Dana Hette
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Toptal member since May 20, 2020
Dana is a versatile project manager with 15+ years of experience in internet software. With her technical background, she brings a relentless passion for finding data-driven solutions to complex problems. Dana has led cross-functional teams at small startups and global enterprises across various domains. Dana has worked with Azrieli, Expedia, and Redfin.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Agile Project Management
- Asana
- Hospitality
- Jira
- Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Scrum
- Technical Hiring
- Technical Project Management
Work Experience
Lead Product Manager
Azrieli Group
- Spearheaded the full-stack rebuild of the Composable Commerce Multi-vendor Marketplace (B2B2C) platform as the 1st member handpicked by the CTO.
- Orchestrated the entire project lifecycle, including road mapping, backlog prioritization, and sprint planning, aligning with strategic objectives.
- Directed the 2-year project, overseeing team building and refining Agile processes for optimal efficiency. Followed by 30 major feature releases over the next 18 months.
Agile Digital Product Manager
Maisonette
- Spearheaded the introduction of an A/B testing program, resulting in a 19% increase in site search engagement and a 2% boost in the add-to-cart rate. Cultivated a culture of scientific product thinking and experimentation.
- Played a significant role in the quarterly planning and roadmapping process, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and optimal utilization of resources.
- Engaged in a key consulting role in building the product team. Actively contributed to recruiting the director of product, and the recruitment and mentorship of junior product managers.
Product Manager
Stay Hospitality Group
- Built a bespoke mobile digital concierge app from the ground up.
- Led product kickoff via discovery meetings to gather and distill all requirements into a clear roadmap.
- Set up Trello and general product management processes. Wrote all analytics specifications.
- Worked with UX to design flows and usability and collaborated with tech to ensure alignment.
Product Manager
Exodus Aviation
- Assumed the lead role in delivering V1 of a bespoke B2B eCommerce platform, overcoming previous delays.
- Expedited a beta release one month later with new Agile processes using Asana.
- Collaborated with UX to revamp the interface for enhanced usability.
Co-founder
BioSphère Naturel
- Conceived and produced a new organic skincare line, achieving the number two best-selling anti-aging cream on Amazon France in 2018.
- Constructed a multi-lingual, multi-region eCommerce site using WordPress, WooCommerce, and custom coding.
- Executed advertising and sales funnels on Facebook, ManyChat, and Instagram.
- Obtained trademarks in the UK and USA, resolving conflicts to secure approvals.
Senior Product Manager
Expedia
- Designed industry-wide data standards and APIs for ancillaries and branded fares, elevating NPS, retention, and CVR worldwide.
- Launched new ancillary features using MVP methodology, coordinating across several geographic regions.
- Introduced a streamlined UX with smart filtering to surface key flight amenities and fare information.
- Supervised a team of two product managers and directed and coordinated five concurrent Agile project teams.
Senior Program Manager
Expedia
- Developed a proprietary SaaS PPC platform managing millions of dollars in annual spending. Refined varying market requirements into a single coherent, global solution.
- Led the construction of an efficient keyword bidding algorithm using clustering logic and statistical modeling. Integrated millions of rows of Expedia transactional data with keyword performance data, enabling easy portfolio optimization at scale.
- Spearheaded the hiring effort to build an in-house team of two product managers and one QA lead. Directed an external development vendor.
- Performed extensive business process and workflow analysis and designed and developed custom dashboards.
Product Manager
Redfin
- Implemented customer and agent-facing SaaS app for buying and selling homes. Managed the cross-functional agile team to build. Partnered with agents and facilitated user focus groups to distill regional requirements into a streamlined experience.
- Defined the full specifications for Google Analytics and regular reporting to leadership.
- Conducted the vendor search and integrated a Salesforce CRM system as a back end into SaaS buy and sell tools.
Project History
Turnaround of a Struggling B2B eCommerce Site Launch
Righted a long-struggling and off-track eCommerce site launch within a month with a cleaner UX and a new, agile process
The problem was overhauling existing processes, clarifying the product vision, and delivering a functioning beta.
To address these issues, I utilized my skills in Agile, backlog prioritization, process optimization, team leadership, wireframing, Salesforce, and stakeholder management to dive in fully from day one, hitting the ground running:
• Week One: Set up a roadmap, backlog, and bug-tracking framework in Asana and set up lightweight processes.
• Week Two: Onboarded a new UX designer, fleshed out over 20 stories, and filed nearly as many bug tickets.
• Week Three: Got the development team into a rhythm, and they started to execute more efficiently using one-week sprint cycles.
• Week Four: The team had doubled their velocity. About 90% of the UX and functional stories were completed, so the developers could estimate the remaining effort to get to the beta release.
• End Result: Beta release only four weeks later.
This project underscores my ability to quickly turn around complex projects and deliver tangible results efficiently.
Revolutionizing Azrieli.com with Composable Commerce
Led Azrieli.com's full-stack platform for the rebuild for market dominance.
Handpicked by the CTO as the first member of the team, I led the integration of critical components like CRM, CMS, PIM, and multi-vendor marketplace systems.
My leadership was pivotal in the project lifecycle, emphasizing strategic roadmapping and agile methodologies. This over three-year venture showcased my ability to lead teams in creating robust, market-leading digital solutions through a successful product launch at the two-year mark, followed by 30 major feature releases afterward.
My tenure as lead product manager at Azrieli.com is a testament to my expertise in building complex platforms to meet evolving market needs.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
University of Wisconsin - Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Skills
Tools
Jira, Trello, Asana, Project Management & Work Tracking Tools, Confluence, Miro, Slack
Paradigms
Agile Project Management, Scrum, Kanban, Requirements Analysis, Agile Leadership, Agile Software Development, Agile
Platforms
WordPress, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Industry Expertise
Hospitality, Travel & Leisure
Other
Agile Program Management, Data Analysis, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Data Analytics, Technical Hiring, Feature Backlog Prioritization, Sprint Planning, App Integration, Project Management, Business Processes, Discovery Workshops, Legacy Software, Project Planning, Project Timelines, Sprint Retrospectives, Best Practices, Process Optimization, Web Applications, Digital Project Management, Process Improvement, System Integration, Web Development, Planning, Project Coordination, Software Project Management, Product Management, Technical Project Management, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Airtable, Jira Administrator, Product Roadmaps, Feature Roadmaps, Backlog Grooming, Backlog Management, Sprints, Agile Sprints, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Scrum Master
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