Project Manager Product Development

Walt Dietz

Landenberg, Pennsylvania *****

610-***-**** ac0prn@r.postjobfree.com

Agile Framework Development & Operations Leader

Scrum Master Product Development IT Operations Collaborative Team Leadership

Dear Hiring Manager:

Most cover letters stress how candidates would be loyal, dedicated, detail oriented, work tirelessly, etc. to meet the hiring firm's objectives. There is no way those characteristics can be determined in an interview. Perhaps checking references would work, but how do you determine if those are good?

I use a better approach. Answer the question "What makes me an amazing fit for this opportunity?" It gives you insight on the culture I create in any project. If it matches your existing culture, or you value a change, we are a mutual fit.

I am an amazing fit because… I value complete transparency. It is the foundation of Trust critical to success. The faster trust is built, the faster the success. I use the perfect tool to do this. It accurately defines the personal behaviors of each team member. This is the basis for the best way to communicate with each individual; key to any team success. When people treat each other in the way they need to be treated, the message is accurately transmitted. The inaccuracy that can be introduced with how the message is delivered is eliminated.

I helped build an application that reduces the tool’s psychologically complicated data to simple "Do this when interacting with Here is some example output.

If the subject's important, talk to her alone.

Don't rush the discussion. Keep talking about the matter as long as she appears to be actively engaged in the conversation.

If possible, link your discussion to some overall purpose or cause that is related to her system of personal values.

Try and frame the matter under discussion as something that is achievable. Show her that you believe she can succeed.

If she seems to want to talk about secondary matters, let her do so. Don't be surprised if she changes the subject.

Stay objective and keep the emotional component to a minimum. Focus on the facts and provide practical answers and ideas.

If the discussion requires a decision, don't press for her to come to any conclusions in your first conversation. Let the matter settle, and arrange a subsequent encounter to follow up.

My objective is to leverage the technical skills of a team to quickly achieve its goals. The above is how I start.

Grant me an interview so we can discuss my approach and my skills and experience. Let me demo my communication accelerator. You’ll experience what makes me an amazing fit for this opportunity.

Walt Dietz

Landenberg, Pennsylvania 19350

610-***-**** ac0prn@r.postjobfree.com

Agile Framework Development & Operations Leader

Scrum Master Product Development IT Operations Collaborative Team Leadership

Dedicated, innovative project manager and operations leader with extensive experience in fast-paced environments. Analytical professional skilled in successfully navigating corporations large and small through periods of accelerated growth. Collaborative communicator continually focused on building relationships within an organization and the customer base to drive new sources of stable revenue.

Agile Framework

Analytic Problem Solving

Coaching & Mentoring

Task Priority & Focus

Team-Oriented Leader

Solutions Driven Thinker

Transparent Communication

Management-Level Reporting

Subject Matter Expert

Training & Development

Release Planning

Policies & Procedures

Product Ownership

Database Architecture

Contract Negotiation

Risk Assessment

Quality Assurance

Performance Evaluation

Professional Experience

Strategic Solutions International Inc., Newark, Delaware 1992 – Present

We supply solutions to Boeing (15 yr), State Farm (8 yr), Aerojet RocketDyne (3yr), others

Scrum Master / Coach – Agile Evangelist (2013 – Present)

Actively engage a remote development team of 3 as a Scrum Master/Coach. Completely oversee a total scrum team of 8 that includes product owners, stakeholders, subject matter experts and user testers. Successfully institute company-wide Agile Framework that gives a fresh attitude and perspective to all development projects.

Key Accomplishments:

Champion customer satisfaction initiatives throughout the quick resolution of issues. Regularly interact and participate in discovery sessions with each customer, continuously increasing satisfaction rates.

Proactively identify bugs within the system and discover the best way to effectively eliminate further risk. Record activities and cross-line any applicable best practices to other areas.

Remain versatile with the ability to switch roles between Project Manager, Scrum Master, Product Owner, Stakeholder and Subject Matter Expert. Active in developing skills within each role.

Collaborate with remote and domestic teams on a daily basis. Bring the teams together on a regular basis to ensure continuous improvement.

Product Development Manager (2010 – Present)

Crafted a unique and universally applicable database architecture. Effectively managed the launch of proprietary behavioral management systems. Filed a provisional patent for a behavioral analysis process.

