Kenny Fakunle
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Atlanta, United States
Toptal member since April 24, 2019
Kenny is a highly experienced Agile project manager and management consultant with 15 years of expertise in IT operations, software development, and management consulting. He has e deep understanding of various project management methodologies and frameworks and has a proven track record of success in helping organizations improve their project performance, operations, and processes. Kenny's expertise also extends to agile software development and business transformation initiatives.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Agile Project Management
- Business Operations
- CRM Systems
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
- Management Consulting
- Organizational Change Management (OCM)
- Salesforce
Work Experience
Agile Project Manager | Scrum Master | Agile Coach
Project Swami Consulting LLC
- Led the development of two employee LMS platforms via engagement at Volvo (2019-2023). Managed the development team and coordinated product backlog grooming, stakeholder alignment, and iterative delivery, enhancing training and user engagement.
- Directed the development and implementation of a comprehensive CX survey solution via engagement at Volvo (2019-2020), using Agile methodologies to improve customer insights, feedback mechanisms, and strategic decision-making.
- Managed the creation and delivery of IT training courses for a learning development client (2023-2024), utilizing Agile best practices to optimize educational content, improve course quality, and manage development.
Scrum Master
Pfizer
- Facilitated daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives for three AR/VR development teams, which had a total of 15 members.
- Ensured timely delivery of AR/VR projects by closely monitoring sprint progress and addressing impediments promptly.
- Streamlined resource allocation across three AR/VR development teams, optimizing workload distribution and increasing overall team productivity.
Agile Project Manager | Scrum Master | Agile Coach
Volvo Car USA - Digital Relationship Products
- Facilitated stakeholder workshops to identify key business objectives and KPIs.
- Established and maintained positive relationships with project stakeholders.
- Collaborated with the UI/UX team to design a user-friendly interface.
- Led product discovery sessions with key stakeholders to identify and prioritize new features.
- Created and maintained project documentation, ensuring all project deliverables were adequately documented.
Agile Project Manager | Scrum Master | Agile Coach
Volvo Car USA - Digital Relationship Products
- Prioritized the feature backlog and set the development roadmap based on user feedback and our analysis.
- Modified the existing vendor solution to meet the client's specific needs.
- Conducted regular sprint retrospectives to identify areas of improvement and optimize team performance, increasing productivity.
- Facilitated daily stand-up meetings to ensure cross-functional collaboration and progress tracking.
- Implemented Agile methodologies and best practices.
Agile Project Manager | Scrum Master | Agile Coach
Volvo Car USA
- Communicated project updates and progress reports to stakeholders regularly, ensuring transparency and alignment.
- Coordinated with the vendor to troubleshoot technical issues and ensure timely resolution.
- Tracked and analyzed project data to identify areas for optimization and improvement.
- Conducted regular product demos and presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
- Coordinated with cross-functional teams, including UI/UX designers, developers, QA engineers, and project managers, to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality features and enhancements.
Agile Project Manager
Volvo Car USA
- Developed a comprehensive project roadmap that guided the team in successfully delivering the customer experience survey management application.
- Streamlined communication among cross-functional teams by implementing Agile methodologies, leading to increased collaboration efficiency and reduced miscommunications.
- Identified and resolved bottlenecks in the development process by conducting bi-weekly sprint reviews, enabling the team to complete the project within the allocated project timeline and meeting all key milestones.
- Increased customer satisfaction scores by incorporating user feedback and user experience testing throughout the development process, ensuring that the application met end-user requirements and addressed their pain points.
- Coordinated successfully deploying the customer experience survey management application to over 200 retailers.
- Facilitated the continuous improvement of the application by overseeing a post-launch feedback loop, which led to the implementation of critical feature enhancements.
Project Manager
Volvo Canada
- Developed the project timeline and budget to ensure the successful completion of the employee experience portal within the allocated timeline and budget.
- Managed a team of five remote developers to ensure the successful launch of the portal on time.
- Monitored and reported on the progress of the project weekly to stakeholders, providing updates and highlighting areas for improvement.
- Directed product development and design to align with project goals and objectives.
- Established a process for quality assurance and testing of the portal prior to launch.
