Shamara C. Morgan

Transformational Leadership and Management:

• Transformed the Business Requirements Management Team into a high-performing unit of 17 members, accelerating quote production and recovering $5.4M within 4 months.
• Foster growth, stability, and goal achievement through personalized coaching, training, and impactful communication ensuring smooth project operations and customer satisfaction.
• Conduct regular one-on-one sessions and team sync-ups to equip team members with the knowledge, confidence, and efficiency required for outstanding performance.
• Cultivate an environment of positivity and collaboration, empowering the team with confidence-building exercises and weekly mindset and organizational skills training.

Continuous Improvement and Talent Development/Training:

• Developed an immersive training program that expedited onboarding, enabling new hires to reach full productivity within 30-60 days

Cross-Functional and Stakeholder Collaboration:

• Forge strong partnerships with account PMO leads, engineering teams, and customers, driving collaborative process improvements in project scoping, quoting, automation.
• Cultivate a culture of safety, trust, and inclusivity among the BRM, PMO, and engineering teams, ensuring that every individual is heard, seen, and valued.
• Resolve conflicts through effective escalation management.

Process Definition and Documentation

• Work closely with teams to define and document detailed processes, ensuring clarity and consistency.
• Incorporate business requirements from all impacted teams, considering their perspectives and needs.
• Drive the standardization of processes and establish clear guidelines and workflows.

Key Achievements:

• Recognition and Awards: Earned 9 Connected Recognitions, demonstrating excellence and recognition for exceptional contributions.
• Team Building and Leadership: Successfully grew the BRM team from 8 resources to 17, showcasing effective team-building and leadership skills.
• Process Optimization and Funding Success: Streamlined the quoting process, significantly reducing turnaround time and securing over $77.6M in funding through Project Change Requests and Scoping quotes. Displayed strategic thinking and financial acumen in achieving funding success.

Key Achievements:

• Leadership and Performance Management: Directed, mentored, and guided Cisco Release and Deployment Managers, ensuring on-time, on-budget deliverables, and surpassing team metrics. Demonstrated exceptional leadership skills in driving team success.
• Strategic Project Management: Expertly captured and documented customer requirements, project scope, and costs/budget, collaborating with stakeholders and engineering teams. Demonstrated strong project management capabilities to ensure successful project outcomes.
• Project Ownership and Execution: Assumed end-to-end ownership of projects, leading the scoping phase and seamlessly transitioning to Release and Deployment Managers for execution. Displayed a proactive approach to project management and accountability for project success.
• Customer Relationship Management: Presented and negotiated Cisco project quotes with customers, consistently securing approvals, and fostering positive relationships. Exhibited strong communication and negotiation skills in building trust with customers.
• Adaptability and Career Progression: Skillfully handled scope changes through accurate scoping and timely submission of Project Change Requests. Recognized for professional growth and promoted to Lead Business Requirements Manager in less than a year, showcasing adaptability and leadership potential.

Key Achievements:

• Project Management Excellence:: Successfully managed concurrent, high-visibility projects ranging in size and revenue, totaling over $10M, from initiation to completion.
• Exceptional ability to orchestrate complex projects, earning personal requests from multiple Executive Line of Business Customers.
• Mentorship and Relationship Building: Mentored and coached project managers, imparting methodology expertise and fostering strong relationships. Recognized for cultivating talent and driving professional growth within project teams.
• Stakeholder Collaboration and Seamless Execution: Collaborated with diverse stakeholders to define project timelines, costs, and resource procurement, ensuring seamless execution. Skillfully navigated and aligned the interests of various stakeholders for successful project outcomes.
• Process Improvement and Cost Optimization: Made valuable contributions to PMO efforts in process improvement and cost optimization. Actively sought and participated in enhancing project management practices to drive efficiency, optimize project costs, and deliver exceptional results.

Key Accomplishments

• Streamlined Project Operations: Supported day-to-day operations of project delivery by integrating and aligning projects across functions, emphasizing business processes and support functions. Ensured seamless coordination and efficiency throughout project execution.
• Strategic Project Planning: Created comprehensive project delivery schedules encompassing financial, resource, and material requirements. Implemented meticulous planning to optimize project timelines and resource utilization.
• Project Lifecycle Facilitation: Guided projects and releases through Cisco's project life cycle processes as the Project Lifecycle Subject Matter Expert (SME). Ensured adherence to best practices, stakeholder involvement, and thorough review of project deliverables.
• Effective Communication and Reporting: Implemented effective project communication strategies to facilitate clear and timely information sharing. Prepared project dashboards, status reports, and internal/external communications to provide stakeholders with relevant project updates.
• Positive Work Environment and Metrics Compliance: Promoted a positive work environment, recognizing team contributions and fostering a culture of collaboration. Conducted routine internal audits to ensure metrics compliance, driving continuous improvement and accountability.