Scrum Master Agile Coach

Katherine Duran

720-***-**** – *****************@*****.*** Linked In Profile: linkedin.com/in/kathy-duran-65540644

SAFe Certified expert and Trainer (All roles)– Organizational Alignment and Transformation – Culture Warrior

Utilizing my SAFe Agile SPC6-Coaching, Release/Solution Train Engineer, Lean Portfolio Manager, Advanced Scrum Master, Program/Portfolio management certifications and communications leadership to successfully transform both waterfall and Hybred organizations into a lean SAFe Agile enterprise capable of delivering projects in less time and under traditional budgets consistently every quarter. Proven ability to orchestrate successful enterprise-wide product delivery utilizing both Waterfall and Agile methodology, with global communications. Additionally, I have over 23 years in successful Change management, release management, building Agile portfolios, programs and teams including the concept of working and reporting with Agile to waterfall and waterfall to agile teams.. IT project, program management, and release management including extensive experience in business and technology delivery in a complex IT setting. Excellent ability to drive programs and projects to successful implementations and meet or exceed customer expectations and goals on delivery.

Strengths

●Strong SDLC cycle management – requirements through operational release

●Strong SAFe Agile Kanban/Scrum Methodologies as well as waterfall

●Expert in SAFe Agile Coaching, Product and release management

●Jira/Jira Align/Confluence admin and trainer.

●Cultural Warrior / Change champion

●Proven ability to manage complex, multi-team releases in all methodologies.

●Strong risk assessment and mitigation abilities

●Experience with CI/CD tools and practices.

●Strong understanding of Agile and DevOps principles.

●Advanced knowledge of release management tools and practices.

●Experience with automated deployment tools and techniques.

●Strong understanding report development both system generated and manual.

●Excellent coordination and planning capabilities.

●Outstanding stakeholder management skills.

●Proven ability to manage complex, multi-team releases.

Experience –

ITPN – June 2024 – December 2024

Agile Transformation Coach – Contracted to DAA

Utilized my SPC, POPM, SM and other certifications to successfully transform DAA and FJ into Hybrid Agile. I was the key contributor in communications of IT to business strategy and goals for the portfolio and key business stakeholders which enabled me to define, track, and report Agile performance metrics and utilize capacity-based forecasting to improve decision-making and resource allocation. Established communications and created reports for Enterprise executive level to managerial level on progress utilizing Asure DevOps to create burndown/burnup, velocity, and Dependency/Defect charts. Created 3 cross functional teams to deliver 4 projects in less than 6 months (2 PI’s) utilizing hybrid agile practices. Created learning guides and Change management communications as OCM. I led 2 of the 4 projects as a Coach, Scrum Master and Project manager simultaneously and delivered project 1 – 1 month, Project 2, 6 weeks early. Led conversion from waterfall to hybrid Agile delivery within the first 4 months of the contract. Trained 200+ DAA and FJ associates in Agile roles. Took the enterprise from 11 waterfall gates down to 5 saving them over 2.2million per quarter in meeting dollars. Successfully converted IT PMO and leadership to hybrid in 4 months, which was 2 months ahead of schedule.

The contract ended on 12/20/24.

Elevance Health/Anthem/WellPoint Blue Cross Blue Shield – 9/2000 – 10/2023

Director Agile II Transformation -

[January 2010 –October 2023]

