
Edgar Emilio Polanco Gomez
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Colima, Mexico
Toptal member since May 1, 2019
Edgar is a seasoned engineering manager and technical project manager with more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry who specializes in software development and quality assurance. He's skilled at leading remote and multinational teams in agile and waterfall environments within various organization sizes, from startups to large Fortune 500 organizations. His expertise encompasses multiple industries, including healthcare, telecommunications, eCommerce, and education.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Agile Project Management
- Behavior-driven Development (BDD)
- Healthcare
- Jira
- Mobile/Web Project Management
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- QA Automation
- Software QA
Work Experience
Engineering Manager
Toptal
- Initiated and led the creation of the organization’s incident management framework. Gathered requirements and organizational needs, documented the new process, and customized tools to support efficient incident resolution.
- Led product discovery sessions, collaborated with stakeholders to define user stories, estimated effort for features, and ensured alignment with business goals and timelines.
- Monitored project progress across multiple software initiatives using Jira boards, custom dashboards, sprint reports, and sprint backlogs, ensuring visibility and timely delivery.
- Adapted Agile processes, including ceremonies, reporting, and workflows, to meet stakeholder needs and organizational goals, improving project delivery efficiency.
- Created and presented customized dashboards and progress updates to stakeholders and leadership, ensuring transparency and informed decision-making.
- Managed and coached a global team of 4-9 engineers, fostering career growth, improving performance, and ensuring alignment with project and organizational objectives.
- Improved workflows and team processes, identifying inefficiencies and implementing solutions to enhance project delivery speed and quality.
Software Engineering Manager
Aurea Software
- Managed a global team of around 20 QA automation engineers across multiple products and technologies, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and tight deadlines.
- Interviewed, selected, and onboarded candidates from a global talent pool, coaching and mentoring them to meet aggressive delivery goals across 10+ software products.
- Tracked team progress and performance using custom dashboards in Jira, Allure Reports, Jenkins, TestRail, and GSheets, ensuring clear and timely reporting of project status.
- Created Python-based Google Sheets dashboards to consolidate data from Jira and other tools, enabling better visualization of metrics and insights for decision-making.
- Facilitated project planning and execution through daily stand-ups, one-on-ones, and other team ceremonies, ensuring the team consistently met milestones and deliverables.
- Held weekly one-on-ones and daily team meetings to communicate strategies and weekly goals and review team and individual performance.
- Reported project progress, risks, and outcomes to VPs of Engineering weekly, providing actionable insights for strategic decision-making.
- Resolved escalations proactively by reallocating resources and adjusting plans, minimizing delays, and ensuring continuous delivery of objectives.
- Monitored and ensured adherence to organizational compliance programs, aligning team activities with metrics such as cost per unit (vs target), focus, and intensity.
- Introduced process improvements through Gemba walks, identifying and sharing best practices while addressing inefficiencies within the team.
Agile Project Manager/Sr. Software QA Manager
unosquare
- Led project progress tracking and risk management across Kanban and Scrum projects, ensuring timely delivery by identifying issues and aligning teams with client expectations.
- Formalized the organizational PMO by creating templates, process guidelines, and key performance metrics to standardize project delivery practices.
- Documented and presented project review scorecards (highlights, milestones, risks, and issues) to the Client Services Director, enhancing executive reporting and decision-making.
- Facilitated Scrum ceremonies for diverse teams, including sprint planning, grooming, daily stand-ups, retrospectives, and sprint demos, driving Agile adoption and team alignment.
- Gathered and translated customer requirements into actionable user stories and workflow diagrams, enabling clear technical specifications and stakeholder alignment.
- Collaborated with UX/UI designers to clarify expected interfaces and user interactions, ensuring a seamless customer experience and technical feasibility.
- Interviewed and onboarded candidates for the PMO and QA teams, aligning talent with project needs and fostering team development to achieve aggressive goals.
- Prepared and reviewed software test plans and strategies, integrating them into broader project objectives to ensure quality deliverables across customers.
