Chris Jensen
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Gainesville, VA, United States
Toptal member since April 15, 2020
Chris is a leader and a teammate. He's worked through the ranks from PM to PMO director for large companies, receiving awards for agile implementations and project management innovation. Chris understands that every project is an exercise in change and must achieve real business results.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Agile Coaching
- BPM
- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
- Facilitation
- IT Project Management
- Program Management
- Project Portfolio Management (PPM)
- Scrum
Work Experience
Project Manager
JuryMD, LLC
- Sourced and selected design and application development firms worldwide to build a world-class web application for discriminating clients. Developed contract vehicles to meet project objectives and fit Agile development practices.
- Developed the UX prototype for a web application that serves as a marketplace for legal and medical professions.
- Led the architecture and engineering of a B2B web application for a massive number of users and transactions. Security, compliance, and user experience were of paramount importance.
- Developed a pitch deck to raise funds and demonstrate achievements and capabilities. Proved total addressable market and developed a comprehensive financial model for the seed round business case.
Scrum Master Advisor
Toptal Client
- Served as a scrum master for data science and web applications teams. Produced advanced machine learning products on massive data sets, delivering that data to an AWS front end.
- Established project and portfolio management processes, incorporating the organization's most important SDLC practices. Responsible for tying strategy to project execution.
- Set up a new business intelligence function with Tableau to analyze data sets before, during, and after artificial intelligence development.
Director, Project Management Office (PMO)
WGL
- Led a group of in-house and contract project and program managers to execute the company's most complex initiatives from idea through close.
- Drove innovation in disciplines that had the biggest impact on the company, such as business process management (BPM), organizational change management (OCM), Agile frameworks, strategic alignment, communications, training, and reporting.
- Received the annual "Values and Innovation in Practice (VIP)" award for Agile project management.
- Led merger and acquisition (M&A) work-streams during acquisition.
Integration PM/PMO Manager
Navy Mutual Aid Association
- Oversaw the management of projects and programs, followed Agile and Waterfall methodologies, and all process groups from initiation to closing.
- Implemented Workfront, a project and portfolio management (PPM) tool used by all PMs, leadership, and project participants. The tool had service desk queues, dynamic dashboards, and roadmaps.
- Aligned the company's strategic objectives to specific projects so that project progress translated into the achievement of the strategy. Created reports that were immediately available digitally to officers and the board of directors.
- Established enterprise PMO from scratch. Developed robust processes under portfolio, program, and project management standards of practice.
- Introduced new product-driven B2C financial and insurance products and updated existing products with cross-functional projects and small teams.
Project Manager
NetImpact Strategies
- Built capability for project and portfolio management scheduling, reporting, risk and issue management, and task management using a CA Clarity PMAT.
- Managed multiple sub-projects while producing bills of material, issue papers, governance process documents, risk/issue registers, and concept of operations (CONOPS).
- Developed an integrated master schedule (IMS) for all project workstreams and functional areas, simplifying thousands of tasks into digestible work.
- Led the team of contractors, subcontractors, and stakeholder program offices in program execution.
- Created a foundational network enclave for DoD medical systems, hospitals, clinics, and data; the infrastructure home for new DoD Healthcare Management Systems Modernization (HMS), a multibillion-dollar effort led by the Interagency Program Office.
Program Manager
Concept Solutions
- Deployed and maintained multiple geographically-separated environments including production, user acceptance testing (UAT), testing and development, and disaster recovery for 30+ systems and 10+ PostgreSQL and Oracle DBs.
- Managed a diverse set of operations and maintenance activities including software development, database administration, network engineering, systems engineering, and 24x7 tier 1 and 2 service desk.
- Successfully achieved ISO 9001:2008 certification efforts. Implemented robust processes, audits, and reporting.
- Interfaced with the C-level corporate team and senior FAA management concerning program and project priorities such as financial status and weekly and monthly status meetings on key projects.
Managing Director
Innovative Building Solutions
- Directed multiple projects in support of startup activities including product design, technology demonstrations, business formation, training programs, and complex sales efforts.
- Led a construction form product design project to address specific technical and aesthetic requirements of new markets; prototypes and manufacturing successful.
- Established a new training and certification program, including multilingual presentations, videos, and marketing materials targeted to architects, contractors, developers, and government agencies.
- Spearheaded a program to introduce new technologies to a national housing program, which included reengineering structures, building demonstrations, making comparative pricing models, and composing detailed project reports.
