Strategic and tactical experience providing program/project management leadership.

Senior IT Project Manager

www.samcasas.info

I have successfully led business transformation, system implementation, process development, continuous improvement and value-add initiatives. My background includes extensive management and team leadership experiences in the railcar freight transportation, information technology outsourcing and BPO services, consumer retail, oil & gas and public utility industries with contributions in various financial, accounting, HR, business operations, IT services and supply chain systems.

I align team objectives with business needs, ensure effective planning and maintain a focus on the critical path while coaching and motivating others. I use my interpersonal skills to work together with company boards, senior executives, line managers, rank and file team members as well as third party vendors to build partnerships, negotiate contracts and develop cost savings, improvement opportunities. My organizational skills contribute to controlling complex situations through assessing/managing risks and issues. Key projects (industry areas) include:

oAccounts Payable BPR (private oil & gas co.)

oCloud Application Implementation (oil & gas co.)

oBusiness Process Outsourcing (bank services)

oBusiness/IT Systems Development (traffic controls)

oRFP Development/Vendor Selection (public utility)

oClient Account Delivery Startup (regional bank)

oData Center Migration/Co-Lo (shortline railroad)

oDisaster Recovery Planning/Testing (trucking co.)

oPMO Implementation (federal govt.)

oServices/Product Evaluation (risk mgmt. co.)

oERP Application Re-platform (shortline railroad)

oRetail POS Systems Consolidation (US retailer)

oInfrastructure Upgrades (local SA ISDs)

oOCM Startup/Planning (federal govt.)

oFulfillment Center Startup (national retail jeweler)

oY2K Remediation (metro newspaper publisher)

CPS Energy, San Antonio, Texas; Feb 2016 – Sep 2016

Senior Project Manager – Contract Senior Project Manager through Randstad Technologies to manage a portfolio of customer care modernization initiatives to:

-Simplify system interfaces and online workflows for customer service representatives,

-Integrate access to customer information across all business applications,

-Transform customer interaction from a “transactional” model to that of a “relationship” experience and

-Advance the company use of their customer data analytics capability.

Process Improvement

-By applying personal onboarding experiences, advanced management collateral to enable team member productivity more efficiently and quicker. This reduced a new team member’s acclimation period from approximately one work week to two days.

-Developed plans and process to assess upstream and downstream impacts associated with business requirements and project actions. This resulted in more comprehensive, exact project planning and control techniques.

-Proposed collateral for executive-level communications to simplify and present concise information for quick review and deliberation. This had the potential to reduce material from a ~15-page document to one presentation slide.

-Developed a comprehensive process workflow to assist with procurement processes to ensure all inputs/outputs were well understood, and roles and responsibilities shared. This had the potential to be a baseline example for similar organizational needs.

-Stylized a program level progress reporting schema to represent delivery events with business benefit realization points of the constituent projects of the program. Also, developed mockup Gantt views to reflect interdependencies, integration points and their timing between the projects.

Change Management – Advanced the utilization by the internal user base of purchased customer relationship management system application functions. Worked with third party subject matter expert to coordinate quick, user-managed configuration actions to enable inherent application features which improved the efficient use of the tool. Approximately 80 needs were identified and resolved to allow the end-user base to realize expedient access to customer information and self- reliance with ad hoc management dashboard reporting.

Organizational Change Management – Leveraged extensive draft collateral to initiate managed organizational readiness, assessment, communications and stakeholder management of impending key initiatives affecting ~400 personnel. This was to augment an internal practice which had been discontinued and as preparation for the post-RFP award cited elsewhere on this page.

Contract Management – Led the development and negotiations for an SOW to engage third party management consultants to assist with the development and vendor interaction to solicit respondents for a system integration project. (See RFP reference below)

Vendor Evaluation/Selection – Led the development and release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a key multi-million-dollar corporate initiative. Managed stakeholder teams in all levels of the organization as well as third party management consultants in the RFP’s formulation. Developed comprehensive project timeline, communications collateral, facilitated project team workshops for RFP content and developed evaluation criteria to be used in the down-select and final assessment for choosing the system integrator partner of choice. Coached team member awareness throughout the effort ensuring an unbiased, impartial selection practice.

