{"id":21990,"date":"2019-08-29T10:32:15","date_gmt":"2019-08-29T16:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/?p=21990"},"modified":"2019-08-29T10:32:15","modified_gmt":"2019-08-29T16:32:15","slug":"todd-fleming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/todd-fleming\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Land Paid Contract Work as a Business Analyst with a Software Background: Todd Fleming"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Today I&#8217;d like to share Todd Fleming&#8217;s success story with you. Todd is from Somers Montana, which is near Kalispell, Montana &#8211; a beautiful area of the United States I hope to visit someday!<\/p>\n<p>Todd has a long background in developing and designing software and is now a business analyst. Listen in (or read below) to learn how Todd:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Discovered his identity as an analyst, and specifically a business analyst.<\/li>\n<li>Leveraged his investment in up-leveling his skills to <strong>land paid contract work<\/strong> with a past employer.<\/li>\n<li>Leaned into the instructor feedback he received to<strong> shift his mindset around database design<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Leaves his organizations better off<\/strong> than when he started, able to transfer his work to lower-level staff, and not create a dependency on him and his knowledge.<\/li>\n<li>Was open to exploring new ways of thinking and applying modern best practices to <strong>take his self-taught experience to the next level<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/todd-m-fleming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connect with Todd Fleming on LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_14827\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ejHKsxhG_1E?enablejsapi=1&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=1&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&modestbranding=0&rel=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/business-analyst-blueprint\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-23675 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Blueprint-ACBA-banner.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1660\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Blueprint-ACBA-banner.jpg 1660w, https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Blueprint-ACBA-banner-300x60.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Blueprint-ACBA-banner-1024x204.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Blueprint-ACBA-banner-768x153.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Blueprint-ACBA-banner-1536x305.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1660px) 100vw, 1660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>For those who like to read instead of watch, here\u2019s the full text of the video:<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Hello, and welcome. Laura Brandenburg here from Bridging the Gap here today with Todd Fleming. Hi, Todd.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> Hi, Laura.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Hi. So, Todd is from Somers, Montana. I\u2019ve just got to check my notes. As we mentioned, it\u2019s not a familiar town that most of us are probably familiar with. It\u2019s near Kalispell, Montana. Todd participated in our Spring 2019 session of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/business-analyst-blueprint\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Business Analyst Blueprint\u00ae<\/a> and had some pretty cool successes from that. I wanted to share his story with you or give him an opportunity to share his story with you. Todd, if you could just take us back a little bit to where you were at before you joined The Business Analyst Blueprint\u00ae. Where were you at in your career? What were you looking for?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> At the end of 2018, I found myself in a job search and looked at all the different roles that I\u2019ve experienced and truly knew in my identity, in my soul that I\u2019m an analyst. Then I was looking at, \u201cWell, what kind of analyst am I?\u201d and I realized, \u201cYeah, I think I fit that description of a business analyst, being that liaison between the front end of the process and systems and making that connection to the back end and developing systems and working well with people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, I started looking for, \u201cWhat does my resume need to look like?\u201d I was Googling that, and I came across Bridging-the-Gap.com and found you, Laura, and started researching your website and then saw that you wrote a book, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/start-a-business-analyst-career\/\"><em>How to Start a Business Analyst Career<\/em><\/a>. I\u2019m like, \u201cWell, this is the person I need to connect with.\u201d So, that\u2019s how it started, and I started looking at your free online courses and really thought that your material was legitimate and well-presented, and it spoke to me in a way that I could understand.<\/p>\n<p>I signed up for your course early. Right at the beginning of January and really was looking to build a foundation as a business analyst, having a resource to go to that gives me confidence and credibility and the skill sets that are labeled as a business analyst.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> What were some of your expectations going into the program?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> Well, I think in the very beginning, I thought, \u201cThis will lead me to be a certified professional.\u201d I\u2019m still not sure if that\u2019s really the right course for me at this time. So, that was the very beginning that I thought, \u201cI need that CBAP stamp on my resume to be a better catch or catch more attention.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, eight months later almost, I don\u2019t really see that as the definite thing that I need to do, but I do, after completing the course, have the educational units that I need to go forward with that.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> It\u2019s always an option.