Matthias Ottowski
Test Manager
Experience
Test Manager
Landesbank Deutschland
- Implementation of new limit system for credit risk management
- Test framework concept and test concept according to regulatory requirements (BAIT, DORA)
- Risk-oriented test strategy and test methods governance
- Analysis of test automation strategies
- Test environment management
- Organization and facilitation of risk management workshops
- Test effort estimations
- Role concept, resource planning, capacity planning
- Support for release concept and release planning
- Methods: ISTQB, DORA, BAIT, MaRisk, ISO 25010
- IT environment: OpenText ALM, JIRA, Confluence, MS SharePoint, cloud platforms/Kubernetes, Informatica DB, PostgreSQL, ALGO Credit Manager, SAP Loans, ChatGPT, Perplexity, COBOL, z/OS, CICS, ADABAS, NATURAL
AI consulting, SAFe, agile project and process frameworks
Training Courses
- Training and certification of AI managers and AI consultants
- Training and certification for SAFe Scrum Masters
- Training in TameFlow and Kanban for product processes
- Methods: SAFe, SCRUM, TameFlow, KANBAN, AI, prompt engineering, AI process automation, AI use case development, EU AI Act, DORA
- IT environment: ChatGPT, Perplexity, N8N, MS Copilot, Gamma, Canva
Project Manager / Senior PMO / Agile Coach
Munich RE
- 2 ESG projects for sustainable reporting in an international environment (project language English)
- Market risk management – agile transformation with SCRUM
- Consulting, training and implementation of an agile-hybrid budgeting and control system in coordination with the client's project and program management for 2 parallel projects of the program
- Budget monitoring and forecasting, project change management (plan adjustments) and program reporting
- Risk management, stakeholder management, communication management
- Support for change management of ESG business processes
- Project planning/control and transformation management (agile transformation)
- Consulting on the setup of agile-hybrid project structures and leading workshops
- Integration of CI/CD of the agile setup into release management
- Mapping project structures in the PM tool Azure DevOps, MS Project, Excel (VBA)
- Mapping budget monitoring in Excel (data interfaces to MS Project + SAP FI)
- Coaching 2 junior Scrum Masters and 2 junior project teams (40 and 20 members) in developing the agile mindset
- Project volume 8,418 person-days across both projects
- Support for long-term product and lifecycle management
- Agile business analysis and coaching in requirements engineering (Epics, Features, User Stories)
- Development of 3 TOMs (Target Operating Models) in the target organization
- Operational Scrum Master to achieve agile operational stability
- Methods: SCRUM, SAFe, KANBAN, PMI, VAIT, KAIT, DORA
- IT environment: Azure DevOps, MS Project, Miro, SAP S/4HANA, SAP BW, ALGO One, ACTIVEPIVOT, .NET C#, MS SharePoint, Planview, Excel VBA
Project Manager / Agile Coach / Multi Scrum Master
Curexus GmbH
- Consulting and support for agile transformation
- Scrum Master in 4 CRM projects in an international environment (project language English)
- Project leadership in a CRM project
- Transformation management: developing a shared understanding of agile terminology and supporting agile collaboration structures
- Support in preparing and moderating agile workshops
- Change management: support for implementing agile process elements and role definitions
- Support in setting up agile proposal processes, costing structures and project templates
- Support for Target Operating Models (TOM)
- Sprint planning, control and coaching of agile client teams (up to 20 members)
- Developing solutions for release management (CI/CD)
- Agile business analysis: building customer-centric strategies (PEX) and extending CRM processes with AI components
- Project roadmap, migration planning, budget planning and controlling
- Risk management, stakeholder management, communication management
