Karl is available for hire
Hire KarlKarl Cheney
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Philadelphia, PA, United States
Toptal member since February 24, 2021
Bio
Karl is a highly accomplished and disciplined project manager with 20+ years of leadership experience in fast-paced and metric-driven environments, steering operations, project, and product management teams. He is an analytically-minded servant leader with a constant desire to improve processes. Skilled at driving results and building momentum, Karl has led successful ERP implementations in $30 million and $300 million organizations.
Project Highlights
Amazon Fulfillment Center Technology Pilot
Led the integration and implementation of hands-free finger scanner technology, reducing scan times by 6% and increasing operational efficiency.
Business Intelligence Project
Developed and deployed automated dashboards and processes, saving 600 labor hours annually and enhancing data management.
Organizational Maturity Process Improvement Initiative
Streamlined product development processes, improving time to market by 40% and optimizing operational efficiency.
Expertise
- Agile Project Management
- Analytics
- Key Performance Metrics
- Operations
- Process Improvement
- Project Management
- Reports
- Writing & Editing
Work Experience
Project Management Consultant
2022 - 2022
Greencastle Consulting
- Served as the project manager and engagement lead on a 10-month ERP Salesforce implementation for a $300 million electronics wholesale distributor.
- Reduced manual processes by 90% and saved 8,000 labor hours per year after spearheading the complete redesign of business processes around electronic data interchange (EDI) transactions and focusing on three core areas.
- Automated live dashboards using Power BI and Power Automate, replacing manual processes that updated financials once a month, resulting in 600 labor hours saved per year.
- Led procurement activities totaling $2 million, which included statement of work (SOW) preparation, vendor identification, request for proposal (RFP) review, contract award, and ongoing vendor management.
Operations Manager III
2020 - 2022
Amazon.com
- Served as the lead outbound operations manager for one of Amazon's largest fulfillment centers, a 1.2 million-square-foot facility directly responsible for processing $3 billion in products shipped annually.
- Managed two separate shifts, comprising 8 managers, 14 process assistants, and 400 associates.
- Tracked shift performance and ensured we met production goals of 25,000-30,000 units per shift and an associated cost objective of 15 units per labor hour averaged across process paths.
- Sponsored projects in the facility, including piloting and implementing a hands-free "finger scanner," which resulted in a 6% reduction in scan times, decreasing the number of labor hours while increasing the units per hour from 14.9 to 15.3.
- Leveraged military experience in launching a Veterans@Amazon affinity group for TEB3's diversity and inclusion initiatives. Recruited 6 managers and 22 associates, making it the largest Veterans@Amazon affinity group.
- Ensured adequate staffing through labor planning for onboarding, training, and intra/inter-departmental labor share, allocating overtime or unpaid time off to meet cost and production objectives with acceptable deviations not exceeding 3% per shift.
Director of Product Development
2016 - 2021
Project Management Academy
- Managed a content catalog of 120 products across four brands with over $30 million in gross revenue.
- Spearheaded content generation and established four new processes and guidelines, culminating in a multi-phase development system that improved time to market by 40%.
- Reduced turnover by 30% after revamping employee onboarding programs and creating a tool to assess applicants in a repeatable and reproducible manner, effectively streamlining existing processes and enabling organizational effectiveness.
- Acted as the internal project manager and external product owner during an ERP implementation that was completed 10% ahead of schedule and 5% under budget.
- Supported business development efforts, leveraging statistical, economic, and psychographic analyses as part of developing business cases to prioritize operational objectives and assess the viability of new markets and products.
Sergeant First Class
2001 - 2017
Army
- Supported the Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Implementation (PEO-STRI) as a mounted warfare training developer, creating and fielding 6-8 active product lines at costs ranging from $100-800 million.
- Served as an operations sergeant in various units—from a 100-personnel simulations training center to a 4,200-personnel modular infantry brigade—handling all aspects of operations, training, readiness, and sustainment.
