Michael H.-Interim Manager / Project Manager / Agile Coach

• Agile Transformation – introducing agile principles and transforming traditional IT departments into Scrum and Kanban teams

• IT Operating Model – redesigning the IT organization and introducing modern delivery structures and roles

• Flight Levels – implementing Flight Levels to align strategy, coordination and operational execution

• Leadership & Coaching – recruiting Agile Coaches and coaching Scrum Masters and IT leaders

• ERP Operations – acting as Interim Product Owner for the existing ERP landscape and ensuring business continuity

• ERP Transformation – supporting the migration from Microsoft Dynamics NAV to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central as a Project Manager

• Operational Core (ERP) – establishing dedicated teams for ERP Support, Feature Development, and ERP Migration

• Modern Workplace – initiating the transition towards a Microsoft 365-based cloud workplace environment

• ConnectHub – establishing a dedicated team to drive integration and connectivity initiatives

• Warehouse Operations – building a cross-functional team to support logistics and warehouse-related capabilities

• Maintenance & Operations (M&O) – introducing a dedicated team focused on stable operations and continuous improvement

• AI Initiatives – identifying and promoting practical Artificial Intelligence use cases across the IT department

• As Interim Chief Digital Officer (CDO) for a leading industrial supplier with a strong e-commerce focus (often described as 'the Amazon for industrial goods') responsible for leading the digital and organizational transformation while reporting directly to executive leadership.

• Introduced agile principles and ways of working across the organization and transformed the traditionally structured IT department into cross-functional Scrum and Kanban teams focused on transparency, collaboration, and customer value delivery.

• Redesigned the entire IT organization by establishing a modern operating model, introducing new roles such as Product Owner, Scrum Master and Solution Architect and strengthening the organization through strategic hiring and targeted capability development.

• Recruited and onboarded Agile Coaches to accelerate the transformation and personally managed and coached Scrum Masters as well as IT department leaders to foster servant leadership, self-management and a culture of continuous improvement.

• Implemented Flight Levels practices based on Klaus Leopold to align strategic objectives, cross-functional coordination and operational execution across the organization.

• Introduced a ticketing system to increase transparency and enable data-driven decision-making, flow-based work management, and greater accountability at all levels.

• Established and supported multiple cross-functional teams, including the Operational Core (ERP) domain with dedicated streams for Support, Feature Development and ERP Migration, as well as teams responsible for Warehouse Operations, Maintenance & Operations (M&O), Modern Workspace and ConnectHub.

• Acted as Interim Product Owner for the operation and enhancement of the existing ERP landscape while supporting the migration from Microsoft Dynamics NAV to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central as a Project Manager.

• Collaborated with the selected implementation partner to design and establish the project organization and target operating model for the ERP transformation, introducing agile delivery structures and ways of working.

• Facilitated the alignment between business, IT and the external vendor and played a key role in negotiating the contractual framework and delivery model to ensure a sustainable foundation for the transformation program.

• Initiated the strategic modernization of the workplace environment through the adoption of Microsoft 365 cloud capabilities, establishing the foundation for enhanced collaboration, scalability and future digital services.

• Launched AI initiatives to identify practical business use cases and promote the responsible adoption of Artificial Intelligence across the IT department.

• Encouraged self-management and empowered teams to take ownership of decisions, delivery and continuous improvement.

Project language: German

• Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) Training

• Provided comprehensive instruction on the theoretical foundations of Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) and assisted consultants in practical application within project contexts.

• Addressed specific questions to elucidate both the theory and practice of LPM, enhancing consultants' understanding.

• Facilitated dialogues to integrate LPM into existing demand management approaches using case studies.

• Strengthened methodological skills with a focus on applying LPM in daily project activities.

• Promoted effective discussion skills through moderated Q&A sessions.

• Successfully equipped participants with essential knowledge of Lean Portfolio Management (LPM), enabling them to apply LPM principles effectively as consultants.

• Facilitated practical understanding through direct engagement with specific questions and case studies, enhancing their readiness to integrate LPM into existing demand management processes of Audi.

• Text-to-Speech – AI-based Project: Development of an AEM component to convert text into speech using Microsoft Azure, pioneering Munich RE's first AI-based voice implementation for improved accessibility and user engagement.

• Re-Connect: Managed a brownfield project to refactor and optimize messy AEM code, enhancing maintainability and performance, and ensuring compatibility with Azure DevOps pipelines.

• Cloud Migration of AEM: Led the migration of AEM systems to a cloud environment, utilizing Azure DevOps for tracking and pipeline automation.

• Broker Portal: Migration of an assurance broker portal to AEM.

• Managed budgets, timelines, and resources across key AEM projects, ensuring alignment with client goals and delivering on schedule, which secured additional business with Munich RE.

• Led risk assessments and stakeholder coordination to keep all project phases transparent and aligned with enterprise priorities.

• Oversaw agile processes and optimizing team performance.

• Delivered critical AEM migrations and enhancements with meticulous quality assurance, balancing technical requirements with client expectations to ensure smooth transitions and scalable results.

Project language: German / English

• Workshop preparation and facilitation for the BMW digital team to plan the Matko Cockpit product delivery for the second half of the year.

• Team building and preparation of the Matko Cockpit product delivery roadmap.

• Stakeholder alignment and workshop design.

• Managing the workshop agenda, identifying focus topics, and topic prioritization.

