Candidates About

 

Louise Strong

 

Experienced IT Leader seeking a challenging opportunity to execute both the art & science of delivering IT solutions that produce lasting business value.

Results-oriented, customer-focused executive committed to providing business value through effective and appropriate use of technology married with optimized business processes.  Exceptional communication and inter-personal skills together with a strong understanding of end-to-end business processes produce strong relationships with business and functional leaders.  Outstanding organizational and management abilities and “been-there-done-that” experience results in delivery and produces others who can also deliver.   Consistent track record of success in all career phases including IT Management, Project Delivery (10 full-life-cycle SAP projects) and business execution.

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

 

April 2015 to        Johnson Controls                                                                                                                                                   Milwaukee, WI

Present                 Position:   Director of High Velocity Deployment & Coexistence, Unity SAP Program                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

June 2011 to        Dana Corporation Maumee, OH                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Major Consulting Firm                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

March 2015          Position:   IT Program Manager, Pyramid SAP Program (reporting to Director, Global Systems)                   50% Travel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

·         Lead Project Pyramid team through all project phases to deliver the objectives of the pilot; (1) Go Live at 3 Dana sites and (2) Dana SAP Template.

·         Coach and advise the business Program Manager and team throughout all project phases; identify risks/issues, recommend resolutions and verify best practice solutions.

·         Partner with external consultants and contractors to deliver value to Dana and mutual success.

·         Assess central and local infrastructure and upgrade/replace as required to support SAP best practice business processes.

·         Project Pyramid is the pilot project of a $50 million dollar program.  All IT resources on Project Pyramid report directly to Project Manager.

Position:   Senior IT Manager, Global Aftermarket (reporting to Director, Light Vehicle Group)                      25% Travel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

·         Manage all technology needs for Dana’s global Aftermarket business group including setting IT strategy, selecting software and technology partners, establishing annual and project budget , building business cases, delivering projects, provide production support, manage direct reports and broader IT team of architects, analysts, developers and 3^rd party providers

·         Established strong relationships at all levels in the organization to assess needs and deliver business value

·         Completed methodical risk assessment for Aftermarket systems

·         Established 5 year IT strategic roadmap for Global Aftermarket to support strategic growth and mitigate risk

·         Delivered all IT components of 3 greenfield Aftermarket Distribution centers in Hungary, China and Mexico including ERP, infrastructure, network, telecom, RF technology and all technical equipment

·         Manage production support team that provides day-to-day support for N.A. Aftermarket

 

1998 to                  CSC Consulting, Global Business Solutions – SAP PRACTICE                                                                                    USA                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Major Consulting Firm                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

June 2011            Position:   Partner (September 2007 to July 2011)                                                                                                100% Travel                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                      Principal (May 2003 to August 2007)

                                                  Senior Consultant (May 1999 to April 2003)

                                                  Staff Consultant (July 1998 to April 1999)

·         Progressed rapidly through consulting organization; promoted from Staff Consultant to Partner in 9 years

·         Delivered high-quality results on 9 consecutive SAP implementations fulfilling a variety of project roles (see CSC Consulting - SAP PROJECT EXPERIENCE section below for details)

·         Provide expert solutioning, strategic vision and project estimating/planning in response to client RFPs and other CSC sales pursuits (pivotal contributor to Federal Mogul and Rich Products “wins”)

·         Coached assigned staff and project team members on how best to meet client/project expectations and achieve their personal career objectives

·         Evaluate candidates for promotion within the CSC SAP Practice and approve/deny promotion

 

 

 

CSC Consulting - SAP PROJECT EXPERIENCE

 

 

       

Summer                Shell Canada Products Limited – Aviation Group                                                                                       Calgary, Alberta

1997                       Position:  Analyst

·         Impacted pricing strategy through assessment of aviation discount structure and AIR MILES Program

·         Provided growth opportunities at low cost and low risk by researching Shell’s existing commercial card offering, analyzing aviation customer base, and creating communication plan to promote The Shell Commercial System to aviation customers

 

1996                       Bethel Sales                                                                                                                                                          London, Ontario

                                Position:  Buyer

·         analyzed multiple cost factors to determine optimal purchases and develop detailed budget for 7,000 SKU’s

·         developed highly effective relationships with suppliers from Asia, Europe, Mexico, U.S.A. and Canada resulting in improved service that positively impacted the bottom line

·         negotiated innovative terms with customs broker reducing costs by 10% and increasing inventory turns by 400% in affected area

 

1993 to                  PAM Companies                                                                                                                                Sioux Falls, South Dakota

1995                       Positions:  first Inventory Control then Bulk and Packaging Buyer

·         performed all purchasing and production scheduling functions for the Bulk Department for all 7 branches, increasing fill rates, inventory turns, and profitability in every area

·         re-designed bulk inventory control procedures and initiated tracking processes

·         only buyer to consistently maximize incentive program achieving a number above the 100% standard resulting in receipt of maximum bonus in every period

 

1989 to                  Shell Canada                                                                                                                                                        Toronto, Ontario

1992                       Position:  Plant Shut-Down Administration

·         selected from all employees at Toronto Marketing Plant to learn and perform all administrative functions of plant to facilitate transfer or termination of employees due to plant decommission

·         organized and executed final inventory count which came in 50% below budget

·         successfully closed off all administration functions ahead of schedule

 

SKILLS

 

IT Mngmt               Strategic Planning

Skills                      Project Preparation, Blueprint, Build, Deploy

·         Identify technology needed to enable business capabilities essential for strategic growth

·         Assess risk level of deployed technology including ERP, infrastructure, network and shop floor

·         Establish IT strategic roadmap based on business value and risk mitigation

 

Project Preparation (Business Case Development through Project Kick-Off)

·         Develop business case and present to senior executives for funding approval

·         Execute software selection and partner selection processes

·         Prepare organization for project kick-off including identifying internal resources, training and data cleansing

 

Production Support

·         Manage team of senior business analysts, developers and technicians to support day-to-day business operations

·         Manage system requests and break-fix tickets, allocate resources and deploy system enhancements/fixes

 

Business Liaison

·         Act as single IT point-of-contact for business unit including ERP, web-sites, mobile apps, desk top, telephone systems, shop floor equipment, etc.  Align correct resources and engage appropriate processes to address specific business requests in context of broader priorities and objectives for the corporation.

