SUMMARY

• Possessing a passion for the digital space, and demonstrating experience leading large - scale programs, I am a strategic thinker, change agent and relationship builder.
• A champion for digital innovation that enhances customer experiences, while also driving agility and efficiency through operational excellence.
• Enhancing technology investments and establishing digital transformation initiatives while considering strategy, structure, culture, talent, and technology.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

• JIRA
• Confluence
• JIRA Portfolio Management
• Microsoft Project
• Microsoft Office Suite

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Agile coach | scrum master

Confidential, Bolingbrook, IL.

Responsibilities:

• Coached the product owner and team in Agile benefits, scrum principles, relative estimation techniques, cross-functionality and self-organization. Maintained a high performance and motivated team. Responsible for all mentoring and training.
• Identified and developed practices, templates, policies, tools and partnerships to expand and mature agile capabilities for the organization; improving overall organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Provide on-site and remote leadership for project team by building and motivating team members to meet project goals, adhering to their responsibilities and project milestones.
• Identified the need to establish scrum tools or practices to improve productivity and build collaboration; review process to ensure all scrum practices are being followed.
• Ensuring transparency into the team’s work through the sprint backlog, burndown chart and other Agile metrics
• Engaged key stakeholders in implementing new delivery models and streamlining operations metrics.
• Proactively identified and removed impediments that interfered with the ability of the team to deliver sprint commitments. Advocated for the Agile Scrum delivery methodology amongst project team, Scrum Masters and client stakeholders.
• Ability to thrive in a sense-of-urgency environment and leverage best practices.
• Ability to think strategically and use sound judgment and initiative in making decisions.
• Ability to think strategically and develop tactical methods to achieve objectives and goals.
• Ability to make quick decisions, and anticipate risks proactively across multiple projects, while maintaining high standards of performance. Ensured milestones are reached and deadlines are met throughout project lifecycle.
• Shaped team behavior through excellent management via the agile method.

Scrum coach | PROGRAM MANAGER

Confidential, Chicago, IL.

Responsibilities:

• Managed the delivery of digital transformation projects for Australia, Canada, Germany, North America and The United Kingdom. Provided strategic leadership and creative thinking tied to the analysis of technology trends and the identification of new opportunities to help drive organizational growth strategies.
• Assisted with development of agile transformation strategies and road map.
• Understood the overall product roadmaps as articulated by agile coach/product owner and translated roadmaps into team specific sprint and release planning. Identified dependencies between each program to prevent delays in accomplishing sprint goals.
• Results-driven, innovative thinker with experience leading large agile-based professional services teams across a broad range of software development projects, encompassing multiple product and services disciplines.
• Facilitated agile team maturity assessments. Developed coaching plans accordingly.
• Developed, implemented, and managed agile processes to improve program effectiveness.
• Identified solutions and process improvements leading to decreased costs or improved execution.
• Facilitated conversations between the product owner and the team to clarify user stories, priorities and ensure that the team can determine the design and duration.
• Created communication artifacts related to agile practice events, progress and plans.
• Communicated status across leadership and key stakeholders regarding project milestones, deliverables, dependencies, risks and issues. Supported release of features to production and coordinated problem resolution efforts, once the new feature has gone live.
• Assisted Agile Program Manager and other Agile Practice Team members in development of the agile coaching aids. Assisted teams with agile on-boarding process.
• Provided performance feedback to agile team member. Assisted with identification, collection and reporting on agile practice metrics and measurements.
• Provided opportunities for team members to develop skills and overcome performance barriers.
• Communicated experiences and knowledge gained on engagements with colleagues through formal and informal opportunities.
• Accountable for establishing a strong working relationship with clients.
• Organized, facilitated and tracked project planning, daily stand-up meetings, reviews, retrospectives, sprint and release planning with demos. Managed resource assignments throughout projects to respond to emerging requirements and risks, as required.
• Effectively handled trade-offs between cost/schedule versus business benefit.
• Captured work product and insights into the firm’s knowledge management system.
• Collaborated with the business and IT leadership to identify implementation opportunities, anticipated business needs and improved efficiencies with the underlying goal of increasing profitability.
• Developed and delivered presentations across leadership and key stakeholders. Facilitated working sessions to identify resolutions to barriers to scaling use of agile.
• Warranted the right priority for issues and changes during defect and change management processes.
• Ensured projects met time and budget constraints, delivered business value, and produced high-quality results.

