Sammy Whitlock, PMP
Project & Program Management
*****.**********@*******.*** • 501-***-****
LinkedIn • Arkansas
Accomplished and results-driven professional with extensive experience leading cross-functional teams and delivering high-impact solutions across the full software development life cycle.
Expert at maintaining a highly structured and organized approach to project planning and execution. Excel at directing cross-functional teams across testing, development, delivery, and business units, while cultivating strong, trust-based relationships at all organizational levels. Adept at applying expert-level troubleshooting to resolve complex issues and deliver high-quality projects on schedule. Ability to produce and present executive-level status updates and performance metrics to support strategic decision-making. Proficient at promoting high morale through positive reinforcement and a collaborative.
Areas of Expertise
● Project Management & Coordination
● Software Development Lifecycle
● Strategic Planning & Execution
● Salesfore Architecture Implementations
● PMP Certification
● Agile & Waterfall Methadologies
● Team Building & Leadership
● Budget & Cost Management
● Requirements Gathering(20+yr)
● Agile SAFe 6.0
● Salesforce CRM Platform
● Process & Procedure Management
● Client Relationship Management
● Cross-Functional Collaboration
● User Story Creation(15+ yr)
Professional Experience
Deloitte Consulting – Arkansas
Arkansas Department of Human Services ISS Project/Arkansas Department of Education
Product Delivery Manager
2020 — 2025
Spearheaded projects, oversaw client management, and handled business leadership for the Arkansas department of education and department of human services and oversaw all applications within divisions, while ensuring adherence to approved processes with ethical standards. Authored and reviewed all client deliverable documentation, including business processes, technical models, use cases, functional requirements, software specs, design documents, validation plans, test scenarios, user manuals, and executive-level status reports.
Lead Project, Client Manager, and Business lead for two divisions in the state of Arkansas – Arkansas Department of Education and Arkansas Department of Human Services – Office of Early Childhood and the Division of Provider Services and Quality Assurance related to all applications within the division while challenging all members of the team to follow all approved processes both effectively and ethically.
Currently maintains the highest level of trust and working relationships with the client.
Provided direction to guide the team through complexity, demonstrating composure through challenging and uncertain situations while making tough decisions removing resource impediments to prevent project delays.
Technical document writer/reviewer of any project level client deliverable documentation including business processes, technical business process models, use cases, detailed functional requirements, software requirement specifications, detailed design specifications, validation plans, test scenarios, user manuals, excelling Executive level project level status reporting.
Excels in working with clients to provide multiple variations of potential designs meeting client expectations while providing consulting to best practices delivery operations.
Manage and oversee monthly Maintenance & Operations and Enhancement software release ranging from 15k to 12million in revenue to include the Lead Project Manager delivering the Arkansas Licensing Project using the Salesforce Platform and architecture.
Provided overall project estimates including levels of effort time and material estimates.
Sr. Subject Matter Expert for every application within the division including: Kidcare(Childcare benefits), Childcare Licensing, (Salesforce Platform) Placement and Residential Licensing, Excluded Provider Management, Enterprise Background Check, Health and Nutrition, Arkansas Commodities Distribution System in every aspect of the Software Development Life Cycle including the delivery of the finished project concept related to Agile project management including Team Foundation Server expert user, trainer and mentor to peers.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the demonstrated ability to communicate complex, technical topics to management and non-technical audiences.
Primary focus of delivering the highest quality level of software meeting client expectations while keeping internal resources and client morale at the highest level.
Ability to have tough conversations with clients to convey current risks and issues while coming to mutual agreements for the best outcomes.
Conducted Requirements gathering and User story collection for both waterfall and Agile projects.
Uses significant judgement and discretion to collaborate with customers on complex issues in order to understand capability needs, gather project specifications, create business cases and cost sheet analysis, translate high-level business needs into detailed requirements for new capabilities (and change request/enhancements on existing capabilities), analyze data to determine business problems, trends, or opportunities for process improvements, create/execute test cases, provide root cause analysis and corrective action plan, verify delivery of customer needs, and ensure quality delivery.
