Golub Capital

Senior Analyst

Discover Financial Services

Head of NA Card & Credit Bureau Customer Information Management System (CIMS). Enabled Data-Driven Decision Making (DDDM) through the strategic utilization of North American Credit Bureau data on 30 million people. Primary focus on this transformative journey were compliance initiatives and the reduction of risk items. 

Compliance and Risk Reduction Leadership: 📉
Positioned compliance at the forefront of product development, implementing initiatives that substantially reduced risk items by 20%. Commitment to regulatory compliance ensured the integrity and security of our data-driven solutions.

User Center of Excellence (CoE) Leadership: 🏆
Spearheaded User Center of Excellence (CoE), engaging stakeholders through user interviews, and roll out of virtual Microsoft Viva Engage (formerly Yammer) Community. Ensured that user perspectives were at the forefront of product development, resulting in a 20% increase in user satisfaction scores.

Leveraging Customer Insights and Data: 🧐
Dissected feedback, financials, compliance, and risk data to define product features & roadmap. Data-driven approach enhanced product's value proposition & contributed to a 25% improvement in data accuracy & relevance.

Definition of Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and Roadmap: 🛣
Ensured that our product development efforts were aligned with the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) of the greater product vision.

Backlog Clarity, Impact Mapping, Personas, Lean Canvas, Story Mapping: 🛗
Maintained clarity of the backlog by employing advanced techniques such as Impact Mapping, Personas, Lean Canvas, and Story Mapping. Streamlined development processes, resulting in a 30% reduction in backlog-related bottlenecks. Refine & prioritize product backlog with proven methods including Cumulative Voting, MoSCoW Prioritization, Risk-Based Assessment, Fibonacci Sequence, T-Shirt sizing, Planning Poker, Relative Estimating, Benchmarking, Value vs Complexity, Buy a Feature

Principal, Product Owner

Built high-performing teams within Data & Analytics division that drove the transformational power of data-driven decision-making (DDDM) based on consumer insights. Used Agile methodologies, CI/CD tools, & automation leading to enhanced team efficiency & optimized data ecosystem. Built culture of accountability by empowering product team to make decisions as close to the work as possible using CALMR approach to DevOps.  Key achievements include:

Cross-functional Program Increment (PI) Planning: 📆
Active participation in Cross-functional Program Increment (PI) Planning sessions, collaborating with diverse teams to align goals and ensure strategic objectives were met with precision. ROAM risk mitigation planning, capacity planning, Iteration Planning, Objective Creation.

Agile Team Leadership: 🧗‍♂️
Championed 4 Agile squads, fostering collaboration and innovation within the Decisioning, Data & Analytics division. Squads were strategically aligned: 2 focused on Data Warehousing and ETL Scheduling, and 2 dedicated to Business Intelligence Tools.

Data Ecosystem Optimization: ♻️
Spearheaded the adoption of industry-leading CI/CD & automation tools, including Chef and Jenkins, to streamline our data ecosystem. Ensured the seamless integration of Apache Airflow for orchestrating complex workflows, enhancing the end-to-end data pipeline.

Platform Upgrades, Migrations, & Retirement: 🚀
Led the successful upgrade of SAS grid, optimizing its performance and scalability. Oversaw migration of Tableau to AWS, achieving enhanced scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency. Orchestrated the migration IBM Workload Scheduler to ControlM solutions, resulting in improved automation, scheduling accuracy, and resource utilization.

Executive Status Updates and Risk Management: 👀
Presented transparent insights into progress and potential risks. Mitigated risks proactively, resulting in a 10% reduction in project-related issues and setbacks. Establish KPIs and OKRs.

Lead, Scrum Master

Participated in a successful data migration strategy of 5 million student loan accounts for Discover Student Loans. My dynamic leadership and strategic approach delivered outstanding results, with a key emphasis on collaboration, compliance, and user experience. Here are some key highlights:

Discover Student Loans Migration: 💰
Orchestrated an iterative release strategy, coordinating seamlessly with multiple stakeholders. Achieved a 15% increase in project efficiency by implementing Agile methodologies, ensuring flexibility and adaptability throughout the migration process.

SOX Compliance and Implementation Planning: 🏛️
Participated in a heavy focus on SOX compliance, implementing rigorous controls to ensure the security and integrity of the migration process. 