Project manager

Confidential, Aurora, IL.

Responsibilities:

• Led application development teams through EFT Digital Strategy and roadmap related to chip card, contactless and mobile payments.
• Provided Scrum team leadership for new application development and for the enhancement of existing systems.
• Coached client and teams on agile processes, practices. Created an eco-system supporting leadership and associates on culture change that is required to shift to an agile methodology and mindset.
• Coached specific Agile roles: Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and Product Managers.
• Coached the team relating to utilization of Agile practices and how to best ensure successful self-organization.
• Facilitated agile team maturity assessments. Developed coaching plans accordingly.
• Created communication artifacts related to agile practice events, progress and plans.
• Facilitated Scrum events, discussions, decision-making, and conflict resolution to foster a more productive and valuable Scrum team.
• Tailored project plans, schedules, and resource assignments throughout initiative to respond to emerging requirements and risks, as required.
• Responsible for tracking defects, bugs, epics, stories and tasks with JIRA.
• Developed data visualization dashboards for leadership providing clear and concise representation of data.
• Reduced fraud chargebacks, resulting in reduction to labor costs and time spent responding to them.
• Accountable for overall performance and delivery of defined scope of work as measured by customer satisfaction, quality of products and/or services.
• Performed backlog grooming, release and sprint planning, daily standups, impediment removal. Ensured project team practiced Agile principles. Completed product demonstrations, retrospectives, and resolved action items.
• Influenced team members to work together and learn the Scrum framework, protecting the team from both internal and external distractions.
• Developed project schedules and documentation. Defined and assigned work to project team members. Monitored and controlled project work for technical adequacy.
• Led the development team to find and implement technical practices needed to get to "Done" at the end of each sprint.
• Owned product release and provided status across leadership and key stakeholders.

Business technical analyst

Confidential, Oakbrook, IL.

Responsibilities:

• Participated in the development, research activities, and delivery related to EMV Chip and mobile electronic payment solutions. Teamed up with Engineering, Product Management and Support teams to resolve issues.
• Facilitated project planning, daily stand-up meetings, feedback meetings, retrospectives and release planning, demos, and other activities as needed.
• Tracked and communicated team velocity release progress. Ensured development team practiced Agile principles. Assisted with internal and external communication improving transparency and radiating information.
• Facilitated structured requirements sessions to elicit requirements, process flows, data flows, business rules, risks and assumptions; championed requirements throughout the duration of the project.
• Identified the gaps between business partners and the technology solution providers (vendors, infrastructure teams and other development teams) translating business needs into technical solutions.

Project Implementation Lead

Confidential, Oakbrook, Illinois

Responsibilities:

• Led project efforts through full lifecycle, including initial planning, requirements gathering, scoping, implementation, enterprise architecture review, testing, go-live and operational handoff.
• Led in the design, implementation and support of systems architecture products and services to ensure security, availability and scalability. Developed infrastructure environments for development test, UAT and production.
• Reviewed and approved submittals for project or product deliverables. Communicated with project stakeholders on progress, issues and implementation plans. Identified risks and developed mitigation plans.

Senior Technical Lead

Confidential, Lincolnshire, Illinois

Responsibilities:

• Supervised technical staff work activities and provided technical assistance to resolve complex problems within budget and project schedule. Mentored and challenged junior members to become leaders.
• Provided technical leadership and guidance to onshore and offshore technology staff.
• Developed related IT roadmap for Walgreens Command Center operations to ensure business alignment of systems and infrastructure.
• Provided technical leadership by implementing ITSM best practice processes and procedures for Walgreens Balanced Rewards support team.