Visual Studio Experts in Germany

Project – Evaluation and development of databases for a new product line for a measuring equipment manufacturer

• Current-state analysis
• Requirements analysis of the data storage layer
• Writing benchmark tests
• Design of the new database schema
• Database migrations
• Development of audit logging and Part11
• Creation of backup and recovery concepts
• Design of the persistence layer API
• Writing unit tests
• Creating requirements in Azure

Tools: C#, Visual Studio 2022, Azure DevOps, SonarQube, Git, RestSharp, WebServer, PostgreSQL, MS SQL, SQLite, MinIO, Podman, Docker, DataGrip, SQL Management Studio, HeidiDB, pgAdmin

AI Readiness - Part 3: Creating an e-book on the use of AI in software testing

• Designed and created an e-book on the sensible and safe use of AI in software testing from the perspective of an experienced test expert.
• Used generative AI (ChatGPT, Perplexity Pro) as a sparring partner for structuring, wording suggestions and creating variations, with all content finally reviewed and approved using my own expertise.
• Developed practical insights into the opportunities and risks of AI in testing, with a special focus on collaboration between testers and AI instead of “tester vs. AI”.
• Title: “11 starke Gründe: Dream-Team statt Rivalen - Tester und KI sind gemeinsam unschlagbar”
• Subtitle: “Wie Mensch und Maschine im Softwaretest das perfekte Team bilden – und warum reines KI-Testing riskant ist.”
• Planned use of the e-book as a basis for workshops, customer meetings or internal training.
• Technology: Generative AI, ChatGPT, Perplexity Pro, Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, many years of hands-on professional testing experience, common sense.

Developed the product vision and outcome strategy for a new registry platform, designed a management workshop for strategic alignment, conducted BPMN process mapping across systems and roles, analyzed user story practices and further developed them on an outcome basis, and brought together stakeholders from business departments, management and the external development partner.

Skills: Product Strategy, Outcome Roadmapping, Stakeholder Workshops, BPMN/Process Analysis, Miro, Linear

Further Development of the Integrated Capacity Management Platform InKa

Rail Infrastructure

• Power BI shared datasets and reports via DirectQuery on Amazon Redshift (timetable, construction and capacity data)
• Automated report testing with Playwright in Docker containers, version control with GitLab
• Concept and implementation of user communication (information page, changelog, known bugs)

Initial Situation:

The integrated capacity management platform (InKa) is a monitoring and analysis platform for data from timetable and capacity management: customer orders, infrastructure, timetable operations, construction, as well as route capacity and width. The data is stored and linked in a structured data warehouse. This makes it possible to create complex KPIs across different source systems and display current and future route utilization as well as construction activity across the network. The goal is to improve strategic, medium-term and intra-year planning and provide users with easy access to capacity management analyses.

Measures:

• Enablement: Introduction of Power BI with training and workshops for development teams.
• Consulting & Design: Problem analysis, concepts and solution consulting for reporting requirements; implementation of reporting solution plans.
• Data Model: Development of shared datasets with DirectQuery on Amazon Redshift and import tables; DAX measures for utilization and capacity KPIs.
• Development: Data analysis, data transformation and visualization in Power BI; extension and migration of business applications to Power BI; AI-supported development in VS Code with GitHub Copilot.
• Test Automation: Automated testing of Power BI reports with Playwright; setup of the test environment in Docker containers.
• User Communication: Concept and implementation of a central information page with hot news, changelog and known bugs, access from reports with report filters, updates via Power Automate.
• Deployment: Management of Power BI Deployment Pipelines across the DEV, TEST and PROD environments.
• Agile Working: Work in an agile team according to SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework); refinement of user stories and features including effort estimates in Jira; version control with Git and GitLab.
• Quality & Documentation: Reviews for quality assurance, error analysis and resolution, technical documentation in AsciiDoc and Confluence.

Technologies: Power BI, DAX, Power Query, DirectQuery, Amazon Redshift, Git / GitLab, Deployment Pipelines, Playwright, Docker, AsciiDoc, Power Automate, Jira, Confluence, VS Code with GitHub Copilot, SAFe

Results:

• Capacity management KPIs from multiple source systems combined on one platform
• Transparency regarding current and future route utilization and construction activity across the network
• Easy access to analyses for users
• Automated regression testing of Power BI reports
• User communication implemented: central information page with hot news, changelog and known bugs, directly accessible from the reports

• Optimized the data architecture (Medallion) to better decouple processing steps and improve transparency and reproducibility

• Ensured the technical quality of data processing in Databricks by introducing schema enforcement, data quality checks, and a structured data architecture