Risk Management – Enhanced existing risk management processes and tools to ascertain risk exposures more decisively and manage their remediation. Introduced the industry standard of ABCD Risk Management Methodology concepts, data structures and assessment/monitoring proficiencies.

Lewis Energy Group, San Antonio, Texas; Jan 2012 – Jan 2016

Senior IT Project Manager – Recruited by CIO to lead company initiatives, business improvements and drive efficiencies in back office, field operations and information technology service models.

Systems Integration/Implementation: Managed programs for ERP transition from legacy system to SAP. Led evaluation and selection of ERP solution software and implementation services integrator to SAP as the system and SI provider of choice. This included managing the internal evaluation task force, organizing customer reference calls and conducting vendor evaluations for best fit. Once awarded, resulting contract value was $30M and now in process of managing 10-month implementation and leading the program management office (PMO). Three-year estimated payback was $6M.

Organizational Change Management: Formulated accounting functional organization to segregate P&Ls for departmental profit centers with summaries in a roll-up method. This structure was expanded to include the implementation of a shared services model for internal functional support cost centers. This financial model provides management insight at detail and summary levels of $1B revenue streams and corresponding costs for exploration, drilling sites, rigs, pipelines, well production, inventory management, supply chain, etc.

Process Improvement: Transitioned business expense reporting process to external service provider. Eliminated manual spreadsheets, workflow approvals and reimbursement check processes to online solution; saved $250K annual back office employee efforts required to create, collect, approve employee business expense reports and generate/hand deliver manual reimbursement checks.

Product Evaluation/Vendor Selection: Managed evaluation of outsource model to divest internal resources from AP invoice scanning and data entry. Formed evaluation team, documented requirements, conducted customer reference calls, facilitated vendor demonstrations and developed criteria for selection process. Resulted in net annual company savings of $150K plus workforce reduction of 3 FTEs.

Organizational Development: Authored numerous company policies and procedures implemented to drive standardization and process disciplines. Business functional areas included; business expense reporting, travel requests, company credit card use, inventory procedures, chart of accounts mgmt., fixed assets accounting and procurement.

Business Analysis: Developed monthly analysis model for the company spend of mobile handheld and telemetry measurement devices. Resulted in cost decrease from $104 per device to $65; annual savings of

$125K.

Computer Solutions, San Antonio, Texas; Sept 2009 – Jan 2012

Senior Project Manager – Planned, managed and controlled the program/project portfolio of IT product and services delivery projects. Directed the development of a formal project management methodology and enhanced the company’s delivery model as it expanded capabilities into the IT professional services sector.

Project Planning and Control: Managed 14-month (Jun 2010 - Aug 2011) E-Rate (Texas DIR) funded IT project portfolio; Total Contract Value (TCV) GT $5M. Applied program management skills developing integrated project plans for all aspects of the agreement. Designed, executed and maintained a robust communications process with all stakeholders including board of trustees, district administrators, school personnel and third party vendors.

Risk Management: Assumed management of 3 legacy and 8 new projects quickly bringing them back on track and satisfying each customer’s requirements. Projects represented a portfolio of application development and infrastructure implementation efforts with each completed within re-baselined measures. TCV GT $1.5M.

Business Customer Management: Performed project management responsibilities of thirty-one (31) assignments during which I authored and executed several proposal, contract, service level agreement and statement of work models. Conducted CxO level executive presentations and leveraged project management collateral contributing to the management of customer expectations throughout the service delivery cycles.

Contract/Vendor Management: Enriched existing sales engagement, pricing, transition and cost models for assuming customer IT technical support through a managed services program. Improved sales collateral and conducted internal training to promote project management services as a separate capability. Authored project delivery case studies for use as customer-facing promotional materials.

EDS, now an HP Company, Plano, Texas; Mar 1997 – Aug 2009

EDS Client Delivery Executive: San Antonio, TX Apr 2006 – Aug 2009

Responsible for customer satisfaction, service delivery and contract performance of $20M account. Implemented customer’s program and project plans for service improvements, change management processes and enhanced executive reporting methods. Instituted methodology aligning IT strategies with business goals while promoting and demonstrating the value of IT.