- Coordinated with 3rd-party vendors to ensure the integration of the portal with existing systems.
- Generated detailed post-launch reports to evaluate performance and suggest areas for improvement.
- Developed and implemented an effective training program for users of the portal.
- Ensured compliance with relevant standards and regulations during the development and launch of the portal.
Software Engineering Manager
Aurea Software
- Introduced process improvements, focusing on project reporting and communication practices that reduced project slippage.
- Coached, mentored, and developed the team to improve performance.
- Directed and managed daily team operations and aligned team operations with management directives.
- Guided ongoing operational improvements to reduce waste and increase efficiency.
- Analyzed relevant data to make business recommendations and resolve critical project blockers.
Management Consultant
Crossover for Work
- Provided ongoing support to help executives achieve set goals and create success for themselves, their teams, and their organizations.
- Developed and maintained relationships with internal client groups and kept them informed on the status of organizational effectiveness initiatives while ensuring alignment with business goals.
- Facilitated a one-on-one session with individual clients, adopting styles and methods suited for the particular session.
- Developed learning materials for manager training and published thought leadership articles for the internal blog.
- Helped identify and resolve cross-team bottlenecks and issues.
- Provided guidance and coaching to managers to facilitate post-merger integrations and transformation for their teams.
- Conducted comprehensive assessments, collaborated with client organizations to target and identify areas of challenge, and designed and tailored strategies to meet unique client needs.
- Assisted in workflow and business process re-engineering to increase and optimize productivity targets and goals.
Agile Project Manager | Scrum Master | Solutions Consultant
SunObject Solutions
- Managed project deployments and rollouts using Agile and Waterfall methodologies.
- Planned and outlined project requirements and resources, maintaining the project and deadlines.
- Developed, designed, and implemented workflows to optimize business processes and operations.
- Used organizational change management and Lean Six Sigma methodologies to develop plans for user adoption, platform optimization, and continuous improvement.
- Researched and provided business analysis, advising customers on best-fit tool selection for their process and needs.
- Developed proof of concepts and design prototypes for the requirement and design validation with the stakeholders.
- Managed relationships with clients, partners, and vendors to maintain a pipeline of steady project work.
Project Manager
Openfiler
- Utilized Lean principles to implement process improvements and streamline the development and deployment lifecycle.
- Ensured effective communication and relationship between key stakeholders were maintained by proactively building strong customer relationships and meeting project timelines.
- Identified, tracked, and monitored the project and communicated project-related issues, scope changes, variances, constraints, and contingencies that may arise during project implementation.
- Led remote project staff across multiple regions; managed project plan, resources, and budget.
- Established standard project documentation, tools, and processes for project lifecycle (SDLC) for the software development team.
Partner Manager
Openfiler
- Oversaw acquiring new integrated partnerships, handled contract negotiations, and nurtured partner relations.
- Designed and deployed processes and systems for partner acquisition.
- Created and implemented a comprehensive inbound marketing strategy and a partner/reseller management platform.
- Conducted presentations and demos for channel sales engagements.
Account Representative
J.B Hunt Transportation
- Maintained, supported, and monitored all EDI load requests for assigned accounts and ensured profitable, timely order processing and dispatch.
- Ensured customer satisfaction and optimized on-time delivery by collaborating with fleet and account managers.
- Managed trailer and resource pools for assigned customers to ensure efficient equipment utilization.
- Provided quotes and solicited business from new and existing customers.
Project History
Software Engineering Manager (Aurea Software)
Led the delivery of several customer deployments and solution enhancements of the ResponseTek product line.
Agile Project Management Consultant (Project Swami Consulting)
Facilitated the transition from Waterfall to Agile as a coach, while also acting as the scrum master for multiple teams.
Project Manager (Openfiler)
Led several customer implementations, deployments, and upgrades.
Virtual Farmers Market (Direct Farmer to Consumer Platform)
Led the development of the MVP for the virtual farmers market.
• Scoped out project requirements, use cases, and user stories.
• Ensured the end product met functional and quality requirements.
• Managed outsourced development vendor in terms of budget, deliverables, and timelines.
Worker Dispatch Application Built on the Force.com Platform
Led the end-to-end development and deployment of web and mobile logistics for a SaaS application.
