Sebastian Hefczyk - Overall Project Manager; Turnaround Manager & Coach

Recommended expert

Bornheim, Germany

Experience

Aug 2024 - Present

1 year 6 months

Hamburg, Germany

Overall Project Manager; Turnaround Manager & Coach

Statutory Health Insurance Provider

Took over the struggling project from the internal project management and successfully completed Turnaround Project Phase 1 (cutover of approx. 1000 servers (VMs)/standard desktops, specialized desktops)
Responsible project management for the successful Phase 1 transition (planning within the shortest possible time followed by implementation; very successful with low ticket volume)
Stakeholder management – taking over daily direct communication with the end client from the Chief Operations Manager in task force briefing sessions before cutover. Rapid rebuilding of the previously lost trust and restoration of the client relationship to optimal satisfaction
Task force mode to resolve all existing issues/showstoppers before cutover
Scope clarification and setup as well as planning of activities for Phase 2 (e.g. silo/admin servers)
Kick-off Phase 2/returning the project to a success trajectory for completion of the clarified remaining issues by internal project management/line organization
Establishing, preparing and conducting steering committees with V-1 management to agree on guardrails
Moderation of various regular meetings and operational workshops
Participation in lessons learned with the end client to address dissatisfaction with the internal project management before my involvement (client extremely satisfied with my work)
Tools: Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, SharePoint; MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel, MS Project)

Jan 2024 - Jul 2024

7 months

Technical Project Manager; Turnaround Manager & Coach

Internationally operating electronics manufacturer

Project management/leadership
Took over struggling project (target country Poland) on a critical path from internal project management
Scrum approach: Sprint planning; Sprint review; Retrospective
Supported the Product Owner with backlog refinement and aligning priorities and product vision with the business
Turnaround management and temporary project leadership
Assessing current state and root cause analysis
Defining, agreeing and implementing necessary corrective actions for the turnaround with IT and business management (e.g. scope freeze, prioritization against other initiatives, identifying and addressing resource issues, enforcing rigorous planning including dependencies)
Aligning migration approach and overarching project planning with system architects and the managers of affected projects
Supporting preparation of test activities with test management, teams and system architects
Creating transparency by identifying cross-project dependencies and coordinating corrective actions with other project managers and internal agile masters
Creating transparency and stakeholder management through central, unfiltered reporting
Establishing and executing active risk and issue management
Status meetings with international business and IT at C-level (including the country representative in Poland)
Supporting the turnaround and handover to another internal project manager for continuation of regular project work
Tools: Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, SharePoint; MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel, MS Project)

Jun 2023 - Dec 2023

7 months

Project Lead/Initiative Setup & Leadership & Coach

German mobile network operator

Leading the "Device Compatibility Initiative" for network launch
Defining scope of necessary measures related to network launch
Breaking down requirements and aligning sprint goals, priorities and coordinating at C-1 level, preparing board-level decisions
Deriving and aligning project deliverables
Program organization: establishing a central governing framework with defined structures and responsibilities
Steering committee: setting up, conducting and moderating steering committee meetings led by the board, C-1 level
Participation and input for board meetings
Creating transparency and stakeholder management through central, unfiltered reporting
Central consolidation of defined activities to identify or provide mitigations/instructions where improvements are not immediately possible
Defining and establishing project management processes around planning/controlling/reporting
Identifying impacts on process landscape and supporting integration into the line organization
Tools: Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, SharePoint; MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel, MS Project)

Sep 2022 - Jun 2023

10 months

Deputy Project Lead/PMO/Subproject Lead "Change Management & Communication"

International IT infrastructure/engineering leader and innovation pioneer

Defining and establishing project management processes around planning/controlling/reporting (single point of contact for project & portfolio management)
Acting project lead deputy
Integrating various suppliers & creating project structures for the workstreams "Celonis Process Analysis", "System Analysis" and "Change & Communication"
Steering committee with CIO and business leads: gatekeeping, moderation and post-processing board decisions
Goal definition, scope management, co-creating guardrails/project direction
Setting up stable project delivery
Creating, aligning and executing change management/communication plans; conducting various communications across the company’s channels in coordination with the CIO or CIO staff (intranet page; articles; company-wide email)
Tools: Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, SharePoint; MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel, MS Project); Celonis Process Analysis

