Overview

I’m an experienced Scrum Master and Agile Coach, facilitating and supporting the Delivery Team, Product Owner and stakeholders, working with multiple Scrum teams in multiple locations, with a proven track record of delivering software and web development projects. I am committed to that role, continually learning, to improve. As an Agile champion, I use every teachable moment and workshops to coach the understanding of Agile, and how to apply that to bring about improvements. My background with technical and analytical IT experience, and project management, equip me in removing impediments, and helping keep stakeholders’ goals in mind.

When Role Company Location
2021-now Scrum Master Isentia Sydney, Australia
2020-2021 Product Owner / Scrum Master (secondment) Isentia Sydney, Australia
2018-2020 Agile Coach Isentia Sydney, Australia
2015-2018 Scrum Master Isentia Sydney, Australia
2013-2015 Business Analyst Isentia Sydney, Australia
2006-2012 IT Manager CCLI Sydney, Australia
2004-2006 Senior Systems Analyst CCLI Sydney, Australia
2001-2004 Systems Analyst CCLI Portland, Oregon, USA
1996-2001 Manager of Web Services CCLI Portland, Oregon, USA
1992-1996 Managing Director CCLI Sydney, Australia
1991-1992 Associate Programmer Analyst IBM Australia Sydney, Australia

First, the most recent roles

Scrum Master

June, 2021 – now – Isentia, Sydney, Australia

I’m now back to being a Scrum Master, gently working to improve processes and workflows.

Doing all the usual things a Scrum Master does. It will take some time to get the scrum / agile processes back on track, helping make gentle changes with the teams.

Product Owner / Scrum Master (secondment)

February, 2020 – June, 2021 – Isentia, Sydney, Australia

On the departure of the Product Owner for mobile apps, I was asked to fill in for that role, because I was already closely involved with that team. With COVID-19 and the need to keep things status quo that has continued, and I am still working as Product Owner. It really has been a hybrid Scrum Master / Product Owner role.

In the past year I’ve been doing all the things typical for a Product Owner / Product Manager: planning the features and functions to be added / upgraded in the mobile apps (iOS & Android), prioritizing the backlog, working with the other teams in the company for marketing and promotion of the apps, working with the design and UX teams in planning the product, and keeping the sales teams up-to-date with development and how the apps work.

The mobile apps team is distributed, with contractor developers in the Philippines and India, and others in the Sydney Isentia office. The Scrum Master elements of the work has meant facilitating the Scrum ceremonies and working with the team to improve processes and communication. The biggest aspect of the Scrum Master role has been to grow the quite new team and bring the team closer together, particularly with all meetings carried out over Google Meet, and everyone distributed. Over the year the team has grown to collaborate well, with a sense of humour and humanity.

Agile Coach

June, 2018 – February, 2020 – Isentia, Sydney, Australia
Isentia moved to structuring teams using the Spotify-type model, with delivery teams (streams) having one of the team be a lead, and carry out the Scrum Master role. When that happened my role was converted from being a Scrum Master to an Agile Coach, for all of the Australian-based teams. The key focus was to:

  • Help the team leads learn what they need to do as Scrum Master
  • Coach the teams and wider organization on Agile, and the various frameworks used (primarily Scrum)

That meant being involved with each of the teams, to support and encourage, looking for teachable moments to help improve their understanding of Agile and implementation of that, continuously improving.

I was also Scrum Master for two high-profile projects.

This outlines the activities of Agile Coach at Isentia:

Scrum Master

2015 – 2018 – Isentia, Sydney, Australia
Scrum Master with the Information Technology Team, Isentia, the leading media intelligence company in the Asia-Pacific region. Some of Isentia’s brands include Mediaportal, Newsboost, Slice, Brandtology, BuzzNumbers, Mediabanc, and previously, Media Monitors and 360m.

Facilitates all aspects of the Agile software delivery, using Scrum / Kanban:

