Ep. 54 - How Documentation Can Make or Break Your Team – with Connor Clark-Lindh
Tue Jul 01 2025
The best teams don’t chase perfection—they reduce friction.
Ever been told you can’t improve a system because “the documentation isn’t up to date”?
In this episode, Elias Voelker sits down with Connor Clark-Lindh, VP of Consulting and Operations at OrionW, to unpack what really drives operational excellence—and what gets in the way.
Connor shares how over-documentation can become a blocker instead of a support system, especially as teams scale.
He also told me how lately he's seen teams push for new tools or AI solutions before clearly defining the problem—and how he avoids that by going back to basics: talking to people, shadowing their work, and solving real problems from the inside out.
This episode is packed with grounded insights for IT Operations, DevOps, and AI Ops leaders looking to build smarter, more sustainable systems.
You’ll learn:
1. Why documentation is critical for small teams—but can stall large ones
2. How to avoid solving the wrong problem with the right tool
3. Why replicability is more valuable than superstar performance
4. What to keep in mind before using AI to drive efficiency
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Get in touch with Connor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connorclarklindh/
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About the host Elias Voelker: Elias is the VP for North America at Checkmk. He comes from a strategy consulting background but has been an entrepreneur for the better part of the last 10 years. In his spare time, he likes to do triathlons.
Get in touch with Elias via LinkedIn or email podcast@checkmk.com.
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Podcast Music:
Music by Ströme, used by permission
‚Panta Rhei‘ written by Mario Schoenhofer
(c)+p 2022, Compost Medien GmbH & Co KG
https://stroeme.com/
https://compost-rec.com/
Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!
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The best teams don’t chase perfection—they reduce friction. Ever been told you can’t improve a system because “the documentation isn’t up to date”? In this episode, Elias Voelker sits down with Connor Clark-Lindh, VP of Consulting and Operations at OrionW, to unpack what really drives operational excellence—and what gets in the way. Connor shares how over-documentation can become a blocker instead of a support system, especially as teams scale. He also told me how lately he's seen teams push for new tools or AI solutions before clearly defining the problem—and how he avoids that by going back to basics: talking to people, shadowing their work, and solving real problems from the inside out. This episode is packed with grounded insights for IT Operations, DevOps, and AI Ops leaders looking to build smarter, more sustainable systems. You’ll learn: 1. Why documentation is critical for small teams—but can stall large ones 2. How to avoid solving the wrong problem with the right tool 3. Why replicability is more valuable than superstar performance 4. What to keep in mind before using AI to drive efficiency ___________ Get in touch with Connor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/connorclarklindh/ ___________ About the host Elias Voelker: Elias is the VP for North America at Checkmk. He comes from a strategy consulting background but has been an entrepreneur for the better part of the last 10 years. In his spare time, he likes to do triathlons. Get in touch with Elias via LinkedIn or email podcast@checkmk.com. ___________ Podcast Music: Music by Ströme, used by permission ‚Panta Rhei‘ written by Mario Schoenhofer (c)+p 2022, Compost Medien GmbH & Co KG https://stroeme.com/ https://compost-rec.com/ Thanks to our friends at SAWOO for producing this episode with us!