Feb 2021 - Sep 2022

1 year 8 months

Project Management/Concept/Implementation/Consulting, PM Coaching

Leading international retail group

Operational project management
Leadership development, coaching, training of lead developers into their new leadership roles as subproject leads; demonstrating project management "training on the job"
Advisory on overall project management and project teams
Establishing project structures, building ownership through clear responsibilities
Aligning sprint goals; tracking and velocity based on existing gadgets, burndown chart
Optimizing the Scrum approach in a hybrid setup
Sparring partner for internal agile coaches on agile approaches, tools and mindset
Goal definition, scope management
Ensuring deliverability, project delivery throughout the entire period
Defining and rolling out risk management
Co-creating guardrails/project direction
Project marketing/communication; creating various "highlight" posts and success messages/articles
Planning drill down/roadmap & detailed planning for various workstreams and integration through active dependency management
Setting up and conducting task forces to enable project progress
Consolidated project closure report including lessons learned for use in knowledge management and to support internal (new) subproject leads
Tools: Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, SharePoint; MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel, MS Project); MS Azure DevOps

Aug 2020 - Jan 2021

6 months

Cologne, Germany

Interim Manager

Medium-sized IT Consulting Firm

Optimizing company structures to enable further growth, including developing a 3-year roadmap
Strategic realignment: individual and group coaching of executive management
Defining USP
Defining, implementing, and rolling out a new product range
Coordinating and defining the "Business Development" action plan
Coaching management on key business development issues and sales strategy
Initiating client meetings and providing online support during these meetings as part of individual coaching, focusing on communication techniques (needs analysis/presentation; objection handling; self-presentation), including meeting minutes and debrief
Tools: Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, SharePoint; MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel), HubSpot
Skills: interim management, business development, management coaching

Apr 2019 - Jul 2020

1 year 4 months

Scrum Master, Multi-Project Manager, Supplier Management Restructuring in Infrastructure

Global Insurance Group

Consulting and implementing project approach reengineering / adapting agile methods to a traditional environment through a tailored project setup (Scrum/Waterfall)
Supporting the Product Owner with backlog refinement including requirement prioritization
Preparing, conducting, and following up on Scrum ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospectives)
Managing project topics (scope, time, budget)
Multi-project management of assigned suppliers in various project topics in the database server area
Acting as internal Senior Project Manager representative
Preparing decision papers for program management
Integrating diverse internal and external teams into an effective unit => "One Team"
Participating in/moderating various operational and management meetings/steering committee
Skills: Certified Scrum Master, project management, PRINCE2
Products: Guidewire, Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel)

Feb 2019 - Apr 2019

3 months

Neckarsulm, Germany

Scrum Master / Agile Coach

Large Retail Chain

Preparing, conducting, and following up on Scrum ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospectives)
Scrum of Scrums with other Scrum Masters to improve cross-team agile collaboration (SAFe)
Identifying improvement potentials for more agility in close coordination and coaching with Product Owners and teams

Jan 2018 - Feb 2019

1 year 2 months

Overall Project Manager

Medium-sized Insurance Company

Phase 1: LMS implementation project with a customer-selected LMS provider: setting project direction in coordination with project sponsors; executing an agile project approach based on Scrum; harmonizing cross-training scope; mediation and team building; project management; risk management; designing a tailored evaluation process; preparing steering committee meetings
Phase 2: Turnaround management in the context of a required separation from the previous LMS provider: implementing negotiation procedures; evaluating options and contributing to decision materials for the executive board; leading and conducting negotiations entirely in English; achieving the best possible negotiation outcome; supporting decision-making up to the strategic executive board decision
Phase 3: Evaluation of new tool providers: overall project management; driving decision-making on evaluation subjects; designing and obtaining management approval for a three-stage evaluation process; managing a quantitative rating and weighting approach; overseeing the evaluation through workshops with tool providers; designing evaluation tools such as a "scoring catalog" with over 200 requirements; managing data collection and analysis phase; preparing necessary management decisions (V-1); performing a delta analysis before contract signing; defining the scope of the final target LMS; handing over to internal project manager
Skills: Atlassian Confluence, Ubuntu, various learning management systems including open source