- Developed performance testing strategies using Blazemeter and JMeter for web applications, improving system reliability and scalability for high-demand customers.
- Held one-on-one coaching sessions with team members, addressing blockers and fostering individual growth to align team efforts with project goals and timelines.
Project Manager/Business Analyst
IBM
- Led the order management worldwide group of PMs in the divestiture of the retail store solutions (RSS) business to ToshibaGCS (Wave 1, 2, 3, 4, and ISC release), managing plans, budgets, and schedules across geographies, delivering the project on time.
- Created and executed project plans, budgets, and schedules for global Order-2-Cash divestitures and acquisitions, ensuring seamless delivery through cross-functional collaboration.
- Coached the IBM CIO Mexico teams to transition from Waterfall to Scrum, improving delivery timelines and team collaboration on complex projects.
- Managed the project portfolio for the O2C Hardware (HW) Latin America tower. Rolling up the project portfolio status. Created a general HW LA architecture based on the asset information and application owners' feedback.
- Led the global Order-2-Cash data standardization project, aligning cross-functional teams to integrate processes and improve operational efficiency.
- Led the Students for a Smarter Planet: Mexico Cybersecurity Challenge, a national university contest sponsored by the IBM VP of Cybersecurity and SFSP program, which had a big impact on the Mexican university sector.
- Managed the IBM Mexico Smartcamp 2013 in Guadalajara, a national entrepreneurship event, aligning stakeholders and delivering a successful program.
- Led IBM’s “Students for a Smarter Planet” initiative in Mexico, fostering collaboration with academia to promote technological innovation.
Software Quality Assurance Manager
unosquare
- Managed multiple nearshore teams across projects with tight deadlines and high visibility, ensuring delivery excellence and aligning with client expectations.
- Supported risk management efforts, identifying potential blockers early and ensuring project schedules were adjusted to mitigate delays.
- Directly managed customer requirements, aligning them with project priorities and translating them into actionable deliverables for technical teams.
- Prepared and reviewed SOW documents to define clear deliverables and expectations for various clients, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
- Created and reported metrics directly to the CTO and CEO, providing actionable insights into software development and testing project progress.
- Consulted on and improved the SDLC by integrating QA processes within Agile and Waterfall environments, streamlining workflows and boosting efficiency.
- Interviewed, hired, and coached QA teams from scratch based on customers’ specific needs, ensuring alignment with project goals and organizational standards.
- Planned and executed certification efforts, enabling QA engineers to achieve ISTQB foundational certification and enhancing team credibility and expertise.
- Worked onsite with clients in the US to deliver tailored process and tool training, strengthening collaboration and optimizing team workflows.
Software Engineer/Staff Software Engineer - Architect
IBM
- Participated in crafting the strategic direction for the IBM Mexico System and Technology Lab, aligning technical initiatives with organizational goals.
- Led the introduction of Service Science, Management, and Engineering (SSME) in Mexico, creating a business case and presenting it to IBM executives, which formalized the national team and established IBM’s leadership in this field.
- Managed critical escalation support for Sev1 and Crit-Sit issues, coordinating cross-functional teams to resolve high-priority problems and ensure stability.
- Led the design and development of the RIPng routing protocol for the IBM iSeries, ensuring robust and scalable system architecture while collaborating with cross-functional teams.
- Created and presented a national rollout plan for ITILv3 and Service Management in Mexican universities, enhancing alignment between academia and industry best practices.
- Played a key role in designing and implementing SNA EE/IPv6 and supporting the OSPF IPv4 and IPv6 routing protocols, showcasing technical expertise in emerging network technologies.
- Recognized with two iSeries Large User Group (LUG) memento awards for impactful contributions to the development of advanced network protocols, showcasing leadership in delivering innovative solutions.
- Acted as the IBM group leader in Mexico's national Community of Theory and Practice for SSME and ITSM, driving collaboration between academia and industry.
- Worked on designing, developing, and testing communication systems for the AS/400 iSeries Kernel operating system, including support for the Code Programming Support (CPS) system.
- Contributed to the architecture and development of communication systems, enhancing the AS/400's operational capabilities.