 

Project                  Project Manager

Skills                      Project Preparation, Blueprint, Build, Deploy

·         Define scope, approach, budget, timeline, organization chart and roles and responsibilities

·         Establish detailed project plan and tracking methods

·         Establish project management processes includes status reporting, issue tracking, project communications, steering committee communications, change request procedures, on boarding

·         Organize and deliver project kick-off for each phase

·         Guides Team through each project phase and deliverable

·         Establish exit/entrance criteria for each project phase

·         Provide robust internal/external project communication

 

Cutover Manager

·         Design cutover approach

·         Collect detailed business and technical tasks necessary for successful cutover

·         Analyze task predecessors/successors and resource constraints to optimize cutover sequence

·         Plan and execute mock cutovers

·         Broadly communication cutover timing and approach

·         Establish, manage and enforce regimented cutover execution

 

                                Functional Team Lead

·         Lead client and consultant team through each phase of project; setting expectations, monitoring work quality and timeliness, reviewing deliverables and providing both technical and business expertise

·         Lead blueprinting workshops with up to 30 participants (including executive level clients) to collect detailed business process requirements

·         Identify gaps between business requirements and standard SAP, analyze and recommend solutions

·         Provide professional documentation of requirements, proposed design and gap solutions; including summary level information for senior executives and detailed requirements and solutions for Project Team

·         Configure system to meet blueprinted design

·         Integrate cross-team to ensure design is comprehensive and consistent

·         Complete detailed functional specifications for reports, interfaces, conversions, enhancements, and forms; work closely with technical developers throughout development and testing

·         Write and execute detailed string and integration tests; resolve discovered defects

·         Develop and deliver end-user training including slides, manuals, exercises, and test data set-up

·         Identify, sequence, and execute cutover tasks for system go-live

·         Provide production support including end-user education and defect resolution

       

Data Lead

·         Establish overall approach to data cleansing, conversion and governance

·         Create detailed project plan for all data related tasks

·         Obtain business sign-off on extract criteria, transformation logic and cleansing requirements

·         Support creation of functional conversion specifications and overall conversion design

·         Define conversion testing and validation standards and monitor progress

·         Determine load sequence and execute mock data loads to maximize efficiencies and minimize required cutover period

 

        Estimating and Project Planning

·         Identify tasks, resources, and time required to deliver project

·         Convert estimates into Project Plan, sequencing tasks and leveling resources

 

                                Testing Manager

·         Customize testing methodology and educate team on testing procedures and documentation requirements

·         Tracked issues through to resolution, monitoring time-line and elevating issues as required

 

                                Defect Manager

·         Tracked defects from discovery to resolution at a large, federal project.  Represented Testing Team at Defect Review Board which included senior-level representation from both federal client and federal over-sight groups.

·         Prioritized defects and determined due dates to facilitate development team planning and execution.

 

Consulting            Leader of Supply Chain Execution Community

Skills                      Lead group of 40 consultants who specialize in supply chain execution

·         Build community, cohesion and sense of camaraderie amongst a diverse group of consultants in a virtual practice by meeting bi-monthly to discuss and communicate market trends and opportunities, identify development needs, provide pertinent SAP knowledge and share project learnings.

·         Liaison with other, non-SAP organizations within firm.

                               

                                Career Coach

·         Coach and mentor assigned consultants including preparation of their annual expectations, development plans and appraisals.  Direct staffees in a manner that considers both their personal career goals and their skill set.  Recommend for advancement and promotion as appropriate.

 

                                Proposal Preparation & Client Demonstrations                                                                                                                       

·         Consistently chosen to “face the client”.  Capable of quickly assessing client requirements and recommending practical and achievable solutions.  Exceptional ability to hear what the client is saying and address their questions and concerns.  Adept at communicating complex ideas in simple and clear terms that a broad audience can understand.                                                                                                                                                                                 

 

SAP Technical     MM and WM Specialist (broad knowledge of SD)

Skills                      Integration with SD, SM, FI, CO, PP, APO, BW

Successful design, configuration, development, testing and delivery of the following SAP functions:

 

Logistics General

·         Material Master:  design, conversion and maintenance strategy, serial numbers, split-valuation

·         Batch Management:  design, classification, status management, batch determination, where-used

·         Shelf Life Expiration Date

 

Purchasing

·         Outline Agreements:  contracts (quantity & value), scheduling agreements, release strategies

·         Requisitions:  stock and direct Consumption, manual and MRP, release strategies

·         Purchase Orders:  standard, consignment, subcontracting, third-party, framework, stock transfer

·         Returns:  return purchase order with shipping

·         Optimization:  automatic source determination and order quantity

·         Master Data:  vendor masters, info records, source lists, quota arrangements, price conditions

·         Reporting:  list displays, general analysis, purchasing info system

 

Inventory Management

·         Goods receipts, issues, transfers against orders and reservations, custom movements

·         Stock transport orders:  intra-company and inter-company end-to-end process

·         Physical inventory:  annual, cycle

·         Special stocks:  vendor consignment, customer consignment, subcontracting, third-party, vendor returnable packaging, customer returnable packaging, sales order

·         Reporting:  stock requirements list, stock overview, material movements, list displays

 

Logistics Invoice Verification