Wolfgang Döbber-Executive Agile Coach / Interim Manager | HW-/SW Product Development

I support the development of an industrial automation and communication product in which hardware, firmware, embedded software, system architecture, and testing work closely together. As a coach and technical sparring partner, I support product and project owners as well as development teams in turning product goals into a clear technical delivery structure.

• Technical Vision & Strategy: translated product goals into prioritized requirements, milestones, decisions, and executable work packages for HW-/SW teams.
• HW-/SW Collaboration: structured the interfaces between hardware, firmware, Embedded Linux/RTOS, fieldbus/connectivity, system test, and product management; made risks and dependencies transparent.
• Coaching & Leadership Sparring: clarified roles, responsibilities, prioritization, and decision paths with technical leads and teams and strengthened cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Methods & environment: Polarion, GitHub, requirements engineering, configuration management, PROFINET, embedded systems, agile delivery, coaching, and facilitation.

In my role as Business Product Owner, I support the model-based digitization of business processes on the low-code platform Softproject X4, including business-focused low-code modeling and interface coordination. I translate business requirements into working solutions, coordinate SAP interfaces, and make sure that processes remain understandable and efficient for users. In practice, this is about process automation, system integration, and internal business applications. At the same time, I finalized test planning and acceptance criteria with the business unit and operations.

• Process Design & Implementation: modeling and implementing end-to-end processes based on BPMN and XML - with a clear focus on transparency, data quality, and user-friendliness.
• Service Integration & Collaboration: building interfaces to SAP and other systems to simplify information flows and improve exchange between business units.
• Governance / regulated environment: supported evidence documentation, decisions, and approvals in a traceable way.

Knowledge & tools used:

Softproject X4 BPMS, SAP interfaces, XML, BPMN, Git/Azure DevOps, agile product development, low-code design, process automation, system integration, stakeholder communication.

As Product Owner and Agile Transformation Lead, I supported the global ZEISS Medical Cloud in the HW-/SW-driven environment of connected medical technology. The focus was on technical strategy and operating model, role clarification, test and review steering, and collaboration between product, cloud/software development, device/hardware interfaces, DevOps, and operations.

In addition, I steered test and review activities across the CI/CD chain and documented approvals in a traceable way. The introduction of KPI dashboards and clear monitoring structures created much more transparency in service performance, cost development, and compliance - an important step toward a controllable global service platform.

• Technical Strategy & Operating Model: translated product and service goals into clear roles, decision paths, and reliable collaboration between business, HW-/SW development, DevOps, and operations.
• Measurability & Governance: introduced clear metrics, dashboards, and reporting structures to sustainably manage service quality, cost, and compliance.
• Business/UX to Technology: translated requirements from business, UX, operations, and compliance into epics, stories, and acceptance criteria; steered test planning and approvals along the CI/CD chain in a traceable way.

Working context/interfaces: Azure DevOps, CI/CD, cloud/platform operations, Kubernetes/IaC environment, monitoring/KPI dashboards, KPI-based management, agile stakeholder management.

I supported several teams at RWE Supply & Trading in introducing agile and DevOps-based ways of working. The goal was to turn traditional IT and business structures into cross-functional teams that act on their own responsibility. I helped teams and managers redefine roles, simplify processes, and create a shared understanding of end-to-end responsibility. Step by step, a classic IT organization evolved into an agile, manageable service organization with measurable value for the business. In parallel, I defined test paths, bundled test runs, and prepared acceptance reports for steering.

• DevOps transformation: building structures and routines for continuous improvement, automation, and transparent communication between IT and business units.
• Organizational development: establishing clear role models (Scrum Master, Product Owner), coaching teams and managers, supporting goal setting and prioritization.
• Governance/regulatory environment (energy trading): supported change alignment, evidence documentation, and risk/impact assessments.

Methods & Tools:

DevOps, BizDevOps, Scrum, Kanban, OKR, Jira, Azure DevOps, stakeholder management, coaching & mentoring, process analysis.

In several areas of the 1&1 group, my focus was on further developing agile collaboration and team structures. The emphasis was less on frameworks and more on mindset, communication, and the ability to make change work in everyday life. In individual projects, approaches for chatbots and assistant functions were created to improve service processes and the customer experience.

