Anup Zach Cherian
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Kochi, Kerala, India
Toptal member since June 25, 2019
With PMP and Agile certifications and a wealth of experience—23 years' worth—in IT project deliveries and IT office management, Anup is the man for most project management needs. His technical background is in BI, analytics, and data warehousing (12 years). Over the last decade, he has managed projects from startups to large organizations in various industry domains.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Agile
- Analytics
- Business Intelligence (BI)
- Jira
- Project Management
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Scrum
- Waterfall Delivery
Work Experience
Delivery Manager
o9 Solutions
- Managed multiple fixed-price projects worth $1 million for o9 Solutions—a world leader in supply chain implementations—by leading geographically spread teams to implement o9 proprietary solutions for their end clients in Europe, the USA, and China.
- Saved clients $100,000 in cost efficiencies, including speed of planning and reduction in manual efforts. Brought in almost 50% of improved efficiency of the daily source-to-end data load processes.
- Managed the scope, budget, schedule, stakeholders, risk, communication, and documentation.
Program/Project Manager | Scrum Master
Zipari
- Managed five external projects for healthcare clients spread throughout the USA, using Zipari's healthcare products. Used Jira to track and address defects, change requests, and admin tasks. Overlapped with US time zones.
- Managed tasks for the Zipari client support team using Jira Kanban.
- Co-managed a 9-month program for the annual enrollment period (AEP) that included around 15 clients. Worked with the project managers from each project. Implemented lessons learned from the previous year's AEP.
Project Manager
Naico
- Led multiple scrum teams of 20+ members to deliver a multi-phase implementation of a responsive web app for a healthcare startup, from product discovery through MVP through post-delivery support.
- Founded and led the robotic process automation (RPA) practice. Automated a manual internal payroll process and reduced efforts by 75%.
- Led a scrum team to deliver an MVP for a TikTok-like application for a popular TikTok user with a million followers.
- Coached the PMO team in adopting proper Scrum processes and advanced Jira features. Created documentation on creating custom Jira workflows.
- Coached and mentored on IT, programming, and testing concepts and processes to inmates at Persevere, a US-based NGO/NPO that helps justice-involved individuals reintegrate with and become productive members of society.
- Served as a product manager and led a 10-member team to build an internal employee rewards mobile app. Also managed the product backlog.
- Created and maintained documents regarding project management (PMP, risk register, change control register, etc.), functional requirements, requirements traceability matrix, architecture, high-level technical specifications, and HIPAA compliance.
Project Delivery Head
CogniCor
- Led a team of 50+ members to deliver large-scale, complex artificial intelligence solutions using Scrum methodology to international and national customers in the banking, insurance, and IT support domains.
- Collaborated in technology directions and identified growth areas while increasing annual revenues more than twofold.
- Developed a comprehensive strategy to manage agile program delivery, organizational adoption, talent development, and leadership effectiveness.
- Collaborated with a diverse set of stakeholders (business units, functional groups, consultants, vendors, external agencies) on matters relating to systems for establishing, implementing, and improving proprietary product solutions.
- Implemented open-source tools to manage project performance—resulting in huge savings.
- Created and managed documentation for project management, FAQs, and quick references for end users.
Director of Operations
eVero
- Handled the end-to-end delivery of web and mobile (Android, iOS) projects to support the in-house suite of products using agile methodologies.
- Led a team of 30+ members consisting of developers and testers.
- Provided level-two post-production support during extended business hours. Coached resources to do effective support.
- Conducted training in Jira for agile project management and post-production support. Provided documentation in this area.
- Identified and documented inefficiencies and suggested solutions and best practices for various processes.
Project Manager
UNI-B Solutions
- Built the Indian entity from the ground up of a US-based IT product startup with a PaaS solution (Unity platform).
- Delivered key projects using Agile techniques in aviation, construction, education, and energy industries.
- Identified, conceptualized, and documented technical approaches for various business scenarios and challenges.
- Trained resources on Agile and Scrum methodologies.
- Provided technical directions, solutions, and troubleshooting assistance.
Project Manager
Nielsen
- Oversaw a 10-member BI team to deliver reporting and dashboard solutions to internal and external clients.
- Managed the scope, schedule, quality, cost, resources, and risk. Created documentation for these areas.
- Participated in architecture and solution design. Provided technical expertise and mentoring to team members.
