Ganesh Ramarao
Scrum Master / Product Manager
Johannesburg,GP
Summary
Certified Scrum Master and Product Owner with about 5+ years of experience driving Agile transformation and coaching teams on Scrum practices and about 4+ years as Product owner. My professional experience also includes about ten years of experience in Software Testing space. This combination of roles has equipped me with a comprehensive skill set that spans the breadth of the IT domain.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
7
7
Certifications
Work History
Product Owner cum Scrum Master
Siyatech
10.2024 - 09.2025
- Implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities (GEN AI) for ABSA banking app chatbot (Abby) so as to facilitate the customers to get their queries answered anytime instantly without having to contact call center or visit the bank. Project aim is also to reduce the call center call volumes. This Chatbot has the capability to answer / respond to queries related to retail banking asked by customers in chatbot
- Roles & Responsibilities
- As a Scrum Master / Project Manager
- Facilitated Scrum ceremonies, including sprint planning, reviews, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives for a team of about 13 developers (includes QA team).
- Collaborated with product owners and stakeholders to ensure clear project goals and requirements.
- Prepare and share different project related reports / KPI reports to different project related stakeholders including higher managers and department heads.
- Resource Management, Capacity Planning, Budget planning like Budget forecast
- Ensured alignment between development teams and stakeholders by maintaining clear communication.
- Coached teams on Scrum practices, leading to higher engagement and collaboration.
- Worked on a Scrum team for 6 months, collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver three projects on time.
- Contributed to user story refinement and backlog grooming, leading to better-defined project goals.
- As a Product Owner
- Developing and executing a product roadmap aligned with company goals.
- Defined and develop Product vision document.
- Prepare and maintain product backlog (backlog grooming), Decide and prioritize Sprint backlog
- Track market trends, conduct competitor analysis and use insights to define product strategy.
- Getting approvals from different departments like Legal & compliance, Design and Architecture, QA etc.
- Prepare user stories. Review user stories prepared by Business Analysts (BA)
- Review test cases prepared by Testing team
- Post deployment checks. Production issues resolution
- Achievements:
- As a Scrum Master
- Played a key role in enhancing collaboration between team members / stakeholders
- Facilitate scrum ceremonies
- Led the team to deliver a critical software product 15% ahead of schedule with zero major defects.
- Reduced sprint cycle time by 20% through process improvements and team training on Agile principles.
- Successfully implemented Agile processes, which reduced project delivery times by 25%.
- Improved team velocity by 18% within the first 6 months through focused team coaching.
- Improved collaboration between development and QA teams, reducing testing time by 15%.
- Assisted in implementing Kanban practices, improving workflow efficiency by 10%.
- As a Product Owner
- Successful in increasing the customers using the chatbot (customer base) by 7% in 8 months.
- Effectively reduced call center call volumes by 4% in 10 months.
- Increase efficiency / accuracy of the responses by 13%
- Managed a Product Backlog which increased Sprint velocity by 25%.
- Proven abilities to drive business value, manage complex challenges and lead through influence rather than authority.
- Strategic thinking and a relentless focus on the customer apart from effective management of product backlog
- Launched a new product line that increased customer base using the app and also increased the business (Loan requirement enquiries).
- Effective use of Analytics and data to prioritize product features implementation and evaluate product performance.
- Successfully weighed business goals against technical debts to make balanced trade-offs.
- Managed conflicting priorities among diverse stakeholders to build consensus.
- Adapt a communication style to suite both technical and non-technical audiences
Scrum Master
MUSE Consultancy
09.2019 - 05.2024
- Was part of the development team which produces prestigious products like DISCOVERY VITALITY, Healthy company, Medicine Tracker, where we developed Webservices to communicate with other downstream and upstream dependent systems and APIs to integrate with other dependent systems and UI.
- Achievement:
- Expert facilitation of Scrum ceremonies, achieving a 90% sprint goal success rate, ensuring efficient Sprint Planning, Retrospectives, Daily Stand-Ups, and Sprint Showcases.
- Proficient in implementing mid-sprint adjustments informed by Burndown charts and team metrics, fostering continuous improvement and a 10% productivity boost in Scrum teams.
- Skilled mentor in crafting clear and concise epics/stories, enhancing team clarity and focus.
- Proven track record in coordinating Agile ceremonies across multiple geographical locations, promoting seamless collaboration.
- Key player in establishing a robust Agile team within the business unit, driving the adoption of Agile principles across various departments.
- Successfully transitioned teams to consistent 2-week sprints, delivering over 90% of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for 20+ consecutive sprints.
- Responsibilities:
- Spearheaded a dynamic 9-member team as Scrum Master, encompassing 3 developers, 2 testers, 1 Product Owner, and 2 Business Analysts, ensuring seamless project execution and delivery.
- Facilitated key Scrum ceremonies, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, reviews, retrospectives, and release planning, driving continuous improvement.
- Acted as the primary escalation point, adeptly managing and resolving project challenges to maintain momentum.