Proven expert in all roles of SAFe Agile trainer, process and methodology. Simultaneously performed the role of Coach, RTE/STE, Release Manager and SM with Product/Solution Manager (EPIC Owner). Led large, multi-billion-dollar program and project initiatives for Enterprise PMO helping the enterprise to convert from hybrid waterfall to full SAFe Agile launches within 14 months, which led to successfully building 17+ Agile portfolios 287+ individual agile ARTS (Agile trains with 8-10 teams on each), and 4156 Agile Teams (both Scrum and Kanban) on and off trains, during which time trained, certified and mentored over 7500 associates in SAFe Agile with an average score of 96 to 98% on certification scores per associate. Took individual Teams and the teams on the ARTS and placed them into the portfolios which led to a decrease of dependencies of 42% in the first quarter. Reduced risk and impediments by 38% with in the first quarter. Influenced Corporate Enterprise Data System design and planning leading to over 415 successful launches each PI. Helped set up governance, goals and objectives for Strategy Realization, including Road maps, Journey maps, Agile SCD/DFD, objective and key results (OKR)/key performance indicators (KPI), development and aligning to corporate and division goals. As a SM/RTE/STE, primary contact for risks and issue resolution, Dependency and defect tracking and led team, program and portfolio level ceremonies including Sprint/team level DSU, refinement/grooming, retrospectives, and demo ceremonies. Quarterly - program level - ART syncs, PIPE (Program increment Planning Event’s), dependency and issue resolving syncs, and Portfolio level - Solution intent, value stream identification and mapping, dynamic budgeting and Solution Syncs to name a few.

Strategic Contributions

Analyzed individual Teams and the teams on the ARTS which allowed the creation of cross functional teams in the portfolios, which led to a decrease of dependencies of 42%, reduced risk and impediments by 38% with in the first quarter.

Primary trainer for Agile tools Jira/Jira Align and Confluence including writing JQL for dashboards, creating structure boards, integrating confluence and Jira and Jira automation, which increased teams’ productivity by 28% by the 3rd 2-week sprint with a steady increase of 10% - 15% productivity increase each sprint.

Allowed seamless tracking of dependencies and defects, with an average success rate of resolving in less than 2 days from discovery.

Provided ELT with performance metrics including burn down/burn up charts, velocity, and cycle time per story to show an increased performance of 15 to 25% in the first 2 sprints, followed by 15% each 2-week sprint in the first Program Increment/quarter.

Trained Kanban team in WIP management to balance and increase the throughput of stories for kanban teams by 16% on average for 9 shared service teams (on and off train) over the course of each month.

Facilitated agile ceremonies from portfolio to team level including team - DSU, retrospectives, sprint planning, refinement/grooming, demos, etc. Program - PI Planning (PIPE), ART and portfolio sync’s, portfolio level - Solution intent, dynamic budgeting, value streams/Arts setup, Roadmaps etc.

Primary contact (POC/SME) for risks and issue resolution, dependency and defect managing, tracking and resolution including reporting for transparency.

Successfully created LPM, LACE and VMO for the portfolio including intake and change management process utilizing Jira Align, Jira and confluence to track a total of over $450 billion dollars in project dollars

Lead the successful completion of over 250 projects with budgets ranging from 1.8 million dollars to over 50 billion. tracked ROI for each phase and made recommendations to pivot or continue every PI/quarter (1 PI = 6-7 Sprints).

Delivered Product Benefits Migration for commercial, Medicare and Medicaid system requirements through inception to delivery as part of an aggressive, $1000M program execution that was delivered on time and 225K under budget.

Designed and implemented CIO executive KPI dashboard for Customer, Process, People and Financial metrics for $450M Portfolio

Key Results – using my SAFe Agile training and hands on experience enabled me to:

Planned and executed quarterly PI Planning and Solution Intent ceremonies include communications, agenda planning, goals, logistics, and successful forums for global organization. These ceremonies reached over 16,000 associates in U.S., India, Philippines, and Ireland using complex streaming tools.

Established framework and process for multiple Agile frameworks, tailoring their use to specific team needs, and ensuring alignment with organizational goals of over 250 million dollars.

Developed and executed reporting strategy to inspire associates to designing and optimizing team structures, ensuring cross-functional alignment, clear roles and responsibilities, and improved team performance by training teams to be accountable for themselves and others which created a strong self-driven self-managing team dynamics.

Managed Enterprise Database Provider System onboarding requirements and recovered troubled project to get alignment and completion of baseline requirements; drove $250K cost savings in refactoring schedule and managing consulting team by establishing and enforcing consistent work management practices, including work sizing, technical task breakdown, and value-driven work units, to ensure predictable and efficient delivery.