- Established and implemented operating procedures, monitored and evaluated operational effectiveness, and maintained reporting standards. Created documentation for these areas.
Project Manager
Guidehouse
- Managed projects to deliver multiple BI reports and aggregated data sets for internal and external clients.
- Built and managed a four-member BI team from scratch.
- Performed hands-on technical tasks and provided technical expertise.
- Streamlined processes for submission of new requirements, bugs, development, testing, and UAT.
- Set up and implemented Pentaho, a leading open-source BI, and ETL tool from scratch. Created documentation on installation and technical specifications.
Lead Developer
BlackBerry
- Managed a 6-member business intelligence team to provide reporting solutions integrated with RIM's SAP end-user environment.
- Created and managed estimates for scope, time, and effort.
- Provided technical expertise for the development, migration, and upgrade of reports, dashboards, and user support.
Lead Developer
BMC
- Led onsite and offshore teams to develop reports for the client's global professional services group using Scrum methodology.
- Elicited and analyzed functional requirements, and created technical specification documentation.
- Provided technical expertise and user/customer support.
Lead Consultant
Goldman Sachs (Contract)
- Managed business intelligence projects to deliver reporting solutions for business-critical applications.
- Used Waterfall methodology to manage the entire SDLC—overseeing the scope, schedule, and cost.
- Provided technical expertise for report development and testing, migrations, application security, user administration, and monitoring batch process/ETL jobs.
- Provided training, documentation, and 24/7 support for reports and applications.
BI Developer and Business Analyst
Chase
- Fulfilled developer contract roles with various clients (JP Morgan Chase, Biogen Idec, Fair Isaac, Comcast, ADP, Medtronic, and Intelsat).
- Worked on various business intelligence, analytics, data warehousing, and database tools.
- Worked as a business analyst, conducted training, and wrote documentation.
- Provided call center support for BI reports and analytics.
Project History
Person-Centered Intelligence System (P-CIS)
Led a team of 20+ members (developers, testers, architects, and IT support) to deliver a multi-phase implementation of a web-based HIPAA-compliant application in the healthcare domain, starting from product ideation until end-client delivery.
• Started from scratch, conducted project discovery, built wireframes, wrote functional and technical requirements, and owned product design (technical and UI), HIPAA compliance, development, and testing (functional, performance, security, alpha, beta), and user support.
• Provided regular reports to senior stakeholders on matters of burndown, cost, and schedule.
CogniCor | Emma Chatbot
Delivered an AI-based chatbot that saved OCBC multimillions.
• Delivered multiple Agile releases of an AI-based chatbot with various groups within the OCBC Bank, Singapore.
Technologies: Python, Java, NLP, Machine Learning, Open Project, Bugzilla
CogniCor | MyRA Chatbot
Delivered an AI-based chatbot with a huge ROI by reducing the number of support agents and decreasing resolution time.
• Delivered multiple agile releases of an AI-based chatbot with various insurance groups (two-wheeler, four-wheeler, health) within ICICI Lombard.
Technologies: Python, Java, NLP, Machine Learning, Open Project, Bugzilla
eVero | Digital Agency
Saved clients millions of US dollars by making them go paperless and providing real-time analytics.
• Delivered the desktop and mobile versions of the in-house product to multiple clients.
Technologies used include ASP.NET, iOS, Android, SQL Server, and Jira.
UNiB | UNiTY
Saved the client $100,000 by automating their entire workflow.
• Implemented Scrum methodology and trained the client in using this from scratch.
Technologies: Java, Redis, MongoDB, Jira
Nielsen | Various Business Intelligence Projects
Successfully implemented 100% of BI projects on schedule.
• Liaised closely with a data warehousing team to build schemas with BI requirements in mind.
• Implemented a more than two-year-long and multimillion-dollar project in migrating all BusinessObjects reports to MicroStrategy.
Technologies: BusinessObjects, MicroStrategy, Informatica, HP Quality Center
o9 Supply Planning
Saved an EU client $100,000 in cost efficiencies, including speed of planning and reduction in manual efforts. Brought in almost 50% of improved efficiency of the daily source-to-end data load processes.
