Publication
Agile Scaling: SAFe Best Practices for Scrum Masters
https://www.toptal.com/project-managers/scaled-agile-framework/safe-best-practices
Ammar is currently unavailable
Ammar Raafat Mohamed Bashandy
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt
Toptal member since November 2, 2021
Bio
Ammar is an experienced project manager, scrum master, and Agile program manager in multiple industries like automotive, customer care, and in digital transformation projects and programs. With passion and perseverance, Ammar has led teams in multiple countries. He is a Certified Scrum Master, Certified Product Owner, PMI-ACP, CAPM, SAFe Agilist, SAFe Advanced Scrum Master, and PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner. Ammar also has a master’s degree in business administration.
Project Highlights
Scrum Master | Release Train Engineer
Improved the quality by reducing defects by 80% through the application of Agile software engineering practices and improved the overall program performance by 25%.
Software Project Manager
Managed to deliver three projects on time and budget with compliance to ASPICE level two.
SCM Hub
Facilitated rapid product development to introduce a hub for our supply chain department. After four iterations, I provided coaching to a new scrum master that carried the flag.
Expertise
- Agile Coaching
- Agile Project Management
- Coaching
- Kanban
- Program Management
- Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
- Scrum
- Software Project Management
Work Experience
Practice Lead
2023 - PRESENT
Vodafone Group
- Managed daily operations for 25 global project management teams, including staffing, budgeting, training and development, and transformation management activities connected to project management initiatives.
- Allotted $30 million in funding across 90 projects, making critical resource allocation decisions basis strategic priorities.
- Completed a service transformation initiative, bringing $5 million in commercial savings within 70% of the original timeframe.
SAFe Release Train Engineer | Agile Program Manager
2021 - PRESENT
Vodafone Group
- Led a program with an in-depth understanding of processes and techniques to deliver high-quality solutions to 43 professionals with a diverse skillset that includes technology, product, finance, and business SMEs.
- Implemented policy changes, saving approx. $1 million business value in one year by improving decision-making accuracy.
- Increased PPM (program predictably measure) of the Agile Release Train by 25%.
- Directed the discovery, development, and deployment of a novel product centered around "Digital Twin" technologies for customer service operations.
Scrum Master | SAFe Scrum Master
2020 - 2021
Vodafone Group
- Joined as a scrum master leading three squads located in the UK, Egypt, and India consisting of 34 professionals from different skills (software developers, UI/UX designers, product owners, data scientists, and data, platform, and DevOps engineers.
- Introduced Scrum and SAFe ways of working to different teams across different departments.
- Constructed an end-to-end Jira workflow to cater to SAFe adoption on both teams and programs levels (team backlog, program backlog, program Kanban, defects Kanban, PIP backlog, etc.).
- Introduced a real-time dashboard on Confluence for programs and team metrics like sprint progress, defect, releases burndown, program performance, etc.).
- Co-facilitated 100% remote SAFe program increment planning sessions.
Software Project Manager
2019 - 2020
Valeo
- Joined the project management team as a software project manager to manage three projects with three original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like the PSA Group, Audi, and BMW.
- Managed three project teams consisting of 35 engineers located in five countries (Germany, France, Czech Republic, India, and Egypt) with different skills like software development, architecture, integration, and testing.
- Delivered projects with zero budget variance and ensured schedule adherence.
- Managed to comply with Automotive Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (ASPICE) level two for software engineering.
Software Engineer
2017 - 2019
Valeo
- Performed quality control activities by inspecting the software following the software requirements in the functional and non-functional aspects.
- Designed the appropriate test cases with the proper test level under the software requirements and the test strategy.
- Ensured adaptation of the HIL (hardware in the loop) testing systems to maintain an automated electronic and automotive test environment.
- Executed and designed FuSa (functional safety) test systems, cases, and suites.
Project History
Scrum Master | Release Train Engineer
Improved the quality by reducing defects by 80% through the application of Agile software engineering practices and improved the overall program performance by 25%.
Managed an Agile release train that consisted of 43 professionals aiming to deliver a revolutionary digital transformation strategic solution to transform customer service operations across different markets.
Software Project Manager
Managed to deliver three projects on time and budget with compliance to ASPICE level two.
Managed three teams of 35 software engineers and project coordinators in different countries and continents to deliver automotive software systems to customers like BMW, Audi, and the PSA group.
I managed the end-to-end planning and execution of all related software activities.
SCM Hub
Facilitated rapid product development to introduce a hub for our supply chain department. After four iterations, I provided coaching to a new scrum master that carried the flag.
I led a team of eight professionals to ideate, define, and deliver a fully functional product in eight weeks.
I provided the team with the coaching and facilitation needed to drive product development success. I facilitated a two-week discovery sprint followed by three sprints, delivering a functional MVP scaled further.
Other Experience
Education
2019 - 2021
Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA)
ESLSCA Business School Paris - Cairo, Egypt
2012 - 2017
Bachelor of Science in Computer Eningeering
Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport - Cairo, Egypt
Certifications
JUNE 2023 - PRESENT
SAFe® 6.0 Practice Consultant
Scaled Inc
NOVEMBER 2021 - PRESENT
Certified SAFe 5.0 Release Train Engineer
Scaled Inc.
JUNE 2021 - PRESENT
Certified SAFe 5.0 Advanced Scrum Master
Scaled Inc.
FEBRUARY 2021 - PRESENT
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
Scrum Alliance
AUGUST 2020 - PRESENT
Certified SAFe 5.0 Agilist
Scaled Inc.
MARCH 2020 - PRESENT
PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
Project Management Institute
FEBRUARY 2019 - PRESENT
PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner
Axelos
NOVEMBER 2018 - PRESENT
Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
Project Management Institute
APRIL 2018 - PRESENT
Certified Scrum Master
Scrum Alliance
DECEMBER 2017 - PRESENT
Certified Agile Tester
International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB)
NOVEMBER 2017 - PRESENT
Foundation Level Certified Tester
International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB)
Skills
Tools
Jira, Google Docs, Confluence, Atlassian Suite, Wrike
Paradigms
Agile Project Management, Scrum, Agile Leadership, Agile, Management, Software Testing, DevOps, Kanban, UX Design
Other
Agile Coaching, Coaching, Facilitation, Project Management, Microsoft Teams, Software Project Management, Planning, Project Coordination, Project Tracking, Teamwork, Team Leadership, Communication, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Program Management, Digital Transformation, Digital Transformation Program Management, Release Train Engineer (RTE), Product Management, Risk Management, Agile Program Management, Technical Project Management, Cost Estimation, Project Scoping, Scope of Work (SOW), Stakeholder Management, IT Projects, Software Development, Project Management Professional (PMP), Web Project Management, Digital Project Management, IT Project Management, Sprint Planning, Backlog Grooming, Feature Backlog Prioritization, Reporting, Dashboards, Agile Sprints, Project Timelines, Scrum Master, Software Design, Computer Systems Design, Machine Learning, Marketing Management, Business Management, Software Engineering, Business Agility, Lean Portfolio Management, CompTIA, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), UI Design, Portfolio Management
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