CEO and Co-founder
SDNet
- Developed and executed a comprehensive business plan for IT consulting services, aligning business goals with client needs to establish a successful startup.
- Led the planning and delivery of multiple IT solutions, ensuring project timelines, budgets, and deliverables were met effectively for clients in Colima and Jalisco.
- Oversaw project scoping, resource allocation, and risk assessment to ensure successful outcomes for web development and IT service projects.
- Collaborated with clients to gather requirements, define project goals, and ensure the delivery of high-quality IT solutions aligned with their business needs.
- Designed and delivered custom IT solutions, including web applications (PHP, ASP.NET) and desktop software (VB6) tailored to client requirements.
- Analyzed marketing strategies and results, using data-driven insights to improve project acquisition and retention rates.
- Facilitated long-term client relationships through exceptional communication and project delivery, resulting in repeat business and referrals.
Software Engineer
Universidad de Colima
- Led the software development area for DIGESET (2000), fostering innovation and process improvements within the department.
- Researched, developed, designed, and documented a cross-platform (Linux and Windows) web-based library system for UNESCO (Biblioteca Digital Latinoamericana). Developed Linux installation scripts.
- Created IT systems for internal controls and external university customers, delivering tailored Windows and web-based applications to streamline operations and enhance productivity.
- Built a web platform linked to Unix scripts for user management, demonstrating innovative problem-solving and process automation (DevOps web script).
- Oversaw Windows server administration and IT security, implementing updates and monitoring system logs to maintain system security and reliability.
Project History
CureOne N1 Registry MVP
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cure-one-announces-foundation-medicine-participation-in-its-n1-registry-300468241.htmlLed the successful launch of the N1 Registry MVP, aiding in the search for improved cancer treatments through compliant and collaborative product development.
• Collaborated with stakeholders to gather, define, and document customer requirements in detailed user stories, driving alignment across all phases of the project.
• Designed workflow charts and process diagrams to visualize user stories, improving cross-functional team clarity and execution.
• Managed and clarified user interaction requirements with UI/UX designers to ensure a seamless user experience aligned with customer needs.
• Reviewed test plans and strategies to ensure comprehensive quality assurance, meeting the high regulatory standards required in healthcare products.
• Oversaw and successfully achieved HIPAA compliance certification for the product, refactoring key elements to meet industry standards.
• Demonstrated project deliverables to executives during milestone reviews, fostering stakeholder confidence and transparency.
unosquare PMO
https://www.unosquare.com/Led planning of the organizational PMO framework, implementing templates, process guidelines, and metrics to enhance organizational project management practices.
• Created standardized templates and process guidelines, reducing project initiation time by 15% across the organization.
• Tracked project progress, risks, and client expectations for Kanban and Scrum projects, ensuring timely delivery and alignment with goals.
• Documented and presented project review scorecards (milestones, risks, and issues) to the client services director, enhancing executive reporting.
• Validated and improved standard operating procedure (SOP) documents, streamlining teamwork processes for internal and external teams.
• Interviewed and selected project management candidates for the PMO team, strengthening organizational capabilities.
Healthsparq
https://healthsparq.com/Led the QA efforts for the search component of Healthsparq’s product during its refactoring to a microservices architecture, ensuring high product quality in a regulated healthcare environment.
• Led performance and load testing strategies using Blazemeter/JMeter, ensuring scalability and efficiency for healthcare applications.
• Managed bug triage processes, prioritizing and addressing critical issues to maintain development timelines.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to demo deliverables during monthly executive reviews, ensuring alignment with client expectations.
• Contributed to ensuring regulatory compliance through quality assurance practices tailored for healthcare software requirements.
• Interviewed QA candidates to strengthen team capabilities and maintain high-quality standards.
Divestiture of IBM Retail Store Solutions to Toshiba GCS
Led the worldwide group of Project Managers in a high-stakes divestiture of the IBM Retail Store Solutions (RSS) business to Toshiba GCS, aligning stakeholders and ensuring successful delivery.
