Scrum Master Project Management

Nasikala Kesavan, MS, PMP, SSM, CSM

•*********.**@*****.*** • 443-***-**** •Nasikala Kesavan ( MS, PMP, SSM, CSM) LinkedIn

SUMMARY OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Seasoned project management professional with over 15+ years of hands-on experience orchestrating end-to-end delivery of large-scale technology initiatives. Proficient in leveraging both Waterfall and Agile methodologies and best practices to guide cross-functional teams in the seamless execution of complex software application development. Recognized for adeptly leading cross-functional teams to successful project outcomes, with a solid track record of delivering high-quality software applications. Known for a pragmatic problem-solving approach and a relentless commitment to achieving project objectives with efficiency and excellence.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Waterfall and Agile methodologies • Microsoft Project • JIRA • Confluence • IObeya • SDLC • KANBAN • CI/CD pipeline • AZURE DevOPS • SCRUM • SAFe • SCRUM Ceremonies • PI Planning • Software development • Metrics and Reporting • Stakeholder management • Facilitation and Coaching • Servant Leadership • Global teams Communication and collaboration • Conflict resolution • Problem-solving and critical thinking • Cross functional value stream collaboration • Prioritization and work assignment • Technical Understanding • RAID/ROAM Risk Management •LEAN • Value stream mapping • RACI Matrix • Change Management • PERT • Planning Poker • ROM • Burndown/Burnup/Velocity • EVM

CERTIFICATION

• Project Management Professional Certification (PMI-PMP)

• SAFe 6.0 Certified Scrum Master (SSM)

• Certified Scrum Master (CSM)

• Certified from PMI institute on Generative AI Overview for Project Managers.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

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Agile Project Manager/SAFe Scrum Master - Kaiser Permanente – USA

Year – Feb 2022 to Mar 2024

Key Responsibilities:

•Spearheaded the management of business-critical and intricate software application development migration project within the healthcare/insurance domain on member change publish

•Successfully orchestrated the delivery of the Data integration layer scope of work, fostering seamless collaboration with diverse upstream and downstream systems

•Led the facilitation of all Scrum ceremonies, including Daily Stand-up Meetings, Sprint Planning, Sprint Reviews and Demos, and Retrospectives, as well as backlog refinement sessions, fostering a culture of agility and continuous improvement

•Executed executive-level metrics tracking and reporting, encompassing Burndown, Burnup, and Velocity metrics

•Collaborated closely with the Release Train Engineers of Value stream to orchestrate Program Increment (PI) planning, coordinating cross-value stream dependencies and mitigating risks

•Strategically managed team capacity planning for Program Increment (PI) and each Iteration, meticulously overseeing capacity allocation throughout the execution phase to optimize resource utilization and project outcomes

•Oversaw the management of JIRA Epics, Enablers, User Stories, Tasks, and Subtasks for the value stream Agile Release Train (ART) team, leveraging agile methodologies

•Engaged in proactive collaboration with diverse stakeholders and cross-functional teams to identify and address impediments, fostering a collaborative environment

•Prioritized deliverables, meticulously managed schedules, and adeptly negotiated timelines, ensuring alignment with project objectives and stakeholder expectations while optimizing resource utilization

•Collaborated closely with the Product Owner to gain comprehensive insights into product requirements, prioritizing features and enhancements to drive maximum value and customer satisfaction

•Conducted defect triaging and root cause analysis (RCA), leveraging a systematic approach to identify and address defects promptly, thereby enhancing product quality and minimizing disruption

•Provided continuous mentorship and coaching to the team, imparting agile principles and best practices to cultivate a high-performing, self-organizing culture committed to excellence.

•Orchestrated the control and execution of the Rational Quality Manager (RQM) tool, extracting and analyzing data to generate comprehensive governance reports and ensure compliance with quality standards.

•Represented the team in Line of Business (LOB) meetings, Scrum of Scrums (SOS), and executive governance meetings, effectively communicating project status and challenges

•Provided leadership oversight to multi-functional project teams, including Business Analysts, Developers, Testers, and Solution Consultants, fostering a collaborative and results-driven work environment.

•Drove the evaluation and management of Change Requests, meticulously analyzing requirements for new developments and ensuring alignment with project scope and capacity constraints.

•Facilitated seamless collaboration between onshore and offshore partners and internal teams, leveraging effective communication channels and project management tools to drive alignment and efficiency.

•Established the scope of release in collaboration with the solution team, environment team, DevOps, release management team, and development team, ensuring comprehensive alignment with project objectives and stakeholder expectations.

•Collaborated closely with DevOps to implement and optimize the Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipeline, streamlining the development and production delivery processes to enhance efficiency and agility.

•Monitored and controlled Work In Progress (WIP) in the Kanban board, ensuring a smooth flow of work and optimal focus for the project team to drive timely delivery and maximize value realization

IT Project manager Intern / Dentsu International – USA

Year – Aug 2021 to Dec 2021

Key Responsibilities:

•Drove Merger & Acquisition projects for marketing and media company.

•Responsible for migrating technology tools and platforms like fileserver and dropbox from company A to company B.

•Managed all aspects of project implementation from inception to project closure.

