IT Management, Project and Program management, IT Leadership

Sara Parthasarathy, PMP Phone: 608-***-****

**** ******* *****, *******. ** 53717 Email: ***********@*******.***

CAREER PROFILE

Strategic and visionary Information Technology leader experienced in enabling business capabilities for diverse industries like

insurance, petroleum production, wholesale and retail marketing. Over 20 years experience in Information Technology, including 10

years in management. Adept at blending innovative ideas, business acumen, keen technology insight and efficient fiscal management

to deliver best in class business solutions. Key achievements include creating Strategic roadmaps in collaboration with the business;

Software Quality and Process management; providing direction to Enterprise Architecture, Application Architecture, Innovation

initiatives and Resource management. Lead Program managers and Project managers in the delivery of complex cross -divisional and

cross-organizational efforts. Possess extensive experience in a broad spectrum of technologies ranging from mainframes to client -

server to web-based and package application development and implementation. Inspirational leader of high-performing teams.

KEY STRATEGIC, TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS CONTRIBUTIONS

* Systematized business priorities by constructing advanced multi-year technology roadmaps and project portfolios to address

current and future needs of Claims, Billing, Policy Sales & Service divisions.

* Saved more than $1 million by researching, piloting, and implementing the innovative agent-facing EApp application to over

4000 field agencies.

Expedited a Fortune 500 organization’s quarter-end processing by 45 days by automating sales, billing, purchase order

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processing, inventory control, and customer information management in over 400 point of sale locations.

* Enabled sales agents to gather accurate and complete policy information b y directing the architecture, legacy integration, design

and delivery of $12 million Homeowners Quoting and Application Sales processing system .

* Experienced Technical leader in implementing complex solutions using OOAD, J2EE technologies, JBoss, Hibernate, Spring,

AJAX, XML, HTML, Javascript, Oracle, mainframe, Internet applications, Client -server, Service Oriented Architecture & ESB.

KEY LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT CONTRIBUTIONS

* Delivered 30,000 hours worth of IT software within one quarter, while implementing an on-line Agent Quoting and Sales tool.

* Promoted careers of direct reports by identifying key strengths and tailoring individual development plans.

* Led the divisional Change Management Office and Project Management Office .

* Defined and improved software development methodology by introducing iterative and incremental Rational Unified Process to

1000 plus IT resources.

* Solid experience in Project Management principles like Scope definition, Requirements Management, Change Management,

Quality Assurance Management, Project planning, Risk and Issue Management, Stoplight reporting

KNOWLEDGE AREAS AND EXPERTISE

OOAD, J2EE, JBoss, Hibernate, Spring, AJAX, XML, HTML, SOAP, Javascript, Oracle

Internet applications, Client-server, SOA & Web Services, ESB, Mainframes, Unix, Linux

Enterprise Architecture, Application Architecture, RUP, Agile, SDLC, MS-Project

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE, Madison, WI 2001 - present

A Fortune 500 company staffed by 3,500 agents and 7,000+ employees offering multi-line insurance products in 19 states with annual

revenues exceeding $6 billion.

Planning and Development Manager (2009 - present)

Responsible for strategic planning, portfolio management, feasibility analysis, resourcing, and overseeing the work of 7

project managers in the completion of process and IT projects aligned to business objectives.

* Provided guidance and leadership to a team of Project Managers in the following activities: a) Implementation of

complex IT solutions; b) Strategic planning for entire division; c) Management of the divisional Project Portfolio; d)

Management of Divisional Communications; e) Development of Project Management and Program management

methodology; f) Leading the division in Organizational Change Adoption.

* Assisted the business in identifying technology needs, created Business Case and Cost Benefit Analysis, defined

requirements and implemented projects that addressed care center and customer needs.

* Enabled delivery of 100+ multi-phased cross divisional initiatives by providing direction to project teams.

* Enhanced vendor management practices by defining repeatable processes and actionable Service Level Agreements.

Information Technology Manager (2006 – 2009)

Responsible for providing leadership spanning entire project life cycles to multiple IT solution delivery teams of 70-80

technologists.

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Sara Parthasarathy, PMP Phone: 608-***-****

8426 Oakmont Drive, Madison. WI 53717 Email: ***********@*******.***

* Successfully implemented large-scale software solutions by utilizing Iterative and Agile software development

processes, defining project requirements, assessing resource needs, estimating effort, project planning, development,

testing, and successfully delivering large-scale software solutions.

* Assured quality of web-applications establishing testing strategies and automation of test scenarios.

* Established long-standing outsourcing partnerships, knowledge transition, measurable Service Level Agreements, vendor

performance metrics and security access models.

* Executed business plans by developing department vision, projecting staffing needs, and managing departmental budget

and expenses.

* Coached direct reports, monitored staff performance, and rewarded successes.

Application Technology Advisor (2001 – 2006)

Accountable for mentoring project teams in adopting current technologies and trends in architecting, designing and

implementing technology solutions for Claims, Settlement, Correspondence, Printing, Workflow, Scanning, and Indexing

functions.

* Introduced new software development standards, tools, processes, and governance.

* Instituted traceability matrices between business requirements and solution testing scenarios.

* Attained consistency in technology standards by researching and documenting technology architecture and design

standards and conducting solution architecture reviews of organic and vendor software applications.

* Identified automation and efficiencies for Claims division by charting operational process model and multi-year

roadmap.

* As member of Enterprise Architecture, established architecture and design standards, and participated in governance of

implementing them by conducting architecture and design reviews of web -based OOAD applications.

1996 – 2001

COMPUWARE CORPORATION, Madison, WI

A consulting company providing IT professional services

Senior Technology Specialist at American Family Insurance (1996 -2001)

Assisted American Family Insurance staff in development and maintenance of applications

* Activated agency point of sale web-based solutions for multiple product lines by adopting innovative architectures and

tools.

INFOCOMM TECHNOLOGIES, Bangalore, India 1995 - 1996

Software consulting firm that created customized software packages for diverse clientele.

Information Technology Director (1995 – 1996)

* Automated business processes for clients in industries like manufacturing, finance, wholesale and retail marketing by

leading IT project teams in development and roll out of custom software solutions.

* Created an IT organization structure, recruited staff, and appointed resources to fill key positions.

PRIOR TO 1995

* IT Manager at a Fortune 500 company, responsible for managing software delivery teams in the development and implementation

of customer facing software solutions related to petroleum manufacture, wholesale and retail marketing.

EDUCATION

* Post-graduate Certificate in Management Studies from Indira Gandhi National Open University, India

* Post-graduate Certificate in Operations Research Management from University of Bombay, India

* Bachelor of Science from University of Madras, India

CERTIFICATIONS AND TRAINING

* Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)

* Certificate in General Insurance from Insurance Institute of America

* Certificate in Leadership from American Management Association(AMA)

* Certificate in Mastering Management thru Iterative development (RUP)

* Object Oriented Analysis & Design (OOAD)

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Project Management Institute (PMI) – Director of Community Outreach on the Board of PMI, Madison Chapter

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Global Women’s Leadership Forum

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* National Association of Professional Women

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