Walmart Contactless Auto Experience

As part of a broader initiative to launch Auto Care Center of the Future experience, I led a program to enhance an existing tire installation flow. Previously, customers could buy tires online and schedule an installation appointment. The goal of this enhancement was to introduce a Self Check-In feature that allowed customers to check in on the day of their appointment, support scenarios with less than four tires, and integrate IoT-based lockboxes for key drop-off.

The program was high-priority, tied to executive goals, and came with a tight launch deadline to launch by the end of September. The feature would pilot at a store already remodeled with vendor-installed lockbox systems and then roll out to additional stores in phases.

Goals:

• Simplify the in-store check-in process for tire installation appointments
• Enable self-service check-in on appointment day
• Support flexible tire purchase scenarios (less than four tires)
• Integrate IoT lockbox systems for secure key drop-off
• Launch pilot by end of September to meet executive commitments

• Owned end-to-end program management, including planning, technical discovery, execution, launch, and vendor coordination
• Aligned and coordinated across 12+ cross-functional teams including Cart, Checkout, Fitment, Auto Care, IoT Integration, Order Amendments, Check-In, Comms systems, and In-store systems
• Acted as the central point of accountability for delivery timelines, API coordination, technical dependencies, and cross-team execution
• Managed third-party vendor relationships for IoT lockbox integration

• Program Planning & Architecture Definition
  • Partnered with Product, Design, and Architecture to define user entry points, check-in flows, and system requirements for customer check-in, parking instructions, and key drop-off at lockbox
  • Collaborated with architecture teams to map new data flows and interactions between multiple legacy and modern systems, especially around fitment, cart, and order management
  • Defined feature boundaries and scope to prevent scope creep while accommodating edge cases
• Cross-Team Alignment
  • Mapped dependencies across 12+ teams including Cart, Checkout, Fitment, Auto Care, IoT Integration, Order Amendments, Check-In, Comms systems, and In-store systems
  • Conducted product walkthroughs, UX design reviews, and high-level technical design (HLD) walkthroughs to secure early alignment and understand level of effort
  • Facilitated decision-making on technical approaches, user flows, and integration patterns
• Tech Discovery & API Coordination
  • Led technical discovery sessions to define and finalize APIs across systems
  • Established clear responsibilities, sequenced data flows, and addressed edge cases like fewer than four tires and rescheduled appointments
  • Collaborated with engineering managers to set realistic development timelines once APIs were finalized
• Testing Strategy
  • Worked with Product to define comprehensive end-to-end test scenarios covering both front-end and back-end flows
  • Created testing strategy involving upstream and downstream integration testing using test items
  • Coordinated End-to-End War Room testing, simulating the full customer journey from tire purchase to key drop-off at the store
  • Ensured IoT testing aligned with vendor availability and store readiness
• Release Coordination
  • Drafted production release playbook covering configurations, rollout scripts, rollback plans, and communications
  • Coordinated vendor management to ensure lockboxes installed in stores could receive signals from our application via IoT platform integrated with store network
  • Secured sign-offs from Product, Engineering, and Business stakeholders before executing release plan

Key Achievements:

• Successfully launched Self Check-In feature pilot on schedule
• Feature live at pilot store with fully integrated IoT lockbox drop-off
• Established phased rollout plan for additional stores as they get remodeled
• Built reusable cross-team delivery model for future auto care enhancements
• Simplified in-store check-in process with positive customer feedback