Ralf S. - Senior Consultant Banking & Telecommunications, Finance, Architect, Business Analyst, Product Owner

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Michelbach, Germany

Experience

Apr 2024 - Present

1 year 5 months

Development of a marketplace for local merchants

Development of a marketplace for local merchants
Technologies & methods: Java, ORACLE, Ingres, REST, Spring Boot, Angular, nginx.

Nov 2021 - Mar 2024

2 years 5 months

Consulting and support in the implementation of a financial process, Product Owner, Development/Test Team Lead

Government/Public Sector

Project support as part of a large strategic process.
Contributing to specifications / the creation of requirements specifications / requirements documentation.
Business analysis, test analysis, Product Owner, Development/Test Team Lead.
Technologies & methods: Elster/Ginster/XML, Confluence, Scrum, JIRA, UML, use-case diagrams, activity diagrams.

Nov 2020 - Mar 2021

5 months

Consulting on meeting BaFin requirements

Allianz Global Investors

Analysis of the business-managed applications that are not compliant with BaFin's KAIT requirements.
Developing proposals on how to meet the KAIT requirements.

Apr 2020 - Oct 2020

7 months

Setup of a documentation platform for on-premise cloud

R&V Insurance

Analysis of the cloud documentation.
Developing a concept for a documentation platform for training, documentation, and knowledge exchange.
Building this documentation platform with Confluence.
Technologies & methods: Confluence, JIRA

May 2019 - Feb 2020

10 months

Software Developer, Project Manager, Business/Requirements Engineer

DVAG German Financial Advisory

Analysis, design, and implementation of software for cleaning up data sets in the DVAG cloud environment.
Analysis, design, and implementation of software for migrating DVAG cloud data sets from ORACLE to Microsoft Azure.
Organizing and preparing the DVAG cloud migration to Microsoft Azure.
Technologies & methods: Java, JUnit, Mockito, Oracle, JIRA

Jan 2019 - Apr 2019

4 months

Software Developer

Helaba Invest

Development of software for financial accounting.
The programming languages and environments are Java, JUnit, Mockito, Xentis, Final and Doxis.
Technologies & methods: Java, JUnit, Mockito, Oracle, JIRA, CI/CD

Dec 2018 - Jan 2019

2 months

Porting a web application, Software Developer

A web application written in AngularJS was ported to Angular 7 / TypeScript.
This application accesses a server via a REST interface that provides data from a MySQL database.
This server was converted to Spring Boot.
Technologies & methods: Angular 7, TypeScript, REST, Java, JUnit, Mockito, JSON, MySQL, JDBC, IntelliJ, Git.

Jun 2018 - Oct 2018

5 months

Germany

Lead Design and Development, Project Manager, Business/Requirements Engineer

Deutsche Bank

The goal of the project was to develop new software for managing public funding programs. My task was to build and initially lead the design and implementation. The business requirements analysis is carried out in Germany by internal and external consultants. The implementation is done step by step by an Indian supplier in India. The objective is to run the old and new application in parallel in a hybrid model. After the initial setup and leadership, the task is handed over to an Indian supplier.
In parallel with the setup of this new development, I led a project that could not be completed for several years but was an essential prerequisite for the new development.
In addition, I developed a configurable test data generator in Java and Oracle for a migration project.
Technologies & methods: Java, JUnit, Mockito, Oracle, IntelliJ, Git, Maven, Microservices

Jan 2016 - Oct 2017

1 year 10 months

Munich, Germany

Component Owner/Project Manager, Business/Requirements Engineer

City of Munich

In the role of component owner / product owner, I was responsible for the life-cycle management of multiple IT software systems for various departments. In this function, I acted as the interface between the IT division of the City of Munich, the departments, and the vendors. My tasks included requirements gathering, planning and design, identifying optimization potentials, quality management, configuration management, release management, supporting the architecture, and acting as a mediator for escalations and conflict resolution. Specifically, it involved migrating applications and databases from dedicated legacy servers to a virtualized environment. My responsibilities included planning, technical design, overseeing the execution, and, in the case of the database, executing the migration itself.
Technologies & methods: Oracle, PL/SQL, Architecture.

Jul 2015 - Oct 2015

4 months

Java Developer

Postbank

Migration and enhancement of a web application from Apache Struts to the Apache Wicket framework. This software is used in Postbank branches for product sales.
Another focus of the project was standardization, i.e. developing reusable modules such as account display panels and CSS classes for a consistent look and feel (web usability).
Technologies & methods: Java, JSP, JavaScript, jQuery, Struts, Apache Wicket, JUnit, Mockito, HTTP, Eclipse, IntelliJ, Maven, SVN, HTML, CSS, HP ALM, Git.

