Flexibility
I advocate best practice for all projects and programmes and work to a set of key principles (as set out below). I will use your preferred project management methodology, this can be waterfall (Prince2) or Agile. If you don’t have a preference then I will use a blended approach to provide you with the visibility and control you need over your projects and programmes. With a blended approach, Agile can be applied for all ‘front-end’ business or customer facing development activities. A waterfall approach can be adopted for back-end systems / IT development, for example: integration of complex systems (including CRM and eCommerce platforms) through APIs, EDI and web-services.
Agile work-streams: I will use Scrum or Kanban to deliver MVPs and end-to-end projects or manage cintonuous development.
Optimisation projects and product management: I recommend adopting User Experience Design (UXD) methods, developing personas, user stories and standardising on analysis, test, continuous development and integration tools.
Gated environments: I will use Prince 2 and / or the preferred company standard approach.
Service management: I have used ITIL and CMMI. I will reference your preferred company standards to shape service-models inline with your company policies.
Design approach to mitigate risk of design errors: For best customer experience outcomes, I recommend adopting a test driven or behavior driven approach (TDD/BDD) and am experienced in both.
Working with partners and outsourcing: I will establish management processes with external agencies, integrators, suppliers and in-house teams. I will set-up programme governance, controls and working practices that deliver the business outcome at minimal risk. I will apply the right combination of in-house and external teams, working locally and globally and will implement suitable controls and governance to ensure decision making and quality management are effective.
Platforms and Hosting: I have experience with on-premises, managed service and cloud service providers and am happy to work in any or all of these paradigms. I have managed strategy, design, supplier selection and implementation of SaaS (Software as a Service) and IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) solutions. For more on cloud projects and recent experience on replatforming, repurposing and migration please follow this link
Tools of the trade
I will use what ever desk-top tools and project tools you prefer. I would expect to have access to the following:
- Company lap-top: Configured for network (company LAN / shared drives) and internet access.
- Desk-top office tools: MS Office / Google Suite or equivalent with an email client set-up for company email.
- Agile management tools: Jira, Mingle, Redmine, Trello or equivalent.
- Desk (in your office) and ideally a phone: I also have my own mobile and a fully equipped office.
- Access to meeting rooms: With white board or equivalent.
Subject to company standards and tools, I may also need a license or access to:
- Project Management tool: MS project or equivalent – is proving to be not as popular with clients.
- Continuous Integration tools: Such as Jenkins and Maven, Selenium of Cucumber, Subversion, GitHub or equivalent.
- Test management tools: Quality Centre, qTest, or equivalent.
My Key Principles
Apply effective governance and stakeholder management : Identify the right team as soon as possible, flush out the strategy, business prioritisation and product road-maps and plans. Reach agreement on methodology (agile/waterfall/both) and tools, well-defined business case, Confirm who is ‘responsible, accountable, consulted and kept informed’ and set up effective communication and reporting.
Be meticulous : In particular with planning, meeting preparations and quality management.
Think holistically: In the digital work nothing operates in isolation. Everything needs to be designed and tested with context of all rea;lted moving parts, requirements and desired outcomes.
Design for the future, build and deliver for now: Design for current and future connectivity, integration and scalability. Deliver early proof of concepts and early minimum viable products to limit risk and test customer response early.
Keep the best ‘Customer Experience’ at front at centre of the design. .Apply best practice to the creation and optimisation of user journeys.
Plan for continual improvement: There will always be room for improvement and the world is changing fast.
Test everything: Test all project deliverables. You can’t test too much.
Use the right development methods: I will apply which ever analysis, design and build methodology works best for the business. If there is no preference then I will take an iterative customer centred approach. and will leverage customer insight to inform design options for the new/optimised customer experience.
Deliver with Agile and / or Waterfall methods: I advocate best practice for all projects and programmes. I will use your preferred project management methodology, this can be waterfall (Prince2) or Agile. If you don’t have a preference then I will use a blended approach to provide you with the visibility and control you need over your projects and programmes.
- I use PRINCE2 as a guiding framework for maintaining control over our projects.
- I am strong on Agile and have been promoting the use of DSDM since the late 90s, over the last 10 years I have fully embraced SCRUM as the preferred Agile method, however I am comfortable using Kanban if this is your preference.
Work with the best partners to deliver the best results: I have extensive experience in delivering and implementing sourcing strategies for clients and employers: I have managed multiple supplier selection and procurement processes for domestic, multinational and global brands. I am commercially astute with extensive experience in outsourcing, contracts and supplier management and global working. I will establish management processes with external agencies, integrators, suppliers and in-house teams, and set-up programme governance, controls and working practices