SHANTHI PRIYA GULLA
Dallas,USA
Summary
Dynamic Agile leader with 14 years of IT experience driving enterprise-scale Agile transformations, business agility initiatives, and strategic delivery modernization across telecom, healthcare, and banking domains. Proven expertise leading large-scale SAFe implementations, facilitating Agile Release Trains (ARTs), and delivering measurable business outcomes through Lean-Agile practices. Skilled in aligning portfolio strategies, value streams, and execution roadmaps to accelerate value delivery, improve predictability, and enhance customer outcomes. Wel versed in coaching executives, Product Management, Scrum Masters, and delivery teams while leading Program Increment (PI) Planning, Inspect & Adapt workshops, dependency management, risk governance, Business Value assessment, Predictability Metrics tracking, and CI initiatives. Recognized for driving enterprise transformation, operational excellence, AI-enabled Agile practices, modernization programs, and Lean Portfolio Management adoption that improve organizational agility, delivery performance, and strategic alignment.
Overview
1
1
Certification
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Scrum Master / Release Train Engineer
PNC
Dallas, TX
08.2024 - Current
- Spearhead end-to-end Agile execution across multiple Scrum teams within a SAFe Agile Release Train (ART), ensuring alignment to enterprise strategic objectives, PI commitments, and value-driven delivery outcomes.
- Partner closely with Product Management, System Architects, and Engineering leadership to refine epics, shape roadmaps, and ensure backlog readiness aligned with business priorities and technical feasibility.
- Facilitate enterprise-level Agile ceremonies including PI Planning, ART Syncs, Scrum of Scrums, and PO/PM governance forums to ensure transparency, dependency management, and predictable delivery flow across teams.
- Provide executive-level visibility into delivery health by defining and tracking Agile KPIs including velocity, predictability, flow efficiency, lead time, and cycle time, enabling data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.
- Lead Agile maturity initiatives across teams by coaching Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and stakeholders on SAFe principles, Lean-Agile mindset, and modern engineering practices including CI/CD, test automation, and DevOps adoption.
- Drive organizational transformation initiatives supporting automation, engineering modernization, and AI-enabled workflow optimization efforts to improve operational efficiency and delivery speed.
- Facilitate Inspect & Adapt workshops, Business Value assessments, and ROAM risk reviews to improve ART performance, delivery predictability, and strategic alignment across enterprise initiatives.
- Partner with portfolio and business leadership to align value streams, roadmap priorities, and transformation objectives with enterprise delivery execution.
- Designed and maintained Agile metrics dashboards using Jira and Confluence, tracking velocity, predictability, lead time, cycle time, and team capacity to enable data-driven decision-making and improve delivery predictability by 20%.
- Enabled teams to achieve committed Sprint and PI objectives by reinforcing focus, transparency, and execution discipline.
- Drove enterprise Agile transformation initiatives for an Examiner Workflow modernization program, leading 10 Agile teams and 150+ stakeholders while improving PI predictability, stakeholder alignment, and business value realization across multiple delivery increments.
- Resolved cross-team impediments, mitigated delivery risks, and managed dependencies proactively, increasing throughput and improving on-time delivery performance by 15%.
- Championed Agile engineering best practices, including Continuous Integration, test automation, and pair programming, cultivating a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and self-managed teams.
- Facilitated Inspect & Adapt workshops and ROAM risk management sessions, driving continuous improvement actions that improved delivery predictability and reduced execution risks across the ART.
- Leveraged AI-enabled Agile practices, automation solutions, and engineering modernization initiatives to streamline planning, reporting, and delivery workflows while improving operational efficiency.
- Led continuous improvement initiatives through retrospectives, workshops, and implementation of Agile best practices, enhancing collaboration, productivity, and delivery excellence across teams.
