Project Manager Continuous Improvement

Syed Danish Akhtar

New Jersey ***.*******@*****.*** 732-***-****

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/danish-akhtar

Professional Summary

Results-driven Agile Delivery Leader and IT Project Manager with 10+ years of experience across finance, healthcare, telecommunications, automotive, and retail industries. Deep expertise in Agile frameworks including Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe. Proven track record of launching new teams (Sprint 0), coaching for continuous improvement, and driving predictable delivery through metrics, retrospectives, and agile best practices. Strong communicator adept at leading cross-functional teams, including vendor partners, in scaled agile environments.

Core Competencies

- Agile Project Management (Scrum, SAFe, Kanban)

- Sprint 0 Planning & Agile Team Launch

- Agile Coaching & Continuous Improvement

- Scaled Agile Delivery (SAFe, Scrum of Scrums)

- Team Maturity Assessment & Agile Metrics

- Waterfall & Hybrid Project Delivery

- Stakeholder & Vendor Management

- Budget & Resource Management

- Risk, Issue & Dependency Management

- Tools: JIRA, Confluence, Rally, ServiceNow, MS Project, Visio Certifications

- Professional Scrum Master (PSM)

Professional Experience

Sr. Project Manager

McGraw Hill, New York, NY Feb 2024 - Feb 2025

- Oversaw two Agile teams: Team A with 5 Engineers, a Product Owner, and an Engineering Manager; Team B with 8 Engineers, 1 QA, 1 UX Designer, 1 Product Owner, and 1 Engineering Manager

- Led Scrum teams through Sprint 0 activities to establish backlog, team norms, and delivery readiness

- Served as Release Train Engineer across multiple Agile teams, driving coordination and alignment with SAFe

- Facilitated Scrum and Kanban ceremonies, tailoring practices to team maturity and improving velocity predictability

- Conducted retrospectives, tracked delivery metrics, and created coaching plans for continuous improvement

- Acted as Agile coach for internal and vendor-led teams, enabling adoption of agile best practices

- Partnered with Product Management to align roadmap and backlog priorities across teams

- Managed risk, cost, and delivery tracking through hybrid Waterfall and Agile methodologies

- Tracked resource budgets and monitored burn rates to ensure alignment with overall project financials

- Engaged with senior management to present resourcing needs and successfully advocated for additional resources to meet critical project deadlines

Agile Delivery Lead

Goodleap LLC, New Jersey Aug 2021 - Oct 2023

- Supported multiple Agile teams ranging in size from 6 to 10 members across engineering, QA, and product functions

- Facilitated Agile ceremonies across multiple cross-functional teams, improving sprint delivery efficiency by 15%

- Assessed team maturity using retrospectives and agile metrics to develop targeted coaching plans

- Delivered agile training and coaching for newly formed teams to accelerate adoption of best practices

- Partnered with Product Owners to prioritize backlogs, align on sprint goals, and improve backlog health

- Proactively identified and removed delivery impediments, reducing time-to-resolution by 30%

- Drove cross-team collaboration to address dependencies and escalated risks to leadership Agile Project Manager

Wyndham Hotel, Bound Brook, NJ Jan 2021 - Jun 2021

- Managed project lifecycle from initiation to closure, delivering critical upgrades on time and within budget

- Developed and managed a project budget of $500K, ensuring optimal resource allocation and financial tracking

- Planned and tracked resource utilization and burn rate to maintain project velocity and budget alignment

- Tracked resource spend against the approved budget and forecasted future needs based on sprint velocity and scope

- Collaborated with senior management to request and justify additional resources to meet key project deadlines

- Improved project reporting processes, enhancing visibility for senior leadership

- Led Agile ceremonies and coached teams on Agile best practices Agile Project Manager / Scrum Master

Hilltop National Bank, Casper, WY Oct 2018 - Dec 2020

- Migrated legacy projects from Waterfall to Agile, improving adaptability and delivery speed

- Set cadence and facilitated Agile ceremonies for multiple teams

- Developed team coaching plans and maturity assessments to guide agile adoption

- Partnered with Product Owners to refine backlogs and define clear acceptance criteria Project Manager / Scrum Master

Travelers Insurance, Hartford, CT Mar 2017 - Sep 2018

- Delivered AI-driven virtual assistant project across multiple lines of business

- Coached teams on Agile principles and ensured adherence to SAFe processes

- Facilitated PI Planning and Scrum of Scrums to coordinate delivery across teams

- Established and tracked Agile metrics, including team velocity, burn-down charts, and sprint health Scrum Master / Project Manager

First National Bank of Omaha, Omaha, NE Jan 2016 - Feb 2017

- Enhanced mortgage origination process through Agile delivery and process automation

- Coordinated between business and technical teams to align on delivery expectations

- Facilitated user acceptance testing and ensured alignment with business requirements Education

Associate's Degree in Business Administration

DeVry University - 2007

Technical Skills

- Agile Tools: JIRA, Confluence, Rally

- Project Tools: MS Project, Visio, ServiceNow

- Collaboration: Google Suite, MS Teams, Slack

- Reporting: PowerPoint, Excel, SharePoint

Key Attributes

- Critical Thinker & Problem Solver

- Effective Communicator Across All Levels

- Strong Leadership & Team Motivation

- Detail-Oriented with Strong Analytical Skills

- Adaptable & Resilient in Fast-Paced Environments

Contact this candidate