• Team and organizational development: coaching and supporting interdisciplinary teams, building clear communication and decision-making structures, promoting shared responsibility.
• Digital service optimization: contributing to projects focused on automation, chatbots, and assistant functions to improve customer service and process quality.

Methods & Tools:

Scrum, OKR, Jira Portfolio, Confluence, Miro, Google Cloud, coaching, agile team development, communication and performance workshops.

As part of a group-wide transformation program, I supported several agile teams in sales and service. The goal was to reorganize existing processes and communication channels and thereby improve service quality, efficiency, and customer experience in a measurable way. Working closely with the Release Train Engineers and the business departments, we created a consistent steering model that brought transparency across all teams and sped up operational decisions. As a result, decision cycles in the Agile Release Train became much shorter, coordination ran in a more structured way, and the teams could manage priorities and capacity more reliably.

• Service and process management: Design and implementation of agile service models, introduction of clear steering mechanisms for planning, prioritization, and quality assurance across multiple teams and channels.
• Program and interface management: Support for the RTEs in planning and running Release Train events, moderation of PI plannings, and establishment of a shared communication and feedback structure between business, IT, and operations.

Methods & Tools: SAFe, Scrum, Kanban, Agile Portfolio Management, Jira, Confluence, Product Roadmaps, cross-functional collaboration, KPI-based management.

After my first assignment at Signal Iduna as part of the introduction of ITIL and service management, I was brought back to continue the agile transformation at the organizational level. This time the focus was on developing a modern IT service culture – with clear service models, more ownership in the teams, and a closer connection between business, IT, and operations. Together with the PMO team, I shaped structures that promoted transparency, responsibility, and willingness to change.

• Service and organizational development: Building an agile PMO, introducing Kanban at management level, developing service models for better steering of parallel IT initiatives.
• Cultural change & leadership: Coaching leaders and teams, facilitating workshops on communication, responsibility, and decision-making in a changing IT landscape.

Methods & Tools: Scrum, SAFe, Kanban, agile@scale, Jira, Confluence, Portfolio Management, Flight Levels, Design Thinking, Coaching & Facilitation.

In this role, the focus was on introducing a new ITSM suite and implementing standardized service processes based on ITIL. I worked closely with internal IT teams and business units to harmonize workflows, drive automation, and significantly increase transparency in operations. In addition to the technical rollout of the platform, I supported the teams in combining agile principles with stable IT processes – a foundation that later helped establish agile service models.

• Service processes & integration: Setup and migration of the ITSM suite (HPE), definition of roles, processes, and RASCI matrices, connection to agile roles and workflows.
• Operational excellence: Reporting on project progress and service quality, supporting the teams in introducing automated tests and integrating agile practices into IT operations.

Methods & Tools: Scrum, Kanban, ITIL v3, Jira, Confluence, HP Service Manager, process modeling, reporting & quality management.

• Consulting the matrix organization in Scrum and agile development methods in the A-Spice context
• Setting up Scrum teams and Kanban trainings
• Coaching product owners and scrum masters as well as cross-team coordination

In this phase, I took on leadership, coaching, and product roles in technically demanding HW-/SW projects at Minimax/Viking, Valeo, Continental, Renesas Europe, and other companies. The common thread was the link between technical product development, organization, and delivery.

At Minimax/Viking, I led a large-scale development program for an integrated HW-/SW product for over three years, from the idea through technical implementation to market readiness. I was responsible for program control, budget, external suppliers, and the introduction of agile ways of working. In this way, I did not only coach technical strategy, but also put it into practice myself in leadership and delivery.

In addition, I worked at Valeo and Continental on the introduction of DevOps, CI/CD, and agile methods in regulated development environments and supported Deutsche Rentenversicherung as well as Renesas Europe in modernizing their software processes – from GIT introduction to embedded Linux architectures.

Focus areas of this phase: process setup, product responsibility, agile transition, DevOps, CI/CD, embedded systems, coaching technical teams, budget and supplier management, integration of classical and agile process models.

• Introduction of a shared system for managing PC programs across Germany
• Pilot rollout at DRV Bayern-Süd and consulting on Git
• Kanban coaching