Rakesh Gajula
Senior Project Manager
Summary
Results-driven IT project/program manager with 16 years of experience leading complex technology initiatives, managing cross-functional teams, and consistently delivering high-impact projects on time and within budget. Proficient in Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall methodologies. Proven ability to develop effective IT strategies, manage risks, and communicate with stakeholders. Skilled at aligning IT solutions with business objectives to drive efficiency and foster innovation.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
9
9
Certifications
3
3
Languages
Work History
Senior Project Manager / Program Manager
Siemens Healthineers
01.2021 - Current
- Managing global projects as part of a program to establish organization-owned infrastructure
- MaaS & DaaS: Implementation of organization-wide 'Mobile as a Service' solution for Apple smart devices with a service provider and a device lessor
- Support global and local procurement teams by implementing a global process framework with local adaptations in ServiceNow
- Facilitate and participate in contract negotiation
- Governance roles and responsibilities
- Maintained schedules to meet key milestones at every project phase.
- Alignment with Regions / Countries in scope on their requirements and the implementation of the solution via local agreements
- Adapted quickly to unexpected challenges or obstacles encountered during project execution, devising creative solutions without compromising objectives.
- Work with ServiceNow team to define and implement an automated workflow-driven process for below
- Service Requests
- Incident Management
- Asset Management
- Service Management, SLA's
- Financial Process
- Virtual Apps Migration: As part of organization strategic goals the virtual apps managed by a vendor are terminated and replaced with Virtual Apps hosted on Azure resource locations managed by Citrix cloud, the process of migration to be completed in 6 months to avoid risk of application unavailability
- Communication to all application owners and users
- Aligning with existing ServiceNow processes
- As the applications are used globally across the organization, schedule a project info session for all the regions
- Work with Citrix team following Agile methodologies to get the infrastructure ready
- Ensure support readiness
- Prepare a knowledge base article and publish it through user engagement
- Connectivity Projects: As part of organization strategic goals implement a new standard solution for network across organization
- Identification of sites to implement the solution
- Wave planning based on region agreements
- Site infra preparation
- Hardware procurement
- Co-ordinate on hardware installation
- Cancellation of existing services
- Exceptional Sites: Co-ordinate with regions and understand the network requirement for small sites
- Work with connectivity technical team and cyber security team to get approval for the sites which will not adapt standard connectivity service
Project Manager
ACI Worldwide
09.2021 - 01.2023
- Follow the Project Management processes and Agile framework based on the project
- As a global project manager coordinate with cross-functional team members and develop enhancements for various global programs and also administer the day-to-day activities across multiple projects
- Communicate to the appropriate stakeholders to make sure all the relevant information is reached to the end users
- Mentor and coach project teams to drive cultural change and foster a continuous improvement mindset
- Partner with senior leadership to establish goals, metrics, and targets and facilitate the project steerco meetings for all projects individually with appropriate steerco members
- Drive a culture of quality excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement throughout the organization by promoting awareness, recognition, and celebration of quality achievements
- Establish SOPs, process controls, recommend revisions based on the project
- Work within various time constraints to meet critical business needs, while measuring and identifying activities performed and ensuring service requirements are met
- Maintain risk register to mitigate and avoid any unforeseen risks
- Update lessons learned for all the projects and share with operations
- Drive regular meetings with technical teams and stakeholders involved in the projects and make sure the teams get all the information / help needed to close the project successfully
- Maintain and make sure the team is updating the DevOps board on regular basis based on the tasks assigned and conduct retrospective and sprint backlog
Project Manager
IBM India Pvt Ltd
10.2013 - 09.2021
- Successfully managed multiple projects simultaneously by prioritizing tasks according to urgency, resource availability, and alignment with organizational goals.
- Work with technical architect to prepare a project plan and align with management
- Steering delivery management for technical deliverables of the concurrent projects for reputed clients
- Managing SLAs for large and medium-size business transformation projects
- Monitoring projects with respect to budgeted cost, and demand forecasts to ensure delivery of projects is as per expectations
- Identified plans and resources required to meet project goals and objectives.
- Monitored project performance to identify areas of improvement and make adjustments.
- Monitored progress against established goals, adjusting schedules and resources as needed to keep projects on track.
- Met project deadlines without sacrificing build quality or workplace safety.
- Established effective communication among team members for enhanced collaboration and successful project completion.
- Developed comprehensive project plans with clear timelines, milestones, and budget requirements, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality results.
- Coordinated cross-functional teams and resolved conflicts, maintaining a positive work environment throughout the project lifecycle.
- Prepared detailed reports on project status for stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment with objectives.
- Enhanced overall project success by conducting thorough post-project evaluations and incorporating lessons learned into future efforts.
- Developed strong relationships with stakeholders through regular communication updates, fostering trust and confidence in the team''s ability to deliver results.
- Collaborated closely with senior management to align project objectives with strategic company initiatives, ensuring that efforts contributed to overall business growth.
Team Lead - Operations
Just Dial India Pvt Ltd
04.2007 - 10.2012
- Lead a high performing team of 24 to deliver excellent customer service by supervising customer-related activities
- Handled escalations and monitored calls
- Updating CRM with customer information
- Preparing weekly roster for resource based on the previous trends
- Handling high ticket/call flow and maintain SLA
- MIS Reports
- Auditing calls and reporting to quality team
- Promoted a positive work environment by fostering teamwork, open communication, and employee recognition initiatives.
- Enhanced overall team performance by providing regular coaching, feedback, and skill development opportunities.
- Established clear performance metrics for the team which helped in tracking progress towards set targets effectively.
Education
Executive MBA - Information Technology
Dayanand Sagar University
Bengaluru, IndiaBachelor of Commerce -
Kakatiya University
Skills
People Management
Agile Methodologies
IT Service Management
Project Management
Transition and Transformation
Stakeholder Management
Project planning
Agile methodology
Client relationship management
Scope management
Project scheduling
Certification
PMI - Project Management Professional
Areas Served
- NAM
- APAC
- EMEA
Accomplishments
- Resolved product issue through consumer testing.
- Used Microsoft Excel to develop inventory tracking spreadsheets.
- Collaborated with team of 120 for one of the global project.
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Work Preference
Work Type
Full TimeLocation Preference
On-SiteRemoteHybridImportant To Me
Career advancementPersonal development programsTimeline
Project Manager
ACI Worldwide
09.2021 - 01.2023
Senior Project Manager / Program Manager
Siemens Healthineers
01.2021 - Current
Project Manager
IBM India Pvt Ltd
10.2013 - 09.2021
Team Lead - Operations
Just Dial India Pvt Ltd
04.2007 - 10.2012
Executive MBA - Information Technology
Dayanand Sagar University
Bachelor of Commerce -
Kakatiya University