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Yeah, and that happens a lot, that people come in with that goal and things shift as they go through the course because they build the experience and the confidence that you\u2019re looking for this outside validation, but it starts to come more from the inside.<\/p>\n<p>Tell me: One of the reasons I wanted to speak with you, specifically, is because you mentioned you were in between jobs when you joined the program. One of the things that we do in The Blueprint is you\u2019re applying each of the modules as you go through. You had a really unique way of solving that dilemma, being somebody in between jobs. Can you tell us a little bit about how that worked out for you?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> Sure. A former employer of mine who I\u2019d built a database system for was merging with its parent company. So it was, more or less, a subsidiary, smaller company merging with the larger company. Right at the beginning of this year, this merger was developing.<\/p>\n<p>I let the business owner know what I was up to. I was signed up for this course to develop my business analyst skills, and, \u201c\u2026just wanted to let you know.\u201d He told me a little more about the merger and I said, \u201cWell, maybe there\u2019s a way I can help you with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because I\u2019m already a subject matter expert in their field. I developed the system that, now, the parent company has adopted. So, they were adopting this system that I had built, architected for them. So, I was the original business analyst\/designer\/architect\/developer of this system, so it made sense to bring me on board to do some of this work.<\/p>\n<p>As things progressed\u2014for example, the first module for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/how-to-analyze-a-business-process\/\">analyzing a business process<\/a>\u2014I analyzed a process for their financing, or invoicing. The process was to invoice a completed work order. I did the complete <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/how-to-diagram-a-workflow\/\">workflow diagram.<\/a> I interviewed the main person in their invoicing department, and realized that there was a gap in their process on what you do when invoicing rejects the invoice from the project manager that sent it in.<\/p>\n<p>They had no process for that, error step or decision point in that. When they made that decision, it was left to communicate their rejection in a pretty vague, anonymous\u2026there wasn\u2019t a sending point at all.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> As they were getting more involved with their merger, and they\u2019re involving me just bringing this new system online to the parent company, they found\u2026well, I found the opportunity to show this to the top levels of the new company, or the parent company, to show them some examples of the work that I\u2019m doing in The Business Analyst Blueprint course. That caught their attention. They really appreciated it, and I offered it at no cost to them, just doing it in good faith that it may lead to more work, and it has.<\/p>\n<p>To this day right now, we\u2019re just getting into the start of redesigning this original system\u2014basically coming out with version two of it. They\u2019ve engaged me to do that.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Awesome. So, you started just volunteering for them and gave them a bit of it for free. Then that led to an actual client engagement, as well?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> Right. I was hired to do administrative work on their system, but the business analyst work that I was doing was, more or less, volunteer work.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Got you. Had you done that kind of analysis before when you were designing that original system?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> Not to that detail.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Okay.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> I didn\u2019t do workflow diagrams. I didn\u2019t do an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/erd-entity-relationship-diagram\/\">ERD<\/a>. It was, more or less, just building it from what I knew. This gave me the framework to be able to do the detailed work that\u2019s necessary to document a process and document how the system is actually laid out, especially when it comes to\u2026what they really need is documentation for within their dictionary and their <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/glossary\/\">glossary<\/a>, their whole <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/data-modeling-techniques\">data modeling<\/a>, so that they can take this system, whether the platform they use now needs to change. Then they can take that and move it along whether I\u2019m there or not for them.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Got you. I\u2019ve actually talked to a lot of people who come from a business background recently. It\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve talked to somebody from a software background. Tell me: what were some of the mental switches for you that triggered\u2026it\u2019s the same system. You designed it, you built it, and now you\u2019re looking at it from this completely different view. What was that experience like?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> I really had to humble myself to say, \u201cI need to look at this from that different perspective. Maybe there\u2019s a better practice that I could employ in this, especially within the redesign.\u201d My instructor, Doug, led me into a whole rework of how the tables would be presented in this system.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m like, \u201cWait a minute. I designed the original one. Are you telling me this isn\u2019t the right way to do it?\u201d Now, though, I have that, and I accepted that as\u2026it was challenging. I looked at it in a different way, and now I can actually take the second version of this system, the 2.0, and make it even that much better and create more value to the customer.