  • Supports the Product Owners and delivery teams as part of the Scrum process. Facilitates all aspects of the team’s planning, prioritization and work processes, including scrum meetings (planning, showcase, retrospective, review, and stand-ups), all using a servant leadership style. Assists the Product Owner with backlog grooming, and splitting user stories. Guides all to get the best out of self-organization and collaboration, encouraging conversation, in a safe environment.
  • Key in Isentia’s introduction of Agile methodology, running sessions on how Agile and Scrum works, for people across the organization, followed up with ongoing coaching. Awarded for this work facilitating organizational change.
  • Uses measurements such as burndown reports, velocity tracking, and assists in planning out work across the project, including release planning, to assist the team to ensure that goals are met.
  • Structures the work using Scrum or Kanban methodology, depending on what’s best.
  • Runs workshops to assist the Product Owner and stakeholders determine their priorities.
  • Facilitates multiple concurrent projects with delivery teams and stakeholders around the Asia-Pacific region.
  • Projects include migrating flagship website from on-premise servers to the Cloud (AWS), redeveloping that web site with new technology, including enabling it to work on all device sizes (phone, tablet and desktop browsers), developing mobile apps (iOS and Android) to display media items, upgrading the WAN across the company, rolling out a new UCC phone system, adding machine learning / AI to systems used in-house to improve operational efficiencies and reduce numbers of staff needed to do that work.
  • Administer Jira / Confluence, adapting workflows and details to suit Isentia’s project operation, and introduced the use of Slack.
  • While in this role have continued to learn about Agile and Scrum, with milestones being becoming a Certified Scrum Product Owner, and then, with more study and experience, a Certified Scrum Professional – both Product Owner and Scrum Master.

Projects have included:

  • Migrating the company’s flagship web-based service from on-premise servers to the Cloud (AWS).
  • Enhancing that web site for South-East Asia clients.
  • Redeveloping that web site with new technology, to pave the way for the addition of new features in future, and get the site to be responsive, to work on all device sizes (phone, tablet and desktop browsers).
  • Development of mobile applications (iOS and Android) to access media items.
  • Adding significant new features to that flagship web site, incorporating advanced technology.
  • Upgrading the WAN across the company, around Australia, New Zealand and Asia, including China.
  • Rolling out Unified Communications across the company, upgrading the phone network and providing more tools for collaboration.

Business Analyst

2013 – 2015 – Isentia, Sydney, Australia
Business Analyst with the Product Development and Information Technology Teams, Isentia, the leading media intelligence company in the Asia-Pacific region. Some of Isentia’s brands include Mediaportal, Newsboost, Slice, Brandtology, BuzzNumbers, Mediabanc, and previously, Media Monitors and 360m.

As Business Analyst I worked with key stakeholders and the project team to assess, quantify, document, define, design and deliver business improvement opportunities or technical products. That included the development and documentation of the business requirements, and user, functional and non-functional requirements. I then followed that through to completion, in performing testing, to ensure the product is developed as required.

In these activities, I was an agent of change, helping the organization move through unchartered territory, to get to its desired destination.

In this role I was also Scrum Master, including training many on Scrum / Agile methodology, as part of Isentia’s progression to Agile development.

The primary product I’ve helped develop is Mediaportal, an integrated tool which enables the monitoring and analysis of media, and provides a way to connect with media organizations.

Isentia provides over 6,000 clients with information, analysis 24/7/365. Isentia has more than 1,400 employees across 15 countries filtering information from over 10,000 print, radio and television media outlets and over 250 million online conversations per month.

Information Technology (IT) Manager

2006-2012 – CCLI Pty. Ltd., Sydney, Australia
Developed MS CRM to suit CCLI’s business needs, migrating from the Pivotal eRelationship CRM. That included business analysis, gathering requirements, documenting business rules, planning how the new CRM would work, planning the migration of data between CRMs, and documenting all of that for the developers. Managed the IT resources for the Asia-Pacific region, including the planning and implementation of servers, networks and desktop PCs, within the global corporate framework, including carrying out the work of a network administrator and database administrator. Migrated servers from hardware to a virtual environment.

Earlier Roles

Senior Systems Analyst

2004-2006 – CCLI Pty. Ltd., Sydney, Australia
Lead projects to develop the Customer Relationship System used in three regional offices, worked as a member of the company’s Global Information Technology Management Team with other Team members in the US and the UK, provided technical support for the US, Australia and South Africa offices. Trained people on how to use the new features of the CRM, including remotely online.

Systems Analyst

2001-2004 – CCLI Inc., Portland, Oregon, USA
Designed, developed and administered systems used in the company’s US, Australia and South Africa offices, provided technical support, and implemented the CRMs. Trained users on site in each of those places.

Manager of Web Services

1996-2001 – CCLI, Portland, Oregon, USA
Developed the company’s web site from being a small US-only site, to being a global site, serving the customers worldwide.

Managing Director

1992-1996 – CCLI Pty. Ltd., Sydney, Australia
Developed, and managed the operation of CCLI (a music copyright licensing organization) in Australia and New Zealand. That included the hiring of staff and training them in each of their roles.

Associate Programmer Analyst

1991-1992 – IBM Australia, Sydney, Australia
Managed projects, provided technical support.

 

Questions? Want to have a chat? Please contact me.