Kai Zimmermann
Project and Product Management (Product Owner) • Project Accelerator
Experience
Oct 2023 - Oct 2024
1 year 1 month Maastricht, Netherlands
Project and Product Management (Product Owner) • Project Accelerator
MediaMarktSaturn Technologies GmbH
- The MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group (Media-Saturn-Holding GmbH) in Ingolstadt runs Europe’s largest consumer electronics retail chain.
- In the project, we first replaced old in-store legacy apps for POS and inventory management.
- I took over product responsibility for the cash-out registers and replaced the in-house system (Tiger) with Toshiba’s standard product (Visual Store).
- Methodical and functional support was needed because the project was off track at the start of my role.
- Project Management • Project Accelerator (methodological consulting)
- Revived project structures of the stalled product management
- Embedded into MMS Technologies’ portfolio management with integration of software product lifecycle management (SAFe, Scrum, Kanban, Scrum@Scale)
- Restructured project content by creating Big Pictures and Story Maps with use cases and breaking them into capabilities, epics, and user stories
- Introduced quality gates to define deliverables for status transitions (DoD and DoR) and maturity assessments
- Set up a workstream model to optimize workflows in parallel development pipelines (SAFe release stream, Spotify model)
- Integrated a DevOps approach to better combine ITSM (ITIL) and environment handling processes, including test and quality management and test automation
- Restructured Confluence/Jira and set up controlling and reporting structures
- Product Owner for the new cash register (NextGen Checkout)
- Led product management through the first pilot (incl. proof of concept) and initiated release and change management activities. The project focused on cash registers and self-checkout, while preparing PayOnFloor and other downstream innovations (incremental iterative approach)
- Coordinated product planning with teams from different domains (global loyalty, promotions & couponing, POSA, inventory system, SAP FI, duties/taxes…) and represented the product in big room planning and joint refinements
- Managed international internal and external teams and providers with common collaboration tools (development: Romania; cloud provider: Italy; software architecture: Spain; POS manufacturer: Italy; business owner: Netherlands; dependent teams: Germany)
- Planned server infrastructure (Google Cloud and MS Azure) and services
- Participated in hardware, development, and support tenders (e.g., touchpads)
Jul 2022 - Aug 2023
1 year 2 months Wiesbaden, Germany
Program & Project Management, Overall Project Lead (Register Census 2031)
Statistical Federal Office
- The Register Census 2031 is a key future project for official statistics, driving digital, bureaucracy-free administration in Germany (eGovernment).
- The hybrid model meets national and EU requirements (periodicity, geocoding, attribute sets) for population data delivery.
- I worked as a subcontractor for BearingPoint and McKinsey.
- Methodological consulting and tender support (with PMO)
- Lifecycle management consulting (lean-agile scaled approaches combined with V-Model XT federal version and support for procurement as a service)
- Defined the requirements process and set standards (with quality management)
- Identified project elements (epics, user stories) and related quality gates (deliverables, DoR, DoD)
- Converted a linear, sequential approach into an iterative lean-agile model
- Established a risk management system using Jira/Confluence; introduced risk classes for assessment, monitoring, mitigation, and escalation
- Stakeholder management and communication strategy definition
- Collaborated on procurement criteria between IT service providers for software development and services with requirements management
- Program and project leadership (overall project and hybrid model)
- Schedule and milestone planning (including legal A, B, and C milestones) for the overall program and the hybrid model subproject (MS Project, Atlassian Jira, Confluence)
- Time and task planning for the IT services department considering upcoming milestones and budget constraints, including planning for 2023 onwards
- Independently reviewed feedback and reported progress in meetings, suggesting improvements
- Product management (created Big Picture and Story Map with a virtual Conceptboard)
- Defined and structured requirements analysis (ARIS/BPMN)
- Derived artifacts, epics, features, and user stories from the functional target, historicized elements to form implementation iterations, and turned them into project increments
- Reporting on time, budget, scope, and risk to the IT project leadership
- Managed suppliers: Capgemini (nearshore/offshore development), ITZBund, Dataport, internal process owners of the Federal Statistical Office
- Special IT strategy analysis (reusing elements from the 2022 census)
- Impact analysis on cost and schedule for different implementation scenarios (retain 2022 census, rebuild, use line functionality)
- Evaluated and compared functional and technical architectures
- IT security, governance, compliance, legal conformity
- Defined digitalization requirements for German register modernization
- Contributed to ISO 27001 certification with BSI, deriving IT service management measures and defining IT security and data protection requirements (incl. GDPR)
Jul 2021 - Jun 2022
1 year Wiesbaden, Germany
Multi-Project Management • Member of IT Service Cluster Lead • Department Organization (Census 2022 Project)
Statistical Federal Office
- The 2022 census is a nationwide population survey held every ten years in Germany, gathering demographic, social, and economic data for policy, planning, and research.
