Claudia J.
Product Owner (equiv. SAFe Essential level)
Experience
Aug 2024 - Jan 2025
6 monthsProduct Owner (equiv. SAFe Essential level)
- Requirement management
- Quality assurance
- Risk management
- Developing a long-term service roadmap
- Backlog management (Azure DevOps)
- Release planning in coordination with product-related services
- Specification of Epics, Features, and User Stories
- Conducting workshops for requirement gathering and alignment with stakeholders
- Interface modeling
- Establishing interfaces to external systems
- Weekly management reporting
- Preparing decision templates
Aug 2023 - Jun 2024
11 monthsOKR Coach
- Co-design, introduction, and further development of OKR as a management system
- Coaching in defining top-level objectives and key results
- Conducting department-specific OKR workshops
- Establishing reporting structures and routines
Aug 2022 - Dec 2023
1 year 5 monthsAgile Coach, Project Manager (RTE equiv. SAFe Essential level)
- Co-design, introduction, and further development of a collaboration model for multiple agile teams with overarching quarterly planning as part of a restructuring project across all organizational units
- Mentoring and coaching for Product Owners & Epic Owners, Agile methodology training
- Design thinking workshops, introduction of Management 3.0 tools like value stories, kudos cards, celebration grid
- Workshops on agile leadership
- Co-design of future organizational development, business and process analysis, creation of an organizational handbook to map company architecture, development of a Business Architecture blueprint (TOGAF), business process modeling
Feb 2022 - Jul 2022
6 monthsEnterprise Agile Coach (equiv. SAFe Portfolio level)
- Involved in the design and responsible for implementing a customer-specific scaled agile organizational structure as part of a transformation project at a leading energy provider to establish agile ways of working in more than 20 teams
- Including leadership training, Product Owner onboarding and mentoring, team workshops, and building and leading the Agile Coaching chapter
Jan 2022 - Present
3 years 8 monthsPaphos, Cyprus
Co-Founder, Managing Director
CMJ Forward Consulting
- CMJ Forward is my boutique consultancy for lean-agile consulting, coaching, and training.
- As an Enterprise Agile Coach, I worked, among others, on behalf of a strategy consultancy and supported the introduction of a new organizational structure for 21 teams in a scaled agile environment.
- In another project, I took on the role of project manager and PO coach in an agile restructuring project with nine teams.
- The successful introduction of OKRs as a management framework marked the conclusion.
May 2021 - Nov 2021
7 monthsAgile Coach/ Agile Architect (SAFe Portfolio level)
- Coaching of enterprise and solution architects in the context of SAFe rollout
- Establishing agile ways of working with a Kanban board
- Translating architecture guiding principles and modeling in ArchiMate
- Enterprise architecture according to TOGAF
- Integration of architecture into PI planning
- Moderating workshops to derive an enterprise architecture vision and an EA mission statement
May 2021 - Jun 2021
2 monthsAgile Coach (SAFe Large Solution level)
- Assessment of the maturity level of the SAFe implementation and deriving recommendations for action
- Focus on DevOps, continuous integration, continuous delivery, continuous deployment, and principles of agile architecture
Oct 2020 - Sep 2021
1 yearAgile Coach (Scrum Team level)
- Agile coaching, supporting the Scrum Master and mentoring the Product Owner in an agile pilot project
- Agile development of an app
- Deriving recommendations to set up multiple agile teams and implement SAFe
Sep 2020 - Apr 2021
8 monthsAgile Coach, RTE (SAFe Portfolio level)
- Methodical support and guidance for expanding SAFe in a European agency
- Establishing the Dual Operating Model
- Supporting the introduction of a Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) with remote training and coaching of internal change agents
- Providing a business agility self-assessment
- Team readiness evaluation
- Value stream identification workshops
- Business and business process analysis
Jul 2020 - Sep 2020
3 monthsAgile Coach (SAFe Essential level)
- Supporting the implementation of SAFe
- Focus on value stream and Agile Release Train (ART) identification to derive team composition through workshops
Sep 2019 - Dec 2021
2 years 4 monthsStuttgart, Germany
Senior Technology Advisor, Agile Coach and Trainer
BearingPoint
- As a Technology Advisor and Agile Coach, I mainly helped clients in the public sector and finance/insurance sector master their digital transformation, set up agile scaling frameworks, and make agile software development projects successful.
