Scrum Master Agile Coach

Ramesh Thota

(Scrum Master & Agile Coach)

US Permanent Resident (Certifications: SAFe SM, PMP, AWS-CCP)

Mobile: 606-***-**** Email: *****@**********.***

EXPERIENCE SUMMARY

Scrum Master & Agile Coach with over 10 years of hands-on experience leading software teams.

Facilitated all Agile ceremonies: daily standups, sprint planning, reviews, retros, and backlog refinement. Ensured that the ceremonies take place at a regular cadence.

Brought different teams together to cut down blockers and keep stakeholders on the same page.

Coached teams in problem-solving, both Technical and Managerial.

Ensured collaboration with emphasis on continuous improvement.

Proficiency with program tracking and planning tools like JIRA, Confluence, and Azure DevOps.

Set up visual management tools such as Jira and Kanban boards to make the work more transparent and help deliver more predictably using roadmaps, dashboards, filters, etc.

Monitored Agile metrics (velocity, burndown, team throughput), shared and used that information to improve productivity.

Played an effective facilitator role around technical architecture, system design, and those all-important tradeoff discussions. My experience as a software developer and Engineering head came in handy.

Tackled delivery risks and day-to-day problems head-on to keep things moving forward.

Led company-wide Agile transformations: Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework).

Built and ran in-house Agile training sessions and coaching programs to boost Agile know-how for both technical and non-technical staff.

Worked in the domains of Government, Healthcare, Education, and Retail.

Proficient at communicating, facilitating, and resolving conflicts.

Comfortable handling uncertainty and driving decision-making.

Possesses excellent collaboration skills.

CERTIFICATIONS

SAFe SM (Scaled Agile Framework - Scrum Master)

PMP (Project Management Professional)

AWS-CCP (AWS–Certified Cloud Practitioner)

NCE (National Counselor Examination)

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Programming Languages: SQL, JQL, Python,

Databases: SQL Server, Oracle, Snowflake

Other Tools: Jira, Confluence, Azure DevOps, Tableau, Power BI, Lucid charts

Advanced Tools: Azure Data Factory, Databricks

Functional Areas: Government, Human & Health Services, Education, and Retail

Environment: Java, .NET, C#, Angular, iOS, Android, Data Warehouse, Data Lakes

EDUCATION

Master of Business Administration

Master of Science (Applied Psychology)

WORK EXPERIENCE

DHHS of the State of Nebraska Sept 2023 – Current

Project: Modernizing Enterprise Data Management Scrum master/ Agile coach

Project Description: Enterprise Data Management project for the State of Nebraska Government’s Health Department. The goal is to modernize the Data Engineering process, i.e., Data Strategy and Data Management, utilizing the latest cloud-based technologies for Data Lakes and Data Warehouses. The stages of Intake, Ingestion, and Visualization are being built using Azure Data Factory (ADF), Databricks, Snowflake, Tableau, Power BI, etc.

Responsibilities:

Facilitating Scrum ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Sprint Reviews, Sprint Retrospectives, Backlog refinement)

Removing impediments to the team’s progress

Facilitating communication between the team, Product Owner, and stakeholders

Protecting the team from external distractions and interruptions

Monitoring project timelines and identifying risks

Ensuring transparency of project progress, issues, and goals

Managing Jira and artifacts (scrum boards, product backlogs, documentation)

Coaching the team on Scrum principles and Agile practices

Helping the team in Problem Solving

Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections Aug 2022 to Sept 2023

Project: Idaho Juvenile Offender System Scrum Master / Agile Coach

Project Description: A State Government project – Converting a Delphi-based Desktop application to a Web application using SQL Server, Angular, .NET, C#. Used Azure DevOps for keeping track of project progress. This project utilized SQL Server, Angular, .NET, and C#. The project scope also encompassed data migration from Oracle to SQL Server using SSIS packages.

Responsibilities:

Facilitating Scrum ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Sprint Reviews, Sprint Retrospectives, backlog refinement)

Protecting the team from external distractions and interruptions by removing impediments to the team’s progress

Facilitating communication between the team, Product Owner, and stakeholders

Managing Jira and artifacts (scrum boards, product backlogs, documentation)

Coaching the team on Scrum principles and Agile practices

Guiding the team in problem-solving

JobsInTheUS.com, Whitesburg, KY Nov 2021 to July 2022

Project: JobsInTheUS.com Scrum Master/Agile Coach

Project Description: Build an ATS (Application Tracking System) for the client. It involved building a resume analyzer and parser, an interview scheduler, recording evaluation notes, and interview comments. Providing an overall tracking capability from receiving an application to onboarding.