- Support in setting up operational support and member of the steering team
- Methods: SCRUM, KANBAN, HOLOCRACY, CRM, PEX, BPMN GDPR, Design Thinking, AI management
- IT environment: Salesforce, Agile Accelerator, SAP FI/CO, JIRA, MS Project, MS SharePoint, Draft.io, Retrium, Git
Senior PMO / Agile Coach / Test Manager
Asset Management Company Munich RE and ERGO
- Market risk management Solvency II standard formula
- BI solution daily DWH (SAP HANA/BW) and replacement of IBM ARA with ACTIVEPIVOT
- Setup of agile project structures using SCRUM and embedding in classic waterfall structures
- Transformation management: developing agile mindsets and setting up agile project structures in MS Azure DevOps/Office 365
- Advising project management on controlling agile-hybrid projects
- Azure DevOps integration in Excel including SAP FI reconciliation
- Setting up agile monitoring processes and coordinating workshops
- Support for business analysis: data governance according to VAIT, Solvency II
- Scrum Master in 3 agile projects and agile coach for 3 agile teams (5 - 30 members)
- Organization and facilitation of retrospectives/lessons learned
- Implementation of an agile test management setup according to ISTQB
- Problem management: setting up task forces
- Project management office: cost planning, capacity planning and project change management
- Quality assurance in tender process for external project support
- Member of the steering committee
- Methods: SCRUM, ISTQB, Solvency II, VAIT, KAIT, BAIT
- IT environment: MS Azure DevOps, MS Project, SharePoint, SAP S/4HANA, SAP BW, IBM ALGO One, ACTIVEPIVOT, SimCorp, .NET C#, Unix, Perl, Excel VBA
Project Manager / Test Manager
Allianz Partners S.A.S
- Build an international Business Test Factory (agile) for global travel insurance processes
- Plan and set up a global Business Test Factory for B2B and B2B2C applications (UX/UI) including backend processes
- Define a global test governance, planning, and monitoring structures
- Integrate test setup into agile, Scrum-based software development
- Differentiate agile software development process and integration testing process
- Advise and support change management
- Stakeholder management at all levels (16 stakeholders)
- Integrate 8 testers from international business units (France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany)
- Manage 35 testers and 4 sub-test managers
- Overall planning and management of user acceptance testing
- Effort estimation, capacity planning, and risk management
- Escalation management and lead task forces
- Interface ALM to Excel (VBA) for test KPI calculation and reporting
- Methods: ISTQB, Scrum, agile methodologies, PMBOK, PMI
- IT environment: MS Project, OpenText ALM, JIRA, web applications, SAP FI/CO, z/OS, Excel VBA
Program Management Senior PMO / Senior Test Management
Large Bank
- Convert structured loan products and processes to Loan IQ in an international setting
- Advise and support project management for program steering
- Set up PMO structures and manage 2 PMO staff members
- Stakeholder management at project and program levels
- Requirements management and business analysis: end-to-end integration of all processes
- Change management for outsourcing operational loan processes
- Migration planning and management of the old loan application to Loan IQ
- Monitor project progress and create management reports
- Permanent member of the steering committee (executive board level)
- Plan and monitor business integration and acceptance tests (5,000 test cases, 29 integrated systems)
- Manage 95 international test designers and testers at 4 locations (London, Bucharest, Munich, Hamburg)
- Coordinate testing with international IT service providers (England, Italy)
- Training and coaching (test case design, test methodology, OpenText ALM/QC)
- Methods: PMBOK, PMI, ISTQB, BPMN
- IT environment: MS Project, OpenText ALM/QC, SharePoint, Loan IQ, SAP BA, SAP FI/CO, SAP BW, SAS, Kondor+, z/OS, COBOL, DB2, Oracle, Excel VBA