Requires advanced level of understanding the end systems impact of changes across multiple/diverse systems (including regulatory risk exposure, customer service & financial impacts).
Global Touchpoints Arkansas Department of Human Services ISS Project – Arkansas
Sr. Business Consultant – Division of Childhood Early Childhood Education
2017 — 2020
Acted as primary liaison and client advocate for division of childcare and early childhood education to ensure adherence to approved processes with integrity and efficiency across all division applications. Gathered and refined user stories and requirements through structured discovery sessions by planning, facilitating, and documenting stakeholder and executive meetings. Served as senior subject matter expert for all division applications, including Kidcare, Licensing, Background Checks, Health & Nutrition, and Commodities, supporting Agile project delivery, mentoring peers, and leveraging deep expertise in Team Foundation Server.
Liaison and clients advocate for the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education related to all applications within the division while challenging all members of the team to follow all approved processes both effectively and ethically.
Manage and oversee monthly Maintenance & Operations and Enhancement software release ranging from 15k to 125k in revenue.
Oversee Division of Childhood Early Childhood Education Analytics Executive Level Dashboard Project Software Development Life Cycle activities.
Sr. Subject Matter Expert in every aspect of the Software Development Life Cycle including the delivery of the finished project concept related to Agile project management including Team Foundation Server expert user, trainer and mentor to peers.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the demonstrated ability to communicate complex, technical topics to management and non-technical audiences.
Completed extensive analysis and troubleshooting expertise in identifying root cause analysis of current production related issues.
Also responsible for identification, documentation, and resolution of risks, defects and issues. Analyzes market trends for competitive insight to correlate into business value statements.
Uses functional and organizational knowledge to mentor Associate and Intermediate Business Systems Analysts. Leads project teams or actively participate as subject matter expert (SME) on moderately complex projects (which are cross functional, with potential regulatory risk exposure, customer service & financial impacts ).
Resolves very complex issues (may involve multiple systems) while understanding potential regulatory risk exposure and customer service & financial impacts. Acts as a SME on how moderately complex new enhancements/applications are developed using advanced level of understanding of end-to-end process and clear understanding of potential integration issues.
Northrop Grumman
Sr. Business Process Analyst 2016 -2017
Perform business process analysis and develop technical business process models (As Is/To Be) Develop and maintain lifecycle documents including: use cases, detailed functional requirements, software requirement specifications, detailed design specifications, validation plans, test scenarios, user manuals Interface with management and provide various reports on a regular basis.
Organize, plan, facilitate and document meetings with project stakeholders to elicit and refine User Stories through complex series of questions and conversation.
Creates and manages client approved processes within teambuilding and one-on-one environments.
Expert level achieved in Agile project management acting as the Product Owner. Subject matter expert in every concept related to Agile project management including Team Foundation Server expert user, trainer and mentor to peers.
Demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate technical topics to management and non-technical audiences, as well as interface with the customer daily.
Serves as primary contact with the Subject Matter Experts and the champion of their needs across the software development life cycle.
Solid oral and written communication skills, with the demonstrated ability to communicate complex, technical topics to management and non-technical audiences.
Drove all assigned projects to on-time completion utilizing skillsets that included being the Subject Matter expert for all projects worked on and working hand in hand with developers, architects, and project managers.
Requirements/Story creation document scribe on all projects with the ability to provide accurate Levels of Effort.
Direct contact with clients to capture desired scope. Conducted internal and external client facing meetings in an effort to gather information related to the topic at hand.
Traveled to client’s location on several occasions as the lead BA representative and Subject Matter Expert.
Proactively created verifiable billable hours at a rate of 95% of total hours worked.
Education
University of Arkansas – Fayetteville Arkansas
University of Central Arkansas – Conway Arkansas