Rastko Anicic
Verified Expert in Product Management
Product Manager
Belgrade, Serbia
Toptal member since September 28, 2020
Rastko, an accomplished entrepreneur with extensive startup experience in agritech, embodies a results-driven and visionary product manager specializing in data-driven approaches as well as the ever-evolving landscape of retail eCommerce. He consistently achieves remarkable customer satisfaction by leading triumphant eCommerce digital overhauls. By equipping Agile teams with resources, resolute guidance, and invaluable insights, Rastko empowers the realization of ambitious goals.
Project Highlights
Expertise
Work Experience
Technical Product Manager | Business Analyst
Ricoh Americas
- Leveraged a strong technical background to bridge the product strategy and development gap. This proficiency allowed informed decision-making and effective collaboration with developers and technical experts.
- Engaged with stakeholders, including product managers, developers, and designers, to facilitate a shared understanding of the product vision. Aligned expectations across teams, resulting in a unified and effective development process.
- Collaborated closely with product managers and UX designers to transform high-level product strategies into detailed and actionable user stories, ensuring alignment with user needs and business objectives.
- Demonstrated a deep understanding of Agile methodologies, actively participating in Agile ceremonies, such as daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives. Contributed to the team's adherence to Agile principles and iterative development.
Chief Product Officer | Co-founder
V3-Robotics
- Collaborated with a diversity of investors to develop the inaugural product roadmap and comprehensive business plan for the initial 6-month prototype and pilot of an AI-guided, green-powered, autonomous robot designed for agricultural applications.
- Conducted thorough market research across EU and West Balkan countries, assembling a targeted focus group for the pilot project. Additionally, orchestrated early adopter interviews to gain deeper insights into their pain points and preferences.
- Orchestrated a rigorous and all-encompassing analysis of budgeting and resource allocation for successfully utilizing funds acquired during the initial fundraising round, culminating in a highly accomplished initial investment phase.
- Developed and executed a compelling promotional video showcasing the pilot concept to investors. Spearheaded the scripting, production, and editing processes, demonstrating a keen eye for detail and creativity in conceptualizing impactful scenes.
Technical Product Manager | Business Analyst
Azrieli Ecommerce Ltd.
- Spearheaded the redevelopment and successful launch of a decoupled single-page application (SPA) microservice-oriented enterprise commerce marketplace for Israel's largest publicly traded real estate corporation, retiring the legacy platform.
- Oversaw seamless integration of core back-end systems, including payment providers, invoice generators, SMS services, single sign-on (SSO) services, order management systems (OMS), and product information management (PIM) systems.
- Engineered a robust user migration process, enabling customers to seamlessly transfer their entire profiles and authentication data from the old platform to the new one while ensuring a smooth transition to a new authentication platform.
- Orchestrated the integration of unified authentication and multi-capture flow with a local Israeli payment provider, supporting retail and marketplace transactions.
- Implemented a click-and-collect purchase flow in collaboration with a local Israeli distribution company, enhancing the overall user experience.
- Designed and implemented a loyalty program enabling customers to pay using loyalty points and credit cards.
Product Manager
Embroker
- Increased insurance quote generation by 15% in four months through extensive enablement of the sales department and designing and supporting an appropriate marketing strategy.
- Managed four cross-functional teams to achieve a platform rewrite and UI/UX design revamp. Created end-to-end solutions by conducting initial deep-dive research through continuous discovery. Established continuous interviewing framework companywide.
- Improved the NPS score by 10% over the first four months through comprehensive customer collaboration and precise identification of customer pain points through appropriate customer interview techniques.
- Discovered the shopping process bottlenecks and redefined requirements based on customer analysis and multiple stakeholder workshops. The implementation lowered the cart abandonment rate by 15% in four months.
- Oversaw all the development stages and led functional testing, QA testing, employee training, change management, and broad post-go-live support for multiple features across multiple teams.
Lead Product Owner
msgNetconomy
- Delivered over seven go-to-market releases with enablement materials, documentation, and post-release activities as a lead product owner of the SAP retail eCommerce enterprise platform for insurers.
- Delivered an eight-month pilot implementation integrating with the bank's CRM and credit scoring system; developed a custom personal loan pricing engine as a lead product owner for Standard Bank South Africa's digital transformation pilot.
- Achieved top-level customer satisfaction through a six-month engagement with Mercedes-Benz Canada as a lead product owner on their eCommerce platform.
- Created product demos and explored optimal product customization scenarios while working on presales activities for potential insurance customers of the SAP financial services accelerator.
- Delivered proofs of concept and product demos, customer webinars, and conferences representing the SAP digital insurance platform.