Consultant Test Automation
Large Bank
- Implementation plan for test automation using UFT
- Install UFT and set up a pilot for a browser environment
- Create and document test scripts
- Concept for reusability and UFT implementation plan
- Methods: test automation
- IT environment: HP UFT
Test Manager / Project Management Consultant
Large Bank
- Launch a new forward mortgage loan product based on EURIBOR
- Advise project management on strategy, planning, risk management, change management, and rollout planning
- Support business analysis (end-to-end process analysis): financing, interest calculation, risk management, and overall bank control
- Manage 16 stakeholders and oversee 40 testers and IT service providers
- Model change process (event-driven process chains, EPK)
- Develop the test concept (test strategy, test levels, acceptance criteria for 16 integrated systems)
- Structure the test tool OpenText ALM/HP QC and defect workflow
- Train/coach testers and coordinate test infrastructure
- Create test reports and test phase protocols
- Methods: ISTQB, PMBOK, PMI, BPMN, EPK
- IT environment: HP ALM, SharePoint, OpenProj, web/portal technologies, SAP BA, SAP SA, SAP BW, SAS, Oracle, z/OS, COBOL, DB2, Excel VBA
Multi Test Manager and Business Analysis Support
Large Bank
- Introduce workflow systems for mortgage and consumer loans
- Test planning and monitoring in coordination with project management
- Business analysis: end-to-end home financing and consumer loan processes (BPMN and use cases)
- Manage 28 stakeholders
- Develop 2 test concepts for 28 integrated systems (front office, rating, accounting, controlling, risk management)
- Resource planning and recruiting of test staff
- Structure OpenText ALM and align defect workflow
- Manage 61 testers and 3 sub-test managers at 2 locations (Italy, Romania)
- Methods: ISTQB, BPMN, EPK, UML use case definition
- IT environment: OpenText ALM, SharePoint, OpenProj, web/portal technologies, SAP BA, SAP SA, SAP BW, SAS, Oracle, z/OS, COBOL, DB2, Excel VBA
Project Manager / Business Analyst
Major Bank
- Migration of SAP FI to SEPA: financial accounting and real estate processes
- Project planning, monitoring and SEPA test planning
- Management of defect fixing and test reporting for SAP including 4 sub-systems and 26 SAP clients
- Oversight of 4 legally independent business units and 2 IT service providers
- Stakeholder management (20 stakeholders) and risk management
- SEPA process consulting: conversion of payment processes, mandate management, IBAN, BIC
- Quality assurance of SAP SEPA specifications and XML data streams (SCD + SDD)
- SAP SEPA rollout planning and migration management
- Post-go-live support and XML analysis
- Methods: PMI, PMBOK, ISTQB
- IT environment: OpenProj, SharePoint, HP ALM, SAP FI, SAP SD, SAP RE, SEPA XML
Project Manager
Major Bank
- Release process design for output management and returned mail workflow
- Project planning (scope, schedule, budget) and capacity planning
- Leading 11 employees and managing an external vendor
- Process design, role definitions and process transition (KANBAN)
- Establishing release management and ensuring quality assurance
- Monitoring work products: requirements, software architecture, test plans and deployment
- Stakeholder management, risk management and escalation management
- Methods: RUP, BPMN, KANBAN
- IT environment: z/OS, DB2, SQL, COBOL, ISIS Papyrus, POSY, DOPiX, PEGA, Unix, MS Project
Test Manager
Investment Company
- Enhancement of a custody system - AnlSVG and SEPA
- Reviewing business concept documents and functional design, and deriving test cases
- Developing a test strategy and test concept for SEPA (output management, customer communication)
- Defining acceptance criteria and test objects considering SEPA specifics
- Test management: tracking test execution, controlling bug fixing and reporting
- Methods: ISTQB
