Program and Project Manager
2020 - PRESENTAlberta Energy Regulator, Canada- Managed the program designed to reform the regulatory system to proactively mitigate risks associated with energy development.
- Applied a hybrid approach to program management with agile software development and waterfall implementation of government direction. Onboarded and managed 40+ team members from multiple departments and business functions.
- Worked as a project manager and a scrum master for the development of the software designed to provide a holistic assessment of multiple data points to support data-driven decision making across the organization (600+ users).
- Supported the product owner in the development and prioritization of the product backlog. Worked with technical subject matter experts across the organization to elicit requirements.
- Introduced the scaled agile technique (SoS) to integrate the work of multiple development teams. Facilitated sprint planning sessions, daily scrums, and retrospectives.
Senior Project Manager and Planning Advisor
2018 - 2019Alberta Energy Regulator, Canada- Worked directly with VP and directors to align the work of the 100-member department with the strategic direction of the 1,200-member organization.
- Supported transformation of the department’s direction from function-centric to program-centric.
- Designed a systematic approach to planning, monitoring, and reporting. Developed and deployed the performance measurement strategy to monitor progress towards desired outcomes and to inform business decisions.
- Presented proposals, provided updates, and facilitated collaborative conversations for the leadership team.
- Provided strategic advice to a senior leadership team during the creation of a new business unit. Guided the team through the identification of its mission, vision, strategic priorities, and positioning within and outside of the organization.
Senior Project Manager, Regulatory Enhancement
2018 - 2018Alberta Energy Regulator, Canada- Simultaneously led three major cross-functional regulatory development projects designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Alberta energy regulatory system.
- Delivered projects—resulting in $281 million annual savings to the regulated industry e.g., supported the build of the first outcome-based regulatory instrument that encourages achieving certain outcomes, rather than following a particular process.
- Analyzed the needs of various stakeholder groups: oil-&-gas companies and associations, different levels of government, landowners, members of the general public, and indigenous people.
Business Partner, Continuous Improvement
2015 - 2017Alberta Energy Regulator, Canada- Advised senior leadership teams on developing high-quality project proposals and prioritizing project work based on its impact and alignment with organizational strategic direction.
- Developed a strategy to integrate continuous improvement mindset for problem-solving and process improvement into day-to-day business activities of the 700-member operations division.
- Participated in the development of the continuous improvement training strategy and delivered targeted training sessions to more than 200 people across 12 regional offices.
- Coached and mentored project managers on the application of Lean Six Sigma methodology, project management, and team management.
- Prepared project managers for ASQ Lean Six Sigma certification. Designed curriculum and led group and one-on-one training sessions based on my experience of being the first black-belt certified practitioner in the department.
Project Manager, Continuous Improvement
2015 - 2015Alberta Energy Regulator, Canada- Planned and managed multiple cross-functional process improvement projects that contributed to $224 million in annual savings to the regulated industry. Used lean, Six Sigma, and agile methodologies to fit the problem at hand.
- Worked directly with internal and external customers to deeply understand their pain points, needs, and potential areas for improvement. Focused on workflow design, waste and backlog elimination, defect reduction, and quality improvement.
- Used statistical, analytical, and creative problem-solving approaches to identify root causes of problems and develop appropriate solutions.
- Oversaw the implementation of solutions to ensure timely delivery, change adoption, and sustainment. Project results include streamlined processes, increased process capability & predictability, and improved company credibility.
- Continuously worked on negotiating and building consensus across various internal functions: operations, strategy, regulatory development, law, communications, and IT.
- Utilized various team-building techniques to manage distributed teams (e.g., facilitated daily standups and sprint planning sessions while working on a software solution to automate publication of application notices on the company website).
Business Intelligence Analyst
2013 - 2015Alberta Energy Regulator, Canada- Used data analytics and visualization to depict the business unit’s performance.
- Developed and executed a strategy to enhance business unit’s data collection, data management, and reporting capabilities (e.g., leveraged Tableau to automate three-level reports to satisfy the needs of executives, managers, and technical experts).