• Pipeline orchestration with Azure Data Factory

• Improved and automated the development and deployment process by integrating Git and GitHub Actions

• Technical leadership of the Data Engineering team (3 employees)

• Led workshops to optimize and stabilize the data platform and development process

• Collected and prioritized new requests and maintained the product backlog

• Technologies: Microsoft Azure (Data Lake, Data Factory), Databricks, Apache Spark (PySpark), Python, SQL, Git, Confluence, Power BI, Power Apps, Dataverse, MS Sharepoint, Mural

• Development of scalable backend applications with C#/.NET and Java
• Design and implementation of distributed microservice architectures
• Development and integration of REST APIs for industrial applications
• Development of modern web applications with React, Angular, and TypeScript
• Implementation of MQTT-based communication solutions
• Integration of industrial protocols such as OPC UA and Modbus TCP
• Development of batch, process control, and HMI components
• Containerization and deployment of applications with Docker
• Conducting code reviews and supporting architecture decisions
• Close collaboration with Product Owners, QA, and interdisciplinary teams
• Analysis of business requirements and implementation of technical solutions
• Further development of existing software architectures with a focus on maintainability and performance

Technologies: C#, .NET, ASP.NET Core, Java, C++, React, Angular, TypeScript, Vue.JS, MQTT, OPC UA, Modbus TCP, Docker, GitLab, MariaDB, MySQL, Linux

Reporting and controlling using Power BI for a production ERP system

• Analysis of ERP data and interfaces for use in Power BI dashboards
• Evaluation and migration of existing reports (e.g. Excel) to Power BI
• Development of an authorization concept for selective data access
• Documentation and training on the use and customization of Power BI dashboards

Label: Power BI, Excel, SelectLine ERP, Microsoft SQL, SQL Server Management Studio

• Restructuring of the network architecture/topology, followed by installation, setup and testing of the network at a small business.
• Resolution of server (permissions and roles) and connection problems (WAN, (V)LAN, WLAN).
• Infrastructure support and maintenance.
• Creation of documents such as manuals, architecture documents and design documents.
• Revision of manuals and technical documents, as well as creation of VBA macros.
• Use of AI and basic prompting, as well as formulation of AI requests.
• Adjustment of workflows due to legal requirements and optimization of existing workflows.
• Delivery of courses and training for adaptations, new features and changed workflows.
• Modeling basis: BPMN.
• System environment: MS Office 2019/365, Win10/11, Teams, Netgear (Switch), QNAP, Synology (NAS), Linux (Ubuntu).

As a Council Member at GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group), the world’s leading expert network, I provide organizations, investment firms, and consulting companies with expert discussions on demand – wherever specialized knowledge in information security, IT governance, and regulatory compliance is needed.

My assessments are based on many years of practical experience in highly regulated industries: from building and implementing information security management systems (ISMS according to ISO 27001), IT risk and vulnerability management, and business continuity (ISO 22301) to the practical implementation of European regulations such as DORA, NIS2, BAIT, and the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).

The cooperation is project- and discussion-based. I provide decision-makers with a practical perspective gained from real-world experience on cyber risks, security governance, and operational resilience – exactly when it is needed.

• Concept, interaction and UX for XR experiences for the automotive industry
• Optimizing XR experiences
• Building experiences with AI

VALUE ADDED:

The structured analysis and further development of business requirements and processes is driving the modernization of contract administration in a focused manner. Complex business matters and dependencies are made transparent, optimization potential is identified, and transferred into scalable solution approaches that enable as much straight-through processing as possible. This creates clearer and more efficient processes as well as reliable decision-making and implementation foundations for business departments, architecture, and development.

• Development of business requirements and processes for the further development and modernization of contract administration
• Creation and further development of business concepts, process descriptions, and decision-making documents for implementing new and optimized processes
• Analysis of existing processes and identification of optimization potential to simplify and scale processes
• Structuring of complex business matters in a dynamic project environment to ensure transparency and traceability for all involved
• Identification and clarification of business dependencies and interfaces, especially in interaction with adjacent systems and departments
• Contribution to business target models and development of solution approaches for new, scalable processes that also enable straight-through processing
• Leadership and moderation of business workshops to coordinate and further develop requirements with internal stakeholders from business departments, architecture, and development
• Prioritization of business topics and requirements for targeted implementation
• Support with testing, reviews, and quality assurance, including the creation and coordination of business test cases to verify the implemented solutions
• Use of SharePoint and Kanban to document and manage tasks

Sovereign, cloud-native developer platform based on Kubernetes for critical energy infrastructure; around 200 people and 15 product teams.