- Made robust financial and business models to dynamically compare strategic business decisions. The tools considered logistics, manufacturing, inventory management, sales targets, and 5-year pro-forma plans—produced IRR, NPV, and financial statements.
Communications Officer
United States Air Force Reserve
- Provided C4I planning, network management, and in-depth analysis for Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) systems and interface solutions. (Plans and Programs Officer, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)).
- Served as an engineer on the quick-response team that specialized in implementing emerging technology and solving the agency's toughest problems. (Special Engineer to the CTO, Defense Information Systems Agency).
- Researched technologies, designed network architectures, resolved issues, authored reports, and made recommendations for implementation into operational networks.
Consultant
KPMG Consulting
- Provided key leadership and guidance to implement an IT governance framework for a large government agency.
- Directly consulted with the CIO and his staff enabled the implementation of a new systems engineering model and integration of review and control boards.
- Led an effort to determine the impact on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) wide area network (WAN) of 50+ on-premise applications. Based on the advice provided, nationwide consolidation methods were changed to avoid application failure.
Communications Officer
United States Air Force
- Coordinated, as the manager in the PM branch, the base communications long-range plan and architecture; also supervised the ongoing communications projects and standardized PM methods with a $23 million dollar portfolio under management.
- Led the joint-service team in providing network management, fault management, and performance optimization for the National Military Command Center LANs; worked as a network engineer and officer-in-charge.
- Led, as a flight commander, a team of 3, and managed all Charleston Air Force Base telephone, wireless, and airfield communications through in-house maintenance and contract.
- Managed the office staff, time, and duties. Acted as the liaison to squadron command staff and base headquarters’ staff. (Executive officer and chief assistant to the commander of a 1,200 member group).
- Spearheaded the process quality program for a 1,200 member group across maintenance and technology functions. The new process improvement challenge resulted in organization-wide recognition of cost efficiencies and simplification.
Project History
Work Management App
Led multiple scrum teams in the project to upgrade core app and add modules for scheduling and mobility for field workers; responsible for the agile execution, change management, training, development, business process management, and testing.
I led over 50 development team resources in the US, Canada, Philippines, India, and the Czech Republic to accomplish the company’s most strategic initiative. Together, we innovated our use of Scrum, the use of a “video first” training and communications strategy, adapted business process management to Scrum, and added in-app help via WhatFix—all while executing the work faster than vendor teams had ever seen it accomplished.
The company awarded me with an inaugural “Values and Innovation in Practice (VIP)” award for agile development at the completion of our work.
Workfront PPM Implementation
Managed the implementation of the Workfront PPM tool at the company; rolling out a capability used from project team members to the CEO.
I led the PPM policy and process development, followed by tool selection.
The project established:
• Robust service desk queues for internal service providers; seamless handling of requests, bugs, issues, and change orders through analysis and resolution via tickets or projects
• Dynamic, executive-level dashboards to roll up a graphical roadmap of key projects
• Resource management grid to deconflict cross-portfolio resource allocation constraints
• Alignment of the organization’s strategic objectives to specific project/change efforts; linked objectives to project progress for empirical reporting to officers and the board of directors
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Transition
Led multi-project program to transition multiple components of a comprehensive BPO program, including component projects 1) infrastructure outsourcing (IO), 2) consumer services (CS), and 3) human resources (HR).
I led multiple project managers and a couple hundred project team members to accomplish data center transitions, onshoring of call centers, and changing HR benefits providers.
IO Transition: primary and secondary data centers, infrastructure tools, end-user computing (EUC), desk-side support, IT call center to new locations/teams with 100+ team members
CS Transition: primary and emergency customer call centers from offshore to onshore with back-office support–200 new jobs recognized by the Governor of Virginia
HR Transition: change benefits providers and related back-office processes
Concrete Form Design and Manufacturing
Designed and manufactured new concrete form for an international market.
This project required cross-industry and specialty expertise:
• Product design
• Mold manufacturing
• Polystyrene systems integration and production engineering
• Architecture, engineering, and construction integration
With teams on multiple continents, I led process, engineering, manufacturing, and logistics for this new product’s end-to-end delivery and integration.
B2C Financial Product Rate Change
Relaunched a financial product with new rates for the company recognized by the CFO as the best in his tenure!
Managed a cross-functional team of developers, QA, and product and underwriting experts to rebuild a financial product with new rates. The team deployed the product on time for launch and without errors. The CFO recognized the effort as the best-led in his tenure.
Machine Learning Healthcare Platform
Reduced the time needed to develop machine learning insights for chronic conditions from years to weeks.