• Conducted weekly meetings with global teams to monitor progress milestones, budget tracking, and risk/issue management across regions (US, Canada, LatAm, EMEA, Asia).
• Led stakeholder alignment by clarifying requirements, tracking blockers, and resolving budget inconsistencies to maintain project momentum.
• Prepared and presented project scorecards, highlighting achievements, risks, and next steps, ensuring the Order-to-Cash executive stakeholders were informed and aligned.
• Achieved seamless transitions across geographic areas by mitigating risks and fostering cross-functional collaboration.
IBM CIO Mexico's Agile Coaching Group
Led the establishment of the IBM CIO Mexico Agile Coaching group, mentoring teams and driving the transition from Waterfall to Agile practices.
• Developed guidelines for transitioning from Waterfall to Scrum, focusing on complex projects to ensure shorter deployment cycles and reduced delivery risks.
• Managed a group of Project Managers with Agile expertise to serve as coaches, mentoring internal teams to adopt Agile practices and improve project delivery efficiency.
• Facilitated collaboration across teams to align Agile processes with organizational goals, enhancing cross-functional workflows.
Unosquare's New Nearshore QA Area
https://www.unosquare.com/Led the establishment of a nearshore QA team for Unosquare, delivering high-quality software solutions for global clients.
• Collaborated on-site with clients in the US (Missouri, Seattle, Portland) to define processes and provide tools training, ensuring alignment with client expectations.
• Managed multiple nearshore teams under tight deadlines, delivering projects with high visibility and exceptional quality.
• Created and reported detailed QA metrics to executive stakeholders (CTO, CEO), driving data-informed decisions on software quality and testing progress.
• Developed and implemented recommendations to enhance the SDLC by integrating QA processes within Agile and Waterfall environments, improving efficiency.
• Prepared and reviewed SOW documents to establish clear deliverables and timelines, ensuring alignment with business goals.
• Led ISTQB foundational certification efforts, elevating the team’s global credibility and strengthening customer confidence.
Migration from YouTrack to Jira
Streamlined team collaboration and delivery efficiency by leading the migration of Toptal’s internal teams from YouTrack to Jira, implementing custom workflows and automation for enhanced project management.
Development of a Performance Management Tool at Toptal
Improved team accountability and decision-making by leading the development of a performance management tool that provided actionable insights for all the engineering function.
Aurea Software
https://www.aurea.com/Led a team of 20 QA Automation engineers globally, delivering improved test automation processes across 10+ products under tight deadlines.
• Streamlined QA processes, improving test automation efficiency by 20% through metric-driven insights and tracking tools like Jira and GSheets.
• Tracked team progress and performance using custom dashboards, ensuring alignment with organizational compliance metrics.
• Enhanced collaboration by resolving escalations, unblocking issues, and reallocating resources to meet project objectives on time.
• Improved coding standards with automated quality checks in GitHub and continuous integration pipelines.
• Delivered progress reports and actionable insights to engineering VPs, ensuring transparency and alignment with business objectives.
Implementation of Incident Management Framework at Toptal
Streamlined incident response by 30% through the design and rollout of an organization-wide, ITILv4-aligned framework with seamless tool integrations.
Online Payment Processing Tool Requirements Gathering at TrustVesta
Enhanced transaction security and streamlined operations by gathering and validating requirements for a PCI DSS-compliant fraud prevention system integrated with an online payment processing tool.
Hubbub
Led Cambia’s Hubbub team to deliver new features effectively through Agile Kanban practices, improving team collaboration and delivery timelines.
• Held regular 1-on-1s and team meetings to align individual contributors with project goals, fostering a collaborative and motivated team environment.
• Monitored and communicated progress status to stakeholders, ensuring visibility and alignment across teams.
• Enhanced team collaboration by implementing Agile practices, improving delivery efficiency by optimizing workflows and reducing task cycle time.