- IT environment: z/OS, CICS, COBOL, DB2, Oracle, SQL, ISIS Papyrus, MANTIS
Project Manager / Process Manager / Test Engineer
Curexus GmbH and Siemens AG
- Setting up support and operational processes for webMethods
- Outsourcing webMethods operations support from Siemens AG to Curexus GmbH
- Building EAI architectures to connect a data hub to a CRM system (12,000 users)
- Project management in an international environment (USA, India)
- Consulting on process design for webMethods operations (KANBAN)
- Defining service processes according to ITIL and setting KPIs/SLAs
- Involving 2 external subcontractors and leading 2 employees
- Process design and scripting for data quality management
- Creating an operations manual (monitoring, exception handling)
- Methods: ITIL, KANBAN
- IT environment: webMethods 8.2, Web Services, JEE, Oracle DB, Linux, Unix scripting, Java, MS Project
Project Manager and Business Analyst
Regional Bank
- Pre-study for evaluating own issuances
- Business analysis for modeling spread curves for regulatory reporting (Basel II / MaRisk)
- Defining IT architectures and planning IT implementation
- Clarifying business requirements, determining IT scope and aligning calculation methods
- Project organization and test planning to prepare for implementation
- IT environment: JEE, Oracle, SAP-BA/-SEM, Kondor+, Calypso, Asset Control, MS Project
Process Manager and Business Analyst
Ckc AG Braunschweig
- Supported the setup of the profit center and banking consulting
- Designed the process model and business analysis for a holistic bank advisory approach
- Defined the boundaries of different process levels
- Defined target skills and built a skill database
- Developed a consulting approach for Basel III and MaRisk
- Methods: creativity techniques
- IT environment: MS Office tools
Test Manager / Test Coach
Landesbank Baden-Württemberg
- Migrated the custodial bank solution from Sungard V3 to Profidata XENTIS
- Created functional test plans, test design and test strategy
- Executed XENTIS functional tests (corporate actions, master data, transactions, interfaces)
- Planned and managed all test activities based on ISTQB
- Led the test team (3 IT staff, 6 business staff)
- Managed and monitored via HP Quality Center
- Test reviews, test reporting and escalation management
- IT environment: z/OS, Oracle, SQL, OpenText ALM, Profidata XENTIS
Multi-Project Manager / Portfolio Manager
Landesbank Baden-Württemberg
- Integrated the Calypso and Front Arena systems with the Risk Vision limits system
- Managed the annual maintenance project and implemented the order management process for Risk Vision
- Included credit and interest rate derivatives as well as bonds and money markets in limit control
- Restructured risk calculation models and limit structures
- Project planning using SCRUM process frameworks
- Planned and managed the migration of transaction data
- Led 17 project team members and managed the overall project portfolio
- Set up requirements management and change processes
- Stakeholder management, risk management and escalation management
- Established test management and designed test automation
- Methods: SCRUM, ISTQB
- IT environment: Risk Vision, Solaris, Sybase, JEE, Tibco, MQ, Calypso, Front Arena, Kondor+, MS Project
Project Manager / Process Manager
LRP Landesbank Rheinland-Pfalz
- Implemented the OSPlus banking system (Finanz Informatik)
- Introduced retail systems (checking, savings, teller, ATMs) and conducted business analysis of retail processes
- Integrated master data, credit, limit and embargo systems according to Data Governance and KYC
- Outsourced payment processing to IT service providers
- Automated the overdraft approval workflow for individual and framework loans
- Managed 9 subprojects and led 28 staff (impacting over 800 employees)
- Organized the test management process and SLA process
- Escalation management (sounding boards) and board decisions
- Designed migration concept and master data synchronization (webMethods)
