Barbara Nzekwe
Lanham,United States
Summary
Experienced, accomplished and innovative Product Owner and a Scrum Master with 9 years of experience analyzing needs and requirements, feedbacks, proposing solutions, features and functionalities and overseeing successful, complex projects and products. Capable to lead the scrum teams through a successful product life cycle. with a proven track record leading projects and developing business strategies, driving cost savings and revenue growth for multi-facet industries. Experience, education and certifications, partnered with strong communication and leadership skills, serves as enablers to perform well in a variety of industries including financial services, banking, transport service. Resourceful in problem solving and risk mitigation to keep projects on track. Exceptional ability to build rapport with internal and external partners to meet and exceed expectations.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Product Owner
Navy Federal Credit Union
Vienna, VA
04.2021 - Current
- Oversaw entire product deployments from vision and creation to rollout and delivery of millions marketing products across nine different channels to drive sales growth and development
- Owned and prioritized product backlog
- Focused on building critical features up front in order to identify constraints and technical challenges
- Coordinated with software developers to create custom applications and trackers to achieve client goals
- Collaborated with development team on Next Best Interaction Product and tasks
- Managed implementation of new features by outlining plans and specifications such as how, where and when each component would work
- Documented each step in product's design process for use in manuals
- Brainstormed with peers and other members of design team to determine enhancements and product features
- Contacted proper stakeholders to share changes to project scope and timelines
- Identified changes in project scope and modified job schedule accordingly
- Converted project specifications into roadmaps and visualized data that would be used to create product
- Managed multiple projects effectively in demanding environment with tight deadlines
- Suggested enhancements to product design that would improve user experience
- Learned new skills and applied to daily tasks to improve efficiency and productivity
- Exceeded goals through effective task prioritization and great work ethic
- Created and manages robust roadmap for Next Best Interaction Product
- Worked effectively within Scrum Team to record impediments and track them on Jira
- Maintains product backlog by prioritizing items and setting up MVPs using DEEP and INVEST criteria
- Facilitated backlog grooming, sprint review and sprint planning
- Schedule and lead refinements to make sure team understands commitments
- Ensures that bugs are represented on backlog and tickets are appropriately raised, prioritized and done
- Ensures that tickets are created with acceptance criteria and are accepted during review based on acceptance criteria and tickets are accepted according to agreed definition of done
- Encouraged Development team to keep sprint backlog up to date
- Ensured iterative value delivery through successful sprints
- Ensured Release notes are documented for each value release
- Worked closely with Data & Analytics team and Stakeholders to define KPI, and measure against product performance data to define success criteria; identify product optimization & enhancement opportunities with post launch product performance data
- Created new user stories for requirements and features to be implemented and maintains them on product backlog
Product Owner
One Main Finanical
Bowie, MD
01.2018 - 04.2021
- Collaborated with core product development team including, user experience and engineering to define value, usability, and feasibility of product. Sprint planning, Present high priority user stories on product backlog and backlog estimations for sprint backlog.
- Drove development of API platform to build capability to identify, track, and read orders placed through Java Fullstack /Microservices
- Functioned as voice of customer internally and understood their pains and frustrations; own problems and work with core product development teams to provide solutions
- Worked closely with Data & Analytics team and Stakeholders to define KPI, and measure against product performance data to define success criteria; identify product optimization & enhancement opportunities with post launch product performance data
- Encouraged fast-paced approach within cross functional team to create prototype, test and release products and value
- Oversaw design and usability of designated product/product line
- Worked with UX designer to create workflow, prototype and lead usability testing
- Lead product innovation, brainstorm with implementation teams, and constantly evaluate new ideas through quick prototyping, user testing, and validation
- Conducted product backlog refinement sessions with development team
- Reviewed pending product backlog items, add better estimates, detailed descriptions and re-prioritized and reviewed sprint backlog items that are completed, check, and accept if they meet Definition of Done (DoD) and acceptance criteria
- Refined and prioritize items on product backlog
- Oversaw entire product deployments from vision and creation to rollout and delivery
- Participated in sprint review meetings and sprint demos, inspected product/software increments to ensure that it is lined with roadmap and objectives
- Worked with agile mentality in collaboration with engineering, design/UX, product marketing, content/editorial and other teams in defining a path forward for successful execution of applications and products
- Acted as conduit between business and engineering to address business stakeholders' needs and concerns; make trade-off decisions and set priority
- Developed real time feedback loop to monitor product category (features, design, usability)
- Leverage this feedback and integrate into continuously improving experience.