Responsibilities:

Trained the team in Agile methodology and established Agile-Scrum practice.

Ensured all Scrum events take place on a regular cadence and coached the team to improve with every retrospective.

Helped the team build a good relationship with the product owner as well as other stakeholders.

Managed Jira tool to create Roadmap, Dashboards, stories, etc.

Cherry Road Technologies, Hyderabad, India Aug 2019 to Oct 2021

Project: Cherry Road Technologies Engagement Manager

Project Description: Managed multiple project teams working for Cherry Road Technologies. Providing Oracle Apps support, developing Java modules such as time-clocking for integration with Oracle Apps..

Responsibilities:

Monitored the work progress and interacted with the client POC to ensure client satisfaction.

Guided the teams in adopting Agile methodology.

Specific training for Backlog grooming and Sprint planning

CooperFit USA, Hyderabad, India Dec 2017 to May 2019

Project: CooperFit/Fleetsync Agile Coach/Scrum Master

Project Description: Developed and delivered the CooperFit and FleetSync mobile applications for both iOS and Android platforms using the MEAN stack, Couchbase, and other technologies. Successfully deployed them on AWS with intuitive UX designs. CooperFit is an iOS mobile and Apple Watch app designed to track and monitor users’ fitness. FleetSync enables real-time tracking and optimization of truck movements in gold mining operations.

Responsibilities:

Trained the teams in Agile-Scrum methodology.

Streamlined Product Development. Established software Delivery process.

As scrum Master for 2 products – CooperFit and FleetSync, facilitated Scrum ceremonies such as Daily standup, sprint planning, backlog grooming, sprint review, and sprint retrospective.

Institutionalized Jira & Confluence usage.

Initiated process for CI/CD.

Led client engagement, actively contributed to business requirements gathering, and participated in backlog grooming

Athena Global Technologies, Hyderabad, India Jun 2014 to Dec 2017

Project: MedleyMed/Clinical Note Taking Scrum Master/Agile Coach

Project Description: Launched two products, “Clinical Note Taking” and “Medley Med” suite of medical services for the Healthcare Industry. I was Scrum Master for the above 2 products. Provided Product/Application support & maintenance to clients from the UK, USA & Netherlands.

Responsibilities:

Established Agile-Scrum practices

Ensured all the Scrum ceremonies are conducted at a regular cadence

Motivated the team for continuous improvement

Bodhtree, Hyderabad, India Aug 2012 to May 2014

Project: Cisco ODC Operations In-charge

Project Description: Responsible for providing Application Management Services (AMS) that included Governance, Security adherence, SLAs enforcement, Audits (e.g., GRC - Governance, Risk Management & Compliance), etc. Activities included product development, L2 & L3 support for EMEA & APAC regions. Managed a team of 100+ Software Engineers.

Coolsoft LLC, Louisville, KY, USA July 2007 to Aug 2012

Project: Staff Augmentation Director of Operations

Driven the Staff-Augmentation business along with software development. Managed .NET and SharePoint projects.

Established ODC (Offshore Development Centre) for Software Development and BPO activities.

Danlaw Inc, Hyderabad, India Apr 2005 to July 2007

Project: ESAP Product Manager

Established Product Release & Development process to cover the entire PDLC (Product Development Life Cycle).

Revived ESAP (Exceptional Students Administration program) product Development and implemented it successfully at Colorado schools in the USA

Infobrain, Hyderabad, India Jun 2002 to Aug 2004

Project: Offshore Development Center General Manager

Established the ODC (Offshore Development Center). Built and managed a cohesive & strong team of 50+ with appropriate hierarchy & experience ranging from 2 years to 15 years.

Successfully executed outsourced Projects including Oracle Apps 11i Migration, Remote Maintenance of Oracle Apps, Web-Based Applications using Java/J2EE, and .NET.

Syntel Inc., Minneapolis, MN, Dec 1999 to May 2002

Project: Target Corp, Humana Insurance Project Manager

Manager for mainframe-based Cool:Gen projects for Humana Insurance at Louisville, KY.

Tech-lead for custom-built mobile application (Competitive Shopping) for Retail giant - Target Corporation at Minneapolis, MN. The environment included Mainframe, CICS, Palm handheld with Barcode Scanner, Windows, VB, and MQSeries.

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