Successfully managed $16M project from design, development and launch, allowing business to deploy its first large scale effort for managing members/providers in new healthcare reform.

Led system design agile development teams, including off-shore scrum/ Kanban and Lights-on teams. Drove planning and completion of Agile Methodology for several portfolios.

Managed development teams for corporate enterprise data hub software; program provided a person-centric information repository that enabled simplified, holistic access to common sets of business information for over 40M healthcare insurance members.

Earlier Experience

Manager Enterprise TAG (Technical Architecture Group) 2004 - 2010

Managed 17 solution Architects and 7 Enterprise Architects. Scheduled projects based on individual architects’ skill sets. Created, coached, mentored and reviewed all solution diagrams (SCD, DFD, Heat Maps, Journey maps) for completeness. Trained architects on SAFe Agile, SDLC/SOC, HIPPA, PII/PHI, CMS and DOI regulations and guidelines.

CSR III 2000 – 2004

Claims Processor, enrolled and underwrote members, enrolled, credentialed and contracted providers and assisted with UM/CM/DM authorizations. Processed claims for IT national Accounts

Participated in requirements gathering sessions

Enrolled and underwrote members

Enrolled, credentialed and contracted providers

Processed UM/CM and DM authorization request

Created Macros and established auto process for enrolling members and providers as a BSA

Skills and Qualifications:

Servant Leader – Act as a servant-leader and help to build a high-performing, self-organizing team. Able to garner respect from my team and willing to get my hands dirty to get the job done.

Serves as a scrum master for one-to-many Agile teams, dependent on size of team and/or application.

Communicative and social – Ability to communicate well with teams. Inspires teams to perform and ensures team members are mutually responsible for all aspects of the committed work (analysis, development, testing, documentation, etc.)

Communication- Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders and articulate complex ideas. Acts as a mediator between development teams and product management to ensure the correct project process is implemented. As well as Collaborate with cross functional teams, stakeholders, QA, Project Managers, Software Release Manager & BA to comprehend business requirements

Analytical Mindset: Strong analytical skills with experience in data-driven decision-making in order to Assist Product Owner in organizing the backlog & prioritizing stories

Problem-Solving: Ability to navigate a fast-paced environment and solve complex problems.

Remote: Self-motivated and able to work effectively in a remote setting.

Facilitates scrum activities such as sprint planning, daily stand ups, demos, board reviews, and retrospectives including Assisting Software Release Manager in facilitating Program Increment Planning

Proactively identify areas of improvement and implement process and policy changes to optimize the team's efficiency.

Provide coaching and mentoring to team members on Agile and Scrum methodologies and principles, in order to resolves obstacles that hinder development or stop the team from achieving their established goals or milestones.

Prepare and present sprint progress reports to stakeholders including, but not limited to reports based on team capacity and how the team is performing against capacity. Monitor sprint progress and provide guidance and support to team members to ensure that sprint goals are met on time.

Act as a liaison between the team and stakeholders, providing timely updates and soliciting feedback

Assertive – Ability to ensure Agile/Scrum concepts and principles are adhered to, be a voice of reason and authority through negotiation, allow the team to have a voice while having the ability to make tough calls.

Situationally Aware – First to notice differences and issues as they arise and elevate them to management, when necessary, escalate / reports bottlenecks, conflicts and risks that involve other departments outside the software development team and facilitate resolution of conflicts between team members when appropriate

Situational awareness - Ability to perceive, understand, and effectively respond to one's situation. It involves comprehending a given circumstance, gathering relevant information, analyzing it, and making informed decisions to successfully address any potential risks, hazards, or events that might occur.

SOX/ SDLC compliant expert – process documentation and apply to projects

Enthusiastic – Extremally positive high-energy. We are a team and as a team we can do anything with enough time and money attitude.

Continual improvement – Continually looking for opportunities to grow my craft, learning new tools and techniques to manage oneself and a team.