• Introduced the product operating model for the platform, aligning around 18 product managers and product owners with Platform Architecture and Delivery in a matrix organisation.
• Defined the platform product processes and core product artefacts as the standard across all product teams.
• Established processes for non-functional requirements and Requests for Enhancement from consuming teams and customers.
• Designed the Jira structure supporting the programme's product and delivery processes.

• Administration and further development of the M365 environment, including Teams, Exchange Online, Intune, and SharePoint Online
• Development of dashboards for performance monitoring with Microsoft Power BI
• Implementation of user requirements and processes with low-code/no-code technologies (Power Apps, Power Automate)
• Use of Jira and Azure DevOps to plan and implement user stories in an agile project context
• Participation in daily stand-ups, sprint planning, sprint reviews, and retrospectives as the technical point of contact
• Planning and implementation of security policies using Azure Conditional Access and multi-factor authentication
• Configuration and deployment of clients and applications via MECM (SCCM) and Baramundi

Sub-project lead in an agile IT environment

Leading a software development team (10 employees)

• Leading a software development team with 10 employees
• Budget responsibility approx. 3 million euros per year
• Conducting employee and job interviews
• Responsibility for resource planning (budget and employees)
• Digitalization of a web interface
• Regular reporting to customers and stakeholders (C-level)
• Product management: developing and implementing product strategies; defining requirements to guide product development
• Structuring product development & continuous testing efficiently to quickly incorporate feedback & compliance points
• Close collaboration with stakeholders & various teams to understand requirements, set priorities, ensure rollout, and increase user-friendliness
• Project experience in an energy industry company, including the functioning of energy markets, the basics of energy generation and distribution, as well as current challenges and developments in the industry
• Project experience in the railway sector - including the structure and operation of railway systems.
• Project experience within the 16.7 Hz traction power sector incl. knowledge of regulatory processes
• Formulating the sub-project charter and the project profile according to the project standard together with the project management
• Controlling service delivery according to the project charter
• Planning and controlling human resources including budget planning for the sub-project
• Ensuring the work capacity of the sub-project participants, e.g. by requesting access rights and documents for the sub-project team
• Planning and control for the respective sub-project (time, scope, budget) including the creation of necessary documents
• Alignment with the business department and Product Owners to plan the sub-project scope and the corresponding implications
• Executing milestone planning according to the agreed process model
• Effort estimation and support of sub-project controlling as well as overall project controlling in forecasting and planning
• Reporting sub-project status (according to status slide template) including progress (according to progress measurement)
• Analyzing, preparing, and addressing action and decision requirements
• Escalating sub-project issues to the project management
• Creating and managing Change Requests (CR)
• Quality assessment of completed task packages from a project management perspective (time, scope, and budget)
• Implementation management of the overarching guidelines and requirements in the sub-project, supported by cross-functional roles on the functional and technical side.
• Identifying, managing, documenting, and communicating opportunities, risks, and dependencies within and across sub-projects
• Supporting project management in creating the overall project plan and overall status reports
• Preparing and managing commissioning including the required documents and protection needs assessment

Scrum Master in an agile IT environment supporting a software development team in the full-stack area (7 people)

• Close collaboration with stakeholders & various teams to understand requirements, set priorities, ensure rollout, and increase user-friendliness
• Implementation of the selected Scrum method, including the required events, meetings, artifacts (product backlog, sprint backlog, burndown charts), metrics, as well as conducting required training in an agile IT environment
• Preparation of Scrum events such as Daily, retrospectives, Review, Sprint planning, estimation, and refinement (agile way of working)
• Moderation of retrospectives and elimination of obstacles to move the team and product forward
• Preparation of action items and retros via whiteboard and Figma
• Application and improvement of agile methods such as Kanban, Scrum, SAFe, or Scrum of Scrums
• Tracking the "Definition of Done" and "Definition of Ready" for all work results of the development team
• Advising on information flow and communication improvements between Product Owner and project team
• Experience with automation, validation such as mandatory field checks, notification functions, creation of filters, boards, and reports via JQL, and setting up cycle time
• Use of Jira & Confluence
• Setting up a progress measurement for project management to transparently map planned vs. actual team capacities and actual efforts for user stories
• Measuring team progress: creating team KPIs: "velocity", "burn-down chart", "throughput", "costs", "quality", "scope"
• Evaluation of agile metrics, process management, and process modeling methods (BPMN, EPC, UML)
• Communication and moderation know-how
• Methodological competence proven in conflict discussions