I am an Agile Technical Program Manager who is passionate about helping companies and development teams ship their very best work. I lead projects from initiation and ideation to delivery and beyond, with direct responsibility for the day-to-day management of process and workflow. I have facilitated and orchestrated multi-team programs and worked in varied industries such as Media Operations and Human Resource Management Systems. I possess over a decade of experience and I am a subject matter expert in Agile methodologies.
Outcome Over Output
That is what I believe in and I would love to work with you.
There is a way to do it better… and I can help you find it.
Agile is designed to unearth people, process, and product improvements through a rigorous focus on continual improvement and questioning everything.
Areas of Expertise
Agile Program and Project Management
Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
Scrum
Kanban
Atlassian Suite Tools - JIRA and Confluence
Highlighted Projects
Digital Commerce for a major Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
Integration of an ATS with a well-known professional networking site.
Migration of bare metal to hybrid infrastructure of a SaaS company’s application and database servers.
Creation of a graphics repository for a leading Media company.
What People Are Saying
“Having had the pleasure of working and being mentored by Marcel, I can say he is a forward thinking, creative, and intelligent project and program manager. A trusted consultant at all levels of the organization, simply stated, Marcel will get it done. I would jump at the chance to work with him again in future.”
— Matt M., Program Manager
“Whether it’s managing complex, multi -team programs or coaching Engineering teams on agile practices, Marcel uses his expertise and passion to drive outcomes. No matter how critical the project, Marcel keeps the team focused on goals, while keeping his stakeholders informed at all times. When it comes to Agile coaching, he uses methods and examples from the wide variety of techniques he’s mastered. Marcel always gives the team what they need to buy in and be successful in becoming agile.”
— Dave C., Director of Release Management
“When I first became a scrum master I had a high powered team with strong personalities. Coaching them into following agile principles was a strong challenge and Marcel was extremely helpful in determining the right approach. We were successful in making the team more agile-disciplined and we came out of the learning process an even stronger team.”
— Colin G., Scrum Master
“I have firsthand experience being on an agile team that Marcel has coached. He is excellent at teaching high-level agile principles while balancing practical advice to aid a specific team in what they need to continuously improve. He would be an asset to any company undergoing agile transformation or trying to improve their agile practices.”
— Kathy Z., Product Manager
Program and Project Management Philosophy
I have mentored other project managers in the past and my first bit of advice would be to always do the right thing. Your integrity will outlive any project you work on.
The next tip I would provide is to learn how to effectively build relationships. Getting to know your stakeholders, sponsors, and teams will go a long way in increasing the probability of a successful outcome.
I strongly believe in “Shedding Sunlight”. Build transparency and communication among all involved in your projects.
These are just a few ideas I have learned and incorporated over the years to help facilitate amazing outcomes.
Speaking Engagements
Halloween Hackathon 2018
I had the privilege to provide an introduction to Agile to a room full of people of varying ages. I covered the advantages of iterative product development and leveraged real-life examples from modern video games like Fortnite and Overwatch.
Camp IT 2018 IT PMO / Portfolio Management
I spoke to Program and Project Management Professionals on how I helped tackle the challenges of scaling faced by a fast-growing company and the need for a master schedule. I provided a framework along with tooling recommendations.
Selected Certifications
Issued February 2017
PMI-ACP
Earners of the globally-recognized PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) have demonstrated their knowledge and skills in agile practices, tools and techniques that are applicable across virtually any industry and methodology. Earners have demonstrated their knowledge and experience with agile principles and mindset, value-driven delivery, stakeholder engagement, team performance, adaptive planning, problem detection and resolution, and continuous improvement.
Issued April 2013
PMP
Earners of the globally-recognized Project Management Professional (PMP) have demonstrated their extensive knowledge and mastery of project management concepts, tasks, and techniques that are applicable across virtually any industry and methodology. Earners are able to speak and understand the global language of project management. Individuals that earn this certification have demonstrated the knowledge and skills needed to initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, and close a project.
Issued March 2019
SPC
A Certified SAFe 4 Program Consultant (SPC) is a SAFe implementation professional responsible for training leaders, change agents, consultants, and team members to drive a Lean-Agile transformation at enterprise scale. Key areas of competency include designing a SAFe implementation, launching and facilitating an Agile Release Train (ART), and extending the Lean-Agile portfolio by launching additional ARTs.