Thomas G.-Interim Digital Product Manager

Tech Stack: Jira, Confluence, Microsoft 365

• Taking over a critical role: Quickly and ad hoc taking over the Product Manager role to provide cover and ensure the continuous operation and further development of the digital product in a highly regulated environment.

• Goal: Realigning the product roadmap, ensuring compliance and successfully rolling out new features.

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

• Complex requirements management: Managing and prioritizing product requirements from cross-functional, international stakeholder groups (TA, Brand Family, Content Manager, Legal) to ensure maximum accuracy and compliance.

• Development management: Efficiently managing the development process in international, agile teams, ensuring the on-time and on-budget delivery of critical product releases.

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

• Data-Driven Optimization: Monitoring and analyzing product performance metrics (KPIs) to identify areas for improvement based on data and maximize business value.

• Teaching the course “Digital Business Model Transformation” (bachelor’s level)
• End-to-end development of digital business models using the lean approach, including the practical application of relevant business model tools
• Teaching in English to strengthen the ability to work with international teams and stakeholders
• Writing the book chapter “Development of a Digital Business Model” for the Springer Gabler reference book “Practical Guide to Digital Management”

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

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

• Goal: In a three-month mandate, lay the foundation for developing a new digital product by validating its marketability and developing a clear, user-centered strategy.

• Product Strategy & Roadmap: Designed and initially implemented the end-to-end product roadmap to translate 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 & Communication Management: Responsible for project and process management for internal and external customer communication to inform and align stakeholders in a targeted manner.

• Strategic Decision Document: Prepared the complete market research, user insights, and product strategy in a results presentation for top management to approve further investment decisions.

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

• Focus: Improving the User Experience (UX), guiding the development team through precise requirements, and iteratively optimizing performance.

• Goal: Continuously develop a central digital platform with a user-centered approach, alongside 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: Precisely defined requirements in the form of user stories and user acceptance criteria to guide development processes based on current business needs and key customer needs.

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

• Complex Interface Management: Managed interfaces between local and global departments, IT, and cooperation partners to ensure alignment and smooth operations.

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

• External Management: Managed external service providers and agencies to implement the roadmap efficiently and with a focus on results.

• Strategic consulting (including on behalf of Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart) 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.