Product Manager Owner

Anne Prather

(Certified SAFe® * Product Owner/ Product Manager, SAFe® 6 Advanced Scrum Master SASM, Certified Scrum Master CSM®, SAFe 6® Agilist)

Round Rock, TX, USA 78664

512-***-**** – ******@*****.*** WWW: LinkedIn WWW: Bold Profile

Professional Summary

Certified Scrum Master (CSM) and SAFe® 6 Advanced Scrum Master (SASM) and Certified SAFe® 6 Product Owner/ Product Manager with over a decade of experience in Agile delivery, project management, and coaching. Adept at leading cross-functional teams to drive modernization of data warehouse and reporting systems. Proven expertise in Agile ceremonies, risk mitigation, backlog management, and stakeholder engagement. Skilled in interpreting business processes, system interactions, and transforming them into clear, actionable deliverables. Known for fostering a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and delivering business value in dynamic, fast-paced environments.

Core Competencies: Scaled Agile Framework Functional & Technical Documentation Process Improvement Initiatives Project Tracking & Reporting Agile & Scrum Methodologies Team Leadership Cross-functional Collaboration Jira & Confluence Agile Performance Metrics Data Warehouse Modernization System Interaction Diagrams Team Capacity Forecasting Agile Ceremonies Facilitation (Stand-ups, Retrospectives, Sprint Planning, Demos) Backlog Grooming Risk Identification & Mitigation

Skills

Agile Performance Metrics

Project Estimation Strategies

Agile Transformation Leadership

MS Project

Agile Scaling Expertise

Product Owner Engagement

Product Backlog Management

Agile Methodology Coaching

Collaborative Leadership Style

Technical Debt Strategy Development

Skilled in Scrum Project Management

User Story Development

Strategic Release Planning

Interdepartmental Collaboration

Sprint Review Coordination

Team Collaboration Facilitation

Functional Requirements Documentation

Facilitating Scrum Meetings

Scaled Agile Frameworks (SAFe)

JQL SQL SOQL

Cross-Functional Team Facilitation

Jira / Azure DevOps / TFS

Certifications

Certified SAFe® 6 Advanced Scrum Master – Scaled Agile, Inc.

Certified SAFe® 6 Product Owner/ Product Manager– Scaled Agile, Inc.

Certified Scrum Master® (CSM) - Scrum Alliance.

Ai for Scrum Masters® (AiSM) – Scrum Alliance.

Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP) – Project Management Institute.

Project Management Professional (PMP) - Project Management Institute.

Jira Advanced Certificate

Jira for users, managers and admins Certificate

Agile PM 202 and 301 Certificate

Agile Project Management-Requirements-Planning and Tracking Certificate

Work History

07/2020 to 02/2025

Product Owner / Scrum Master - Cognizant Technologies Solutions – Round Rock, TX

(Client: Discover Financial Services, Capital One, BNYM, Humana, Apple)

Facilitated SAFe Scrum and ART events for 2-4 cross-functional teams, fostering Agile adoption, self-organization, and high performance across marketing, fintech, and adtech platforms. Supported campaign optimization, CRM integrations (MS Dynamics, Genesys, Unified Service Desk), and voice technologies (IVR, Pindrop, API Gateways, Secure Payments). Applied GIS expertise for data-driven decisions in customer segmentation and infrastructure planning.

Leading the multi-phase modernization of enterprise meeting tools, focusing on migration from Webex to Microsoft Teams, including seamless integration of NICE call recording to meet regulatory and technical requirements. Enterprise collaboration product modernization

Collaborated with product owners, team members, technologists, and other scrum masters to define solutions and drive progress which resulted in 30% increase in project completion rate.

Attained a 110% increase in velocity by coaching team members and relevant parties on Agile processes, principles, and ceremonies.

Regularly assessed the team's and organization's Scrum maturity and coached 4 junior-level Scrum Masters to lift maturity levels, achieving fully productive team sprints.

Slashed re-work rate by 90% through coaching and training team on bug discovery late in sprints while limiting work-in-progress.

Supported Agile delivery of ACH, wire, and internal transfer functionality within the Move Money platform, collaborating with compliance and technical teams to ensure secure, user-friendly experiences aligned with NACHA and internal policy standards.

Leveraged Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) practices to improve collaboration between technical and non-technical stakeholders, using structured Given-When-Then scenarios to align user stories with business goals – achieving a 95% stakeholder satisfaction rate.