Jun 2014 - Mar 2015

10 months

Java Developer

ING DIBA

Migration of a bank-internal CRM application from Apache Struts to the Apache Wicket framework. A requirement of the project was that the application supports both Struts screens and Wicket screens simultaneously until the migration is fully completed. This means that during a dialog it must be possible to switch from Struts screens to Wicket screens, and vice versa. This also included working on IT concepts for new developments and coordinating requirements with the business departments.
Another focus of the project was standardization, i.e. the development of reusable modules such as display panels for accounts, as well as CSS classes for a consistent look and feel (web usability).
Technologies & methods: Java, JSP, Struts, Apache Wicket, JUnit, Mockito, http, Eclipse, IntelliJ, Maven, SVN, HTML, CSS, Jenkins.

Nov 2012 - Nov 2013

1 year 1 month

Germany

Developer

AKDB (Municipal Data Processing Authority in Bavaria)

Development of a Java software for a central information system for state registration registers. A key part of the task was developing IT concepts for the required re-engineering of the architecture.
This also included creating user stories for the business logic and architecture to be implemented.
Technologies & methods: Java, JUnit, http, JBOSS, Hibernate, JDBC, Eclipse, Maven, SVN, HTML, CSS, OSCI, Scrum including facilitation, PL/SQL, architecture, Jenkins, test automation, CI/CD.

Apr 2011 - Jun 2012

1 year 3 months

Developer

1und1

Development of a web client for mobile devices based on the Java Wicket framework. A focus of the project was standardization, i.e. the development of reusable modules and CSS classes for a consistent look and feel (web usability).
Technologies & methods: Java, JUnit, JMockit, Wicket, REST, XML, JAXB, JSON, http, TOMCAT, Eclipse, Intellij, Selenium, Maven, SVN, Git, HTML, CSS, Spring, Scrum, test automation.

Nov 2010 - Dec 2010

2 months

Consultant

CBS (Click & Buy)

Creation of an RFP for a CRM system.
Methods: Requirement Engineering

Aug 2008 - Nov 2009

1 year 4 months

Consultant

E-Plus

Design and implementation management of a port of a Win32-based registration and activation system for direct sales (business customers) to a web service–based system. Methods: Requirement Engineering
Design and implementation management of a web service–based dealer interface for customer registration and activation. This interface allows dealers to forward registrations and activations directly to E-Plus through their own system. Methods: Requirement Engineering, project management. This also included the analysis of existing business processes.

Jan 2007 - Apr 2008

1 year 4 months

Munich, Germany

Consultant

Loyalty Partner

Besides the Payback system, Germany's leading bonus program, Loyalty Partner also operates the Bahncard system for Deutsche Bahn. The tasks included designing and developing a monitoring application to oversee interfaces between the operated subsystems (SIEBEL Hospitality, Loyalty Systems, CRM) and various other interface applications. Methods: Requirement Enginering
Developed a "Customisation Guide" for the Loyalty Bonus System LMS. This required analysis and documentation of a Struts/Hibernate/Spring-based Java EE application.
Designed and developed a C application to initialize and load an ORACLE database with 1,000,000,000 records, using real data.

Oct 2005 - Dec 2006

1 year 3 months

Project Architect

Adidas

Architect in the miadidas project (details see below). The goal of the second phase was integrating the miadidas environment into the existing Adidas U.S. eCommerce platform. This also included ongoing synchronization of user data across separate, independent databases. This enabled cross-system use of the various platforms. Methods: Requirement Enginering, Project Management.
Architect in the miadidas project. miadidas has been running since 2001 and offers individual shoe design for the mass market. The task was developing a data model that supports both the new functionalities and the existing supply chain applications, each with its own unchangeable data model. Technologies & Methods:: Requirement Enginering. Java, JDBC, ORACLE
Architect of the "Online Catalog" project. This web-based application supports customers in their purchase decisions by providing an optimized dialog with online products. The application is based on the Interwoven Teamsite platform for content management and the Interwoven Mediabin platform for digital asset management. Methods: Requirement Enginering
The architecture descriptions for all projects were documented in UML using the ARIS Toolset. Methods: Requirement Enginering

Jan 2003 - Dec 2005

3 years

Cologne, Germany

Project Architect, Senior Consultant / Project Manager Logistics, Senior Consultant / Project Manager Telecommunications

Solvatis Consult GmbH & Co. KG

Architect in the miadidas project (details see above).
Architect in the Mercury ITG project. The task was documentation/creation of a data model for several existing applications with the goal of having a single data model.
Conducted a study for DHL. All IT systems available at DHL were examined and evaluated to find out how data models can be used for customer analysis. The goal of the customer analysis was to find out how DHL customers use DHL's own software "Easylog".
Designed and developed an application that analyzes the above data sets to determine the described usage.
Responsible for product management, development, and marketing of the EBPP product (electronic bill presentment and payment).
Designed and managed extensions of the system for use by telecom companies and pure billing providers.
International product marketing
Project management for implementing application changes for Talkline.

Jan 2002 - Dec 2003

2 years

United States

Developing strategies and concepts for the healthcare sector

Developed strategies and concepts to leverage the Internet for the U.S. healthcare sector.

