Nikhil Girhe
Pune
Summary
Over 11 years of experience in Agile Methodologies, ITIL, and Project Management, with a strong focus on Manual Testing and Team Management. Proven ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement Scrum practices effectively. Expertise in SDLC/STLC, including Test Planning, Execution, and Bug Tracking, leading to enhanced process improvement and customer satisfaction. Demonstrated capability to coach and mentor teams while maintaining high accuracy under tight deadlines.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Associate Manager
ZS Associates
Pune
07.2022 - Current
- Led all core Agile ceremonies including Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Planning, Backlog Refinement, Sprint Reviews, and Retrospectives for multiple scrum teams.
- Maintained Jira hygiene by ensuring accurate updates on estimations, assignments, components, and fix versions.
- Monitored sprint health, tracked blockers, published key reports (Sprint Status, Utilization, Burndown, etc.), and ensured timely escalation of risks and delays.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams including Product Managers, UX, Architects, and Engineering to align sprint goals and deliverables.
- Managed backlog grooming by facilitating Planning Poker estimations, validating Definition of Ready (DoR), and ensuring story sizing standards.
- Planned releases end-to-end, including scope definition, capacity tracking, ETA planning, and maintaining release dashboards in Jira and Smartsheet.
- Maintained and updated RAID logs, tracked mitigation plans, and conducted regular risk reviews to support timely and quality delivery.
- Ensured proper change management through CAB approvals, scope validation, and adherence to enhancement and hotfix policies.
- Created and maintained multiple trackers and dashboards (Release, ETA, Change, Risk) to ensure transparency and stakeholder communication.
- Published detailed reports on sprint progress, scope changes, reopen cases, team utilization, and release summaries for leadership visibility.
- Coached teams on Agile best practices, encouraged cross-functional collaboration, and promoted a culture of continuous improvement.
Technical Lead (Scrum Master)
HCL Technologies
Pune
09.2020 - 07.2022
- Handled daily tasks including manual testing and Scrum meetings to ensure smooth team operations (team size: 6-8).
- Conducted Scrum ceremonies such as Sprint Planning, Sprint Reviews, Sprint Retrospectives, Daily Stand-ups, and Story Estimations.
- Managed sprint backlog and made sure the product backlog was ready at least 3 sprints in advance for better planning.
- Worked closely with the project team and team members in different locations (including the UK) for feedback, clarifications, and design walkthroughs.
- Coached and supported the team to be self-organized, independent, and work across different functions.
- Led defect review meetings with Business Analysts, Developers, Testers, and the Project Manager.
- Managed multiple Scrum teams. Tracked sprint velocity, monitored burndown charts, and helped with release planning.
- Performed various types of testing -Functional, Non-functional, Retesting, and Regression -to ensure software quality.
- Analyzed defects to find process gaps or mistakes, tested software against requirements, and maintained proper documentation.
- Acted as Subject Matter Expert (SME) in project management tasks like resource planning, team management, and on-time delivery while meeting client expectations.
- I worked as a Scrum Master and managed both urgent and planned issues for global accounts using Agile practices.
- Organized meetings, project reviews, and virtual calls to share updates and drive changes.
- Make sure all incidents are tracked, investigated, resolved, and updated in internal systems accurately.
- Worked with the Training Manager to identify training needs, understand skill gaps in the team, and updated the training content to improve performance.
Traffic Manager (Scrum Master)
Capita India Pvt. Ltd.
Pune
10.2017 - 09.2020
- Delivered training for Incident Management and Change Management. Created training material, improved skills, and helped reduce risks.
- Managed the complete product life cycle. Worked closely with the Product Owner and Development Team.
- Give regular updates to all people involved about the progress of transitions.
- Organized all Scrum meetings like Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective, and CCB Meetings.
- Helped the Product Owner maintain the product backlog. Guided the team in following agile practices.
- Selected to travel to the UK to handle the DEBENHAMS WEB OPPS transition.
