Pete Tashkoff, Project Manager in Auckland, New Zealand
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Pete Tashkoff

Verified Expert  in Project Management

Project Manager

Location
Auckland, New Zealand
Toptal Member Since
October 12, 2020

Pete has trained and supported scores of Agile/DevOps teams (concurrent teams up to 20+). He has directly run Agile-style projects of up to 50+ members and budgets of $10-20 million in payroll, insurance, banking, and healthcare, ranging from digital strategy through internal/external business integration/APIs and deep legacy-software enablement. Pete is excited to have joined Toptal to further his passion for helping organizations get genuine value through lean-agile-digital transformation.

Project Highlights

ASB Bank Agile and DevOps Transformation
Led the transformation of ASB Bank’s Technology unit—with over 500 people and including contractors over 700—from traditional approaches into new ways of working in Lean, Agile, and DevOps (Nov 2016 to Aug 2017).
healthAlliance Digital and Mobility | Lean, Agile, DevOps Transformation
Transformed the digital and mobility division into an Agile/DevOps work process, converting the unit from a primarily support focus into an integrated facility comprising stable Agile/DevOps teams (Nov 2017 to June 2019).
Global Trade Commission Digital Strategy
Created an integrated global digital strategy for staff, clients, customers, and stakeholders for the front and back office for a global trade commission that covered multiple countries and languages and dealt with China's great firewall.

Expertise

Work Experience

Chief Coach

2014 - PRESENT
Visionate (Semi-freelance)
  • Implemented the first Agile/Scrum capability at New Zealand's leading news organization (NZH.).
  • Integrated cross-organization business processes between NZH and their direct competitor, which allowed NZH to leverage its distribution network at a "co-opetition" level, resulting in a win-win of millions of dollars per year for each company.
  • Led the planning and pilot for the replacement of all of NZH digital sites onto a single content management platform. Created a business case and shepherded through a multi-country approval process.
  • Spearheaded the transformation of ASB bank to a new Agile, Lean, and DevOps way of working (See featured projects).
  • Led the transformation of healthAlliance's digital and mobility unit to a new Agile, Lean, and DevOps way of working (see featured projects).
  • Engaged with multiple customers to deliver Scrum and Agile training and to coach and support multiple Scrum teams.
  • Carried out multiple project audits and project rescues for clients across multiple industries.
  • Landed the transformation of ~200 JCAPS integrations to MuleSoft in a healthcare environment comprising over 2,000 instances of over 500 applications.
  • Delivered digital strategies for multiple customers, utilizing a standardized and effective framework primarily based around Agile. One of these projects is highlighted in the projects section.

Principal Consultant

2007 - 2014
Artemis Associates (Freelance)
  • Carried out a range of projects while being primarily located at the Ports of Auckland (POAL), New Zealand's largest seaport.
  • Reimplemented a failed ITIL implementation at POAL. This project was awarded IT Service management project of the year 2011 at the June 2011 ITSM Forum of the NZ Conference.
  • Upgraded the marine systems in the POAL Harbor Control facility including the Harbor Control Room upgrade, a transformation of VHF systems to IP, and the replacement of radar stations, AIS receivers, VHF radios, and associated network components.
  • Designed and implemented the POAL eCommerce KPI dashboard which allows joint monitoring by POAL/Customers of compliance with contractual KPI key metrics, with drilldown to supporting detail.
  • Integrated the POAL systems to Conlinxx (a startup subsidiary). This involved the creation of both real-time and asynchronous integration at a secure business process level between the two organizations across corporate boundaries.
  • Rescued a failing bespoke vehicle handling system, fixed usability issues, and gained user support. Dwell time on-wharf for imported vehicles was reduced from >36 hours to <12 hours. Assisted in deferring billions of dollars in investment needs.
  • Automated low-risk container releases, enabling automated human workflows and notifications, removing human error, and reducing manual work.
  • Established all systems for new joint venture company Portconnect. This included analysis, design, and implementation of all front-office and back-office systems for this start-up, working with multiple organizations and internal/external teams.
  • Managed POAL's largest-ever implementation team through the replacement of their heavily customized legacy terminal operating system with a new package-based terminal operating system (TOS) primarily delivered by Navis with their N4/XPS platform.