Led multiple scrum teams implementing techniques and artifacts, such as definition of done, user stories, backlog grooming, capacity planning and velocity metrics.

Led Agile teams across multiple programs focused on modernizing data warehouses and reporting platforms.

Applied Scaled Agile principles (SAFe 6 Agilist certified) to coordinate multiple cross-functional teams, facilitating PI Planning, Scrum of Scrums, and Program Increment execution to deliver enterprise-wide solutions effectively.

Created a culture of continuous learning through ongoing training sessions, workshops, and knowledge-sharing initiatives within the team. Trained JQL for Dashboard and Filter Creation

Mentored and guided Scrum, Kanban and Scaled Agile (SAFe) principles and practices for multiple teams encouraging to learn from their experiences and implement improvements.

Lead and drive iteration execution by facilitating team events (e.g., backlog refinement, team planning, team sync, team review and demo, retrospective) increasing velocity by 25%.

Identified key business issues, monitoring product roadmaps, developing effective action plans and implemented delivery of business value.

Ensured timely delivery of high-quality software products by enforcing adherence to Agile principles during development cycles.

Facilitated sprint reviews and planning meetings to promote full team engagement.

Delivered consistent and clear stakeholder communication on risks, dependencies and progress

Interpreted complex business processes and system interaction diagrams to support technical solutioning.

Tracked Agile flow metrics to evaluate team velocity and project health, improving efficiency by 25%.

Mentored junior Scrum Masters and fostered self-organizing, high-performing teams.

Coached and guided in adopting Agile best practices and encouraged team cohesion, overcoming impediments, and hurdles to productivity.

Developed metrics for tracking progress and measuring team performance against goals with Jira

Enhanced team efficiency by coaching and guiding Agile practices, promoting self-organization, and fostering a high-performance team environment.

Promoted transparency within the project lifecycle by maintaining up-to-date documentation on progress, risks, and milestones achieved using Jira. Prepared status reports daily and weekly.

Identified and resolve impediments and challenges that arise during the development process by finding right personnel to advance tasks and projects – improving team’s productivity by 20%

Spearheaded the rollout of genAI transcript capabilities to automate meeting summaries and generate actionable post-meeting tasks for internal users.

Worked effectively with multiple Scrum teams (10 on each team) both onshore and off-shore.

Proactively identified and found ways to resolve issues to prevent distractions and keep projects on track, enhancing project success rates by 15%.

Empowered self-organizing teams by providing guidance on roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority within the Scrum framework.

Optimized resource allocation through capacity planning, maximizing team productivity without overloading resources.

Anticipated impediments to team delivery involving cultural barriers and logistical challenges.

Supported team using servant leadership style and leading by example.

Managed risks proactively by anticipating potential issues and creating mitigation plans.

Managed various IT projects to meet deadlines and customer requirements.

12/2019 to 07/2020

Project Manager / Senior Business Analyst - AITA – Round Rock, TX

(Client: Apple)

Successfully managed multiple projects simultaneously by prioritizing tasks according to urgency, resource availability, and alignment with organizational goals.

Defined and prioritized detailed product requirements and user stories, collaborating across infrastructure, security, legal, and compliance teams to ensure comprehensive solution design.

Planned, designed, and scheduled phases for (iOS mobile, softphone integration with Apple CRM) large projects. This included Systems Testing (Unit, Integration, UAT) and created Smoke Test documentation.

Served as the primary product liaison across multiple domains and stakeholders, driving alignment and adoption through continuous demos, feedback loops, and success metric tracking.

Oversaw product testing, iterative feedback collection, and roadmap sequencing, ensuring full alignment with business objectives and enterprise architecture standards.

Coordinated multiple and extremely complex products, initiatives and programs spanning business and technical product areas.

Met project deadlines without sacrificing build quality or workplace safety.

Established effective communication among team members for enhanced collaboration and successful project completion.

Developed comprehensive project plans with clear timelines, milestones, and budget requirements, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality results.

Delivered exceptional customer satisfaction by proactively addressing client concerns and meeting or exceeding expectations throughout the engagement process.

Monitored progress against established goals, adjusting schedules and resources as needed to keep projects on track.

Monitored project performance with Jira to identify areas of improvement and make adjustments.

Facilitated meetings with cross-functional teams and resolved conflicts, maintaining a positive work environment throughout the project lifecycle.

Managed projects from procurement to commission. Coordinated with cross-functional teams to resolve project issues and mitigate risks.