- Managed the full transition project. Created plans and documents explaining project goals, scope, schedule, and budget.
- Made sure all transitions were done on time and within the set budget.
- Quickly fixed any problems during the transition.
- Looked for ways to improve the process and found gaps that affected team performance.
- Helped new team members get trained and become productive as soon as possible.
- Handled client issues/escalations when needed as a supervisor.
- Coordinated with senior leaders to control processes and ensure complete complaint resolution.
- Coached and supported the team to achieve daily, weekly, and monthly goals.
- Created and shared monthly reports (Excel) with senior management. Published dashboards showing team performance and work done.
Senior Process Associate
Capita India Pvt. Ltd.
Pune
09.2013 - 10.2017
- Handled the integration work between the website and applications, including uploading content and approving products related to M&S and Debenhams Web Operations.
- Made sure work was completed on time and met quality standards.
- Managed high-severity issues to keep services running smoothly. Used ticketing tools for operations.
- Did Root Cause Analysis to find out reasons for issues and fix them. Documented the solutions.
- Guided and monitored team members to fix technical issues quickly. Made sure problems were resolved on time.
Education
BCA -
Christ College
Pune, Maharashtra01.2013
12th -
Kothari High School
Maharashtra01.2010
10th -
Shivaji School
Maharashtra01.2008
Skills
- Scrum framework and methodologies
- Agile project management
- Sprint planning and execution
- Daily stand-ups
- Review and retrospective sessions
- ITIL implementation
- Manual testing and quality assurance
- Defect management strategies
- Process improvement initiatives
- Team building and leadership
- Effective communication skills
- Analytical thinking
- Strategic planning
- Collaborative teamwork
- Adaptability in dynamic environments
- RAID management techniques
- Change management processes
- Release management oversight
- Microsoft Office proficiency
- ServiceNow expertise
- Salsa ticketing system knowledge
- Jira and Confluence usage
- Firebug for debugging tasks
- OneDrive file management
- PIM software utilization
- EasyBI reporting tools
Certification
- Certified Scrum Master (CSM), 2022
- ITIL V4 Certified, 2020
- Agile Scrum Foundation, 2020
- Aspiring PMI-ACP (Project Management Institute Agile Certified Practitioner)
Languages
- English
- Hindi
- Marathi
Personal Information
Date of Birth: 12/25/91
Timeline
Associate Manager
ZS Associates
07.2022 - Current
Technical Lead (Scrum Master)
HCL Technologies
09.2020 - 07.2022
Traffic Manager (Scrum Master)
Capita India Pvt. Ltd.
10.2017 - 09.2020
Senior Process Associate
Capita India Pvt. Ltd.
09.2013 - 10.2017
BCA -
Christ College
12th -
Kothari High School
10th -
Shivaji School
Similar Profiles
Debasish GuptaDebasish Gupta
Associate Principal (Partner) at ZS Associates (ZS)Associate Principal (Partner) at ZS Associates (ZS)
Vinita Ahuja BajajVinita Ahuja Bajaj
Senior Human Resources Associate - Staffing at ZS Associates (ZS)Senior Human Resources Associate - Staffing at ZS Associates (ZS)
Sunidhi ThakurSunidhi Thakur
Associate Consultant (Business Advisory Beacon) at ZS AssociatesAssociate Consultant (Business Advisory Beacon) at ZS Associates
Ujjwal Kumar GuptaUjjwal Kumar Gupta
Decision Analytics Associate at ZS AssociatesDecision Analytics Associate at ZS Associates
Indranil AinIndranil Ain
DIGITAL PRODUCTS & STRATEGY LEAD AMEA at SYNGENTA GLOBAL CAPABILITY CENTER PVT. LTD.DIGITAL PRODUCTS & STRATEGY LEAD AMEA at SYNGENTA GLOBAL CAPABILITY CENTER PVT. LTD.