Business Line Manager | Director

1998 - 2006
ZAG (previously Soltius)
  • Joined the Zag team in 1998 as project manager for the implementation of SAP plant maintenance at 33 business units of Carter Holt Harvey Limited. Was appointed director of new technologies in 1999 and focused on internet-enabled technologies.
  • Trained, set up, and managed the region's first webMethods/SAP business connector unit, delivered B2B integration to a broad selection of NZ's top companies, and established Zag as a regional market leader.
  • Trained, set up, and managed the region's first MRO/marketplace unit, initially based around ARIBA, delivered MRO capability to a similar selection of NZ's top companies, and, again, established Zag as a regional market leader.
  • Implemented the first use of the offshore development model in NZ, managing large project teams (50+) based in Hyderabad and Delhi.
  • Directly managed the delivery of multiple projects in SAP, .NET technologies, webMethods, Business Connector, BizTalk, Vignette, and multiple other technologies.
  • Delivered projects in multiple industries: forestry and wood products, packaging, milk products, FMCG, electricity generation and transmission, banking, insurance, and primary produce.

ASB Bank Agile and DevOps Transformation

Led the transformation of ASB Bank’s Technology unit—with over 500 people and including contractors over 700—from traditional approaches into new ways of working in Lean, Agile, and DevOps (Nov 2016 to Aug 2017).

Key Successes:
• Restructured for a Spotify approach, including squads, chapters, tribes, and guilds.
• Trained over 500+ in Agile and DevOps.
• Launched and supported 20 scrum teams into operational autonomy.
• Implemented a comprehensive backbone of DevOps approaches.
• Established an agile mindset and ensured that the technology and business sections adopted it.

As a program director, reporting to the CIO, I directly led the identification, design, training, and roll-out of Agile/DevOps capability into the bank, including the Spotify approach for squads, chapters, tribes, and guilds. I also established direct training and support for 20 Scrum teams and transformed upstream roles (PM, BA, architects, steering) to agile mindsets and work methods.

Among other benefits, the program established frameworks for a new operating model, agile "ways of working," infrastructure-as-code and on-demand, microservices API platform, testing automation, the DevOps toolchain, and a new perspective on the SDLC which successfully marries project-based funding mechanisms to agile delivery and engineering approaches.

healthAlliance Digital and Mobility | Lean, Agile, DevOps Transformation

Transformed the digital and mobility division into an Agile/DevOps work process, converting the unit from a primarily support focus into an integrated facility comprising stable Agile/DevOps teams (Nov 2017 to June 2019).

healthAlliance provides professional shared services and information systems to four district health boards in New Zealand plus two support agencies. Coverage comprises 14 hospitals and 26,000 clinical staff, providing services to 40% of New Zealand's population.

Key Successes:
• Transformed the digital and mobility unit to an Agile/DevOps workflow.
• Trained 421 people in Agile and DevOps, including 176 specialist roles (BAs, PMs, POs, and architects).
• Directly trained, launched, and coached ten Scrum teams to autonomy.
• Established Agile/DevOps as an approved project model routinely in use with healthAlliance’s largest projects.
• Ensured that IT and business adopted agile mindsets.

Reporting to the GM, digital, and mobility, I planned, managed, and delivered transformational training and coaching for several hundred people in Agile and DevOps processes, including specialist courses in Agile project management, Agile business analysis, product ownership, and Scrum.

Global Trade Commission Digital Strategy

Created an integrated global digital strategy for staff, clients, customers, and stakeholders for the front and back office for a global trade commission that covered multiple countries and languages and dealt with China's great firewall.

Working with stakeholders, I identified their current state issues, valuable improvements for a future state, and the changes in the people, processes, and platforms needed to deliver it.

Over an accelerated period of six weeks, I produced a digital strategy and 5-year implementation plan with multiple transition states, with recommendations and decision points defined and a plan for an Agile implementation.

This plan, through an integrated series of minimum viable product (MVP) releases, will move the trade commission from a situation of multiple disjointed approaches for their external and internal processes to a consistent, integrated, and workflow supported global approach for managing trade, investment, tourism, engagement with NGOs and government bodies, and all supporting internal processes and elements.
APRIL 2020 - MARCH 2025

APMG Accredited Trainer — Change Management

APMG

NOVEMBER 2019 - PRESENT

Change Management Practitioner

APMG

DECEMBER 2017 - PRESENT

SAFe® Program Consultant (SPC)

Scaled Agile, Inc.

SEPTEMBER 2017 - PRESENT

PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®

Project Management Institute

MAY 2017 - PRESENT

Professional Scrum Master

Scrum.org

JULY 2012 - PRESENT

Project Management Professional

Project Management Institute

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