The Setup Is the Strategy: How I Orchestrated a Product Migration with Claude Code

Most engineers using Claude Code are getting a fraction of its value. Not because the tool isn't capable - but because they're using it out of the box, unconfigured, the way you'd use a new IDE without installing extensions or setting up your build system. The default experience is decent. The configured experience is transformative. I'm a Senior Software Engineering Manager leading a team focused on leveraging AI to find acceleration opportunities across the software development lifecycle.