Anup is available for hire

Anup Zach Cherian

Verified Expert in Project Management

Project Manager

Location

Kochi, Kerala, India

Toptal Member Since

June 25, 2019

With PMP and Agile certifications, and a wealth of experience—20 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), and over the last decade, he’s been managing projects from startups to large organizations in various industry domains.

IT Project Management Digital Project Management Project Management Software Project Management Project Management Professional (PMP)Scrum Master Waterfall Delivery Agile Jira Software Development Technical Project Management Jira Administrator Agile Coaching Web App Development Websites Enterprise Project Management Banking and Finance Project Management Insurance Project Management

Project Highlights

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.

CogniCor | Emma Chatbot

Delivered an AI-based chatbot that saved OCBC multimillions.

UNiB | UNiTY

Saved the client $100,000 by automating their entire workflow.

Expertise

Agile Analytics Business Intelligence (BI)Jira Project Management Project Management Professional (PMP)Scrum Waterfall Delivery

Work Experience

Program/Project Manager and Scrum Master

2021 - 2022

Zipari

Managed five external client 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

2020 - 2020

Naico

Led multiple scrum teams of 20+ members to deliver a multi-phase implementation of a responsive web app for a healthcare startup right from product discovery through MVP through post-delivery support.
Worked in a scrum team to deliver an MVP for a TikTok-like application for a popular TikToker with a million followers.
Started and led the RPA practice; automated a manual payroll process and reduced efforts by 75%.
Coached the PMO team in adopting true 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.
Led a more than the ten-member team as a product manager to build an internal employee rewards mobile app. Managed the product backlog.
Created and maintained documents WRT project management (PMP, risk register, change control register, etc.), functional requirements, requirements traceability matrix, architecture and high-level technical specifications, and HIPAA compliance.

Project Delivery Head

2017 - 2018

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 areas of growth while increasing annual revenues more than two-fold.
Developed a comprehensive strategy to manage agile program delivery and 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 in areas of project management, and FAQ, and quick references for end users.

Director of Operations

2016 - 2016

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

2015 - 2016

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

2012 - 2015

Nielsen

Oversaw a ten-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

2011 - 2012

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

2010 - 2010

BlackBerry

Managed a six-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

2009 - 2010

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

2007 - 2009

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 application.

BI Developer and Business Analyst

2000 - 2007

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)

• Managed a team of developers, testers, architects, and IT support to deliver a multi-phase implementation of a web-based application that works as an ERP in the mental healthcare services domain. Led the entire journey 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.

• Managed a team of 10+ developers, testers, and DevOps.
• 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

http://www.icicilombard.com

Delivered an AI-based chatbot with a huge ROI by reducing the number of support agents and decreasing resolution time.

• Managed a team of 10+ developers, testers, and DevOps.
• 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.

• Managed a team of more than 20 developers, testers, and DevOps.
• Delivered the desktop and mobile versions of the in-house product to multiple clients.

Technologies used include ASP.NET, iOS, Android, SQL Server, Jira.

UNiB | UNiTY

Saved the client $100,000 by automating their entire workflow.

• Managed a team of developers, testers, and DevOps in the delivery of several releases of the UNiTY platform for Arista Aviation.
• 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.

• Managed a team of 18 developers and testers in the delivery of multiple BI reports for internal and external clients.
• 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

Education

2019 - 2019

Advanced Program in Leadership for Business Excellence in Leadership for Business Excellence

Indian Institute of Management - Lucknow, India

1999 - 2003

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

Sacred Heart University - Fairfield, CT, USA

Certifications

FEBRUARY 2021 - PRESENT

Agile Hybrid Project Pro

Project Management Institute (PMI)

DECEMBER 2013 - DECEMBER 2022

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Project Management Institute (PMI)

Collaboration That Works

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