- With its large budget, it’s the EU’s biggest public sector project and Germany’s largest digitalization effort.
- I served as a subcontractor for BearingPoint and McKinsey.
- Multi-project management (blend of lean-agile approaches and V-Model XT federal version)
- Measured overall project progress (Atlassian Jira), with required reporting
- Established a cluster-wide risk management system, ensuring progress info on quality assurance, test phases, deployments, and changes for upcoming releases
- Advised on and implemented de-escalation measures (task forces)
- Supported the 2022 census reference date operations (legal milestone start of data collection)
- IT security, governance, compliance, legal conformity
- Planned and managed special releases to maintain IT security (BSI compliance)
- Central internal contact for ISO 27001 compliance
- Internal data protection officer during data collection
- IT service management and change management
- Defined the service catalog and change management system; managed suppliers via Jira and Confluence: Capgemini, ITZBund, Werum, Bavarian Statistical Office, internal process owners
- Defined approval workflows within the Federal Statistical Office
- Oversaw environment management (DEV-TEST-MIRROR-PROD)
- Initiated synchronization of the Federal Statistical Office’s CR-Jira system with ITZBund’s Remedy system
- Defined end-of-life plans, including environment shutdown
- Member of the IT service cluster lead
- Cluster areas: application analysis, software development (nearshore/offshore), software architecture, roles and permissions, QA/test, configuration management, development tools, operations, system architecture, infrastructure, operations coordination, release and rollout management, integration management
- Analyzed and created processes for handing over program content to IT operations and service (operations concept, communication channels, system adaptation, service definitions, documentation, retrospectives)
- Enforced a frozen zone around the May 2022 census date
- Guided reorganization of configuration management, development operations, and tools
- Methodically aligned to Scrum@Scale (e.g., Scrum of Scrums), integrated communities of practice, revised workflows, and introduced DevOps n- Resource planning including participation in interview decisions
- Created an automated real-time report on tasks, defined SLAs, and introduced escalation levels
Nov 2020 - May 2021
7 months Munich, Germany
Agile Organizational Management • Change Management (Agile Coach • Agile Mentor)
1st Solution Consulting GmbH
- Focus on staffing services in contracting (time & materials and fixed-price) and temporary employment.
- The project aimed to implement agility, optimize business processes, and expand the partner management portfolio to increase fixed-price and service capabilities.
- After two employees left, I temporarily managed Deutsche Bahn’s account, including key negotiations with procurement.