Waterfall Project Management Expertise: ⛲️
Leveraged familiarity with waterfall project management methodologies to bring structure and predictability to the initiative. Successfully integrated waterfall principles into the Agile framework, ensuring a flexible and efficient project management approach while adapting to rapid changes.

Impediments, Roadblocks, & Dependencies
Manage dependencies with other team's functions while identifying, building, and managing strategic partnerships across different product teams to collaborate to resolve blockers, and communicate impediments to leadership.

Seamless Stakeholder Collaboration: 🫂
Worked seamlessly with stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition for student loan account holders. Collaborated with UX/UI teams to enhance the website experience, resulting in a 20% increase in user satisfaction.

Sr Associate, Scrum Master/Agile Project Manager

Played a pivotal role in enhancing operational efficiency and delivering customer-centric solutions within the core banking production support team while supporting the successful launch of the Original Discover Cashback Checking. From planning to execution, I contributed to a seamless process, enhancing the overall customer experience, and further establishing Discover as a leader in innovative financial solutions. Drove adoption of Generative AI for customer and CSR interstice chatbots. Here are some key highlights:

Kanban Methodology Implementation: ⏳
Successfully implemented Kanban, emphasizing Work in Progress (WIP) limits. Expedited ticket resolution times resulting in $1.7 million cost savings, showcasing commitment to efficiency & resource optimization.

Customer-Centric Focus: 🛒
Ensured the financial protection of customers and contributed to an environment where satisfaction and well-being were prioritized. Implemented use of feature toggles to reduce cost of A/B testing by 18%. 

Agile Metrics and Data Reporting Expertise: 📊
Championed transparency & accountability by establishing robust reporting mechanisms for DORA metrics. Designed real-time Tableau performance dashboards, burn-down charts, & data visualizations. These reports not only provided actionable insights & facilitated informed decision-making by telling compelling stories through data. Fostered a culture of CI/CD and empowered teams to adapt dynamically to evolving project needs.

Associate, Scrum Master/Business Analyst

Co-Lead a Scaled Scrum Adoption within the Consumer Banking Agile Release Train, I've orchestrated transformative initiatives that seamlessly blend agility, innovation, and operational excellence. Lead 60 squads through agile transformation. Here are some quantifiable accomplishments that underscore my impact:

Scaled Scrum Adoption Leadership: 🪜
Delivered an impressive 20% improvement in delivery times through the successful implementation of Scaled Scrum, revolutionizing collaboration and value delivery.

Dynamic Agile Presentations: 🎥
Elevated team satisfaction scores by 15% through engaging presentations on Scrum and Agile principles, fostering a deeper understanding and commitment across teams.

Agile Ceremonies Mastery:🥷🏻
Boosted team velocity by 10% through the facilitation of key Agile ceremonies, including Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Sprint Reviews, and Retrospectives, Inspect & Adapt.

Microsoft365 Collaboration Tool Implementation:👥
Achieved a remarkable 30% reduction in task completion times by leading the implementation of Microsoft365 collaboration tools, driving Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) practices.

Vendor Contract Compliance Assurance:🔏
Elevated contract compliance rates to an impressive 95%, mitigating risks and ensuring alignment with data-sharing agreements, system standards, and SOX compliance.

Intern, Scrum Master

Seasoned agile coach with dedicated experience in delivering exceptional value and leading high-performing teams to excellence. I am a catalyst for Agile transformations, a champion of collaborative teamwork, and a relentless advocate for customer-centricity. My passion lies in nurturing a culture of continuous improvement and delivering measurable results that exceed expectations.

My unique blend of expertise includes:

📶Guiding cross-functional teams to unlock their full potential and maximize efficiency.
⚛️Implementing Agile methodologies and Scrum best practices to drive innovation and adaptability.
🚧Removing obstacles and fostering a culture of open communication to ensure seamless project delivery.
🏅Advocating for Agile principles that lead to higher product quality and customer satisfaction.
🧠Cultivating a growth mindset in individuals and teams, enabling them to thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape.

As an agile coach, my mission is clear: to empower organizations to embrace Agile values, foster high-performing teams, and consistently deliver value. Let's connect and collaborate on transforming your projects and teams for unparalleled success in the world of Agile.

Taplio

Michael Di Giorgio CSM®, CSPO®, SASM®'s Linkedin Analytics

Michael Di Giorgio CSM®, CSPO®, SASM®

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