Thomas G.-Interim Digital Product Manager

Tech Stack: Jira, Confluence, Microsoft 365

• Took on a critical role: Quickly stepped in as Product Manager to provide cover and ensure the digital product continued to operate and develop in a highly regulated environment.

• Goal: Realign the product roadmap, ensure compliance, and successfully roll out new features.

• Strategic realignment: Defined and established a clear product strategy and roadmap to consistently align product development with business goals and current market trends.

• Complex requirements management: Led and prioritized product requirements from cross-functional, international stakeholder groups (TA, Brand Family, Content Manager, Legal) to ensure maximum alignment with objectives and compliance.

• Development management: Effectively managed the development process with international agile teams, ensuring critical product releases were delivered on time and within budget.

• Go-to-market leadership: Led product launch and marketing activities (in coordination with Channel Orchestration Experts) to drive adoption and the success of the new digital solution.

• Data-driven optimization: Monitored and analyzed product performance metrics (KPIs) to identify areas for improvement based on data and maximize business value.

• Took on the course “Digital Business Model Transformation” (bachelor’s level)
• Developed digital business models end-to-end using the Lean approach, including practical application of relevant business model tools
• Taught the course in English to strengthen skills in working with international teams and stakeholders
• Wrote the book chapter “Entwicklung eines digitalen Geschäftsmodells” for the Springer Gabler collection “Praxishandbuch Digitales Management”
• Initiated and moderated the Skool community “Digitale Geschäftsmodelle” to promote collaborative knowledge sharing within the professional network and practical business model development

Tech Stack: Notion, Google Workspace, Miro, Lean Startup, Customer Journey Mapping

• Focus: Quickly generate customer insights and provide a sound basis for product investment decisions in the energy sector.

• Goal: Lay the foundation for developing a new digital product during a three-month engagement by validating market viability and developing a clear, user-centered strategy.

• Product Strategy & Roadmap: Designed and initially implemented the end-to-end product roadmap, translating the vision into measurable development steps.

• User-Centered Design (UX/Research): Developed the customer journey and conducted user interviews for in-depth market research to ensure a user-centered customer experience.

• Process & Communications Management: Managed projects and processes for internal and external customer communications, keeping stakeholders informed and aligned.

• Strategic Decision Brief: Prepared all market research, user insights, and product strategy in a results presentation for senior management to approve further investment decisions.

Tech Stack: Jira, Confluence, Microsoft 365, Google Analytics

• Focus: Improving the user experience (UX), guiding the development team with precise requirements, and iteratively optimizing performance.

• Goal: Continuously develop a central digital platform with a user-centered approach, while managing the technical challenge of a CMS migration.

• Platform Strategy & UX: Designed and implemented the platform vision and roadmap in close coordination with relevant stakeholders to significantly improve the user experience (UX).

• Agile Requirements Management: Clearly defined requirements as user stories and user acceptance criteria to guide development in line with current business needs and key customer needs.

• Iterative Performance Optimization: Continuously monitored KPIs across the customer journey and conducted iterative tests to optimize platform performance based on data.

• Complex Stakeholder Management: Coordinated between local and global departments, IT, and partners to ensure alignment and smooth operations.

• Process & Tech Management: Managed and continuously improved the technical and administrative processes associated with the platform; planned and coordinated the CMS migration.

• External Partner Management: Managed external service providers and agencies to deliver the roadmap efficiently and effectively.

• Provided strategic advice (including on behalf of Stuttgart Media University) on general networking and team formation for young startups.

• Analyzing customer requirements directly from customer interactions to feed the product development process with data (Manager Customer Success & Customer Strategy at StoryBox GmbH).
• Handling complex customer inquiries and providing solution-oriented support to existing customers in using the software.
• Onboarding new customers to complex software solutions (Manager Customer Success & Customer Strategy at StoryBox GmbH).
• Creating recommendation reports and strategic decision documents based on the customer data collected.

Focus: Critical infrastructure, product development, stakeholder management

• Focus: Fastest possible validation of the MVP platform, ensuring user acceptance, and acquiring institutional partners.

• Goal: Developing a complementary, scalable information platform (back office & citizen app) to close information gaps in the state-organized warning infrastructure (BBK/NINA).

• Product and platform creation: Creating a highly complex, dual information platform (back office for institutions and app for citizens).

• Agile product management: Coordinating the backlog in close cooperation with the development team; conducting market/customer analyses, including interviews, and creating user stories to guide feature development.

• Successful validation: Successfully validating the MVP in the Arnsberg government district (NRW) and conducting negotiations with the city of Heilbronn to launch the live application.

• Strategic stakeholder management: Responsible for analyzing and acquiring cooperation partners and managing complex stakeholder relationships (government, authorities, municipalities).

• Funding & recognition: Receiving funding from the BMBF and a three-month engagement scholarship through ProjectTogether gGmbH.

• Winning team at the Stuttgart Airport-Challenge (Hackathon Stuttgart)
• Result: Conceptualization of an indoor navigation system for passengers with an integrated back office for the airport operator.

Focus: Content Management, eCommerce, Process Optimization

• Focus: Establishment of an efficient interface between Product, Sales, eCommerce, and Standards.

• Goal: Ensuring the up-to-dateness and quality of product content across all digital and analog channels, as well as optimizing internal processes for content creation.

• eCommerce Development: Playing a key role in the further development of the online shop in close cooperation with the eCommerce department.

• Content Management: Responsible for the content management of the online shop and all sales materials.

• Process Optimization: Improving and establishing processes in the area of content creation to increase efficiency and quality.

• Interface Coordination: Interface to internal standards and support for technical illustrators in the creation of product-related documents to ensure compliance and quality.