Scrum Master
Avis Budget Group
Bowie, MD
01.2017 - 12.2019
- Led sprint reviews and planning meetings to promote full team engagement
- Assessed each scrum team member's responsibilities and delegated tasks to balance each employee's workload
- Facilitated Scrum framework – sprint planning, backlog grooming, daily scrums, sprint reviews and sprint retrospectives
- Proactively identified and found ways to resolve issues to prevent distractions and keep projects on track
- Worked closely and listened to team members' feedback to identify issues and resolve conflicts
- Anticipated impediments to team delivery involving cultural barriers and logistical challenges
- Worked across teams outside of engineering to find solutions and answers to issues encountered by engineering personnel
- Worked to provide continuous improvement for product development lifecycle
- Acted as go-to resource for engineering team, providing clarity on tasks, gathering missing assets or requirements and handling project changes
- Evangelized Agile as strategic asset of culture and business value
- Managed work and project responsibilities by assigning tasks to development teams
- Collaborated with product owners, team members, technologists and other scrum masters to define solutions and drive progress
- Managed work and project responsibilities by assigning tasks to internal individuals and external teams
- Coached teams in Agile practices and provided necessary training to create positive mindset to Agile methodologies
- Managed product backlog and supported Scrum framework for monthly sprint releases
- Drove Scrum team progress to overcome obstacles and realize success throughout life of each sprint
- Shielded scrum team from external interference for optimal productivity and success of Agile process
- Planned Agile best practices and encouraged team cohesion, overcoming impediments and hurdles to productivity.
Scrum Master
NASA Credit Union
Lanham, MD
12.2016 - 01.2017
- Planned Agile best practices and encouraged team cohesion, overcoming impediments and hurdles to productivity
- Effectively guided scrum and Kanban teams
- Creating working agreements, establishing and diligently helping teams to achieve their Sprint Goals
- Facilitated retrospectives using innovation games
- Educated and coached teams on usage of Jira & Confluence tools
- Took ownership to drive through resolutions of issues or blockers, coordinated directly with other development/product teams on inter-dependencies or through scrum-of-scrum ceremonies
- Helped Product owner with effective management of backlog
- Ensured INVEST criteria is met for all user stories in backlog
- Ensured teams are adhering to DOR and DOD criteria
- Optimized workflow efficiency, lead ceremonies and ensured smooth delivery
- Educated and ensured Agile/Scrum implementation methodology, practices, values and framework are adhered to by team members, while resolving impediments by coordinating and collaborating with cross-functional team
- Coordinated with scrum team in Daily Scrum Meetings, Sprint Planning Meetings, Sprint Review Meetings, Sprint Retrospective Meetings and Backlog Grooming meetings
- Close monitoring of Sprint Burndown, Burn-up and Release Burndown Chart to keep track of team's velocity and sprint progress for forecasting, and any scope changes
- Gather data and support build of early prototype models to demonstrate features
- Working as part of team of Business Analysts, Solution Architects, UX Designers/Researchers, Developers and Business stakeholders, to Understand frictions/issues within current business processes
- Coordinated with scrum team during each Sprint towards shippable product release working closely with Product Owner to make sure each user story in Sprint Backlog was worked on
- Exhibit confidence and extensive knowledge of emerging industry practices when solving business problems
- Worked with well self-organized cross-functional development team (called Developers) to execute roadmap and bring new functionalities to product
- Tracked and managed all change requests taking them through complete change request lifecycle Backlog Items (PBIs) using techniques like MoSCoW and estimated Story Points using Planning Poker.