- Gathered system requirements, designed, developed, and rolled out a solution that enabled the integration of data from multiple systems and simultaneous review of files by numerous technical experts.
Researcher
2011 - 2015Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, Canada- Assessed the effectiveness of existing programs and policies.
- Identified regulatory gaps, and evaluated alternative policy options by using statistics, modeling, forecasting, cost-benefit analysis, and impact assessment methods.
- Results of “Economic Integration of the Aboriginal Population in Canada” study presented at the conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands and included in “The Economics of Cultural Diversity” publication.
Iryna Charkovska
Project Manager in Calgary, AB, Canada
Member since April 7, 2020
Iryna has 12+ years of experience spanning project and program management, strategic and operational planning, performance measurement, continuous improvement, business intelligence, and change management. A passionate agile project and product manager, she focuses on building strong teams while delivering exceptional results. Iryna has led startups and large enterprises through agile adoption, lean transformation, and outcome-based planning.
Iryna is now available for hire
Project Highlights
- Significantly improved program execution by coaching the delivery team using an agile approach and scrum methodology.
- Coached and mentored multiple business units to enable organization-wide transformation using continuous improvement methodologies like lean and Six Sigma.
Expertise
- Agile Coaching
- Agile Project Management
- Lean Six Sigma
- Process Improvement
- Product Delivery
- Project Discovery
- Scrum Master
- Team Management
Education
- University of Alberta via Coursera
- University of Saskatchewan, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
- National Technical University of Oil and Gas
Select Certifications
- PuMP
- Prosci
- American Society for Quality (ASQ)
Employment
Project History
- Licensee Capability AssessmentSignificantly improved program execution by coaching the delivery team using an agile approach and scrum methodology.
I managed 40+ developers, analysts, testers, and domain experts to deliver a technology solution that assessed large amounts of data and produced insights to enable proactive data-driven decision-making across multiple functional areas in the organization. Business intelligence form the tool is used by 600+ users on a daily basis to make data-driven decisions. Stakeholders included internal employees, government agencies, and multiple companies from the energy sector.
In addition to managing software development, I supported:
• the development of business processes and decision-making frameworks to integrate this tool;
• work with the government to implement the specific policy direction within aggressive timelines;
• work with energy companies to manage their expectations during the prolonged economic downturn with record low oil prices and economic impacts of the pandemic. - Continuous Improvement TransformationCoached and mentored multiple business units to enable organization-wide transformation using continuous improvement methodologies like lean and Six Sigma.
My participation in continuous improvement (CI) organization-wide transformation started with managing the first pilot CI project. A successful pilot delivery led to a CI rollout across the 1,200-people organization and its 12 regional offices.
During the next three years, I:
• became the first certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt in my organization;
• participated in the development and implementation of the organizational-wide CI framework;
• planned and managed multiple cross-functional improvement projects and lead high-performance geographically distributed project teams;
• developed a strategy to enhance CI technical capabilities and integrate CI mindset into day-to-day business operations;
• developed a training strategy and delivered targeted training sessions across multiple regional offices and different levels of employees (including preparing CI change agents in every department);
• provided strategic advice to senior leadership teams for identifying and prioritizing high-impact project opportunities;
• coached and mentored CI project leads on the application of Lean Six Sigma methodology, project management, and team management; and
• prepared CI project leads to Lean Six Sigma certification.
Education
- Software Product Management Specialization in Software Product Management2019 - 2020University of Alberta via Coursera - Online
- Master of Public Administration degree in Public Policy2011 - 2013University of Saskatchewan, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy - Canada
- Master of Economics and Business Administration (honors) in Business & Economics2009 - 2010National Technical University of Oil and Gas - Ukraine
- Bachelor's degree with honors in Business Administration and Economics2005 - 2009National Technical University of Oil and Gas - Ukraine
Certifications
- Performance MeasurementOCTOBER 2018 - PRESENTPuMP
- Change ManagementDECEMBER 2016 - PRESENTProsci
- Lean Six Sigma Black BeltMARCH 2016 - PRESENTAmerican Society for Quality (ASQ)