Conflict resolution – Able to facilitate discussion and facilitate alternatives or different approaches.

Attitude of empowerment – Strong believer in self-organization and growing the team to be self-governing and empowered.

Attitude of transparency – Strong desire to bring disclosure and transparency to the business about development and grow business.

Understand and facilitate the Lean-Agile mindset and concepts such as continuous integration, test-driven development, and product demonstration.

Model servant leadership and champions an agile mindset through coaching and mentoring.

Collect, analyze, and report metrics for trends and indicators.

Has a deep understanding of Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®). I have been an SPC for 8 years, training enabled and ensure I stay up to date on all new releases of SAFe. Currently a SPC6

Expert with Jira Resource Boards, Dashboards, Filter creation, as well as familiar with Confluence. I have trained over 10K associates on Jira/Jira Align, and confluence.

Direct experience with automated regression and or system testing

Proven understand the fundamentals of iterative development.

Understand other processes and methodologies and can speak intelligently about them and leverage other techniques to provide value to a team/enterprise.

Proven understanding of the fundamentals of software development processes and procedures,

Scaled Agile (SAFe) context I am considered a leader in SDLC metrologies.

Understand the value of commitments to delivery made by a development team.

Understand incremental delivery and the value of metrics.

Expert in understand backlog grooming, burndown metrics, capacity vs velocity, and Acceptance Criteria.

Strong calibration with Architects and Stakeholders

Creating needed artifacts for development teams to build from, such as wireframes, user flows, customer journey maps, personas, and data flows.

Collaborating with UX team to ensure a seamless user experience that meets the defined requirements and on-time delivery.

Strategic Planning: Develop and implement comprehensive transition plans that outline key milestones, objectives, and timelines for transitioning.

Team Leadership: Build and lead a high-performing team of professionals, including project managers, analysts, and subject matter experts, ensuring they are well-coordinated and aligned with project goals.

Stakeholder Collaboration: Establish and maintain strong working relationships with agency officials, government partners, and subcontractors to foster effective communication and collaboration throughout the transition process.

Resource Management: Allocate and manage project resources, including personnel, equipment, and budget, to meet contract requirements and deliverables.

Risk Management: Identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of recovery services during the transition period.

Quality Assurance: Oversee the implementation of quality control measures to monitor the performance of housing inspection efforts and ensure they meet agency standards and guidelines.

Reporting: Prepare regular progress reports, status updates, and performance metrics to keep external and internal stakeholders informed about project status and outcomes.

Compliance: Ensure compliance with all federal regulations, agency policies, and contractual obligations, and address any non-compliance issues promptly.

Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities for process improvements and innovation in disaster recovery operations, aiming to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

Detail-Oriented: Capture, organize, and distill everything, ensuring stakeholders are always aware of a product status and project teams know what to build Program and Project Management: MS Project, Excel, PPT

Education

Barnes Business College – 1985 - 1987 Lakewood, CO

Associates Business Management/Technology

Arapahoe Community College - 1985 Littleton, CO

GED

Memberships, Licenses & Certifications

SAFe Agile Certified SPC6, trainer enablement’s in progress, RTE/STE, LPM, Product Manager Product Owner, Scrum Master-

PMP Certified 2004 – 2012; renewal in progress

Process Analysis/Improvement: Visio

Service: ServiceNow (Kanban/Scrum Project Management)

Agile and Lean methods: Scrum • Kanban • Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

Retro tools: Miro, Lean Coffee

Agile/Collaboration tools: Confluence, Jira, Jira Align, SharePoint, MS Teams

Completed Lean Certification Curriculum Requirements and Architecture discipline

Strength Finder: Leadership I Communications I Analytical Mindset I Responsibility I Problem-Solving I Continual improvement I Conflict resolution

Personal Philanthropic: Battered women’s shelter Volunteer, Pets are family to Shelter Volunteer, very family oriented, engaged in grandchildren sporting activities, Baseball, Football, gymnastics Etc.

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