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> What are some of the wins that they\u2019ve experienced as a result of this or some of the benefits to the organization you\u2019re working for?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> They are benefiting mostly on their\u2026they\u2019re taking a system that in process\u2026 So, all of their systems right now that are kind of just disparate and on their own. They\u2019re looking to integrate their systems and really produce valuable, data-driven decisions. This gives them the starting point to grow in that.<\/p>\n<p>Right now the company doesn\u2019t have an in-house IT department. I\u2019m just working as a contractor or consultant for them. So when I\u2019m told that you want to make data-based decisions, who\u2019s maintaining your data? This is giving the company the benefiting of realizing they need to make a move in that direction.<\/p>\n<p>If they want to follow through with their vision, they need to bring the resources to make that vision happen. If they want to try to do it internally without the right resources, it\u2019s going to be a long, difficult road, and I think they\u2019ve already been there. They\u2019re ready for change in that. That created an opportunity, the timing of this, having an added value skill set that I earned through The Blueprint. It presents me in a way to them that, \u201cWe need you here working on this project.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Right. It has created\u2026now you really are a business analyst. You\u2019re doing these skills as part of your contract in consulting work. Would you consider yourself that?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> Yeah. I\u2019ve been self-employed for about the last four years, and now <strong>I feel confident that I can label myself as a business analyst<\/strong>, where before it was, more or less, I tried to give a name to it. It was \u201csystems manager consultant\u201d or something like that. I\u2019ve worked in within project management and project coordination, but I\u2019d never really had that title, business analyst, until recently, and I feel comfortable that when you look at my LinkedIn profile, and it says \u201cbusiness analyst\u201d as the first thing you see that I\u2019ve been working as a business analyst, and I do indeed have these skill sets.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Yeah, and experience. What do you see as next for you?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> Well, I\u2019m basically taking it one project at a time. I\u2019m looking at opportunities, new career opportunities, looking for new <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/what-is-a-business-analyst-role-anyway\/\">business analyst roles<\/a>, possibly, under employment instead of self-employed. I\u2019m really not sure right now as we speak where I\u2019m going. So I do want to work on this project with the company here in Kalispell, and then I\u2019m not sure really what the longevity of that will be.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe they create a new role for me and want to bring me in as an employee or just we do a service contract to continue our relationship professionally. I\u2019m open to new things right now.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Awesome. Thank you for your time. I\u2019ve just got a couple more questions. It\u2019s been really helpful. I think a lot of people get in this gap, and what I love about your story is how you were in that state and you got unstuck and out of it. It\u2019s really the growth path over the last eight months is pretty significant as a result of that. Thank you for sharing that.<\/p>\n<p>What would you give to people who are in that same state, like in between opportunities, thinking, and \u201cCould I reach out to my past employer?\u201d What advice, I guess is my question, would you give them to follow in your footsteps?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> It doesn\u2019t hurt to reach out. \u201cWhat do you have going on? Oh, by the way, we\u2019re doing a merger.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, really? The work that I did for you before may be not so relevant, but now I have a strengthened skill set that I think will help you move forward with your new project.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I was looking for help on how to define myself as a business analyst and what was it. Thankfully, Laura, you created what you created for all of us to learn from you and your program, and you hit it on the mark. How do I start my business analyst career?<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Yeah. Thank you for that. What I\u2019m hearing from you, too, is there was the reaching out. It doesn\u2019t hurt. \u201cI might hear, \u2018Yes.\u2019 I might hear, \u2018No.\u2019 There might be something here; there might be not.\u201d Having a story around that or a fear around that, just putting that aside but also letting people know that you are expanding in your skillset because I think a lot of people who have done one thing in the past kind of feel pigeon-holed in that role.<\/p>\n<p>You do have to be active in telling people that you\u2019re going in a new direction and helping them see that or the potential of that in the organization. A few things to focus on as you\u2019re doing outreach if somebody else is going to follow that kind of path. Final question: where would you be today if you hadn\u2019t chosen to make the investment in yourself and The Blueprint?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> I\u2019m really not sure.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/span>It\u2019s a hard question.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> Yeah. I would probably still be trying to figure out, \u201cHow do I start a business analyst career? How do I apply what I\u2019ve done in the past experiences and move it forward to a business analyst career because that\u2019s what I want to do?\u201d I think if I hadn\u2019t taken the course, I would still be kind of set on some old thinking and old ways of doing things, which aren\u2019t modern best practices. Just self-taught filling in the role when it wasn\u2019t well defined in the past.