Lead Scrum Master / Release Train Engineer
Verizon Business
Irving, TX
01.2020 - 04.2024
- Led end-to-end Agile execution across multiple ARTs supporting Intelligent Edge Network programs, ensuring alignment between business strategy, product roadmaps, and engineering delivery.
- Established PI planning cadence, release governance models, and cross-team synchronization frameworks to enable predictable delivery across distributed teams.
- Partnered with senior leadership, Product Management, and Solution Architects to translate business strategy into executable program increments and prioritized delivery roadmaps.
- Mentored and coached Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and engineering teams to strengthen Agile maturity, servant leadership practices, and continuous improvement culture.
- Introduced data-driven delivery governance using flow metrics, burn-down trends, and capacity planning models to improve forecasting accuracy and execution transparency.
- Actively supported modernization initiatives, including automation and early-stage AI/analytics-driven operational insights for performance optimization.
- Collaborated with Portfolio Management and executive leadership to align strategic investments, value streams, and program delivery objectives with organizational transformation goals.
- Directed 9 Scrum Masters and 9+ cross-functional Agile teams comprising 90+ personnel, delivering 750+ features across 9 strategic initiatives while improving delivery predictability, business value achievement, and reducing time-to-market by 25%.
- Optimized value delivery across the Agile Release Train (ART) by leveraging Program and Solution Kanban boards, information radiators, and streamlined workflows to enhance transparency and execution efficiency.
- Orchestrated ART Syncs, Scrum of Scrums, PO/PM syncs, and system demos, proactively resolving cross-team dependencies and impediments to achieve a 10% increase in delivery throughput.
- Developed and implemented Agile performance tracking frameworks, including burndown charts and capacity planning metrics using Tableau and Jira, enabling leadership to make real-time, data-driven prioritization decisions.
- Streamlined ART and Solution Train operations by implementing effective flow management practices, improving coordination, delivery predictability, and alignment with strategic business goals.
- Championed Agile, Scrum, and SAFe best practices across teams and stakeholders, accelerating Agile maturity and promoting adoption of Lean Portfolio Management principles.
- Supported Lean Portfolio Management initiatives through roadmap governance, portfolio prioritization, and value stream optimization efforts across multiple delivery programs.
- Implemented Predictability Metrics, flow-based reporting, and Agile governance frameworks that increased forecasting accuracy and executive visibility into ART performance.
- Facilitated enterprise PI Planning events, Inspect & Adapt workshops, and Business Value assessments, improving stakeholder engagement and strengthening alignment between strategy and execution.
Technical Project Manager / Scrum Master
Scottline Healthcare Solutions
Irving, TX
11.2018 - 12.2019
- Led cross-functional project execution across healthcare technology initiatives, ensuring alignment between business goals, regulatory compliance requirements, and technical delivery strategies.
- Directed full lifecycle program execution including planning, budgeting, scheduling, resource allocation, and performance tracking.
- Partnered with stakeholders across clinical, operational, and technical domains to deliver scalable healthcare solutions and improve service delivery outcomes.
- Introduced process automation and workflow optimization initiatives that improved operational efficiency and reduced processing turnaround time.
- Established structured governance models for budget tracking, financial forecasting, and project performance monitoring to ensure accountability and predictable delivery outcomes.
- Implemented automated claims processing workflows, improving accuracy and significantly reducing turnaround time.
- Built high-performing delivery teams by defining clear accountability structures and optimizing resource allocation.
- Strengthened stakeholder collaboration across vendors, clients, and internal teams to ensure successful delivery execution.
- Delivered strategic healthcare modernization initiatives aligned with business growth and operational efficiency goals.
- Improved project transparency through structured reporting, milestone tracking, and performance dashboards.
Scrum Master/Program Manager
Insurance Administration Services & Solutions
Hyderabad, India
04.2017 - 03.2018
- Facilitated Agile delivery across end-to-end SDLC for insurance platforms, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements, service-level commitments, and client expectations.
