Latonzia Hackett
Product Owner
Cockeysville,MD
Summary
Driven Agile Product Owner, with strong interpersonal, critical thinking skills and an iterative mindset. Well-versed in building positive relationships with customers and other stakeholders. Strong requirements gathering, scope development and inventory coordination abilities. Skilled at overseeing complex, high-value technical projects with excellent planning competencies.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
6
6
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Agile Product Owner
The Hartford Insurance
01.2022 - Current
- Leading product execution for an agile scrum team by managing the teams backlog, gathering requirements, defining user stories, prioritizing features and managing stakeholder expectations.
- Collaborate with stakeholders, including development teams and leadership to ensure alignment with the business goals.
- Guide the agile team(s) in determining sprint goals aligned to the product vision and roadmap, linking execution activities to business intent.
- Partnering with the Scrum Master, Architects and Tech leads to ensure solutions will deliver the business vision
- Monitoring execution progress including identification and escalation of risks
Business Consultant/Implementation Operations
The Hartford Insurance Company
Baltimore, MD
01.2019 - 01.2022
- Improved processes that have positively impacted the quality and speed of work produced by the Implementation Organization
- Received my Lean Six Sigma Yellow belt certification, by engaging multiple departments in a root cause analysis to determine a more efficient and user-friendly way to process our Leave Management product
- Analyzed team needs through huddles and other means to develop a plan of support during peak time
- Created a Peak Support Office Hours MS Teams group, along with a best practice and call cadence procedure guide
- Perform user acceptance testing and best practice updates to support business organization impact items
- Primary support for the implementation organization to validate appropriate user stories and to ensure successful deployment of new business processes and system changes
- Utilizing the skills matrix, assign new business cases for implementation
- Provide feedback to management on employee training and behavior needs
- Liaison between Sales/Distribution and Implementation Operation to ensure each sale is properly documented with the supporting sold case information
- Partner with our IT team to resolve user system issues in a timely manner
- Collaborate with IT to determine the root cause and subsequent efforts to remediate the issue
- Serves as an extension of management to determine the needs of our organization through weekly huddles
- Lead huddles in the absence of management, create bulletin articles for process changes and systems updates
- Perform staffing analysis based on work complexity to help secure new hires
- Provide training and quality management support to our Leaning Center Consultants.
Client Consultant/Implementation
01.2017 - 01.2019
- Served as Co-Lead of the Implementation team to support complex implementations for business size, 50-499 lives
- Provided training and technical support to new and existing employees
- Performed Account Manager New Hire and Refresher Training Class for Prism/Promise
- Created test cases in the SQA environment to demonstrate and execute systems job function
- Created small group break-out sessions for the duration of the two-week training, with support from subject matter experts from other departments
- Host Weekly Field Report call with an average attendance of 40 employees, including leadership
- UAT tester for various multi-departmental projects
- Served as a mentor to new hires, as well as those not well versed with the system processes
- Co-lead for the SWAT team to help support complex case installations
- Partner with the quality assurance department to review trends, gaps, and other items.
Implementation Manager
01.2014 - 01.2017
- Successfully manage the end-to-end process of both new and add-issue business for employers from 50-4999 lives
- Successfully implemented cases within the turnaround time to ensure a positive customer experience
- Accurately analyzes work for potential missing information or non-standard contract language requirements
- Accurately and independently process more complex new business including case activation, booklets, and bills
- Independently communicates internally and externally with business partners
- Identify research and resolve potential account and customer problems with minimal assistance
- Actively participates in internal roundtables by providing consultation and sharing best practices with the Implementation and Sales business partners regarding case setup
- Have a good working knowledge of the organization’s products and services
- Assumes responsibility for both standard and complex cases.
Senior Regional Service Consultant
01.2007 - 01.2014
- High service performer, responsible for leading trainings, performing audits and various duties
- Serviced and successfully maintained a $4.8 million block of business with 300+ customers
- Provided excellent customer service to clients with 50 - 499 employees and served as a leader for the Southern region by being involved in high level projects and training opportunities
- Work with HR Directors/Generalists on accurate payroll deduction for their company’s group benefits
- Help resolve claims/billing and other plan related issues
- Ensure timely payment of Life and Disability claims and serves as a liaison between Hartford and the client
- Manage Request for Proposal (RFP) process, data gathering, ensure accurate tracking mechanisms are utilized and updated
- Prepare proposal and finalist presentation materials
- Ensure all information has been provided by the producer/broker and followed up with producer/broker to gather outstanding information required to generate a quote
- Local field office contact for complex service issues and renewal coordination for cases up to 500 lives together with Sales Rep, identify opportunities for Add-Issue
- Verify and validate all information regarding the sold case, including Plan Designs, Contract Comparison, Rates, Effective dates, and all information necessary for Case implementation.
Sales Administrative Coordinator
The Standard Insurance Company
01.2004 - 01.2007
- Provided sales and services report to small business customers, 2-49 lives
- Maintained renewal database, creation, and delivery of customer letters
- Apply sound, creative underwriting and business judgment in the timely analysis and evaluation of group insurance risks for Voluntary coverage and other true group coverage for groups up to 50 lives
- When sold, submit all necessary documents to the home office for contract issue and producer appointment
- Establish an effective working relationship with producers, sales reps, policyholders, other office personnel and home office personnel through professional negotiation, responsive communication, problem resolution and meeting customer expectations
- Manage and maintain the producer database, maintain critical sales activity information, and create special documents
- Provide one-on-one instruction to less experienced Sales Administrative Coordinators.
Education
HS Diploma -
DuVal High School
Lanham, MD 08.1990 - 06.1994
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Community College of Baltimore County
01.2013 - 05.2015
Skills
Best Practice Liaison
Affiliations
McKinsey Accelerator Black Leadership Program
Timeline
Agile Product Owner
The Hartford Insurance
01.2022 - Current
Business Consultant/Implementation Operations
The Hartford Insurance Company
01.2019 - 01.2022
Client Consultant/Implementation
01.2017 - 01.2019
Implementation Manager
01.2014 - 01.2017
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Community College of Baltimore County
01.2013 - 05.2015
Senior Regional Service Consultant
01.2007 - 01.2014
Sales Administrative Coordinator
The Standard Insurance Company
01.2004 - 01.2007
HS Diploma -
DuVal High School
08.1990 - 06.1994