Education
Master's Degree in Computer Science
Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara - Guadalajara, Mexico
Bachelor's Degree in Telematics Engineering
Universidad de Colima - Colima, Mexico
Certifications
Executive Leadership Certification
Cornell University
Atlassian Certified in Managing Jira Projects for Cloud
Atlassian
Certified Scrum Master
Scrum Alliance
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
Scrum Alliance
IBM Experienced Project Manager
IBM
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Project Management Institute (PMI)
Skills
Tools
Git, GitHub, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Slides, Cucumber, Jira, Zoom, Slack, Project Management & Work Tracking Tools, Confluence, JavaScript Testing, Redmine, Bugzilla, Microsoft Project, Provisioning Tools, Looker, BigQuery, SQL, TestRail, Apache JMeter, Miro
Paradigms
Scrum, Iterative Development, Waterfall Development, Software Testing, Agile, Agile Project Management, Waterfall Delivery, Change Management, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), Kanban, CMMI, Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Deployment, Continuous Delivery (CD), Behavior-driven Development (BDD), Agile Product Management, Organizational Change Management (OCM), Requirements Analysis, HIPAA Compliance, Key Performance Metrics, DevOps
Platforms
Windows, Linux, WordPress, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Unix, BlazeMeter
Industry Expertise
Software, Healthcare, Retail & Wholesale
Other
Microsoft 365, Scrum Master, Risk Management, PMI, Node.js, Mobile/Web Project Management, Software QA, Project Management Professional (PMP), Project Management, Jira Administrator, Project Scoping, Quality Management, Communication, People Management, People Development, Stakeholder Management, Career Coaching, Motivation, Cross-functional Collaboration, Leadership, High Code Quality, Task Management, Cost Estimation, Technical Project Management, Project Planning, Waterfall Methodology, Agile Program Management, Enterprise Project Management, Web Applications, Stakeholder Analysis, APIs, Employee Engagement, Digital Transformation, QA Testing, User Stories, User Requirements, Scope Management, QA Leadership, Software Development, Project Tracking, Team Leadership, Sprints, Requirements, Planning, Estimation & Planning, Project Estimation, Reporting, Team Management, Team Building, Remote Team Leadership, Quality Assurance (QA), Project Leadership, Collaboration, Incident Management, Jira Administration, Engineering Management, Backlog Grooming, Program Management, Web Development, Retrospective Techniques, Certified Project Manager, Budget Management, Back-end, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Sprint Ceremonies, Software as a Service (SaaS), Consulting, Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), AS400, Ruby, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Healthcare Management Systems, IT Consulting, Business Consulting, Unix Shell Scripting, PHP, C++, C, IPv6, Routing Information Protocol (RIP), Automated Testing, QA Automation, Performance Testing, Project Management Office (PMO), Startup Consulting, Startups, Product Owner, Product Management, Strategic Planning, Coaching, Decision Analysis, Product Discovery, Product Roadmaps, Strategy, Executive Presentations, Executive Reporting, eCommerce, Financial Modeling, Data Analysis, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Customer Success, Sales, Change Impact Assessment, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Budgeting, Budget Controls, Presentations, Agile Coaching, Scrum Coaching, Discovery, Process Improvement, Workflow, Process Improvement Project Management, Delivery, Business Analysis, Product Ownership, IP Networks, TCP/IP, Sprint Planning, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Process Automation, API Testing, Resource Management, Metrics, Data-driven Decision-making, Workflow Optimization, Dashboards, Dashboard Design, Gherkin, Sprint Retrospectives, Risk Analysis, Conflict Resolution, Continuous Improvement, Regulatory Compliance, Enterprise Architecture, Entrepreneurship, Client Relationship Management, Test Automation, PMO Processes, Testing Strategy, Leading Quality Assurance (LQA), API Integration, App Integration, Stakeholder Interviews, ITIL, ITIL 4, Backlog Management, IT Systems Architecture, API Design, Documentation, Data Migration, Python, Education, Java, Appium, Protractor, Scrum Product Owner, Scrumban, Selenium, Web UX, Gemba Walks, Task Automation, Technical Documentation, Cross-platform App Development, Server Administration, PCI Compliance, Fraud Prevention, API Documentation
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