Education
Advanced Program in Leadership for Business Excellence in Leadership for Business Excellence
Indian Institute of Management - Lucknow, India
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
Sacred Heart University - Fairfield, CT, USA
Certifications
Certified International Supply Chain Manager
IPSCMI
Agile Hybrid Project Pro
Project Management Institute (PMI)
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Project Management Institute (PMI)
Skills
Tools
Google Docs, Jira, ETL, SQL, Microsoft Project, Balsamiq Mockups, Atlassian, Google Sheets, Project Management & Work Tracking Tools, Slack, Trello, Salesforce, Confluence, Atlassian Suite, Asana, Office 365
Paradigms
Requirements Analysis, Agile Project Management, Agile Delivery, Waterfall Delivery, Agile, HIPAA Compliance, Scrum, Agile Software Development, Change Management, Team Development, Implementation Project Management, Agile Leadership, Testing, Kanban, Azure DevOps, User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
Platforms
Windows, Azure, iOS, Android, SharePoint, Unix
Industry Expertise
Healthcare, Call Centers, State Government, Pharmaceuticals, Nonprofits, Insurance Technology (Insurtech), Insurance, Banking & Finance, Aviation
Other
Project Delivery, Presentations, Requirements & Specifications, Backlog Management, Project Budget Management, Project Timelines, Client Management, Project Planning, Cost Estimation, Resource Allocation, Risk Management, Data Analytics, Estimation & Planning, Digital Project Management, Planning, Communication, Project Scheduling, Waterfall Methodology, Milestones, Project Management Operations, Scrum Master, Data Visualization, Project Management Professional (PMP), Business Intelligence (BI), Project Management, IT Projects, IT Project Management, Project Coordination, Software Project Management, Task Management, Projects, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Scrum Coaching, Project Discovery, Team Management, BI Reports, Stakeholder Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Business Requirements, Technical Requirements, Budgeting, Scheduling, Budget Management, Project Estimation, Risk Analysis, Use Cases, Process Improvement, Risk, Documentation, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Discovery Workshops, Estimations, Technical Project Management, Operations, Reports, Web App Deployment, Web App Development, Backlog Grooming, Feature Backlog Prioritization, Product Management, Websites, Mobile Apps, Wireframe to Product, Remote Team Leadership, Web Applications, Roadmaps, Project Scoping, Cross-functional Collaboration, Web Project Management, Forecasting, Training & Training Content Development, Data Warehouse Design, Microsoft 365, Business Analysis, Data Warehousing, Databases, Training, SAP BusinessObjects (BO), IT Support, Startups, Analytics, Software Development, Sprints, Gantt Chart, Cross-cultural Communication, Executive Presentations, Issue Tracking, IT Deployments, Lessons Learned, Delivery Management, User Stories, Data Analysis, Delivery, Team Building, Jira Administrator, Coaching, Agile Sprints, Sprint Planning, Agile Coaching, Progress Reporting, Project Tracking, Sprint Ceremonies, Sprint Retrospectives, Stakeholder Analysis, Status Updates, People Management, Software as a Service (SaaS), Business Intelligence (BI) Platforms, Dashboards, Web & Mobile Applications, Business Processes, Collaboration, PMO, Project Management Office (PMO), Project Leadership, Smartsheet, Financials, Resource Loading, Product Requirements Documentation (PRD), Project Reporting, Resource Management, Microsoft Office, Angular, .NET, Tech Sales, MicroStrategy, QA Testing, Manual QA, Website QA, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Customer Support, Customer Service, Resourcing, Mentorship & Coaching, Data Quality, Quality Management, Discovery, Web Platforms, Mobile, Wireframing, IT Services, Development, Technical Leadership, Team Leadership, Data Marts, Database Modeling, Web, Health IT, Writing & Editing, Technical Support, Technical Architecture, Videos, New Product Development, New Products, Finance, Payroll & Benefits, Charity, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), Fintech, Mobile Banking, Back-end Architecture, Healthcare IT, Machine Learning, Vendor Management, .NET Core, Compliance, Conflict Resolution, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Program Management, Best Practices, IT Program Management, Business to Consumer (B2C), Process Control, SaaS, Supply Chain, SAP Supply Chain Management (SCM), Teams, ClickUp, Hybrid Project Management, MongoDB, Data Extraction, French, Prototyping, Microsoft Project Online, Automation, Data, Agile DevOps, Certified Project Manager, Microsoft Teams, Healthcare Services, Healthcare Software
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