Aug 2017 - Dec 2017

5 months

Germany

Quality Subprogram Manager

Logistics Group

Subprogram management for 2 strategic projects focused on "quality assurance"
Planning and controlling program activities for the quality aspect
SST with external software suppliers
Reporting to overall program management
Setting up and conducting workshops

Oct 2016 - Jul 2017

10 months

Germany

On-site

Program Management

Insurance Company

Multiprogram management: Steering project teams in client programs (onsite/offshore/nearshore)
Disciplinary leadership responsibility (over 200 employees)
Main client contact – Led the steering committee
Developed concrete solution approaches for existing delivery programs
Optimized governance processes in ongoing programs
Improved the global delivery process (offshore/nearshore/onsite)
Converted two client programs (each over 100 employees) from waterfall to agile (Scrum)
Contributed to strategy development
Coached teams and individuals
Supported the transition of delivery to new suppliers

Aug 2015 - Sep 2016

1 year 2 months

Germany

Deputy Program Management Office Lead (Workstream IT)

Large Bank(s)

Created roadmap to accelerate setup of multiple separation projects within the bank's process and governance structure
Conducted cross-entity blind-spots analysis with enterprise architecture across the entire program scope to identify IT applications relevant to the separation
Designed the approach, obtained management approval and executed up to declaring the application list "frozen" by management decision
Supported the "Application Development" cluster in initiating time-critical project tasks in coordination with enterprise architecture and business stakeholders
Clarified scope for the "Production Organization" cluster regarding ITSM processes for outsourced services to the former parent company
Served as point of contact for the project offices of the separation projects; facilitated the weekly cross-program PMO jour fixe
Acted as delegate of program management in task forces addressing critical issues such as achieving key milestones or ensuring separation of data communication
Program marketing: produced articles about the program initiative for separating the IT infrastructure "Basic Infrastructure"
Single point of contact for aligning program planning with release management
Assisted in organizing, preparing, and following up the weekly status meeting in the "IT" workstream
Supported financials and participated in discussions with business units and the carve-out PMO of the overarching separation program
Represented the internal PMO lead "Programs"
Tools: Clarity, MS Office 2013, SAP, MS Office

Feb 2014 - Aug 2015

1 year 7 months

Germany

Deputy Project Manager Elsterlohn II; Management Consulting

Financial Administration Data Center

Operational project management
Preparing, attending, and following up on steering committee meetings, including inter-agency sessions
Implemented rolling planning approach including introduction of agile methods/mindset
Set up communication structures with internal and external stakeholders
Optimized planning, controlling, and reporting
Established suitable communication and escalation paths to various authorities' management
Prepared, attended, and followed up on status jour fixes
Skills: Agile project management, Scrum, large-scale project management, KONSENS, risk management, ELSTAM, coaching sub-project managers
Tools: Atlassian Confluence, Atlassian JIRA, Microsoft SharePoint, MS Office

Oct 2013 - Feb 2014

5 months

Germany

EPIC Owner Wholesale Rollout/Scrum

Leading Automaker in Southern Germany

IT coordination of requirement implementation in the global country rollout for a new web platform (garage, car configurator, dealer locator for more than 50 country organizations)
Scrum-based requirements engineering approach
Interface between the business department and contracted development firms for CMS and SC components
Tools: MS Office, Confluence, JIRA

Mar 2013 - Sep 2013

7 months

Program Management "Quality"