- Increased the scrum team's capacity by 50% by optimizing business requirements by introducing a new agile concept of stakeholder workshops, a 360° dedication model, and continuous discovery.
Project History
Azrieli eCommerce
http://www.azrieli.comEfficiently led the reconstruction and successful launch of a decoupled SPA, microservice-oriented, enterprise commerce marketplace for Israel's largest publicly traded real estate corporation, resulting in the retirement of the previous platform.
Spearheaded the redevelopment and successful launch of a decoupled single-page application (SPA) microservice-oriented enterprise commerce marketplace for Israel's largest publicly traded real estate corporation, retiring the legacy platform.
Oversaw seamless integration of core back-end systems, including payment providers, invoice generators, SMS services, single sign-on (SSO) services, order management systems (OMS), and product information management (PIM) systems.
Engineered a robust user migration process, enabling customers to seamlessly transfer their entire profiles and authentication data from the old platform to the new one while ensuring a smooth transition to a new authentication platform.
Orchestrated the integration of unified authentication and multi-capture flow with a local Israeli payment provider, supporting retail and marketplace transactions.
Successfully implemented a click-and-collect purchase flow in collaboration with a local Israeli distribution company, enhancing the overall user experience.
Additionally, designed and implemented a loyalty program enabling customers to pay using loyalty points and credit cards.
Farminator BOT
Spearheaded the creation of a comprehensive project plan, strategically outlining every aspect of the initiative. Effectively presented the plan to investors, securing the funds required to commence the project from scratch.
Conducted thorough market research across EU and West Balkan countries, assembling a targeted focus group for the pilot project. Additionally, orchestrated early adopter interviews to gain deeper insights into their pain points and preferences.
Orchestrated a rigorous and all-encompassing analysis of budgeting and resource allocation for successfully utilizing funds acquired during the initial fundraising round, culminating in a highly accomplished initial investment phase.
Developed and executed a compelling promotional video showcasing the pilot concept to investors. Spearheaded the scripting, production, and editing processes, demonstrating a keen eye for detail and creativity in conceptualizing impactful scenes.
Embroker Platform
http://embroker.comAchieved a notable 15% increase in insurance quote generation within the initial four months following the feature launch.
• Orchestrated the optimization of shopping and customer onboarding experiences for both anonymous and registered clients on the platform.
• Aligned growth strategies for shopping and customer onboarding with overarching company objectives.
• Managed continuous discovery efforts, ensuring alignment with the company's strategic vision.
• Effectively reduced cart abandonment rate by 15% within four months.
• Significantly enhanced the NPS score by 10% during the initial four months of tenure.
• Demonstrated exceptional results by increasing insurance quote generation by 15% in Q3 compared to Q2.
• Oversaw rapid prototyping activities to validate ideas and expedite decision-making in collaboration with various stakeholders.
• Conducted well-structured customer interviews to gain valuable insights.
• Implemented agile discovery, planning, and road mapping techniques to provide optimal inputs to the development team.
• Maintained a keen focus on the commercial aspects of the business.
• Contributed to story writing, refinement, and slicing processes with meticulous attention to detail.
SAP Financial Services Accelerator
http://help.sap.comExecuted seamless integration of FSA with five distinct back-end SAP solutions, culminating in establishing a comprehensive end-to-end real-time experience for quote generation and claim submission.
• Spearheaded the development of a robust retail eCommerce enterprise platform catering to insurers' needs.
• Actively engaged in all Scrum team activities, driving the efficiency of sprint planning, sprint reviews, and backlog refinements.
• Skillfully crafted and delineated business requirements through epics, use cases, and user stories.
• Collaborated closely with the development team to ensure successful project outcomes.
• Oversaw Agile planning, scoping, and product road mapping for seamless project execution.
• Demonstrated product expertise by creating engaging demo videos and compelling presentations to online and live audiences.
• Designed and conducted functional customer training sessions for SAP Commerce Financial Services Accelerator.
• Led stakeholder workshops to define and refine the product vision collectively.
• Implemented continuous discovery utilizing the SAP Hybris application lifecycle Framework.
• Successfully managed the transformation from an on-premise to a cloud-based solution, assuming full accountability for the process.
Standard Bank South Africa SAP Implementation
Led the development of a geo-dispersed Agile team that implemented the SAP digital banking platform and integrated it with the bank's CRM and credit scoring system while also building a personal loan pricing engine.
• Actively participated in finding the optimal solution for the client and facilitating product discovery workshops.
• Delivered the pilot project according to the agreed roadmap within time, scope, and budget.
• Oversaw and was responsible for the quality strategy of the product and writing and performing UATs.
• Led the resource planning, invoicing, and monitoring of the financial success of the project.
• Created the financial reports to C-level executives and financial forecasting of the project.
