Omar Palma

Experience

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  Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica

  Nov 1981 - Nov 1985

  Programmer/Analyst

  Worked as programmer/analyst and programmed in Cobol. In charge of transportation system.

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  Scott Paper Company

  Nov 1985 - Nov 1987

  System Analyst/Programmer

  Worked as system analyst/programmer for the IBM S36 environment. Implement different kind of end user applications.• Increase the Accounting control by building and implementing the new state of the art Accounting System. • Improve security by transitioning the systems from an old Mainframe to another one.

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  Unisys

  Nov 1987 - Jun 2001

  Responsible for the assigned project’s P&L (Profit & Lost) in Central America. Forecast, sales and execution of the projects sold for the Banking, Communications and the Government Line of Business. Integrate different kind of hardware, solutions (including Imaging, Workflow, Banking, demographic, identification, etc.), people (systems consultants, networking, client facilitators, support, etc.), organizations (Internal, Client, 3rd parties).• Implement the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE), Sistema de Información Ciudadana and Voting Night Counting/Graphics Display.• Control meetings and agreements of Board of Directors in Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) by implementing an Office Automation System.• Increase the company image and sales when presenting SFB (Sistema Financiero Bancario) in FELABAN (Federación Latinoamericana de Bancos).• Fulfill a major contractual obligation by implementing the Ministerio de Gobernación y Policía Data Center. Show less Created the practice of PQA (Project Quality Assurance) for the subsidiary. Establish the processes and procedures for the correct Project Management & Quality Projects in Central America and Caribbean. Conduct the major project reviews with the participation of Corporate and Regional quality entities reviewers, helping in the corrective actions’ execution. Maintain the projects in green.• Create and implement the Project Management Office for Central America.• Increase work process when obtaining project management certification and implementing the procedure for others PMs to get the certification of PMI. Show less Acting as System Engineer and Consultant in different areas (banking, transportation, communications, energy, industry, commerce, others) and organizations (Information Services in Central America and Latin America and Caribbean Group based in USA). Deliver many different applications. Develop offers and respond to the RFPs (Request for Proposal). In charge of Sales and Presales. Elaborate internal reports with the financial, time, targets, and resource utilization and performance aspects. Direct the project teams in order to get the appropriate deliverables or products. Work with the client executes to identify risks and contingencies and maintain the revenue & profit margins according to the plans.• Maintain and Increase market share by providing Information Systems Support to Banco Costa Rica, Banco Nacional, TSE, ICE, Banco Interfin, Banco Metropolitano, Radriográfica Costarricense, among others. Show less

  • Information Services Senior Project Manager

    Nov 1987 - Jun 2001

  • Information Services Controller

    Jan 1996 - Dec 1999

  • Project Quality Assurance Manager

    Jan 1996 - Dec 1999

  • Project Resource Manager

    Jan 1996 - Dec 1999

  • System Engineer and Consultant

    Nov 1987 - Dec 1995
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  Business Consulting Group

  Jul 2001 - Feb 2006

  General Manager/Project Manager

  Responsible for the assigned project's P&L in Central America. In charge of forecasting, selling and executing the projects sold. Develop account plans, offers adjusted to client needs and deliver the projects and other consulting services. Integrate different kinds of hardware, solutions (including Imaging, Workflow, Banking, Call Centers, Helps Desk and others), people (systems consultants, networking, client facilitators, support, etc.) and organizations (Internal, Client, 3rd parties).• Create and implement the office for BCG.• Reduce time and cost and increase the quality by implementing a Project methodology considering the Project Management components as defining and controlling: activities, task, schedule, duration, effort, Gantt chart, dependencies, resources, people, issues, quality assurance, scope statement. WBS, dashboard, WSR (one Page report), deliverables, critical path, deadlines, budget, costs, communications, objectives, training, plans, documents, roles, stakeholders, needs, requirements, expectations. Show less

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  Unidad Ejecutora – Approved by International Development Bank (IDB) Law-1284