- Introduced agility, optimized business processes
- Established OKR model to translate strategic goals into departments
- Coached agile mindset & culture, including servant leadership
- Introduced central organizational change management with lean approaches
- Presented Kanban flight boards (Level 1: operational, Level 2: end-to-end, Level 3: strategy)
- Introduced new communication methods (virtual fairs, webcasts, workshops, other collaboration tools) by adding Miro alongside MS Teams, Zoom, and WebEx
- Expanded and advised on toolset and workflows (MS Office, XMind, Zoho HR, StaffIT CRM, Atlassian Trello, MS Visio)
- Corporate management and strategic partner management
- Conducted fit-gap analysis to enable future IT and telecom services alongside contracting; built a network of local, nearshore, and offshore partners
- Defined a cross-company Program Management Office (PMO/PrgMO) to offer portfolio management with automated controlling (scope, time, budget, risk management, reporting), service management (ITIL, service catalogs, SLAs), and stakeholder management
- Defined governance and compliance elements for smooth contracting
- Served as Deutsche Bahn’s smart ICT representative
- Built national and international partner networks for full customer support (e.g., IBM, Capgemini, Lufthansa Industry Solutions, Coforge…)
- Negotiated framework agreements with SIAM provider management and procurement
- Managed external service providers and specialists for Deutsche Bahn and other corporate clients
- Handled complex project requests in IT and telecom
- Contracted teams/full projects by service or trade
- Estimated trade (incl. risk management) and services (ITIL/SLA management)
- Created proposals and analyzed project content
- Coordinated recruiting for roles and negotiated individual contracts
- Delivered training in organization, recruiting, and sales
Jan 2020 - Sep 2020
9 months Munich, Germany
Agile Sales Management • Transition Management (Agile Coach • Agile Mentor)
Client Confidential (NDA)
- Staffing service specializing in IT contracting, temporary employment, and permanent placement.
- Developed and successfully implemented agile sales management.
- This approach combines IT program and project management elements with production using my "Salesgile" method.
- Despite the pandemic’s economic challenges, we met revenue and margin targets and boosted employee satisfaction.
- Designed, introduced & coached the new sales structure with Salesgile
- Agile mindset & principles (Agile, Lean, Kaizen)
- Agile leadership (servant leadership, change management)
- Sales objectives (OKRs, Business Model Canvas, etc.)
- Sales target analysis (existing and potential clients) using product backlog and sales stories techniques
- Sales planning (OKR cycle, SalesScrum, agile boards, DoD, CoP, sales points, order points) and translating analysis items into a sales sprint backlog
- Built scaling methods (Scrum@Scale, SAFe…)
- Sales execution (Sales Design Thinking, sales funnel, opportunity & risk management)
- Team-based commissions
- Advised on toolset and processes (MS Project, MS Visio, MS Office, XMind, Jira, Confluence, Trello, in-house CRM, other collaboration systems)
- Restructured sales and other business areas using agile methods to reduce complexity
- Developed the Salesgile method
- Adapted IT project management methods for org development (sales & growth management, setting objectives, defining goals, coordinating execution)
- Explored new agility trends (e.g., Spotify model)
- Adapted methods for sales and tested innovations
- SalesOps modeled on DevOps for continuous sales-delivery interaction
- SalesPicture/TenderPicture based on BigPictures and story mapping for professional handling of complex tenders and prioritizing prospects
Jul 2019 - Dec 2020
6 months Hagen, Germany
Sourcing Tender Manager • Procurement Manager (incl. Requirements Engineering • Agile Coach) • Project Manager / Product Owner
CHRIST Jewelers and Watchmakers since 1863 GmbH
- Christ, a renowned jeweler with over 250 stores in Germany, implemented and selected a new POS system (and services) via an RFP.
- We optimized sales processes to enable modern, cloud-based omnichannel operations.
- We introduced mobile devices for customer service and met legal fiscalization requirements.
- Sourcing tender management (mix of software licenses, trade, and services)
- Derived IT strategy from corporate strategy to meet future system needs
- Created, managed, and evaluated the tender, calculating 5-year TCO
- Conducted a gap analysis to map current vs. target essential processes
- Developed use cases and derived epics and user stories (with refinements)
- Aligned requirements with user level (interviews with shop staff, customers, service desk)
- Built a weighted evaluation catalog (~350 criteria)
- Selected and negotiated with vendors relevant to Christ Jewelers
- Developed recommendations
- Defined SLAs, penalties, maintenance, and support per ITIL, expanded payment methods
- IT security, governance, compliance, legal conformity
- Mapped fiscalization requirements for the POS solution
- Secure integration of customer systems with personal data handling
- Established governance and compliance policies with measurable rules
- Project manager / agile coach / scrum master
- Coached teams in Scrum and Kanban using Atlassian tools
- Set up the agile project and defined collaboration in requirements management (BigPicture, story mapping)
- Assessed impacts on ERP, PIM, logistics, inventory, eCommerce (SAP Hybris), loyalty (Payback integration), repair systems, customs (incl. VAT refund), payment systems (Alipay, WeChat)…
- Automated project reporting (time, budget, scope, risk, mitigations)
- Introduced Scrum artifacts (product backlog, sprint backlog, increments), roles (PO, SM, team), and ceremonies (planning, daily, review, retrospective)
- Adjusted service desk SLAs and rebuilt the service catalog
- Created workflows, defined statuses, aligned project guardrails, advised on Jira and Confluence use
Jan 2018 - Jun 2019
1 year 6 months Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Agile Transition Manager • CPO - Chief Product Owner (RTE) • Tender/Bid Manager / Project Manager
Loyalty Partner Solutions GmbH
- LPS handles loyalty and bonus systems like BahnCard, BahnBonus, and Miles & More (American Express/Payback group).
