Scrum Master/Project Manager

Reba Thomas, CSM, CSPO, PoPM, CSSGB, SSL

Agile Project Management Professional

*********@*******.*** • 949-***-****

linkedin.com/in/reba-t-8724a4bb/ • Plano, TX 75075

Summary

Results-driven Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Business Analyst with a proven track record of driving Agile transformations and delivering impactful solutions across banking, financial services, supply chain, and government sectors.

Experienced in implementing Agile methodologies, including Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) to support scaled Agile delivery. Proficient in facilitating Agile ceremonies, such as daily stand-ups, sprint planning, reviews, retrospectives, and Program Increment (PI) planning, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives. Adept at managing Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with vendors and leading diverse, cross-functional teams, including offshore resources to achieve project goals. Skilled in gathering and documenting requirements, creating user stories, defining acceptance criteria, and translating complex business needs into actionable technical solutions. Deep understanding of software development life cycles (SDLC), technical architectures, and tools like JIRA and Confluence for tracking and collaboration. Strong analytical skills to identify and resolve workflow, process, and system gaps. Leveraged exceptional organizational and communication skills to build relationships and collaborate effectively at all levels.

Areas of Expertise

•Product Backlog Management

•User Story Creation & Prioritization

•Roadmap Planning & Release Management

•Agile Transformation & Adoption

•Project Timeline & Budget Management

•Change Management & Documentation

•SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)

•Risk Assessment & Mitigation

•Continuous Improvement

•Performance Metrics & KPIs

•Agile Coaching & Mentorship

•Issues & Conflict Resolution

•Stakeholder Engagement

•Data-Driven Decision Making

•Cross-Functional Team Leadership

Technical Proficiencies

Methodologies: Waterfall, Agile, Agile SAFe, Scrum, Kanban, Lean, TDD

Tools & Software: JIRA, Confluence, Rally, MS SharePoint, MS PowerPoint, MS Visio, MS Office 365

Notable Career Accomplishments

Spearheaded diverse projects across onshore/offshore delivery models, ensuring successful outcomes for financial services, banking, government, and supply chain clients.

Defined and implemented strategic frameworks for Scrum teams, focusing on achieving project milestones and delivering measurable results.

Applied advanced engineering practices and frameworks, leveraging CSP and software engineering expertise to optimize team performance and maximize efficiency.

Directed the team’s focus on current and upcoming Sprints, facilitating Scrum ceremonies and proactively identifying and removing obstacles.

Reduced testing errors and implemented unit testing, leading to a significant decrease in production bugs.

Steered the integration of third-party software to automate supply chain processes for a grocery chain, collaborating with developers and QA to streamline store operations.

Transitioned teams to two-week Sprints, elevating quality by implementing Unit Testing, which resulted in a reduction of system errors during deployment and post-release phases.

Professional Experience

CAREER GAP: Family Responsibilities / Caregiving for Late Mother Oct 2023 to Sep 2024

VIRTUSA, INC., Irving, TX Aug 2022 to Sep 2023

Product Owner/Scrum Master; Client: Citibank, Internal Audit for Citibank Updates

Integrated Agile cadences into cross-functional workstreams to enhance collaboration and delivery. Documented and conducted Retrospective meetings, while creating EPICs for the business book of work during PI planning. Executed Sanity testing for User Stories and decomposed EPICs into Features during PI planning sessions to streamline backlog management.

Trained teams on User Story sizing and Backlog Refinement, resulting in more precise scope definition and enhanced iteration planning.

Ensured the migration from Waterfall to Agile for cross-functional teams, including setting up JIRA boards, training BAs and POs in writing User Stories, and managing budgets and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

WIPRO, INC., Plano, TX Jun 2021 to Jun 2022

Product Manager; Client: Bank of America, Auditing Projects

Transformed EPICs into Features during PI planning sessions, ensuring alignment with Agile and Agile SAFe frameworks. Conducted Agile and Agile SAFe presentations to effectively communicate processes and methodologies to stakeholders.

Engaged in ART Sync and PO Sync meetings and provided key insights/updates on upcoming work for upcoming iterations.

TCS, Plano, TX Nov 2019 to Jun 2021

Product Owner/Project Manager; Client: - Albertson’s, Chain Supply, Implemented 3rd Party Software to Automate Inventory Management

Managed RAID reports and provided project budget updates to align with evolving requirements. Facilitated Agile Cadences in collaboration with the Product Owner to propel smooth workflow and project progression. Trained the team on JIRA, focusing on User Story structure and Acceptance Criteria to enhance consistency and quality. Collaborated with project vendors to enforce Service Level Agreements (SLA), ensuring timely and efficient deliverables.

Created and maintained Features and User Stories for three globally distributed development teams, supporting project goals and timelines.

Reduced production errors by 20% on average during software releases by automating store inventory processes.

Increased team productivity, driving higher output and more efficient project deliverables.

Eliminated impediments during iterations, ensuring teams met deadlines and achieved 100% delivery consistency.

Provided mentorship to Junior Scrum Masters and Product Owners, improving their performance and the quality of project outcomes.

PROSPANCE, INC., Austin, TX Sep 2017 to Mar 2019

Senior Agile SCRUM Master/Product Owner; Client: PayPal, Inc., Infrastructure Management & System Maintenance

Led Agile Cadences for three globally distributed teams, coordinating with business users and aligning with release timelines. Mentored Junior Product Owners on managing iteration priorities and refining Backlogs for effective User Story creation. Provided training to development teams on writing clear User Stories, maintaining Backlogs, and facilitating cross-functional collaboration, project planning, and status updates. Partnered with business users and Scrum Teams to validate and enhance the completeness of User Stories and Acceptance Criteria.

Optimized Acceptance Criteria and achieved a 15% reduction in bugs over two months by aligning deliverables with iteration goals.

Standardized Agile practices across the IT team, ensuring consistent adherence to cadence schedules and iteration lengths.

Contributed to release planning and software deployment, ensuring seamless production rollouts and operational readiness.

ARTECH, INC., McLean, VA May 2016 to Dec 2016

Sr. Business Process Re-engineer II; Client: Capital One NA

Reviewed and analyzed policies, procedures, user guides, and Business Process Models and Notations (BPMN) to streamline Commercial Lending closing processes across financial departments. Managed change management processes, updating and publishing procedures, user guides, and process maps within the bank’s documentation repository.

Oversaw updates to policies, workflows, and system interfaces, delivering all project milestones within 10 months.

Developed BPMNs and documented regulatory guidelines to support compliance and operational efficiency in Commercial Banking.

Prepared updated procedures reflecting state-specific regulations for Commercial Banking, ensuring accurate implementation across all regions.

Additional Experience

Senior Business Re-Engineering, Research Specialist, Sep 2014 to Apr 2015 Midtown Group Alexandria, VA

Education

Bachelor’s Degree, Double Major in Finance and Computer Science Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS

Professional Development/Certifications

Certified SCRUM Master (CSM) and Certified SCRUM Product Owner (CSPO) SCRUM Alliance

Certified SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (PoPM) Scaled Agile

Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) and Certified Six Sigma Lean and DFSS (SSL) Aveta Business Institute

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