Leading Telecommunications Company

Led a company-wide program to optimize customer processes in the DSL and Mobile business segments as well as cross-functional topics like "Quality Assurance", "Customer Communication" and "Change Management"
Managed multiple projects and sub-projects
Clarified scope and structured program content from concept to implementation
Monitored program activity progress, resolved conflicting goals, and initiated escalations
Established and ensured a closed-loop planning, controlling and reporting cycle
Prepared and moderated program director meetings
Prepared decision proposals for the program's strategic direction at the department head and executive board level
Coached and supported client-side sub-project managers in PM methods
Participated in steering committees (executive board and department head level)
Defined suitable change management measures and planned the implementation of a defined "mind shift" within the company's workforce
Tools: MS Office

Nov 2012 - Dec 2012

2 months

Project Management (Focus on Project Setup)

Leading company in the insurance industry

Advising the business overall project manager on goal setting and on project management methodology for planning.
Supporting the project structuring for the overall project, including setting up the work breakdown structure (WBS) and subproject interfaces.
Assessing test approach and test scope.
Validating subproject objectives, including internal and external dependencies, to ensure clear and distinct work package planning.
Providing all phase-relevant PIP deliverables, such as project charter, capacity planning, timeline, and budget effort in OPX2 (Planisware).
Preparing steering committee (executive board, division boards) decision papers for technical direction decisions up to the implementation draft.
Guiding the project through the entire approval process, including risk assessments, project board (IT feasibility check), and PMR.
Setting up the PMO: providing relevant templates and integrating project processes to enable a complete planning/controlling/reporting cycle.
Handing over the project to the overall project manager for ongoing operations.
Business Analyst.

Apr 2011 - Oct 2012

1 year 7 months

Program Management Office (PMO), Deputy Project Manager, Business Analyst

Leading insurance group / international branch

Acting as deputy to the IT program manager during absence.
Designing and conducting a workshop series for complete project planning of the IT program.
Supporting subprojects in operational tasks – accompanying acceptance of key documentation (General Design, functional concepts, Detailed Design).
Assisting the IT project manager in preparing steering committee decisions.
Leading the "Master Data Push" task force: cleaning master data differences, following up on defects (HPQC) and change requests (Clearquest).
Controlling budget, risk, and project plan (tracking efforts, change requests), preparing materials for steering committees, providing booking entries in SAP-PS and OPX2.
Reporting: meeting the information needs of different stakeholder groups across all reporting levels.
Gatekeeping "status meetings": preparing, moderating, and following up on program status meetings.
Internal and external communication for the overall program (intranet, IT newsletter, events).
Test management/defect management: participating in international daily test status calls to identify and prioritize deviations.
Tools: OPX2, Sharepoint, Clearquest, HPQC, SAP CO, SAP FI, SAP-PS, MS Office.

Dec 2008 - Mar 2011

2 years 4 months

Program Management Office (PMO), Interim Project Manager "Rollout & Retirement"

Leading mobile communications company

Interim project manager for "Rollout & Retirement" as part of the call center infrastructure standardization.
Concept development and project setup.
Gatekeeping steering boards: preparing, moderating, and following up on project steering committees with top and middle management.
Agenda setting (shaping and detailing topics and decision needs).
Initial talks and achieving consensus with business and IT management.
Operational program management: intensive program support for various projects, supporting escalations (budget, timeline).
Developing project management tools and running workshops (e.g., lessons learned).
Single point of contact for reporting: meeting the information needs of different stakeholder groups.
Identifying and driving significant change requests after the introduction of the "TOP-S" tool.
Risk monitoring: setting up risk reporting and monitoring for the program.
Gatekeeping "status meetings": preparing, moderating, and following up on program status meetings with IT project managers.
Internal and external communication: establishing and coordinating complete program communication; advising on communication strategies.
Program marketing: editing and writing contributions in German and English.
Verification/sparring partner for the test approach.
Tools: TOP-S, iQ-Rep, MS Office.

Sep 2008 - Oct 2008

2 months

PMO Setup, Process Analysis

Leading company in the insurance industry

Implementing a project management tool in the group.
Reviewing the test process to identify optimization opportunities and quick wins.
Supporting internal management in setting up the project office (e.g., developing a risk management template).
Preparing and moderating project meetings.
Contributing to various meetings, test jour fixes, and subproject leader rounds.
Technologies: OPX2, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, MS Visio.