• Maintained and improved the relationship with the client into something that was healthy and constructive.
Mercedes-Benz Canada SAP Implementation
https://www.mercedes-benz.ca/en/homeEstablished an amazing customer connection and trust with improved customer satisfaction. Improved the platform's usability by doubling the conversion rate over six months.
• Oversaw client engagement, which included the creation of quotes and quote negotiation.
• Implemented scoping and requirement gathering with the client.
• Consulted with the client on the functional and technical requirements of the solution.
• Defined the business requirements and implemented the transformation to a development-friendly format, often in the form of user stories and use cases.
• Delivered the business requirements to the team and worked tightly with the development.
• Worked with the development team to deliver the desired outcome.
• Implemented road mapping and real-time qualitative and quantitative monitoring of project success.
• Created a resource plan which involved invoicing and monitoring the financial success of the project as well as giving financial reports to C-level executives.
Education
Master's Degree in Information Technologies
University of Belgrade - Belgrade, Serbia
Bachelor Degree in Computer Science
University of Belgrade - Belgrade, Serbia
Certifications
Ricoh Security Awareness
Ricoh Learning Institute
Ricoh Corporate Security Compliance Training 2023
Ricoh Leaning Institute
HIPAA General Awareness
Ricoh
Certified Scrum Professional Product Owner
Scrum Alliance
Advanced Certified Scrum Product Owner
Scrum Alliance
SAP Hybris Business Analyst
SAP
Certified Scrum Product Owner
Scrum Alliance
Skills
Tools
Asana, Jira, Slack, Zoom, SAP Hybris, Confluence
Paradigms
Scrum, Agile Product Management, Requirements Analysis, Key Performance Metrics, Marketplace Platforms, Agile Project Management, B2B2C, B2C, Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C), Rapid Prototyping, Agile, Continuous Delivery (CD), Azure DevOps
Platforms
SAP Customer Data Cloud, Mixpanel
Industry Expertise
Insurance Technology (Insurtech), Marketplaces, Insurance, Banking & Finance
Other
Jira Administrator, Product Management, eCommerce, Insurance Product Manager, Product Ownership, Estimations, User Stories, Backlog Grooming, Backlog Management, Feature Backlog Prioritization, Business Requirements, Discovery Workshops, Product Roadmaps, Workshops, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), Product Delivery, Product Vision, Storytelling, Requirements, User Requirements, Requirements & Specifications, Software Requirements Specifications (SRS), Product Requirements Documentation (PRD), System Requirements, Design Requirements, Project Management, Business Analysis, Planning, Sylius, REST APIs, Roadmaps, Technical Product Management, Software, Integration, Gmail, API Integration, Card Payments, Payment APIs, Loyalty Programs, Flow Diagrams, Order Management, Product Owner, Scrum Product Owner, Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Certified Scrum Professional, Customer Experience, Innovation, User Research, UX Strategy, R&D, User Interface (UI), Graphical User Interface (GUI), Technology Trends, Consulting, IT Consulting, Software Consulting, Product Consultant, Beta Testing, Mobile Apps, User Feedback, Go-to-market Plans, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Mockups, Wireframing, Conceptualization, SaaS, MVP Design, User Experience (UX), Product Design, Web App Development, Project Planning, Project Timelines, Quality Assurance (QA), Data Migration, Team Leadership, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Technical Business Analysis, Databases, Leadership, Strategic Planning & Execution, Customer Interviews, Continuous Discovery, Product Planning, Product Strategy, Business Research, SAP Product Management, B2B, Fintech, Mobile, Cost Estimation, Akeneo, Workflow Tools, SQL, Strategy, Mobile Applications, Monetization Models, Microsoft Teams, Web Programming, Java 8, C#, Algorithms, Neural Networks, Fuzzy Logic, Data Analysis, Growth, Digital Product Management, Story Mapping, Sales Enablement, Prototyping, Ideation, Net Promoter Score (NPS), Sprint Planning, Product Demonstrations, Business Reporting, Project Scoping, Scope Management, Employee Training, Sales Training, Stakeholder Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Workshop Facilitation, Client Management, Client Reporting, Client Relationship Management, Functional Requirements, Solution Design, Feature Roadmaps, Metrics, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Resource Allocation, Invoicing, Financial Analysis, Financial Reporting, Customer Success, Product Discovery, Mobile Banking, Startup Funding, Fundraising, Market Research, Budgeting, Data Structures, Software Engineering, Java, Machine Learning, Product Placement, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Marketing, Marketing Research & Analysis, Audience Targeting, Target Market Strategy, Business Models, Business Model Strategy, Pricing, Pricing Models, IT Security, Security, Data Privacy
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