Learning Management Software Implementation Project
Led the evaluation, selection, implementation, and management of an organization-wide LMS platform.
1. Evaluation of a suitable LMS vendor that met most of the criteria and features required by the key stakeholders.
2. Implementation and deployment of the system, including automation, workflows, uploading and configuring the content, etc.
3. Training of the user and system administrators.
4. Operation and management (user onboarding/offboarding, tracking user adoption, training progress, etc.) across the organization.
Education
Master's Degree in Project Management
Keller Graduate School of Management - Georgia, USA
Graduate Certificate in Project Management
Keller Graduate School of Management - Georgia, USA
Bachelor's Degree in International Relations
University of Arkansas - Arkansas, USA
Certifications
SAFe 5 Agilist
Scaled Agile
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
Scrum Alliance
Certified Scrum Master
Scrum Alliance
Six Sigma Champion
Management and Strategy Institute
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
Management and Strategy Institute
ITIL v3 Foundation
APMG International
PRINCE2 Foundation
EXIN
Salesforce Certified Administrator
Salesforce.com
Skills
Tools
Zoom, Trello, Asana, Salesforce, Google Docs, HubSpot, Project Management & Work Tracking Tools, Slack, Jira, HubSpot COS, Atlassian Suite
Paradigms
Agile, Agile Project Management, Implementation Project Management, Scrum, Kanban, Waterfall Development, Change Management, PRINCE2, Organizational Change Management (OCM), Agile Leadership, Requirements Analysis, Agile Delivery, Waterfall Delivery, Six Sigma
Industry Expertise
Lean Six Sigma, Software, Logistics, Digital Agencies, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Health & Wellness
Platforms
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Shopify, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Other
Management Consulting, Project Management Professional (PMP), CRM Systems, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Learning Management System Administration, Project Management, IT Project Management, Business Operations, Project Coordination, Digital Project Management, Entrepreneurship, Process Optimization, Portfolio Management, IT Program Management, Complex Problem Solving, Hybrid Project Management, Project Tracking, Project Management Operations, Creative Problem Solving, Certified Project Manager, Roadmaps, Project Timelines, Process Definition, Process Mapping, Training, Business Transformation Project Management, Implementation, CRM Implementation, Startups, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Agile Coaching, Organizational Development, Information Technology, eCommerce, Business Development, Content Management Systems (CMS), Web & Mobile Applications, Automation Tools, Product Management, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Enterprise, Enterprise SaaS, Sales, Partner Management, Partnership Management, Account Management, Customer Service Support, Process Design, Business Process Improvement (BPI), Learning Management Systems (LMS), Training & Training Content Development, Innovation, Technical Project Management, Communication, Leadership, Software Project Management, Integration, Coaching, Creative Thinking, Mentorship & Coaching, Planning, Team Mentoring, Objectives & Key Results (OKRs), Software as a Service (SaaS), Workflow, System Migration, PMO, Tools, Knowledge Transfer, Documentation, Knowledge Sharing, Business Process Optimization, Business Process Automation, User Workflows, Business Process Modeling, Discovery Workshops, Backlog Management, Communication Management, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Delivery Management, Stakeholder Management, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Workshop Facilitation, Product Imports, Web Applications, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Value Stream Mapping, Onboarding, Risk Management, IT Management, Waterfall Methodology, Public Speaking, International Affairs, Project Management Office (PMO), Business Process Analysis, Business Process Refinement, ITIL V3 Foundation Certified, ITIL, ITSM, IT, Lean IT, PRINCE2 Project Management, IT Projects, Enterprise Project Management, SaaS, SaaS Product Management, Product Owner, Scrum Master, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Scaled Professional Scrum (SPS), Remote Team Leadership, Vendor Management, Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Data Integration, Project Planning, Databases, Virtual Reality (VR), Analytics, Salesforce Apex, Salesforce CPQ, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Mobile Apps, Atlassian Plugins, Jira Administration, Microsoft 365, Government Contracting, Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Geolocation
How to Work with Toptal
Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.
Share your needs
Choose your talent
Start your risk-free talent trial
Top talent is in high demand.
Start hiring