- Methods: PMOPlus Finanzinformatik, EPK process modeling, MaRisk
- IT environment: z/OS, DB2, COBOL, CICS, Oracle, SQL, Siron, webMethods, SAP FI/CO, OPC
Project Manager / Test Manager
LRP Landesbank Rheinland-Pfalz
- Implemented a limit system for trading and credit risks
- Project planning and team leadership (34 staff)
- Project representative in decision-making committees and involved at the C-level
- Integration concept for near-time interfaces
- Software rollout and hypercare phase
- IT environment: z/OS, Unix, DB2, CICS, COBOL, Oracle, SQL, Zeidon, Siron, Murex, Front Arena, Kondor+, OPC
Business Analyst
LRP Landesbank Rheinland-Pfalz
- Pre-study of HR workflow for overtime
- Methods: matrix diagram technique
- IT environment: z/OS, Windows 2000, DB2, Oracle, SQL, SAP HR
Test Manager / Test Engineer
LRP Landesbank Rheinland-Pfalz
- Implementation of the LeDIS contract database
- Execution of test procedures and test automation
- IT environment: z/OS, Windows 2000, DB2, Oracle, SQL, Siron, Rexx, Excel VBA, FTP
Project Manager / Process Manager / Business Analyst
Union Investment
- Restructuring of purchasing and logistics processes
- Project planning, control, and leadership of 12 employees (impacting about 60 staff)
- Identification of target process with improvement potentials and KPI definition
- Development of the transformation concept and concept approval by C-level for group-wide rollout
- Methods: BPMN, matrix diagram technique, MS Project
Project Manager
Union Investment Gruppe
- Implementation of a group-wide master data management
- Methods: UML
- IT environment: Persis, Paisy, SAP FI/CO, fund systems, custody systems, distribution systems, MS Project
Project Manager / Process Manager
Union Investment Gruppe
- Implementation of the Persis personnel information system
- Methods: BPMN, UML
- IT environment: Windows 2000, Oracle, SQL, VB, Persis, Paisy, MS Project
Project Manager
Union Investment
- Generation of e-invoices and archiving
- Project planning, control and concept support for e-invoices and SAP processing
- Rollout planning and organization of the hypercare phase
- Methods: BPMN, SAP-Standard
- IT environment: SAP FI / CO, ABAP/4, MS Outlook, MS Project
Project Manager / Process Manager
Union Investment
- System integration of SAP R/3 FI / CO into the Union group
- Interface concept, migration concept and implementation
- Outsourcing concept and implementation
- Disciplinary leadership responsibility for 4 employees
- Methods: BPMN, SAP-Standard
- IT environment: AIX, Oracle, SQL, SAS, SAP FI / CO, ABAP/4, Paisy, MS Project
Designer / Developer
Union Investment
- Maintenance and further development of securities systems
- Methods: UML
- IT environment: z/OS, VM, VSE, CMS, CICS, DB2, SQL, QMF, VSAM, COBOL, Rexx
Designer / Developer / Business Analyst
Software Union
- Software development and design for an airline
- Business analysis for a health insurance company: data migration concept and mainframe reports
- Proposal creation for fixed-price projects
- Methods: ISOTEC
- IT environment: VM, CMS, Predict-Case, Adabas, Natural, MVS, IMS-DB/DC, DB2, COBOL, PL/1, Delta-Tools
Designer / Developer / IT Auditor
Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen
- Software development and IT audits
- Methods: decision table technique, FAMA 1/87
- IT environment: z/OS, CICS, COBOL, Assembler, Adabas, Natural, Delta-Tools
Industries Experience
See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.
Experienced in Banking and Finance (29.5 years), Insurance (7 years), Information Technology (2 years), Professional Services (2 years), Aerospace and Defense (2 years), and Education (1 year).
Business Areas Experience
The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.
Experienced in Information Technology (37 years), Project Management (23 years), Quality Assurance (11 years), Finance (9.5 years), Audit (6.5 years), and Sustainability Management (2 years).