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> What would be an example of that?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> Years ago when I was in Ohio, I was basically the program manager for an SAP billing system for utility, and I didn\u2019t have a staff. So I filled that role as business analyst, but I didn\u2019t have a foundation of what to do until I kind of saw it happen because I had contracted some business analysts that came over from India. They were doing workflow diagrams and things like that.<\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t have a clue about how that fit into the whole system. I just would look at data tables and figure things out and not realize what was missing. I was able to still re-engineer a process, but it wasn\u2019t well documented for the company. Now if I were to go back to that space, I would be able to know what to do to document it, who I need to bring in to help understand the process better and redefine it. In the end, it still worked. Processes were improved, but how they got approved, there\u2019s no history of that other than what I know, really.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Right. The value you can add now, like you had mentioned this, is, \u201cWhether I stay on this contract or not, they\u2019re going to have some assets that they can use to run the system.\u201d That increases the value you\u2019re adding because when you leave, that system still can be maintained and understood and used well. Yeah.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> Right. I want for the company, when the time comes for me to leave, that they can look at what I brought to them and say, \u201cThank you,\u201d not go, \u201cOh, this guy left all this stuff undone, and now we can\u2019t do anything about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> And that comes around full circle for you, too. I think it can be scary, like, \u201cNow they don\u2019t need me,\u201d but on the flip side, somebody else will come see that and be like, \u201cWow. This guy did great work. We should call him back,\u201d or give you a great reference because I\u2019ve had that happen where my work from years ago is still being used. Then it leads to something positive in the future. I love that goal for you. That\u2019s a good one.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming: I do a good job of working myself out of a role or out of a job.<\/strong> What that means is I\u2019m usually creating a system that replaces me and then training somebody to do this at a lower level than where I was because the system is replacing the higher-level skill set.<\/p>\n<p>In turn, like what you were saying, it comes full circle to where that value will be remembered. Then when they need that again, it\u2019ll come back.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Yeah. That\u2019s great. Anything else you\u2019d like to share before we close things?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> I\u2019ve enjoyed working with all the staff at The BA Blueprint, and from the very beginning when we met and spoke in the early enrollment, I just really had a warm feeling from you that you care, and you do. It\u2019s obvious you\u2019re here to help people, and I appreciate that, and I thank you.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><em><strong>Laura Brandenburg:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> Thank you, and I appreciate you taking the time to share this. I love celebrating successes and helping inspire other people to follow along in these successes, as well. Thank you so much, Todd.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Todd Fleming:<\/strong> You\u2019re welcome.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>About The Business Analyst Blueprint\u00ae<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When you join\u00a0<strong>The Business Analyst Blueprint\u00ae certification program<\/strong>, you\u2019ll learn all 12 of the industry-standard techniques and the business analysis process framework \u2013 to build your confidence in the best practices of business analysis.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll create validated work samples and be a credentialed business analyst as a recipient of the\u00a0<strong>Applied Certification in Business Analysis\u2122 (ACBA)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>&gt;&gt; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/business-analyst-blueprint\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here for more information about The Blueprint<\/a>\u00a0&lt;&lt;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/business-analyst-blueprint\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-23675 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Blueprint-ACBA-banner.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1660\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Blueprint-ACBA-banner.jpg 1660w, https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Blueprint-ACBA-banner-300x60.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Blueprint-ACBA-banner-1024x204.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Blueprint-ACBA-banner-768x153.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Blueprint-ACBA-banner-1536x305.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1660px) 100vw, 1660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today I&#8217;d like to share Todd Fleming&#8217;s success story with you. Todd is from Somers Montana, which is near Kalispell, Montana &#8211; a beautiful area of the United States I hope to visit someday! Todd [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":97,"featured_media":24232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1475],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-studies"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21990"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/97"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21990"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21990\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bridging-the-gap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}