Project Manager/Agile Scrum Master
Spring Bank Plc
Lagos
11.2007 - 11.2016
- Maintained relationships with material at least thirty-six vendors to lower costs and diversify capabilities
- Met project deadlines without sacrificing quality or workplace safety
- Planned, designed and scheduled phases for credit card projects
- Identified plans and resources required to meet project goals and objectives
- Made decisions independently and collaboratively on credit card related challenges
- Maintained compliance with regulatory parameters in complex projects with overlapping policies
- Maintained clear communication with precise technical writing to document and inform critical processes
- Effectively guided transition of credit card automation team to Agile using scrum and Kanban methods within two months period.
- Ensured Agile/Scrum implementation methodology, practices, values and framework are adhered to by team members, while resolving impediments by coordinating and collaborating with cross-functional team
- Creating working agreements, establishing and helping teams, to achieve their Sprint Goals
- Facilitated insightful and successful retrospectives
- Educated and coached the teams on usage of Jira & Confluence tools
- Took ownership to drive through resolutions of issues or blockers, coordinate directly with other development/product teams on inter-dependencies or through scrum-of-scrum ceremony
- Effectively managed credit card backlog
- Ensured INVEST criteria is met for all user stories in backlog
- Ensured teams are adhering to DOR and DOD criteria
- Optimized workflow efficiency, lead ceremonies and ensured smooth delivery
- Close monitoring of Sprint Burndown Chart to keep track of team's velocity and sprint progress for forecasting, and any scope changes
- Working as part of team of Business Analysts, Solution Architects, UX Designers/Researchers, Developers and Business stakeholders, to Understand frictions/issues within current business processes
- Coordinated with scrum team during each Sprint towards shippable product release working closely with the Product Owner to make sure each user story in Sprint Backlog was worked on
- Exhibit confidence and extensive knowledge of emerging industry practices when solving card products and business problems
- Set up and worked with well self-organized cross-functional and led team to agile maturity after twenty iterations development team to execute roadmap and bring new functionalities to credit card product
- Drove team success through shared vision and recognition of quality performance
- N/B: Started my professional career here as Customer Service Officer, I proceeded to Funds Transfer and transitioned to Branch Operations Manager. I proceeded to Card Product Services where I led lunching of pioneer Credit card product.
Education
Bachelor of Arts English -
Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Awka, NigeriaMaster of Science - Public Administration
University of Lagos
Lagos ,NigeriaSkills
- Scrum methodology
- Road Maps
- UX
- Stakeholder management
- Agile frameworks
- Filters, Monitoring and reporting
- Waterfall
- Kanban
- DevOps
- SAFe
- JIRA
- Confluence
- Miro
- Ideaboardz
- Value score mapper
- Tablue
- Salesforce
- AzureDevOps
- Pega,
- Rally
- Product Management
- Attention to Detail
- SAFe
- Lean Thinking
- Strategic planning
- Process Improvement
- Cost Estimation
- Facilitation skills
- Effective communication
- Dependency & Risk Management
- Agile Coaching
- Product Roadmap & Development
- Integration and test-driven Development,
- Value delivery through Epics, User stories and Taxonomy
- Mockups and prototypes
Accomplishments
- Professional Product Owner
- SAFe 5.1
- professional Scrum Master
Timeline
Product Owner
Navy Federal Credit Union
04.2021 - Current
Product Owner
One Main Finanical
01.2018 - 04.2021
Scrum Master
Avis Budget Group
01.2017 - 12.2019
Scrum Master
NASA Credit Union
12.2016 - 01.2017
Project Manager/Agile Scrum Master
Spring Bank Plc
11.2007 - 11.2016
Bachelor of Arts English -
Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Master of Science - Public Administration
University of Lagos
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