiple millions in total revenue so far
  • Single developer
  • 757 PHP files managing a complex business domain
  • 167 JS/CSS files for UI
  • Supports real production clients with mystery shopping operations
  • Multi-year codebase that's actively maintained

Technical Highlights

  • Custom ORM/Persistence Framework
  • Multi-Tenant SaaS Architecture
  • Extensible Question Type System
  • Batch Action Engine
  • Custom Reporting System
  • Custom Router/MVC Framework

Impact: Eliminated manual release note creation, improved communication with stakeholders, and created historical record for troubleshooting and compliance.