Led 30 of the highest skilled engineers, scientists, doctors, and developers to build a consequential application for a Fortune 30 company that enables the development and deployment of machine learning tools for the most chronic conditions in healthcare.
Education
Master of Science Degree in Telecommunications and Computer Systems
The George Washington University - Ashburn, Virginia
Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management
United States Air Force Academy - Colorado Springs, CO
Certifications
Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
Scrum Alliance
Certified Scrum Product Owner
Scrum Alliance
ITIL Foundation Certification
ITIL
Skills
Tools
GCC, Project Management & Work Tracking Tools, Office 365, Jira, Slack, Microsoft Project, Figma
Paradigms
Agile, Scrum, Agile Project Management, Waterfall Development, Waterfall Delivery, Requirements Analysis, Agile Product Management, Agile Leadership, Software Testing, Design Thinking, Kanban, Change Management, Organizational Change Management (OCM), B2C, Testing, Azure DevOps, Scalable Application
Platforms
SharePoint, Adobe Workfront, Azure
Industry Expertise
Aerospace & Defense, Department of Defense, Utilities, Oil & Gas, Natural Gas, Telecommunications, Aviation, Government, Transportation & Shipping, Healthcare, Life Insurance, Call Centers, High-tech Startups
Other
Management Consulting, Client Management, Team Management, Global Team Management, Offshore Team Management, Distributed Team Management, Software Development Management, Project Management, Task Management, Teams, Technical Leadership, IT Projects, Project Delivery, IT Project Management, Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Program Management, Facilitation, PMO, PMO Development, Project Management Office (PMO), Offshoring, SharePoint Online, Middle East, Startups, Waterfall Methodology, Project Management Professional (PMP), Sprint Planning, Project Tracking, Backlog Management, User Stories, Project Reporting, Project Planning, Client-side, Stakeholder Management, Project Timelines, Consulting, Reporting, Enterprise, Process Mapping, Process Improvement Project Management, Remote Work, Business Systems Analysis, Microsoft, Project Scoping, Cost Estimation, Estimation & Planning, Budget Modeling, Build Processes, Team Mentoring, Mentorship & Coaching, Communication, Agile Program Management, Frameworks, Progress Reporting, SaaS, IT Operations Management (ITOM), Dashboards, Workflow Optimization, Process Design, Complex Problem Solving, Organization, Leadership, Process Optimization, Workflow, Priority Job Queue, Risk Analysis, Budgeting, Business Processes, Business Process Analysis, Business Plan Consulting, Business Process Modeling, Business Process Refinement, Business Process Management (BPM), Business Process Optimization, IT Management, Post-merger Integration, Discovery Workshops, Agile Sprints, Videos, System Integration, Software Implementation, Scope Management, BPM, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Business Analysis, Business Agility, Agile Coaching, Software as a Service (SaaS), ITIL 4, ITIL, Wireless Engineering, Wireless Communication, ISO 9001, Startup Consulting, Lean Startups, IT Governance, BPO, Healthcare IT, Digital Health, Health IT, Business Transformation Project Management, Process Transformation, Coaching, Manufacturing Project Management, Communication Management, Freelancing, Technical Project Management, User Experience (UX), Product Development, Feature Backlog Prioritization, Communication Strategy, Communications Management, IT Infrastructure, IT Service Management (ITSM), Configuration Management, Product Management, Product Requirements Documentation (PRD), Email Marketing, Business Process Flow Diagrams, Business Process Re-engineering, ITIL V3 Foundation Certified, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Healthcare & Insurance, ISTM Service Desk, Web Applications, Manufacturing, Contract Manufacturing, Design for Manufacturing, Construction Management, New Product Development, Product Design, Outsourcing, Training, Engineering Management, Financials, Financial Modeling, Teamwork, Total Quality Management (TQM), Data Migration, Mobile Apps, Cloud, Data Warehousing, QA Testing, Regression Testing, Software Development, Electronic Health Records (EHR), Early-stage Startups, Startup Funding, Startup Growth Strategy Development, User Interface (UI), Web App Design, Web App UX, Web App UI, Web UX, Offshore Development, Use Case Analysis, User Surveys, User Personas, Sourcing, Global Sourcing, Contract Drafting, IT Contracts, Contract Management, Contract Review, Interactive Prototypes, UI Prototyping, UX Prototyping, Prototyping, Brand Identity, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Legal Technology (Legaltech), Medical Software, Pitch Decks, Pitch Preparation, Angel Investing, Seed Fundraising, Scrum Master
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