- I also taught SAFe courses such as Leading SAFe and SAFe Release Train Engineer as a trainer at the CIO Advisory - Agile Academy.
Sep 2019 - Apr 2020
8 monthsAgile Coach, Release Train Engineer (SAFe Portfolio level)
- Methodical support and guidance for introducing SAFe in a European authority
- Mentoring the internal RTE and coaching the program manager, for example in developing a vision for the Agile Release Train, onboarding and coaching product owners and product managers, backlog management, and tool training (Azure DevOps)
- Advising on creating epics and features for solution development
- Facilitating Design Thinking workshops
Mar 2019 - Jun 2019
4 monthsConsultant
- Modernizing IT system documentation and IT process documentation
- Migrating to and training on a unified modeling tool
- Designing an enterprise architecture meta-model based on TOGAF
- Supporting the harmonization of modeling processes
- ArchiMate and BPMN modeling
- Business and process analysis
Apr 2018 - Jul 2019
1 year 4 monthsAgile Leadership (mainly team level)
- Applying agile leadership principles
- Hands-on use of Management 3.0 tools like Kudo cards, personal maps, delegation board, value stories
- Running workshops, for example to define team values and using delegation poker to develop a delegation board
May 2017 - Sep 2019
2 years 5 monthsMannheim, Germany
External Lecturer
Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg
- As an external lecturer in the Business Informatics program, I taught the courses Algorithms and Data Structures, System Analysis and Design, and Project Management Case Study—first in English, later also in German.
- I was also responsible for exams and supervising seminar papers.
Feb 2017 - Aug 2017
7 monthsProject Manager, Analyst
- Introduction of the Innovator modeling tool at the client, including setting up a pilot model to map the application landscape and processes.
- Took over project management, gathered requirements, coordinated internal stakeholders, led workshops and webinars, supported model setup, and created a custom modeling guide.
- Served as the main contact for the client and liaison between the business unit, sales, and product development.
Nov 2016 - Aug 2019
2 years 10 monthsNuremberg, Germany
Managing Consultant
MID GmbH
- As a Managing Consultant, I led a ten-member consulting team focused on software lifecycle management and agile consulting.
- At the same time, I was active in projects myself, including a large-scale EAM project.
- I gained extensive experience in agile software development (Scrum) and applying agile leadership (Management 3.0).
Nov 2016 - Oct 2017
1 yearBusiness Analyst, Scrum Master (per SAFe Essential level)
- Supported an agile development team
- Prepared and facilitated Scrum events
- Discussed obstacles with Product Owners and clarified them if needed
- Coordinated with other teams and participated in the Scrum Master Community of Practice
- Managed the backlog and maintained Jira
- Handled agile requirements management
- Conducted requirement analysis
- Performed UML modeling
- Carried out impact analysis of change requests
- Conducted business and process analysis
- Developed solution proposals
Feb 2016 - Oct 2016
9 monthsProject Manager, Analyst, Tester (Product Owner per SAFe Essential level)
- Led the extension of the ERP system with an EDI-compliant invoicing solution.
- Responsible for international requirements analysis, creating technical specifications, coordinating interfaces with the development team, conducting consistency checks, and managing and supporting the international rollout.
Jun 2015 - Oct 2015
5 monthsGreece
Expat Consultant, Coach
- Set up and enabled two international support teams during an assignment in Greece.
- Conducted training and coaching on ITIL, database usage, and specification creation.
- Supported team processes, testing, and change management.
- Coordinated interfaces with internal IT and business units in Germany.