Team Leadership: Partnered with multiple internal customer operating units and external vendors to identify, develop and integrate key transformation plans resulting in increased probability of project success and fulfillment of business requirements. Managed customer’s IT governance through the development and facilitation of internal project proposals to drive executive decision-making to plan and execute approved project initiatives successfully.

Vendor Management: Negotiated service contract extensions and telecom rate improvements. Managed service level measures and formalized management reporting processes. The account consistently achieved the highest rating levels of “Excellent” as recorded through annual customer satisfaction surveys.

Innovation: Developed and implemented an evaluation method of third party systems and processes streamlining the business application selection process. This linked evaluation criteria, requirements fulfillment and financial benefits to key deliverables and customer decision points. This now serves as a model for other initiatives enabling a standard, repeatable set of common processes.

EDS Program Manager; Plano, TX Jan 2000 – Apr 2006

Responsible for managing company transformation programs to a service line operating model. Developed and managed integrated program plans for the development of business models, transition of resources and productivity improvements. Directed and communicated program status, risks and issues at the Executive Vice President level. Enacted improvement measures and organization change management programs.

Service Level Management: Implemented Critical Response Process to facilitate the development and implementation of “Go for Green” plans (e.g., corrective actions) in instances of unsatisfactory service delivery performance. Interaction with customer executives to analyze and develop recommendations for improvements to service delivery measurement practices and processes to recalibrate baseline agreements. Developed SLA risk exposure analysis for internal executive leadership to assist with contract negotiations. Reversed customer satisfaction ratings from Average to Excellent of $200M TCV account.

Thought Leadership: Provided program/project management expertise for client engagements and respective global program/project portfolios particularly in account startups. Developed, recommended and promoted approaches to the application of program management practices. Interact with all levels of customer-facing units to deploy program management disciplines at customer enterprise, program and project levels. Provided consultative expertise on strategic planning efforts and process improvement.

Team Leadership: Line Manager with direct responsibilities for people care and personnel development of internal workforce consisting of skilled project and program management professionals. Duties included recruiting, hiring, career planning, workforce management, compensation administration, performance assessment, coaching, mentoring, training curriculum development and customer relationship management. Grew team from 10 onsite workers to 34-member virtual team located throughout North America and Europe. Maintained positive customer feedback and service delivery results through high performing team members.

EDS Senior Project Management Consultant; Plano, TX Mar 1997 – Jan 2000

Provide thought leadership and program/project management (PPM) expertise in the formulation of a Global PPM Capability. Developed strategies for evaluating PM return on investment, identifying/evaluating program management and project simulation tools.

Management Consulting: Provide program/project management support to corporate internal systems project control managers and project/technical leaders with Year 2000 remediation projects. Implemented EDS Project Management Methodology (PM2) to include the coordination of standardized project schedule development (WBS, predecessor/successor relationships, durations, etc.) statement of work definition and preparation, scope definition and resource estimating. Provided consultation, support, oversight and counsel to project managers of internal system applications, systems development team project activities, and Corporate Program Office and Office of the CIO executives. Led the development of an integrated, dashboard view of corporate-level project and program performance enhancing management oversight.

Project Planning and Control: Provided project analyst support for mainframe renovation project team. Developed statement of work, project plans and assisted with contract proposals. Conducted client strategy meetings resulting in Year 2000 compliance definition and application remediation strategies. Developed test strategies and authored unit test case development. Maintained project team change control processes and tools for affected/unaffected program codes and developed various impact analyses.

Education and Professional Affiliations –

Bachelor of Business Administration; Accounting – Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

Project Mgmt. Professional (PMP) – Project Management Institute (PMI)

oCertificate #15772; expires December 2018

Collin County Community College – Plano, TX (alternate instructor of PM curriculum)

Other Professional Development Coursework:

oITIL Foundation o Agile Project Management (SCRUM)

oLean Six Sigma o Account Management

oRequirements Management o Service Level Measurements

oStrategic Communications

oSharePoint for Project Management

o Financial Management and Analysis

oEnterprise Portfolio Management

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