Michael Hobson

Experience

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  Hewlett Packard Company

  Jan 1997 - Jan 2002

  IT Project Manager

  Responsible for working with regional Bell Operating and Local Exchange vendors to provision, install and test voice and network services including installation and testing of Private Branch Exchange (PBX), Octel voice mail and networking hardware. Defining the technology architecture and implementation strategies for company following IPO and resulting spin-off. Planned and coordinated IT tasks involved with bringing internal IT providers up on intra-corporate billing system. Maintained web server using MS Internet Information Server version 3 on MS NT4. Key Achievements:• Developed, coded and tested accounts payable workflow system using Visual Basic, FileNet and Terminal emulator software.• Routinely demonstrated the ability to deliver successful results when faced with rigid deadlines by remotely managing multi-vendor project team to provide organization locations with working communication and computer systems upon arrival to new work locations. • Key member of 30-member transcontinental team responsible for identifying requirements, prototyping solutions and addressing issues post implementation for large Accounts Payable Workflow application. • Designed and developed graphical user interface, both client server and web based following requirements gathered during human dynamics meetings for small to medium sized financial applications.• Served as technical lead to develop, motivate and guide developers and support engineers in identifying personal and career goals. • Facilitated meetings with senior IT management to gather and document requirements for project and resource tracking application. Designed, Developed and delivered this application using MS Visual Basic and MS Access. Show less

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  Sprint

  Jan 2002 - Jan 2007

  Responsible for managing from end-to-end software projects of varying complexity and size to the Customer Finance Services organization, using Project Management Body of Knowledge(PMBOK) principles. Responsible for managing and mitigating business impacts across the enterprise related to the retirement of a cross-functional financial legacy application. Demonstrated ability to work with internal subject matter experts to successfully translate business requirements into functional and system level requirements for AMDOCS billing system enhancements and change requests. Coordinate with multiple subject matter experts to determine viable alternative technologies and re-engineer processes that maintain operational efficiencies. Key Achievement:• Responsible for managing software application project that reduced average call handle times by 1 minute, resulting in annual savings of $500K a year in headcount and operational efficiencies. • Managed project to identify, test, implement and test technologies to replace legacy financial system application, saving the organization over $1M annually from system retirement.• Certification in Project Management from the Project Management Institute (PMI). Show less

  • Technical Project Manager

    Jan 2002 - Jan 2007

  • Project Manager

    Jan 2002 - Jan 2007
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  Xcel Energy

  Apr 2007 - Jun 2012

  IT Solutions Consultant

  Recruited to assist internal IT account management repair business relationship with customer care organization, specifically, in the contact center technology space. Coordinated and facilitated requirements gathering meetings, issue triage and resolution meetings and C-level status meetings for IT implementations. Planned, scheduled and conducted user training classes for SharePoint usage and site creation. Created, tuned and implemented Empirix voice application monitoring scripts. These scripts continually monitored IVR performance from the customer perspective and send alerts if issues were encountered. Responsible for vendor management, including writing, reviewing and negotiating Statements of Work(SOW). Lead 15-member team, that elicited, tracked and implemented IVR requirements. Responsible for managing $500K yearly deployment budget for quarterly IVR enhancement and bug fix implementations. Managed various small to medium sized software projects, including managing scope, budget, sponsor reporting, execution and monitoring tasks.Key Achievement:• Created and implemented process for IVR Avaya Voice Portal quarterly deployments, including prioritization, selection and implementation of enhancements.• Collaborated with senior business managers to plan, review and document a 5-year technical roadmap that coincided and supported business strategy roadmaps. • Coordinated and facilitated vendor provided stress testing to confirm telephony capacity to handle 200K plus simultaneous calls. • Key member of contact center telephony infrastructure upgrade and workforce management project (WFM): $5M budget, 15+ member team. Typical tasks included project coordination, vendor management, VP level status reporting, implementation and test planning. • Scheduled, coordinated and managed WFM training, implementation testing and incident reporting. Show less

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  Puget Sound Energy

  Jun 2012 - Mar 2013

  Business Analyst

  Recruited to assist with enterprise $4 million Windows 7 deployment project, including budget management and reporting, escalation management, communication and status reporting to senior management. Creating and presenting status reports using Excel pivot tables via MS Access ODBC connection to Oracle DMBS backend.Key Achievement:• Successful Windows 7 deployment to 4200 workstations impacting ~1200 employees. • Visualized Excel reports using Tableau data visualization tools to more compellingly inform on Windows 7 deployment project progression. Show less

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  Seattle Public Utility

  Jul 2013 - Nov 2015

  Management Systems Analyst Senior

  Hired to assist City Light and Public Utilities’ combined contact center with IVR and contact center technology research and strategy direction for IT deployment projects. Responsible for work force management(WFM) reporting and WFM system administration. Provided department leadership with interactive voice response utilization analysis, performance metrics and platform improvements. Facilitated technology vendor demonstrations directly to City Light and Public Utilities Customer Care Directors and senior leadership. Responsible for outage management, issue triage and resolution management and post event executive summary development. Team member representative to Oracle UCCB implementation project for customer care call center business process review and validation. Key Achievements:• Facilitated department leadership strategy planning meetings culminating in the creation of 5-year technology roadmap.• Championed the creation of department vision and mission statements culminating in a new department mission and vision statement to which any new strategy or business decision relates directly.• Lead the readiness effort for the successful off-hours deployment of Windows 7 across the 100+ seat customer care contact center with no negative impacts to the organization.• Successfully developed, coded and deployed call center representative performance tracking application using MS Visual Basic and MS Access. Show less

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  City of Seattle - FAS

  Nov 2015 - Mar 2019

  Strategic Advisor

  Hired to assist with city department readiness for the implementation of a city-wide $100 million PeopleSoft finance and accounting system. Facilitated efforts to identify, track and present tasks required for completion prior to go live to department finance directors and chief financial officers and their teams. Managed conflict resolution processes between individual departments and project leadership by consistently stressing project goals for Seattle finance reporting. Key Achievements: • Successfully lead multiple department efforts to meet project go-live on time and with minimal and/or mitigated impact (City Light, SDOT, SDCI, Retirement, and Law).• Created critical process documentation for City Light procurement process flows using Business Process Model Notation(BPMN) and Visio that continues to be used to inform new document repository and business process automation projects.• Enduring business relationships with financial service leadership with City Light, Department of Transportation, Department of Construction and Inspection, Retirement, Law, Human Services, Office of Economic Development and the Office of Housing. Show less

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  Landis+Gyr

  Mar 2019 - May 2022

  Program Operations Manager
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  Itron, Inc.

  May 2022 - now

  Senior Technical Program Manager