SUMMARY:

• Accomplished Project Manager knowledgeable in risk avoidance, scheduling, stakeholder management, team - building and information technology.
• Extensive understanding in all stages of the application software development life cycle (SDLC) and experience planning and executing projects utilizing Waterfall and Agile methodologies.
• Certified ITIL and SAFe v4.0 approach user in support of processes and functions and agility.
• Expert level user and tester of Microsoft Project.
• Expert with Microsoft Office suite (Excel, Word, Visio, PowerPoint, Access) products.
• Experienced managing teams consisting of resources both on and off shore.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Confidential, Peoria, IL

Senior Project Manager

Responsibilities:

• Following the SAFe Agile Framework
• Facilitated project planning workshops utilizing Agile Backlog
• Worked closely with the program manager to implement and improve program level analysis, status, and reporting
• Created and documented the project communication plan, project progress reporting, and process improvements using MS Project and MS Office Suite 2010
• Collaborated with local, remote, and off shore resources ensuring improved communications
• Facilitated routing project quality and stakeholder review meetings between internal and external clients

Confidential

Tools: used: MS Project 2010, Excel, Visio, PowerPoint, Adobe Creative Suite

Responsibilities:

• Facilitated project planning workshops utilizing the stakeholder and team member approved scope
• Worked with the project champion, business resources and end users to define, document and agree to the business case and project deliverables.
• Created and documented the project communications plan, project progress reporting, and process improvements using Visio and MS Project.
• Collaborated with resources, on and off shore, ensuring modifications, improved productivity and expected efficiencies were realized.
• Facilitated weekly status meetings, attended by middle and senior leadership, ensuring accurate and timely project statistics and metrics were presented.
• Enabled various team leaders to report to their senior managers on metrics for their responsibilities.
• Facilitated routine project quality and stakeholder review meetings between the client and vendor

Confidential

Tools: used: Primavera, MS Project, Excel, Visio, PowerPoint, Word, OnTime, Pert Chart, Adobe Creative Suite

Responsibilities:

• Modified, created and documented new business process maps in Visio which enabled leadership to have a clearer line-of-sight into business and application interaction between Confidential business units.
• Facilitated the planning workshop for the application development project responsible for the deployment of new and updated resource contact information based upon the end user’s security clearance.
• Facilitated risk planning and communicated the prioritized risks and mitigation strategies with leadership ensuring issues were escalated and addressed in accordance with the project deliverable dates.
• Collaborated with internal and agency resources to charter, plan, define, validate, and approve scope for additional application and web development projects.
• Managed 8-15 projects simultaneously in Primavera using a hybrid Agile / Waterfall approach
• Facilitated re-planning for 3 projects with teams consisting of 8-12 resources

Confidential, Northbrook, IL

Process Manager - Lead Consultant

Responsibilities:

• Enforce Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) process standards and expectations ensuring production modifications improve performance.
• Lead review of deployment activities across all areas, including, but not limited to, communications to area leaders, team managers, and senior leaders on a weekly basis which reduced the risk to the production systems.
• Monitored deployment effectiveness through the use of internal controls, metrics and reporting in an effort to improve production availability.
• Communicated daily review of impacting deployments and post deployments to mitigate production problems or incidents.
• Reviewed weekly compliance of policies and procedures.
• Developed and educated new resources on the roles and responsibilities of the various levels of responsibility ensuring consistency throughout the corporation.
• Managed over 200 application projects to ensure successful deployments of the database upgrade to Oracle's most recently supported level and its associated quarterly maintenance work ensuring vendor support.
• Modified and created new processes following the ITIL guidelines which enabled compliance with Change and Project Management policies.
• Ensured system availability and stability utilizing project management processes.
• Reviewed weekly SOX reports, including; updating, modifying, or defining and communicating process upgrades to leadership and project managers.
• Collaborated with onshore and offshore resources for SOX compliance.
• Enabled area to utilize the defined "On-boarding" and "Off-boarding" process ensuring complete and accurate transition of methodologies.
• Modified and created new processes enabling a cost savings of $200,000.
• Mentored newer project managers ensuring cross training and knowledge transfer.
• Managed project work associated with release assignments (i.e.: resource allocation, resource assignment, communication to clients, leadership, and the development team, etc.).
• Collaborated with onshore and offshore resources ensuring successful development, testing, and implementation of project work.
• Counseled delivery leads on ERE budget realignment needs ensuring each team's financial and resource needs were met.
• Cut budget by $150,000 per quarter for a total cost savings of $600,000.
• Distinguished issues and risks concerning deployment work to safeguard the department's production environment.
• Managed risk mitigation plans scheduling work appropriately to cause the least impact while gaining the most productivity.
• Influenced resource realignments ensuring team needs were satisfied.
• Influenced company risk mitigation concerning California Earthquake Authority (CEA) which was outdated and required high maintenance.
• Devised innovative process for claim handling of California Earthquake claims utilizing the catastrophe teams systems, knowledge, and methodologies for communication.