- Collected requirements for training sites, resources, ammunition, logistical support, housing, sustenance, and vehicles for seven subordinate units encompassing 4,000+ troops with training budgets of $2-5 million per exercise.
- Coordinated, tracked, and staffed training using $45 million in training aids, devices, simulators, and simulations within a 170,000-square-foot training center, with an average of 1.8 million annual training hours.
- Led a 6-person process improvement initiative for the personnel directorate, reducing delinquent administrative discharges by 98%.
- Gathered data to produce white papers demonstrating the statistical significance and benefits of training with simulators versus analog training methods alone, resulting in a multi-year $400 million procurement activity by the PEO-STRI.
- Developed processes to document, track, and mitigate negative learning by 92% while training on simulators. Awarded a Meritorious Service Medal for excellence as a training developer.
Project History
Amazon Fulfillment Center Technology Pilot
Led the integration and implementation of hands-free finger scanner technology, reducing scan times by 6% and increasing operational efficiency.
At Amazon, I led the pilot and implementation of hands-free finger scanner technology in a major fulfillment center to enhance efficiency and productivity. The project aimed to reduce scan times to increase the units processed per labor hour. We began with a feasibility study and a small-scale pilot test, integrating the scanners with Amazon's Warehouse Management System (WMS). The pilot's data showed promising results, leading to full-scale implementation. Comprehensive training also ensured all employees adapted smoothly to the new system. Finally, continuous monitoring and iterative improvements based on feedback resulted in a 6% reduction in scan times and increased productivity. The project demonstrated a clear ROI and showcased the value of technological innovation in improving operations.
Business Intelligence Project
Developed and deployed automated dashboards and processes, saving 600 labor hours annually and enhancing data management.
I led a project to implement dashboards and process automation to enhance efficiency and provide real-time data insights. The goal was to replace manual reporting processes to save labor hours, reduce errors, and provide accurate data. We assessed existing processes, designed Power BI dashboards with real-time updates, and created automation scripts using Power Automate. After a successful pilot test, we rolled out the solutions organization-wide with comprehensive training. The automated dashboards saved 600 labor hours annually, reduced errors, and improved decision-making, demonstrating significant ROI.
Organizational Maturity Process Improvement Initiative
Streamlined product development processes, improving time to market by 40% and optimizing operational efficiency.
I drove a process improvement project aimed at reducing time to market. We began by thoroughly analyzing existing processes and identifying bottlenecks and inefficiencies. New processes and guidelines were developed to streamline product development, with pilot tests conducted to gather feedback. The pilot's success led to organization-wide implementation, supported by comprehensive training. The new processes resulted in a 40% improvement in time to market, increased productivity, and enhanced employee satisfaction—delivering substantial ROI and demonstrating the value of process enhancements in driving success.
Education
2016 - 2018
Master's Degree in Public Administration
Rutgers University - Newark, New Jersey, USA
2016 - 2017
Master's Degree in Project Management
Pennsylvania State University - State College, Pennsylvania, USA
2013 - 2015
Master's Degree in History
Norwich University - Northfield, Vermont, USA
Certifications
NOVEMBER 2015 - NOVEMBER 2024
PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
Project Management Institute (PMI)
AUGUST 2015 - AUGUST 2024
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Project
Skills
Tools
Project Management & Work Tracking Tools, Excel 365, Microsoft PowerPoint, Trello, Jira, Microsoft Project, Google Docs, Slack, Zoom
Paradigms
Agile Project Management, Key Performance Metrics, Change Management, Lean
Industry Expertise
Lean Six Sigma
Other
Project Management, Project Coordination, Project Management Operations, Detail-oriented, Creative Problem Solving, Communication, Analytics, Process Improvement, Reports, Writing & Editing, Operations, Training Content, Tools, Research, Data Analysis, Employee Training, Business Analysis, Scrum Master, Product Management, B2B Product Management, Forecasting, Go-to-market Plans, Market Research, Microsoft Teams, Process Documentation, Configuration Management, Leadership, Supply Chain, Process Design, Systems Thinking
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