•Developed project plan, schedules, deliverables, and milestones.

•Main liaison between vendors, project sponsors and the project team.

•Proactively identified risks and dependencies for the project and act on risk mitigation plan.

•Defined effective communication plan via reports and dashboards to executives and key stakeholders on a regular cadence.

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Project Manager / Infosys Ltd - Australia and New Zealand Bank /Bangalore – India

Year – Sep 2014 to Oct 2018

Key Responsibilities:

•Managed strategy/vision/execution of variety of application enhancements projects that are critical to Tier 1 bank in Australia and New Zealand with over 8 million customers

•Drove end to end project development cycle across functional teams and stakeholders across different geographics

•Significant experience in driving delivery teams through SDLC life cycle inclusive of evolving planning, monitoring, governance, driving changes and implementation.

•Implemented software development projects with multiple integrations and teams.

•Operated in waterfall and agile methods to ensure the agreed deliverables are completed on time and under budget.

•Performed Scrum master role and incorporated agile methodology to the project teams.

•Manage and anticipate risks, issues, dependencies and mitigate risks or eliminate blockers to deliver on schedule

•Lead overseeing multi-function project teams with at least 10-15 team members including Business Analysts, Developers and Testers.

•Experienced in offshore/onshore collaborative environment.

•Strong knowledge and understanding of business need with the ability to establish/maintain high level of customer trust and confidence.

•Interacts with program sponsors, stakeholders, and various project members to ensure that specified business needs are met.

•Prepare, own, and leverage statement of work and change requests (SOWs/CRs) and drive project accordingly

•Clearly communicate the progress by means of status reports by clearly articulating progress, risks, blockers, and accomplishments

•Detailed tracking of projects and track record of meeting deliverables

•Demonstrate high attention to details, critical thinking with hands-on work at the same time step back and understand and communicate the big picture

•Handle ambiguity by breaking down the problem, developing a plan of action, establishing prioritizes and anticipating risks

•Responsible for implementation work performed during the go live

Project Management Office (PMO)/ Infosys Ltd- Australia and New Zealand Bank/Melbourne, Australia

Year – Apr 2011 to Aug 2014

Key Responsibilities:

•Responsible for all PMO activities for the program valued at approximately $10 million-dollar.

•Managed the provision of service providers in accordance with executed contracts and service level agreements (SLA).

•Managed Time and Material contracts approximately $5 million-dollar and commercials and billing for the program.

•Established project status reporting and communication cadence.

•Develop and improve PMO teams’ efficiencies by streamlining the processes.

•Mentored new-hires and took initiatives for team building and to improve organizational efficiency.

•CRM sales opportunity creation, deal pricing system (DPS), approvals from executives and Project code creation.

•Rich experience in Operations management/commercial management.

•Solid experience in internal stakeholders/client management.

•Managed Change Requests (CR), Capacity Change requests and Service Level Agreement Change processes.

•Performed timely and accurate invoicing and project status reports to clients.

•Strong leadership, group facilitation, organizational, and communication skills.

•Performed all activities from statement of work (SOW) creation to accounts receivable (payment received) process, end to end commercial management at delivery unit level and highlighted the risks.

•Facilitating setup of team at client site. Induction of resource to the program. Onboarding and off boarding processes.

Team Lead/Infosys - Arrow Electronics Inc/CO, USA

Year – Jan 2008 to Mar 2011

Key Responsibilities:

•Responsible for order management process for leading electronics distributor in USA.

•Developed and maintained all applicable process documentation: This includes SOP, Keystroke level document, detailed training documents and training plan, Process Maps, Procedure Manuals, Work Schedules, and Roles & Responsibilities etc.

•Supported & coached new members of the team and performance review of team members.

•Built solid, in-depth relationships with customers aimed at fulfilling a trusting rapport.

•Ensured accurate and timely resolutions and analysis of the weekly/monthly production reports to take steps for bridging any gaps related to production/client requirements.

•Performed work allocation as per portfolios and prioritized based on turnaround time and resources available.

•Root cause analysis performed for issues and corrective action identified.

•Performing periodic audits to ensure CMMI standards are being met.

•Kanban and Lean methodology followed to minimize process steps.

•Identifies operational or system improvements and/or issues and resolves or escalates as appropriate.

Process Analyst/Infosys - Arrow Electronics Inc/CO, USA

Year – Feb 2006 to Dec 2007

Key Responsibilities:

•Performed Order management process for the electronics distribution company in USA.

•Answer’s customer calls or emails to fulfill requests for information, complete appropriate transactional order requests, and resolve customer issues with complete accuracy and appropriate urgency.

•Expediting the order on urgency basis.

•Created and implemented new procedures and do and don’ts to ensure a smooth workflow.

•Continually reviewing each individual activity to ensure it is being completed in the most efficient manner.

•SLA management for each activity.

•Identify process breakdowns and offer corrective suggestions.

EDUCATIION

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•Master of Science in Project, Program and Portfolio management and Supply Chain Management

Towson University, Maryland, USA

Year - DEC 2021

•MCA - Master of Computer Applications

Bharathidasan University, India

Year – 2008

•BCA – Bachelor of Computer Applications

Bharathidasan University, India

Year 2003

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