Yurii Kalashnik
I build the thinking before the building starts. 15 years of turning ambiguity into architecture that teams can actually ship.
I build the thinking before the building starts. 15 years of turning ambiguity into architecture that teams can actually ship.
Based in
Kyiv & Vilnius · Remote-first · US & EU clients
Industries
E-commerce · EdTech · Entertainment · AI/ML · Platforms
Track record
15+ years · 40+ systems · Author of The AI BA Playbook
About
Senior business analyst, AI consultant, and product architect with 15+ years across e-commerce, entertainment, education, and AI platforms.
I help companies turn fragmented ideas and broken processes into systems that actually work — through structured discovery, requirements architecture, and delivery alignment.
Before consulting, I ran BA and product leadership inside high-stakes programs at companies like EPAM, Zakaz.ua, and Ciklum. Now I bring that operational experience to teams building the next generation of AI products.
How I think
Most teams skip it. That's why most AI projects stall at demo.
It's a liability in writing. I create artefacts teams actually use.
and fascinating to use. If you need a slide deck to explain the value, the product hasn't found it yet.
You move fast because you know where the guardrails are.
What I do
Systems thinking applied to four domains. Each one tested across enterprise and startup environments.
From the first ambiguous brief to a validated, engineering-ready roadmap. JTBD research, hypothesis stress-testing, AI-first backlog architecture.
Pipeline architecture, LangChain workflows, retrieval-augmented systems. Built for production — not demos, not prototypes.
15 years of structured discovery across platforms. SRS, OpenAPI, UML, user flows — documentation that teams actually use.
Career
Not a full resume. The highlights that shaped how I think about product and delivery. Click to read more.
2023 – Present
Designed and shipped four AI products from concept to public beta. Published The AI BA Playbook. Built a prompt engineering curriculum of 24 sessions across No-Code and Python tracks.
Sep 2025 – Present · Fractional
Co-designed the product strategy and subscription model from the ground up — translating a raw idea into a structured, investable roadmap. Launched public beta on schedule.
Jul 2021 – Jan 2025
Directed the discovery phase of an ERP migration that produced a clear, agreed 8-month implementation roadmap where none had existed before. Managed requirements across complex enterprise stakeholders.
Oct 2018 – Dec 2019
Led a website redesign and integration stream that measurably improved user experience. Held dual BA and Scrum Master responsibility, coaching the team on agile self-organisation.
Jan 2020 – Jun 2021 · Remote
Shaped 10+ custom solutions across taxi, fitness, medical, and messaging verticals — moving from client intent to high-fidelity requirements without losing the client's voice.
Aug 2014 – Nov 2016
Led structured requirement elicitation through workshops, workflow analysis, and stakeholder interviews across a large, distributed product organisation.
Education
2001 – 2006
Physics and Mathematics faculty — Teacher of Physics and Informatics
2018 – 2024
BABOK 3.0 Comprehensive Training · Client Needs & Software Requirements · Project Management · Generative AI for ML Engineers (Google Cloud)
Published work
Discovery, requirements, and human judgment in the age of AI. The professional guide for analysts and product thinkers who need to work faster without surrendering clarity.
"AI should not replace clear thinking. It should strengthen it."
Get the book on AmazonStart with a 30-minute discovery call. No pitch. No deck. Just an honest conversation about where to start — and where not to.
It's free. No commitment. If I'm not the right fit, I'll tell you who is.