Jan 2002 - Dec 2002

1 year

Lancaster, United States

Lead Consultant and Architect

PCS One Lancaster

Consulted on a migration of user data from the BSCS system to AMDOCS. The project included analysis of the existing BSCS environment as well as design and development to correct invalid data.
Technologies & Methods: Requirement Enginering

Jan 2000 - Dec 2001

2 years

Lancaster, United States

Lead Consultant and Architect

PCS One Lancaster

Design and development of an application that migrated user data from AMDOCS to BSCS. This included analysis of the AMDOCS databases and the requirements for the new system, as both prepaid and postpaid customers were migrated into a single customer base.
Methods: Requirement Engineering

Jan 2000 - Dec 2000

1 year

Athens, Greece

Lead Consultant and Architect

Cosmote

Migration of a heavily customized BSCS system to a new standard version of BSCS. The ongoing migration had already been halted. The task was to complete the migration successfully at the required time without any impact on revenue or reputation. As the project manager, I reported directly to the board and was responsible for the entire migration. This included managing all involved vendors. At the end of October 2000, the migration was completed successfully and the new system could be fully used with all its new features.

Jan 1999 - Dec 2000

2 years

İstanbul, Turkey

Lead Consultant

Turkcell

Analysis and assessment of the billing processes. The goal was to improve the throughput of invoice generation.

Jan 1999 - Dec 2000

2 years

Rome, Italy

Lead Consultant and Architect

Wind

Analysis and design of a “Best Option Plan” system. This system determines for a customer what the best tariff would have been if certain other tariffs had been available. Methods: Requirement Engineering
Analysis and assessment of all existing business processes to optimize the billing environment. Methods: Requirement Engineering
Support to the LHS management in setting up a local software development “on-site”. The goal of this department was to carry out analysis, design, development, implementation, testing, and commissioning independently at the customer site.

Jan 1999 - Dec 1999

1 year

Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

Lead Consultant

Orange

Analysis and assessment of the billing processes. The goal was to improve the throughput of invoice generation.

Jan 1995 - Dec 1998

4 years

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Lead Consultant and Architect

Binariang

Design and implementation of a novel "Interconnect Settlement System". Based on an internal study by the customer, a system was designed to support scenarios like "Equal Access" and "Extended Profit Sharing". Part of this task was managing the vendor of the existing billing system, to which an interface existed. A challenge was developing a data model that took into account both the new interconnect functions and the existing data model of the active billing system. Methods: Requirement Enginering
Lead consultant to management and "Solution Architect" for the further development of an existing customer management and billing system. The goal was to expand the pure GSM system to bill services like fixed line, information services, and entertainment services like Video on Demand. An online frontend was developed for the entire new order process. At the same time, a duplex interface was created to the existing BSCS billing system. This solution enabled usage-based billing of fixed line, GSM, and entertainment services without any internal changes to BSCS. My main task was designing an enterprise data model and developing the interface software. Methods: Requirement Enginering

Jan 1995 - Dec 1998

4 years

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Lead Consultant and Architect

LHS

Analysis and development of a prototype for a CORBA-based prepaid backend system, developed in Java (online) and C++ (batch). The system was tested by Excelcom Indo in Jakarta using the existing prepaid environment there. This experiment showed that with these technologies, new throughput levels could be achieved that were not possible before.
Technologies & Methods: Java, C, JDBC, ORACLE

Jan 1994 - Dec 1995

2 years

Milan, Italy

Lead Consultant for BSCS Integration and Customization

Omnitel

Jan 1994 - Dec 1994

1 year

Paris, France

Consultant for BSCS "Rating Engine" Integration

France Telecom

Consultant for integrating the BSCS "Rating Engine" into France Telecom's existing billing system. The task included designing and implementing the changes as well as training the staff of the partner responsible for it.

Jan 1994 - Dec 1994

1 year

Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation

Lead Consultant for BSCS Integration and Customization

US West

Jan 1992 - Dec 1994

3 years

Dreieich, Germany

Application Developer and Architect

LHS

Responsible for the design and development of the BSCS rating engine.

Jan 1984 - Dec 1992

9 years

Bad Homburg, Germany

Responsible for the selection of mathematical methods

Dr. Jens Grumann Datenkommunikation GmbH

Responsible for selecting mathematical methods for the semi-automatic analysis of software applications. The goal was to develop a tool for semi-automatic documentation of existing COBOL applications. This project was supported by the European Community and involved leading European universities such as the University of Oxford.

Jakarta, Indonesia

Lead Consultant and Architect

Excelcom

Requirements analysis and specification of changes for the existing BSCS billing system. Methods: requirements engineering.
Design and implementation of a subsystem to process incoming payment flows from banks and credit card companies. This system achieved throughput levels that were previously thought impossible.
Design and implementation of a prepaid application that communicated with the BSCS billing system. This allowed Excelcom to launch the prepaid campaign as planned. Part of the task was managing the BSCS system vendor.