Mar 2008 - Aug 2008

6 months

Project Manager Support / Conceptual Consulting / Business Analyst

Internationally operating bank / premium segment

Supporting internal management in setting up the multinational project/rollout of standard processes.
Co-project management for various locations in Europe and the USA; project organization.
Conceptual support for defining procedures to create service requirements for processes at each location.
Collaborating on developing standard processes with IT architecture (current state analysis and design of target state); coordinating with internal auditors.
Assisting in preparing and securing board decisions.
Advising/coaching on internal and external communication (cross-departmental).
Reporting: preparing various regular reports from the project team to the steering board.
Advising on the rollout of core banking applications via Citrix infrastructure.
Advising the overall project manager on current trends, risks, and quality management; acting as leave cover.
Tools: Augeo central, Citrix, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, MS Project, MS Visio, JIRA.

May 2005 - Apr 2008

3 years

Division reorganization, international multi-project management

Leading company in the mobile communications industry

Supported internal management in building and running a multinational benchmarking large-scale project (end-to-end performance) in the field of mobile broadband technologies (EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA)
Project management/coordination, measuring & monitoring project progress across different countries in Europe
Project office, project organization, e.g., preparing, running and moderating project meetings; regular meetings with Marketing and Operations
Support and coordination of activities related to introducing tool-based test automation in the national subprojects
Conducting analyses of test results with a focus on quality assurance of input/output data for insights for senior management
Advising on internal/external communication; single point of contact for Marketing and Operations as well as the project team
Creating various regular reports, from technical presentations for the project team to project status updates for top management (CTO reporting)
Advising the department head on current trends, risks and actions taken; representing the department head in meetings
Technologies: HP IT Governance Center, HP Quality Center, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, MS Visio, MS Project

Nov 2004 - Mar 2005

5 months

Quality assurance; test management

Bank of a world-leading automotive corporation

Test management, test planning, test concept for extending existing frontend systems of dealer representations in Europe
Functional testing, application testing, system testing, integration testing, acceptance testing
Test organization, e.g., setting up the Quality Center (Test Director) to monitor test progress and defect tracking
Testing, e.g., identifying test cases, executing tests and providing support
Coordinating test activities across different locations in Europe
Gap analysis / gap clarification in specifications
Project management support
Technologies: SQL Navigator, XMLSpy, MQ Series, HP Quality Center, MS Project, MS Office

Feb 2002 - Sep 2003

1 year 8 months

Frankfurt, Germany

Software testing in a large Java project

Major bank in Frankfurt

Comprehensive knowledge of software testing/quality assurance across all test phases
Applying methodological approaches in a large Java project in the banking domain
Supporting and training staff on methodological work practices and knowledge transfer
Responsible for thoroughness and mental agility in special tasks
Conducting test procedures with a strong focus on objectives

Summary

More than 23 years, confirmed by numerous written client references (available on request)
"Hands-on" cross-industry experience in project work in various roles such as Project Manager, High-Level PMO, Test Manager as well as Interim Manager, Agile Coach, Epic Owner and Scrum Master in complex, heterogeneous, mostly international and multicultural environments. Key focus on new development, greenfield, innovation, digitalization, change and transformation projects.
Key assets: Comprehensive consulting, conceptualization, coaching/training, implementation in all aspects of effective (agile and/or classic – Scrum/Kanban/SAFe/Prince2) project management. Expert, hands-on manager supporting strategic programs, flagship projects, vendor management and in setting up and leading project management offices (PMOs). Excerpt of core competencies:
TURNAROUND MANAGEMENT: Identifying "misalignments" in the project/program, i.e.: assessing health status, identifying needed corrections, defining & initiating actions, implementing measures, tracking until success
SERVANT LEADERSHIP: Appreciative orchestration
HOLISTIC EXECUTION: Getting things done! Focus on effective achievement of project goals according to scope without tunnel vision
ONE TEAM: Integrating and harmonizing individual project players into a functioning, motivated team (program/project), including vendor management and distributed team structures (offshore/nearshore/onsite teams)
STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT: Effective expectation management, bringing stakeholders together to create stable guardrails for the project, audience-appropriate communication at eye level
CHANGE MANAGEMENT & COMMUNICATION: Translating change into employees' language and gaining acceptance
STRUCTURING: Creating an optimally sized, needs-based project platform for effective implementation of project objectives
COACHING & TRAINING: Sharing many years of cross-industry best practices from nearly 25 years of experience. Shadow management and on-the-job training in leadership development
PROGRESS TRACKING & RISK MANAGEMENT: Establishing lean project structures and processes as needed to increase transparency and control (planning-controlling-reporting cycle)
COMPOSURE: Professionalism, integrity, loyalty in extremely challenging project and team situations
AGILE EVANGELIST: Introducing or transitioning existing organizational structures to an agile mindset, guiding the mindshift to agile mindsets, tools and approaches with the goal of pragmatic effectiveness improvements in collaboration

