Barbara S.

Experience

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  Arvato Services, Inc.

  Jan 2002 - Jan 2004

  Report Application Developer/Reporting Analyst

  Evaluated needs of internal clients to develop new or improve existing reports / applications forbroadcasting, music, and film company. Presented solutions to internal clients and provided training and documentation for end users.Key Achievements:- Saved $35K in annual salary costs, decreased invoicing time 100%, and increased customersatisfaction by automating export of Crystal Reports.- Increased efficiency and accuracy by developing centralized reporting database, eliminating duplicate efforts and manual data entry.- Improved internal customer satisfaction by providing timely and accurate reports, as well as creative and efficient solutions to existing business problems. Show less

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  InQuira, Inc. (now Oracle)

  Jan 2004 - Jan 2006

  Professional Services Engineer

  Technical Lead for provider of Java-based knowledge management and enterprise search solution serving customers such as Honda, Tyco Electronics, Sun Microsystems, SunTrust Bank, Bank of America, T-Mobile, etc. Interacted with new clients to gather business needs and develop system requirements. Implemented and customized natural language search and knowledge management solution at customer sites as Technical Lead. Advised coworkers, partners, and customers in areas of product features, application architecture, application integration and reporting module features. Provided technical support to existing customers. Developed design documentation, training materials and operations manuals.Key Achievements:- Improved information sharing and decreased new-hire training time by creating and maintaining knowledge-base.- Delivered training to customers on technical and business side of implementations and developed standard training materials and training curriculum to be used company-wide.- Streamlined implementation projects by creating standardized documentation for functional and design specifications, test plans and scripts and operations documents / help guides.- Improved reports and data in future software builds / releases by reviewing and providing feedback on InQuira Analytics component. Served as expert in Reporting and Analytics component.- Served as Knowledge Expert in best practices for implementation of InQuira products at customer sites. Selected as member of professional services core team for technical side of implementations.- Worked with Product Management and Customer Support on Product Features and Support issues. Show less

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  Linea Solutions, Inc.

  Jan 2006 - Nov 2010

  Director of Strategic Development / Practice Leader

  Led strategic development of Practice for IT and Management Consulting firm while also maintaining 65% utilization as Sr. Consultant on a variety of projects. Worked with partners to set company goals, identified key strengths for market segments and hired and managed resources for Practice. Developed standards and methodologies and oversaw all projects within practice, incl. resource, project & budget planning. Managed and consulted on a variety of IT related projects at client sites from inception to project closeout as Sr. Project Manager / Business Analyst or Technical Consultant depending on project needs.Key Achievements:- Implemented continuous process improvement programs.- Conducted feasibility studies, developed Strategic plans and presented findings to C-Level Executives & Board of Directors.- Managed team of project managers, business analysts, vendor resources, consultants and client resources through full lifecycle of software implementation and process re-engineering projects. - Increased consultant productivity and utilization by standardizing methodologies and procedures as well as by developing performance-based incentive programs.- Developed proposals and delivered sales presentations. - Streamlined operational processes by performing gap analysis and making recommendations to clients on opportunities for improvement.- Improved project efficiencies by implementing internal reporting solution, regular status meetings, client site visits, and consultant workshop series.- Reduced time and effort required during hiring process and improved better overall candidate match for consultant positions by restructuring hiring and training process to include consulting-oriented assessments.- Managed several initiatives simultaneously and developed process / requirements documents, functional specifications, use cases, training materials.- Main point of contact and Account Manager for all Practice clients. Show less

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  Scheffels Consulting, LLC

  Dec 2010 - Aug 2017

  Owner / Sr. Consultant

  Consult clients on all aspects of IT implementations, strategies and business operations:- Provide consulting services and Project Management / Oversight for large-scale, multimillion dollar IT projects ranging from short road map initiatives to 3-4 year-long enterprise solution implementations, including ECM Systems, Benefits & Payroll systems, Healthcare systems, web portals, financial systems and workflow solutions;- Assess current technical and operational state of clients and develop Strategic Road Maps / Feasibility Studies, including gaps and needs analysis, options analysis, budget / timing / resource needs as well as justification for recommended initiatives / solutions;- Develop, manage and track budgets and overall efforts on the projects and provide frequent updates; - Oversee project teams, including technical resources, business analyst teams, Subject Matter Experts and consultants through full life-cycle of Software implementation projects and BPR efforts;- Explain and communicate complex systems and technical issues to different types of technical and non-technical audiences;- Intermediary between 3rd Party vendors and clients;- Provide effort estimates and detailed scope of work documents for proposals and change requests;- Conduct Process and Workflow analysis and create CPI documentation, requirements and functional specifications, use cases, training materials and test cases for various types of projects and solutions;- Communicate project updates and project issues to C-level Executives and to Board of Directors;- Create and maintain detailed project schedule for all phases and resources on projects;- Identify potential project risks and consult clients and teams on best mitigation paths; Show less

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  AP Consultants (an Agile Progress Company)

  Oct 2015 - now

  CEO

  Agile Progress is an IT and Management Consulting company. We combine extensive industry experience with a lean and nimble approach to project management. Our Management Team boasts a unique combination of project management oversight for pension and health plans and hands-on experience in system implementation and programming. This allows us to understand organizational and project needs from the perspectives of both our clients and their vendors.