Skills
Focus Areas
- Project Manager, Agile Coach (Senior Level, Experience > 15 Years; Complex Projects With Up To 9 Subprojects; Management Of Vendors And Teams Up To 30 Members; International)
- Traditional/agile Test Manager (Senior Level, Experience > 8 Years; E.g. E2e Test Design For 29 Integrated Systems Per Project; Management Of International Vendors And Test Teams Up To 95 Members; International)
- Process Manager/ai Consultant (Ai Management, Ai Consulting And Digital Transformation; Definition Of Process Metrics (Kpi); Experience > 6 Years; International)
Industries
- Banking
- Investment Companies/asset Managers
- Insurance
- It Consulting
Technical Focus
- Capital Markets, Credit, Risk Management, Bank Controlling, Retail
- Asset Management, Fund Administration, Custody
- Travel Insurance, Reinsurance, Health Insurance
- Crm Processes (Marketing, Sales, Service)
- Ai Transition And Digitization
- Sepa Payments
- Output Management
It Focus
- Jee, Soa/eai, Webmethods, Vba
- Ibm Mainframe (Z/os, Cics, Ims, Cobol, Rexx, Pl/1, Siron)
- Databases (Oracle, Db2)/sql
- Sap, Loan Iq, Algo One, Activepivot, Salesforce, Osplus, Ledis
- Ai Tools (Llm, Ai Models, Chatgpt, N8n)
Special Skills – Methods/frameworks
- Pmbok Expert (++++)
- Ipma Expert (++++)
- Istqb Expert (++++)
- Scrum Expert (++++)
- Kanban Several Years Of Experience (+++)
- Safe Practical Experience (++)
- Holocracy Basic Knowledge (+)
- Design Thinking Practical Experience (++)
- Bpmn 2.0 Several Years Of Experience (+++)
- Rup Practical Experience (++)
- Itil Practical Experience (++)
- Babok Practical Experience (++)
- Epc Practical Experience (++)
- Uml Practical Experience (++)
- Pmoplus Practical Experience (++)
- Ai Prompting Practical Experience (++)
- Dora Practical Experience (++)
- Vait Practical Experience (++)
- Kait Practical Experience (++)
- Bait Basic Knowledge (+)
- Eu Ai Act Basic Knowledge (+)
- Okr Basic Knowledge (+)
Special Skills – Tools
- Ms Project Expert (++++)
- Opentext Alm Expert (++++)
- Ms Azure Devops Expert (++++)
- Jira Several Years Of Experience (+++)
- Confluence Practical Experience (++)
- Sharepoint Several Years Of Experience (+++)
- Excel Vba Several Years Of Experience (+++)
- Miro Practical Experience (++)
- Agile Accelerator (Salesforce) Practical Experience (++)
- Hp Uft Practical Experience (++)
- Lotus Notes Practical Experience (++)
- Planview Basic Knowledge (+)
- Isis Papyrus Practical Experience (++)
- Svn Practical Experience (++)
- Git Basic Knowledge (+)
- Ai Tools Practical Experience (++) (Chatgpt, Perplexity, N8n, Gamma, Make)
Special Skills – Applications
- Sap Fi/co Several Years Of Experience (+++)
- Loan Iq Basic Knowledge (+)
- Algo One Basic Knowledge (+)
- Activepivot Basic Knowledge (+)
- Salesforce Basic Knowledge (+)
- Osplus Practical Experience (++)
- Ledis Practical Experience (++)
Special Skills – Databases
- Db2 Several Years Of Experience (+++)
- Oracle Several Years Of Experience (+++)
- Sybase Basic Knowledge (+)
- Sql Several Years Of Experience (+++)
Special Skills – It
- Webmethods (8.2) Practical Experience (++)
- Jee Practical Experience (++)
- Xml, Html Practical Experience (++)
- Eai/soa Strategies Practical Experience (++)
- Linux Practical Experience (++)
- .Net C# Basic Knowledge (+)
- Ibm Mainframe, Z/os Expert (++++) (Z/os, Tso, Ispf, Cics, Ims Db/dc, Cobol, Rexx, Pl/1, Siron)
Languages
Education
Helaba Frankfurt
Bank internal IT training · Computer Science and Business Analysis · Frankfurt, Germany
Helaba Frankfurt
Bank Clerk · Banking · Frankfurt, Germany
Certifications & licenses
AI Consultant and AI Manager, certified by HC Training
Hilker Consulting
Matthias Ottowski, Certified SAFe® 6 Scrum Master
Agile Certification Academy
ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level Extension - Agile Tester
iSQI GmbH
ISTQB® Certified Tester Advanced Level - Test Manager
iSQI GmbH
Project Management Professional PMP®
PMI Prometric Testing Ctr Munich
Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
Scrum Alliance
ITIL® Foundation Examination
APMG-International
Certified Project Manager (GPM) IPMA LEVEL C®
Profile
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