  Mar 2006 - Feb 2008

  Senior Operations Program Manager

  Responsible for operating a $92M program. In charge of managing the yearly budgeting. Maintain the plans updated. Follow up of the program in terms of time, scope and deliverables. Implement work procedures, Internal Control, Finance, Administration, Information systems, purchasing. Participated in action plans execution and Control/Monitoring and creation/update the logical framework. Prepared, with the financial area, the program monthly performance and financial reports. Coordinated the external audits to the Program. Participated in the external meetings with ministries and IDB personnel.• Control successfully the program by creating and delivering an effective and integrated management plan and Program Information systems.• Deliver the program reformulation plan to the "Senate" by encouraging and collaborating with a team of 20 members of the reformulation. Show less

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  Temenos

  Feb 2008 - Mar 2011

  Senior Project Manager/Country Manager

  Project Manager for the TEMENOS´s largest project in the world ($30M banking solution). Integrate hardware, software base and a Core Banking application. Lead a team of 40 people. Country Manager for the Office in CR, activities: office Set, People Management, Recruitment Selection and contracting. Develop/Deliver Project training, testing, implement plans (resources, time, scope and critical path, risks, etc.) Develop the project performance report, to analyze with the upper management in USA and Switzerland (goals, time, financial, resource utilization, performance among others). Develop & present results to the Steering Committee monthly meeting (Bank Management). Coordinate the weekly meeting with the project client team and the internal integration meetings. Request and coordinated with upper management the consultant’s assignment to the project. Motivate the project team to find creative solutions to the issues.• Deliver & bill successfully the first stage of the project with no objections and negotiated a project extension in time and price with the client.• Create and implement reports to the Latin America Headquarters in Miami from Costa Rica.• Found and implementation of TAM team (Temenos Applications Management) Services for Latam Support. Show less

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  IBM

  Jun 2012 - Mar 2020

  Senior Project Program Manager

  Responsible for programs and work as a Project Manager for Strategic Delivery Outsourcing processes. Lead Internal IBM Global Programs coordinating efforts with Champions/Consultants/SME from: EMEA, Asia, North America, Australia and Latin America. Lead Client Face Project Management services. Interact with internal and external clients. Control hours/spends from PMs projects. • Reduce the timeframe for the IBM/Client “buy process” from 5 weeks to 3 weeks with the implementation of a tracker process. • Train +180 participants in 9 waves delivered in a period of 4 years with the implementation of the Project Management Academy (I2PM) consisting of 3 levels (Introduction, intermediate, and a Project Plan development). • Reduce planning time and costs in general by implementing the repeatable model: Global Projects Best Practices repository taking advantage of those best practices and building different models.• Cost reduction & quality improvement when transitioning SIC (Standard Insurance Co) Support Center in Costa Rica from India and transitioning from India, Boston and Brazil to Costa Rica CITI Bank Support Center.• Increase the revenue in 10% when implementing the Help Desk in IBM to support CEMEX operations in México.• Cost/Process improvement and revenue recognition by implementing the PMO and its methodology in IBM operations for Scotia Bank in Mexico in Lorenzo Boturini headquarters in a 2-month period.• Re-Design of the Project Management Work Book for Costa Rica PMO (Project Management Office).• Onboard new IBMers with the N2B (New to Blue) onboarding Certified Facilitation. Show less

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  CRG

  Mar 2021 - Sept 2022

  Project Manager/Agile Coach

  Assigned to FIFCO, responsible for guiding the project Squads in the adoption of Agile Methodology in two projects. Also, acts as Project Manager in some functions like financials. Leads and facilitates the conditions for the Agile Ceremonies among others.

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  PwC

  Feb 2022 - Oct 2022

  Hogares Conectados (Program 2) Management Unit Director

  Responsible for the coordination of the operations of Unidad de Gestión for the Targets 05 and 43 which includes coordination with the Internet Service Providers, Project Team coordination to review of payment requests, settlements, accounting, attestation, preparation of reports by period, coordination of the Unit with SUTEL and the BNCR Trust.operators