Key Accomplishments:

Coordinate and execute the launch of the proprietary behavioral management system at multiple client locations. Quickly resolved launch issues and successively slashed the amount of escalated concerns.

Designed internal product that eliminated vendor costs with a payback of 11 months.

Developed multiple company websites. Instituted inbound marketing / SEO / site optimization.

Project Manager (2007 – Present)

Recruited, hired and on-boarded project team members in support of an expanding book of business. Championed all project management activities through the creation of unique and innovative customer solutions.

Key Accomplishments:

Prioritized workload based on technical specifications, customer feedback and other special requests. Allocated resources appropriately to maximize team productivity.

Tracked the project’s progress and shared results with stakeholders. Anticipated risks and placed corrective actions to counteract project risks.

Adapted to ever-changing stakeholder expectations and requested changes. Remained flexible by designing framework that is easily re-configured to new technical specifications.

Production / Operations Manager (2001 – 2007)

Analyzed and evaluated internal business processes that required manual processing. Developed and deployed solutions that virtually eliminated manual processing through the automation of key tasks within specific business processes.

Key Accomplishments:

Eliminated back office errors and reduced production time 50% with automated processes.

Standardized client quote process to maximize profit on complicated bids.

IT Manager (1992 – 2001)

Installed, maintained and troubleshot all hardware, software and infrastructure systems within the organization. Procured the necessary manpower and physical resources to support the expansion of the organization.

Key Accomplishments:

Built network and server infrastructure.

Created bookkeeping and accounting system.

Installed and maintain Customer Relationship Management system.

Education & Credentials

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

Minor: Nuclear Engineering

Chemistry Honor Society – Phi Lambda Upsilon

Co-operative Program Society– kappa Theta Epsilon

VIRGINIA TECH, Blacksburg, Virginia

Certified Scrum Master

https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/certificant-directory/certificant-contact-form.aspx?ID=607419

Certified - The Birkman Method® Behavior Assessment System

Current Day to Day Activities

Set appropriate management expectations on a daily basis.

Negotiated solutions to conflicting objectives.

Helped Management with strategic and tactical paths.

Taught Dev and Business teams advantages of Agile development, leading to enthusiastic adoption.

Facilitated major scrum “ceremonies” daily standup, sprint planning, sprint review/demo with stakeholders, retrospective/improvement plan.

Performed as Servant Leader to provide for Dev Team needs and protect team from distractions to allow concentration on current sprint.

Worked as facilitator of all processes, not supervisor

Performed virtually every activity with a Scrum team

oObjectives defined from requirements, MVP, version schedule.

oFeature definition and release planning.

oWriting stories, Acceptance criteria, Estimating story points, Set MVP

oBreak down of stories into technical tasks.

oBacklog creation, grooming, burndown calculation (Visual Studio Online).

oSubject Matter expert: clarification of stories, functionality, requirements.

oUser testing, Bug definition/resolution.

Mentored/coached team members with continuous improvement of team effectiveness and autonomy.

Practiced at handling concurrent roles of Project Manager, Scrum Master, Product Owner, Stakeholder, and Subject Matter Expert.

Knowledgeable about concepts and methods for successful implementation of Agile Kanban systems.

Adept at managing remote teams both domestic and international.

Member of Agile Community via LinkedIn groups.

Proficient MS Project, MS VSO, familiar with Version One and Jira.

In addition, people skills are also critical to success, yet are hard to quantify intuitively. Below is an objective summary of who I am. Based on an assessment used in my development work, this data-driven tool describes behavior, and is independently proven to be accurate. My cover letter above explains how I leverage this tool to quickly meet team objectives.

Work Style

My strength is working from a plan. I anticipate difficulties and include contingencies. I keep relationships pleasant and am most effective with minimal oversight. I prefer to analyze both sides of the issues, but also realize that accomplishment requires action. I focus on the task at hand, and compartmentalize to resist distractions and interruptions, while being responsive to required change.

-Agreeable, -Low-key, -Adaptable, -Active and reflective in combination, -Detail oriented

Values

I focus more on the intangible benefits of a team win. However, I expect a great deal from myself and handle difficult tasks and goals comfortably.

-Loyal, -Trustful, -Cooperative, -Pride in accomplishment

Interaction Style

I come to the point quickly, and am able to work alone and use independent reasoning.

-Straightforward, -Un-evasive, -Matter-of-fact, -Logical, -Objective and practical

Contact this candidate