- Coordinated cross-functional teams across business, operations, and vendor ecosystems to ensure seamless execution of high-volume claims processing systems.
- Applied Agile frameworks and enterprise tools (JIRA, Rally, Confluence, Tableau) to improve transparency, delivery tracking, and program governance.
- Delivered Automated Work Distribution System with 90%+ success rate, processing ~500 claims/day across multiple carriers.
- Improved delivery predictability by strengthening Agile cadence, backlog refinement, and sprint execution discipline.
- Reduced operational inefficiencies by optimizing AWD workflows and minimizing manual intervention.
- Enhanced cross-team coordination and dependency management, ensuring consistent on-time delivery performance.
- Strengthened Agile maturity across distributed teams through coaching and structured delivery governance.
Technical Agile Project Manager
T-Mobile Corporation
Hyderabad, India
12.2011 - 11.2017
- Led end-to-end Agile delivery across multiple Scrum teams supporting enterprise-scale data platforms and analytics systems.
- Partnered with engineering, product, and business stakeholders to translate complex requirements into structured Agile execution plans.
- Drove Agile governance, CI/CD adoption, and engineering transparency frameworks to improve delivery visibility and execution discipline.
- Oversaw large-scale production systems, release management, and incident governance while ensuring high availability and operational stability.
- Supported modernization initiatives involving data engineering pipelines, distributed systems, and automation-driven delivery enhancements.
- Enabled early-stage data-driven and analytics initiatives supporting business intelligence and reporting platforms.
- Led PRTS program delivery across 25+ resources managing ~50TB/day ETL workloads across distributed data clusters.
- Improved delivery predictability by implementing structured Agile governance across 5 Scrum teams (30+ members).
- Introduced CI/CD practices and engineering transparency models, improving release reliability and accountability.
- Managed production support operations achieving near-100% incident resolution across Tier 1–3 support.
- Drove enterprise modernization initiatives supporting large-scale data platform transformation, automation adoption, and Agile delivery optimization across multiple business units.
- Strengthened stakeholder engagement through real-time dashboards, release reporting, and risk visibility mechanisms.
- Improved system stability and operational efficiency through structured incident management and release governance.
Education
MBA - Information Technology Project Management
Osmania University
Skills
- Lean Portfolio Management (LPM)
- Business Agility
- Enterprise Transformation
- Agile Governance
- Value Stream Management
- Inspect & Adapt (I&A) Facilitation
- ROAM Risk Management
- Predictability Metrics
- Business Value Measurement
- Portfolio Planning & Execution
- Strategic Roadmap Alignment
- Organizational Change Leadership
- Agile PMO Leadership
- AI-Enabled Agile Delivery
- Enterprise Modernization
- Jira
- Confluence
- Rally
- Azure DevOps
- Tableau
- Power BI
- Mural
- MS Project
- Clarizen PPM
- GitHub Copilot
- Visio
- MS Office
Certification
- SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE)
- SAFe Program Consultant (SPC)
- SAFe Agilist
- Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
- PRINCE2 Practitioner & Foundation
- ISO 9001 & 27001 Internal Auditor
- CMMI Appraisal Team Member
- Certified Software Quality Analyst
Technical Tools
- Jira
- Confluence
- Rally
- Azure DevOps
- Tableau
- Power BI
- Mural
- MS Project
- Clarizen PPM
- GitHub Copilot
- Visio
- MS Office
Timeline
Senior Scrum Master / Release Train Engineer
PNC
08.2024 - Current
Lead Scrum Master / Release Train Engineer
Verizon Business
01.2020 - 04.2024
Technical Project Manager / Scrum Master
Scottline Healthcare Solutions
11.2018 - 12.2019
Scrum Master/Program Manager
Insurance Administration Services & Solutions
04.2017 - 03.2018
Technical Agile Project Manager
T-Mobile Corporation
12.2011 - 11.2017
MBA - Information Technology Project Management
Osmania University