Jun 2015 - Sep 2015
4 monthsThessaloniki, Greece
Inhouse Consultant
Lidl Greece (Lidl Hellas & Co.)
- During my secondment, I was instrumental as a trainer and consultant in setting up the Competence Center.
- I coached teams, onboarded new employees, and conducted practical training sessions.
- I also served as a subject matter expert for accounting systems, responsible for risk management of potential issues.
Feb 2014 - Oct 2014
9 monthsProject manager, analyst, tester (Product Owner equivalent to SAFe Essential level)
- Implementation of an ERP add-on to ensure compliance with EU Directive 2011/7/EU on country-specific payment terms.
- Responsible for consolidating international requirements, creating functional specifications, UX concepts, and aligning with business units and IT teams.
- Pilot testing and go-live support.
Jan 2014 - Oct 2016
2 years 10 monthsNeckarsulm, Germany
Inhouse Consultant
Lidl International
- In the international IT project organization, I was responsible for specific invoicing and administrative systems across the entire software lifecycle in a PO-like role.
- I led international software development projects, managed external service providers, supported audit processes with external auditors, and performed classic business analysis tasks.
Feb 2013 - Oct 2013
9 monthsSub-project lead, analyst, tester
- Reorganization of invoicing to reduce processing effort for 15,000 transactions per month, including digital signature, verification and SAP FI posting, ensuring legal compliance and audit security.
- Responsible for gathering requirements, specifications, coordinating with development and testing teams, and communicating with auditors and business units during the national rollout.
Jun 2011 - Dec 2013
2 years 7 monthsNeckarsulm, Germany
Inhouse Consultant
Lidl Germany (Lidl Dienstleistung GmbH & Co. KG)
- As an Inhouse Consultant in the IT project organization for ERP systems, I was the point of contact for central management systems (e.g. invoice verification, month-end/year-end closing, reporting).
- In a PO-like role, I was responsible for the modules used in the in-house developed ERP system at headquarters.
Oct 2008 - May 2011
2 years 8 monthsLudwigsburg, Germany
Assistant
Institute for Quality Management (IQM)
- My tasks as assistant to the managing director included secretarial work, as well as preparing and supporting customer workshops, with a focus on Six Sigma, TPS, Lean and Kanban.
Summary
I guide organizations in successfully mastering complex changes – where technology, strategy, and corporate culture come together. Whether in agile transformation programs, building adaptable organizations, or delivering scalable IT solutions: I bring clarity to complex initiatives, structure to ambitious goals, and energy to execution – as a sparring partner, coach, trainer, or hands-on doer. With a clear focus on what matters and a passion for sustainable results, I support companies in becoming future-proof, resilient, and innovative.
Languages
German
NativeEnglish
AdvancedFrench
ElementaryEducation
Jul 2014 - Jul 2014
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Master of Business Administration · Strategic Management · Canada
Sep 2013 - Feb 2016
Graduate School Rhein-Neckar Mannheim
Master of Business Administration · IT Management · Mannheim, Germany
Sep 2007 - May 2011
Ruprecht-Karls University Heidelberg
Bachelor of Science · Medical Informatics · Heidelberg, Germany
Certifications & licenses
Certified SAFe® Release Train Engineer
Scaled Agile Inc.
Scaled Professional Scrum
Scrum.org
TOGAF® 9 Foundation
The Open Group
Certified OKR Coach
Workpath
Certified SAFe® Program Consultant
Scaled Agile Inc.
Certified Management 3.0 Foundation
Management 3.0
Certified SAFe® Architect
Scaled Agile Inc.
Certified SAFe® Product Owner/Product Manager
Scaled Agile Inc.
Certified Agile Leadership I
Scrum Alliance
IBM Rational DOORS Foundation V9.4
IBM
IBM Rational DOORS Practitioner V9.4
IBM
Professional Agile Leadership I
scrum.org
Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering – Foundation
IREB
Professional SCRUM Master I
scrum.org
IT Service Management with ITIL – Foundation
Project Management with PRINCE2 – Foundation
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