Prepared detailed reports on project status for stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment with objectives.

Led Salesforce Cloud Softphone integrations with PCI Payments, Chatbots, Voice Recognition, Jira and ServiceNow integrations, Marketing Campaigns and API Connections. I monitor and report on project progress to stakeholders every iteration. I assist the team in identifying and mitigating risks and issues routinely to resolution.

10/2018 to 12/2019

Product Owner - ACS Group – Round Rock, TX

(Client: Dell Technologies)

Managed multiple concurrent projects using Agile methodology, aligning resources, and removing roadblocks to ensure deadlines were met. Regularly assessed the team's and organization's Scrum maturity and coached 4 junior-level Scrum Masters to lift maturity levels, achieving fully productive team sprints. Liaison between developers and project stakeholders; fostered quality communication between engineering disciplines. Maintained budgets ranging from $10M to $45M.

Led Salesforce, Omni Channel, ChatBot integration that utilized conversational AI with intelligent responses and (GAI) generative AI to use (NLP) natural language processing for automated call routing and self-service assistance, Salesforce Integration project that including Genesys Voice Recognition to validate Account Ownership, PCI Payment IVR application for Dell Technology Service Reps.

Created and maintained architecture diagrams, design artifacts, and project wikis.

Managed backlog prioritization, ensuring alignment with business goals and stakeholder expectations using Jira

Collaborated with engineering teams on technical feasibility assessments, resulting in realistic scope definition for projects.

Developed comprehensive roadmaps outlining the product vision, goals, and milestones for successful execution.

Proactively identified risks associated with project timelines or deliverables, implementing mitigation strategies when necessary. This included Systems Testing (Unit, Integration, UAT)

Cross-functional facilitation with teams to develop high-quality products that meet customer needs.

Cultivated strong relationships with key stakeholders by maintaining open lines of communication and addressing concerns promptly.

Reduced time-to-market by effectively coordinating resources, tasks, timelines within the team.

Managed implementation of new features by outlining plans and specifications such as how, where, and when each component would work.

Fostered culture of continuous improvement, encouraging team feedback and implementing process enhancements.

12/2017 to 07/2018

Product Owner - Amplify Credit Union – Austin, TX

Managed backlog prioritization, ensuring alignment with business goals and stakeholder expectations. This included Systems Testing (Unit, Integration, UAT)

Led Salesforce integration projects (Classic and Lightning) with Five9, Live Message, TimeTrade Scheduler, DocuSign (also managed vendor relations) for Inside Sales Reps, Lan Agents, Mortgage Agents and Call Center Teams.

Collaborated with engineering teams on technical feasibility assessments, resulting in realistic scope definition for projects to develop high-quality products that meet customer needs.

Focused on building features upfront in order to identify constraints & technical challenges.

Managed implementation of new features for Salesforce by outlining plans and specifications such as how, where, and when each component would work.

Led product launches, collaborating with marketing teams to create successful go-to-market strategies.

01/2012 to 07/2017

Product Owner / Salesforce Administrator - Office Depot – Austin, TX

Managed backlog prioritization, ensuring alignment with business goals and stakeholder expectations. This included Systems Testing (Unit, Integration, UAT)

Collaborated and mentored engineering teams on technical feasibility assessments, resulting in realistic scope definition for projects.

Developed comprehensive roadmaps outlining the product vision, goals, and milestones for successful execution.

Proactively identified risks associated with project timelines or deliverables, implementing mitigation strategies when necessary.

Cross-functional facilitation with teams to develop high-quality products that meet customer needs. Analyzed customer feedback to identify areas for improvement.

05/2010 to 01/2012

Salesforce Administrator – Renew Data – Austin, TX

Delivered Salesforce features aligned with customer and business needs.

Created roadmaps and implemented UAT, integration, and system testing protocols.

02/1999 to 08/2005

Sr. Business Analyst – Dell Financial Services– Austin, TX

03/1997 to 01/1999

Credit Manager – Trimble Navigation – Austin, TX

02/1991 to 03/1997

Collections Manager – FSG / American Light Design Electric – Austin, TX

Education

Arenac Eastern High School - Twining, MI

Delta College - Bay City, MI

Austin Community College - Austin, TX

Circle of CHAMPIONS - Recognized servant leader in area of distributing Best Practices. BPI-Yellow Belt

Dell On The Spot Award - Recognized for development and execution of a Customer Score Card

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