Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Timeline
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Sonja Cross

Plano,TX

Summary

I am a Highly skilled Certified Scrum Master and Agile Coach with 8 years of demonstrated expertise, known for consistently driving revenue growth and implementing cost-saving strategies. Adept at addressing complex business challenges, I excel as a bridge between clients, developers, and diverse cross-cultural teams. My approach centers on harnessing individuals' inherent strengths, motivations, and unique qualities to empower them to attain achievable objectives, fostering a culture of excellence and collective achievement.

Overview

8
8
years of professional experience
2
2
Certification

Work History

Sr Scrum Master

USAA
06.2021 - 12.2022
  • Implemented Agile best practices for project optimization in Insurance, Treasury, and Compliance departments
  • Proactively resolved impediments, including cultural and logistical challenges
  • Proficiently managed Scrum activities, such as sprint planning, backlog refinement, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives
  • Collaborated with product owners, team members, technologists, and Scrum Masters to drive project progress
  • Oversaw multiple Scrum teams, both internal and offshore, ensuring seamless execution
  • Optimized team workloads through evaluation and task distribution
  • Consistently met project deadlines while maintaining high-quality standards
  • Proposed system enhancements for improved performance and reliability
  • Developed plans and allocated resources to achieve project objectives
  • Led Agile project teams, adhering to SDLC methodologies and promoting team cohesion
  • Established partnerships with Project Managers, Release Train Engineers (RTEs), Delivery Managers, and Data Protection Officers (DPOs) for alignment and recognition of outstanding performance
  • Skillfully resolved conflicts and negotiated agreements
  • Collaborated with management to achieve a 70% increase in employee retention

Sr Scrum Master

Ascend Management Group
07.2020 - 06.2021
  • Achieved a 35% reduction in costs through strategic vendor negotiations aligned with client budgetary constraints
  • Actively collaborated with project team members to swiftly identify and address issues and obstacles
  • Orchestrated and coordinated meetings with external entities and individuals, enabling productive discussions on project progress and facilitating live product demonstrations
  • Maintained effective communication with a team of 16 members to ensure project adherence to timelines
  • Pioneered innovative and automated methods for routine tasks, garnering widespread acceptance for suggested improvements
  • Spearheaded the planning of Agile best practices and fostered team unity, surmounting impediments and enhancing productivity
  • Led the facilitation of Scrum framework activities, including sprint planning, backlog refinement, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives
  • Presented clients with top-tier developers capable of delivering high-quality products within accelerated timelines, resulting in time and cost savings
  • Kept team members and clients updated on ongoing projects through the utilization of Jira.

Scrum Master

Bank Of America
10.2016 - 05.2020
  • Drove Scrum team progress to overcome obstacles and realize success throughout the life of each sprint
  • Managed team of 4 with 28 members
  • Coached teams in Agile practices and provided necessary training to create a positive mindset to Agile methodologies
  • Planned Agile best practices and encouraged team cohesion, overcoming impediments and hurdles to productivity
  • Facilitated Scrum framework – sprint planning, backlog grooming, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews and sprint retrospectives
  • Managed product backlog and supported Scrum framework for monthly sprint releases
  • Managed minimum of 6 projects each year while maintaining adherence to budget, schedule and scope requirements
  • Monitored and tracked project progress and performance against project plans reporting status to stakeholders through structured communication
  • Worked with cross-functional teams to raise ROI by 25% in 1.5 years increasing revenue by 1.2M per year

Sr Scrum Master

General Motors
08.2015 - 09.2016
  • Identified innovative and automated approaches to routine tasks, making suggestions that were widely received
  • Analyzed projects to determine resource requirements and procured necessary equipment and software
  • Investigated and corrected or escalated project problems
  • Gathered requirements, defined scopes, allocated resources and established schedules meeting or exceeding project demands
  • Collaborated with product owners, team members, technologists and other scrum masters to define solutions and drive progress
  • Facilitated Scrum framework – sprint planning, backlog grooming, daily scrums, sprint reviews and sprint retrospectives
  • Wrote user stories based on business requirements from product owner
  • Helped switched company environment from Waterfall to Agile
  • Gather and updated project material in JIRA

Education

Master of Business Administration -

MBA International Institute
Dallas, TX
02.2023

Skills

  • CORE EXPERTISE:
  • Project Management
  • Risk identification, Remove Impediments
  • Development team trainings
  • Automation Testing
  • Documentation Management
  • Microsoft office products
  • Written Communication
  • Analytical skills
  • Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
  • Agile (SCRUM)
  • Six Sigma (Lean) methodologies
  • Waterfall, Agile methodology
  • Web development technologies
  • Customer interaction
  • Excellent interactive skills
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Time Management
  • Clarity, Rally Jira, Java, SQL, Grasshopper
  • Software Development Life Cycle

Certification

CSM certified- ScrumMaster.org - 2015-Present

SAFe Agile 5.0- scaledagile.com - 2018-Present

Timeline

Sr Scrum Master

USAA
06.2021 - 12.2022

Sr Scrum Master

Ascend Management Group
07.2020 - 06.2021

Scrum Master

Bank Of America
10.2016 - 05.2020

Sr Scrum Master

General Motors
08.2015 - 09.2016

Master of Business Administration -

MBA International Institute

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Sonja Cross