- The project moved from waterfall (PMI-style) to the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) with scalable agile methods.
- We supported DB Vertrieb’s central Vendo sales project, evolved systems, and continued the digital strategy.
- Led the tender and PoC for BahnCard/BahnBonus IaaS migration.
- Transition manager for SAFe introduction
- Transformed org and development structures from waterfall to agile (SAFe, Scrum, Kanban, LeSS), driving continuous improvement
- Coached and mentored Scrum Masters, Product Owners, seven dev teams, and business stakeholders in servant leadership
- Defined software lifecycle from vision to application operation
- Ran sprint reviews, release retrospectives, planning conferences, steering committee meetings, and effort negotiations
- Introduced apics, features, and user stories
- Set up quality gates (deliverables for transitions, DoD/DoR for epics, features, stories)
- Launched Communities of Practice
- Adapted methods for QA, operations, and system support (DevOps)
- Initially defined processes, workflows, and statuses in Jira and Confluence
- Chief Product Owner (RTE) / Program Management
- Guided project increments (PIs) post-methodology launch
- Worked on eGovernment, digitalization, and plausibility topics
- Oversaw BahnBonus app development and data for DB Navigator
- Reviewed requirements management (ARIS/BPMN/UML)
- Automated project reporting
- Reported to DB board (projects, analyses, reports, PoCs)
- Planned resources for 2019 projects and identified staffing gaps, aided external hiring
- Managed supplier tenders/bids
- Handled EU tender for eLOK PriKu (BahnCard/BahnBonus) on cloud (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) in DB Enterprise Cloud (AWS, Azure)
- Conducted AWS feasibility using Oracle Siebel
- Calculated business case (ROI) for on-prem to IaaS migration after data center sale
- Assessed migrating Siebel elements to other CRMs (e.g., loyalty)
- Ran PoC to validate SLAs (installability, operations, load tests with real data)
- Defined parallel on-prem operation and shutdown plan post-migration
Apr 2017 - Dec 2017
9 months Munich, Germany
IT Strategy • Project Manager / Product Owner • Technical Consultant • Partner Manager
Wee Business GmbH / WeeConomy AG
- wee ran a global cashback (loyalty & affiliate) system for local retail and e-commerce (later insolvent due to COVID).
- I developed an IT strategy, restructured software development and IT operations, and expanded card and app tech for mobile payment.
- I led sales strategy and secured partners and key accounts.
- I served as technical consultant for innovation topics.