Skills

Atlassian Confluence
Atlassian Jira
Certified Scrum Master
Clarity
Various Learning Management Systems
Guidewire
Ilias
Jabber
Konsens
Microsoft Sharepoint
Ms Office
Ms Office 2013
Risk Management
Time4you
Ibm Ispf
Ms-dos
Mvs, Os/390
Unix
Windows
Cobol
Java
Javascript
Jcl
Pascal
Pl/sql
Shell
Tcl/tk
Access
Db2
Lotus Notes
Oracle
Sql
Cics
Ims/dc
Internet, Intranet
Mms
Tcp/ip
Voice
Windows Networking
Ms Office (Project, Powerpoint, Excel, Visio, ...)
Sap-ps
Sharepoint
Sqs Test Organization Platform (Top)
Sqs-test/professional
Sqs-test For Windows
Sqs-bit
Hp Testdirector/quality Center
Hp Winrunner
Hp It Governance Center
Pvcs Tracker
Pvcs Version Manager
Cvs
Vss
Adonis
Jira
Confluence
Clearquest
Augeo Central
Opx2
Testquest
Top-s
Iqrep
Drive2
Project Management
Program Management Office (Pmo)
Project Coordination
Risk Management
Coaching/training
Establishing Audience-appropriate Communication Flows
Management Reporting
Project Marketing/positioning
Document Testing
Requirements Validation
Process Analysis/assessment (Spice Second Assessor)
Functional Testing
System Test/integration Test
Application Testing
Acceptance Testing
Test Procedures
Test Organization
Test Management
Program/project Management In Practice - Focus On Essentials - Ability To Distinguish Important From Urgent Matters, Precisely Outline Problems And Design Best Practice Solutions.
Excellent Interpersonal Skills/strong Management Affinity/diplomatic Tact - Sensitivity To Needs Of Different Management Levels
Strong Social Skills/safe Handling Of People (Multicultural Environments) And Crisis/de-escalation/trade-off Situations/"lessons Learned" (Business/it)/enjoy Coaching And Conducting Training
Time Management In Practice/structured Approach
Communicator By Passion In Speech And Writing - Mediation/moderation Talent/conference Speaker/project Marketing (Journalistic Know-how From Sabbatical At Bloomberg Tv, London)
Domain Knowledge: Dresdner Bank, Postbank, Deutsche Bank, Sal. Oppenheim, Bmw Fs, Renault Paris, Ver.di, Gez, T-mobile (Ghs), Telekom Deutschland, 1&1 Telecom, Daimler Benz, Finanzverwaltung Nrw, Db Netz, Axa Group Solutions Germany (Ags), Lvm Versicherung, Lidl Stiftung, Axa Konzern Krankenversicherung, Software Quality Systems (Sqs), Platow Börsenbrief, Bloomberg Tv
Elstam Databases
Focus On Agile Project Management
Kanban
Scrum
Management Experience In Large-scale Enterprise Projects
Prince2
Project Management
Operating Systems: Ubuntu