Susan Smith

Experience

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  IBM

  Jan 1999 - Jan 2016

  Senior certified Managing Consultant & Master Inventor

  Successfully led hundreds of consulting engagements, projects, and enterprise-wide programs in full SDLC technical sales and delivery contexts for IBM’s largest/most complex commercial and internal accounts spanning a 16 year career as a Project/Program Manager and finally, Senior certified Managing Consultant and IBM Master Inventor. Highlights:✦Redesigned an IBM Research advanced defect analytics process and methodology so that it could be delivered as a repeatable service in at least 1/3rd of the time and at 1/8th of the cost, while tripling the delivery capacity worldwide. This work was cited as key in analyst firm IDC ranking IBM #1 in testing services in 2010.✦Built global test QA services & products program from the ground up and managed global PMO office while serving as SME/blackbelt, training/executive managing delivery centers in the US, China, India, and Europe. Client accounts include global Fortune 500 clients in healthcare, telecommunications, banking/financial/insurance, and IT service providers globally.✦Reduced solution delivery process for test coverage optimization from 10 weeks to 10 days through Agile Process Transformation across the enterprise of one of the country’s largest health care providers and IBM’s largest services account. Produced 10% savings on average across the entire project portfolio while improving test coverage quality by 15% on average, which resulted in over half a million dollars returned to the client per year--more than all other innovation initiatives on the account combined.✦Reported into highest levels of IBM senior VP management and CIO as lead global defect manager/analyst and strategy advisor for IBM’s largest internal transformation project ever undertaken (global SAP customized package solution business transformation). Provided production defect rate projections that were 99.3% accurate for IBM steering committee critical checkpoints and managed globally distributed team in excess of 5000 resources. Show less

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  Landis+Gyr

  Jan 2017 - Jan 2020

  Global Process Manager, R&D Engineering Operations

  Responsible for developing, managing, training, deploying, and governing global processes and compliance standards at every life cycle stage of hardware, firmware, and software development projects for the company worldwide. Highlights:✦Managed global Project Quality Engineers in matrixed environment with respect to Quality Assurance practices and development process improvements/organizational maturation initiatives within the global R&D division, reporting to the VP of Engineering Operations. Achieved 100% audit compliance.✦Supported global engineering subject matter experts in all operational process initiatives and served as cross-functional liaison/facilitator in agile transformation and engineering process harmonization efforts in accordance with Six Sigma practices globally. Achieved or exceeded all organizational performance targets.✦Architected and implemented Landis+Gyr’s first full life cycle defect analytics methodology and designed/deployed supporting metrics to identify future areas for improvement. Automated analytics processes in tooling and designed/delivered practitioner training worldwide.✦Designed and led multiple process improvement initiatives in support of Chief Technology Officer in Chief of Staff assignment including annual global R&D corporate risk assessments and mitigation, project predictability analytics modeling and solution design, global R&D Key Performance Indicator development and global product development project governance/attainment, and corporate Executive Management Team/Board of Directors quarterly R&D status reporting.✦Global Key Performance Indicator metrics and processes to identify future improvement opportunities and prioritize actions based on cost/benefit analysis were first-in-kind at Landis+Gyr and contributed to strong market performance globally throughout 2019 (company stock price doubled). Show less

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  NWN Carousel

  Apr 2021 - Apr 2022

  Professional Services Operations Director

  Customer Success Leadership Team member, managed PMO Organizational Effectiveness Director and offshore operations resources. Responsible for developing, deploying and governing OE and Operations initiatives across Professional Services (700+ resources), reporting to division VP.• Developed and led the consolidation of Great Place to Work OKRs for Customer Success remote first organization• Designed and piloted company first-in-kind resource Capacity Planning methodology and operations model while driving company third party spend reduction efforts, P&L optimization and company transformation from 605 to 606 accounting standards• Created company frameworks to integrate talent development strategies and incentives into HR employee performance tracking to reduce unplanned employee attrition Show less