- Restructured IT department and developed IT strategy
- Organizational development and defined company goals, derived IT strategy elements, and set up portfolio management
- Conducted fit-gap analysis and dismantled outdated structures in development, operations, and service
- Introduced PRINCE2 agile, Scrum, Kanban, and change management transitions
- Coached agile mindset and servant leadership
- Coordinated external staffing and contractors (defined acceptance and test scenarios) for company restructuring
- Advised on contract and SLA management per ITIL
- Held vendor discovery talks, exploring nearshore/offshore dev options
- Led project management, requirements analysis, and innovation management
- Managed mobile payment innovation project ensuring cashback functions
- Payment methods: cashback balance, prepaid, postpaid
- Feasibility analyses, partner and supplier selection
- Ran pilot iterations and rollouts with continuous reporting
- Defined role and permission system (paused project due to missing definitions enabling full account access)
- Supported go-lives of initial iterations at events with marketing plans using developed tech
- Managed vendors, external dev, and partners
- Ongoing reporting (time, budget, scope, risk) to the board
- IT security, governance, compliance, regulation
- Modeled banking regulations (e-money license)
- Addressed KYC requirements
- Unlike point systems, a cashback system holds real-money accounts, requiring bank‐grade controls
- Served as key account and sales consultant in negotiations with major clients and sports partners (e.g., SpVgg Unterhaching, EC Bad Tölz)
May 2014 - Mar 2017
2 years 11 months Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Program and Project Manager • Business Analyst • Sales Director Central • Partner Manager
VOQUZ IT Solutions GmbH
- The group is a mix of IT consultancy, solution provider, and project support services.
- In 2014, Cloud7 IT Solutions acquired DV-RATIO AG, and both became VOQUZ IT Solutions GmbH.
- As part of the acquisition, I optimized sales and recruiting processes and grew the Frankfurt central office.
- I won new key accounts with individual and team responsibility.
- I established a hybrid project management center of excellence for clients like Deutsche Börse and HZD.
- Managed multiple IT projects and programs (Scrum, Kanban, PMI, Prince2, ITIL)
- Built an IT competence center offering tailored method consulting for large projects
- Took over individual customer projects
- Transitioned methodologies and supported iterations
- Integrated service structures and defined service catalogs
- Optimized service processes for the group
- Defined corporate and IT strategy (and cascaded to other areas)
- Led matrix teams across all locations
- Created business plans for services and offerings
- Coached and trained staff in Frankfurt and Ismaning
- Sales director for central region (Frankfurt)
- Functional and disciplinary leadership, including forecasting
- Strategic and operational sales of software solutions, IT services, up to C-level; project management in sales projects
- Managed tenders and formed partnerships
- Advised on managed service providers and vendor management systems
- SAP license management, software asset management, software sales
- Built SAP license measurement with the group’s samQ system for precise license calculations
- Conducted and managed license measurement at various clients
Summary
Program & Project Manager • Principal PMO • Methodical Coach: 20+ years of experience in successful (multi-) project and program management using scalable, agile, hybrid, and traditional methods. I’ve advised, initiated, developed, and implemented (organizational) change management measures to optimally adapt project management methods to the project context. I’ve also taken on various roles across the product and software development lifecycle.
Strategic Officer • Corporate Management & Development: 20+ years of expertise in transforming and strategically aligning business units, with a focus on IT and sales. I’ve worked as a senior and hands-on consultant advising executive management (CEO, CIO). A well-thought-out IT strategy supports business goals by fostering innovation and boosting efficiency. It helps companies adapt to market changes and gain a competitive edge.
IT Service Manager • Change Manager • Release Manager • Requirements Manager: 10+ years as an IT service manager and change consultant responsible for smooth operations and top customer satisfaction. By focusing on efficiency and innovation, I optimize IT services, automate processes, and increase productivity. I proactively tackle challenges and execute IT strategy to shape the company’s digital future.
Sales, Partner, and Supplier Management: 15+ years of skill in optimizing business with comprehensive sales, partner, and supplier management. Building strong relationships with partners and suppliers is essential to reach targets efficiently. By implementing tailored strategies, you can boost revenue and streamline collaboration across the supply chain. I have extensive experience in running procurement processes (including public sector/EU tenders).
Languages
German
Native
English
Advanced
Hungarian
Elementary
Education
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Business Administration
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IT Systems Business Administration
Certifications & licenses
BA Foundation
EXIN BCS
BA Practice
EXIN BCS
BA Requirements Engineering
EXIN BCS
ITIL 4 Digital & IT Strategy
ITIL 4 Direct, Plan, Improve
ITIL 4 Foundation
ITIL 4 Strategic Leader
ITIL v3 Foundation
Prince2 Foundation
Prince2 Practitioner
SCRUM Master
SCRUM Product Owner
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