• Review of team sentiment and capturing impressions.

• Identification, summary, and documentation of action items.

• Methodologies used: Ice Breaker, Brain Storming, Story Points, Magic Estimation, Hypothesis Statement, Problem Statement, Dot Voting, and Parking Lot.

• Workshop preparation and facilitation for the BMW digital team to develop an aligned Matko Cockpit product vision.

• Team building and developing a north star vision for product delivery.

• Stakeholder alignment and workshop design.

• Managing the workshop agenda and conducting product vision discussions.

• Development of vision and mission statements.

• Identification, summary, and documentation of action items.

• Methodologies used: Ice Breaker, Storytelling, Product Vision Canvas, Lean Coffee, Dot Voting, and Parking Lot.

• Workshop preparation and facilitation for the BMW digital team to reflect on 1.5 years of Matko Cockpit project delivery.

• Team building and gathering insights to optimize project delivery.

• Identification of upcoming activities for 2022.

• Facilitating team retrospectives involving various stakeholders and management levels.

• Identification, summary, and documentation of action items.

• Methodologies used: Ice Breaker, Serious Gaming, Starfish Retrospective, Canvas, Impulse Lecture, Dot Voting, and Parking Lot.

• Project management and agile coaching for the development of a new eCommerce channel to sell cars online and conduct live consulting sessions for Kia Europe.

• Building a high-performance delivery team and ensuring delivery and interface integration (e.g., SAP) on time.

• Requirement gathering and project roll-out across Europe.

• Supporting the team through an agile transition and teaching best practices for Jira and Confluence.

• Management of risk assessment, quality assurance, product backlog refinement, and sprint planning.

• Technologies and skills: AEM (Adobe Experience Manager), SAP, Jenkins, SonarQube, GitHub, DevOps, SOA, Scrum, Kanban, Miro, and Slack.

• Successful participation in a tender to setup a new eCommerce shop for Continental AG based on Magento Commerce Cloud.

• Project, resource, and cost planning and supporting contract preparation.

• Management of project estimation and risk assessment.

• Technologies and skills: Magento, Adobe Commerce Cloud, Scrum.

• Product Owner and Agile Coach for the PEAR (Platform Enhancement and Architectural Refresh) program, covering the upgrade from AEM v6.0 to v6.4.

• Technical product ownership for the Kia Car Configurator (KCC) and management of the WLTP project for real-driving fuel consumption and CO2 emissions implementation.

• Coordinating requirements gathering, analysis, development review, testing, and quality assurance for European platform functionalities.

• Product backlog management, optimizing program ROI, and conducting regular sprint reviews, retrospectives, and planning meetings.

• Organizing the PEAR Project Management Office (PMO) and coaching Scrum methodology.

• Coordinating the roll-out of the PEAR program across all European markets.

• Implementation of a new delivery approach to minimize risk and increase reliability.

• Improved collaboration processes in distributed Scrum environments across Kia and service providers.

• Web platform support and management of daily operations for Kia corporate websites across 20 European markets.

• Design and successful implementation of a Maintenance and Operation (M&O) governance model based on ITIL (ITSM).

• Incident management, request fulfillment, access management, and technical management.

• Implementation of improved Jira issue types, workflows, and KPI dashboards to improve ticket resolution times.

• Relaunch of the Information & Service section of lh.com and coordination of IT-related marketing for mobile applications (iOS, Android, Windows Phone).

• Representative of the marketing department in the Lufthansa IT steering committee.

• Implementation of agile product development based on Scrum and management of cross-functional teams.

• Initiating a new content strategy for controlled broadcasting of user-relevant content across all channels.

• Management of the EASSY (Call Avoidance) project to reduce technical limitations and decrease call volumes.

• Development of the MyStory storytelling app and relaunch of the inflight entertainment microsite.

• Responsibility for business exceeding 3 million EUR and line management of a team of 17 employees.

• Development of digital marketing and strategy concepts and implementation of new PM frameworks.

• Key account management and responsibility for profit margins.

• Management of international projects including DHL MyWays mobile app, BASF corporate mobile website, and Landefeld B2B/B2C online shop.

• Recipient of the Google Mobile Agency Award (2nd Place) for m.basf.com and the SPE Automotive Division Award for Smart Forvision.

• Implementation of new organizational structures and processes to improve agency efficiency.

• Account management and steering of international web projects for clients such as Linde AG, Frankfurter Buchmesse, Wataniya Airways, and DZ BANK AG.

• Management of new business inquiries and European tenders with budgets exceeding 2 million EUR.

• Implementation of a company-wide newsletter system including design, editorial, and technical concepts.

• Internal coach for the multi-project management software Blue Ant.

• Scoping, planning, and budgeting projects and reporting to the management board.

• Responsible for the delivery team of 7 employees including quality and time management.

• Concept and project management for the internal product development of Automanager 2.0 vehicle management.

• Management of large online marketing campaigns and website relaunches for Porsche Leipzig and Automobilgruppe Glinicke.

• Implementation of consistent organizational structures and processes.

• Conducting job interviews, employee assessments, and team development coaching.

• Founding and running a business focused on consulting and designing print campaigns and corporate designs.

• Client acquisition, contract negotiation, and preparation of proposals.

• Execution of various print campaigns and corporate design projects for local companies.

• Management of office operations and business strategy.