- Championed successful release management by meticulously tracking work progress, dependencies, and risks, guaranteeing on-time delivery of high-quality software solutions.
- Expertly crafted and disseminated daily Project Health Reports to executive management and key stakeholders, ensuring transparency and informed decision-making.
- Proven track record in Agile Scrum and Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), contributing to all facets of the release train, including Inspect and Adapt workshops, Program Increment (PI) planning, and Agile Release Train (ART) synchronization.
- Proficient in project management tools, including JIRA, and adept at creating collaborative spaces with Confluence.
- Managed project lifecycles end-to-end, from initial estimates and scheduling to championing customer experience and proposing business solutions.
- Delivered comprehensive metrics and progress reports to executive management.
- Developed and presented tailored Statements of Work and proposals in collaboration with account management teams.
- Mastered development capacity planning, optimizing release scheduling for maximum efficiency.
- Championed Agile/Scrum best practices, driving team performance and delivering robust business solutions.
- Educated teams in crafting succinct epics/stories, improving communication and project documentation.
- Advocated for core Agile principles, fostering a culture of collaboration, prioritization, and accountability, while ensuring uniform Scrum adoption enterprise-wide.
- Strategically managed cross-team dependencies in conjunction with engineering managers, streamlining inter-team task coordination.
Product Owner
HODIMO
08.2017 - 08.2019
- Was part of the development team which produces apps related to ESTATES and WILLS, Customer’s plan details maintenance which includes proposal creation to member enrollment for a particular plan, billing and administration.
- Achievements
- Achieved a 20% reduction in delivery times within a single quarter through strategic sprint goal setting and effective team collaboration.
- Led the successful launch of 17 products, maintaining a 97% adherence to the MVP in alignment with the company's roadmap during bi-weekly sprints.
- Served as a key facilitator between business, sales, and IT departments, optimizing product features to meet evolving business requirements.
- Collaborated with IT and product leaders to steer solution development, ensuring consistent alignment with the solution vision, roadmap, and backlog.
- Efficiently managed dual product backlogs, applying Agile methodologies to promote disciplined, transparent project management.
- Recognized for delivering on 90+% of MVP commitments, distinguishing the team as the top-performing Agile group among over ten teams in the business unit.
- Responsibilities:
- Spearheaded business problem analysis in collaboration with external stakeholders to drive project clarity and direction.
- Crafted and authorized strategic product roadmaps and vision documents, aligning long-term product strategy.
- Managed and prioritized the product backlog, ensuring continuous refinement and alignment with project goals.
- Conducted comprehensive education sessions for internal stakeholders, including development and testing teams, to foster understanding of business challenges and collaborative system development.
- Orchestrated production releases, including meticulous post-launch system checks to guarantee seamless deployment.
Test Lead – Onsite/Offshore Team Co-Ordinator
L&T Infotech (LTI)
11.2014 - 07.2017
- Was part of the team which caters to online banking application which has a range of products and solutions to the entire banking network across Barclays. The application / Products developed by our team has several features and modules related to Loans. Cheque accounts, Savings account, cards and other products related to Vehicle Finance & Insurance. The product provides an end-to-end solution to the banking executives for business operation
- Responsibilities:
- Spearheaded cross-continental test coordination, bridging on-shore (RSA) and off-shore (India) teams as Test Lead.
- Executed Mainframe validation and support operations, ensuring robust testing frameworks.
- Executed Database testing to maintain high data integrity and performance.
- Conducted webservices testing to validate proper communication between different dependent systems using SOAP UI tool
- Conducted API testing to validate correct integration between different dependent systems using SWAGGER tool.
- Engaged with business stakeholders to capture and translate complex data requirements.
- Monitored and troubleshot AutoSys jobs, providing detailed reports on job failures to enhance system reliability.
- Led Knowledge Transfer sessions, fostering a collaborative and informed team environment.
- Played a key role in the development, review, and execution of comprehensive Test cases to drive quality assurance.
Senior Test Engineer
TEK Systems
05.2012 - 11.2014
- Executed comprehensive Functional Testing to validate enhancements and production fixes, ensuring high-quality deliverables.
- Leveraged Selenium with JAVA for efficient Automated Regression Testing, enhancing test coverage and reliability.
- Crafted robust test code in Java utilizing Eclipse IDE and TestNG framework, streamlining the testing process.
Software Test Engineer
MphasiS (an HP company)
05.2007 - 10.2011
- Executed functional testing to ensure website compliance with W3C standards.
- Developed and conducted peer reviews of detailed test cases.
- Performed compatibility testing across various browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera.
Software Test Engineer
Magna Infotech
11.2006 - 05.2007
- Executed comprehensive functional testing for system enhancements and addressed production defects with precision.
- Developed and conducted peer reviews of detailed test cases to ensure thorough quality assurance.
- Crafted and maintained a robust regression testing suite to guarantee system reliability and performance.
Skills
Technical Knowledge
JIRA, Confluence
MS Office Suite
Core Java, Selenium
Soap UI, Postman, Swagger
Putty, SQL
FIGMA
Core Competencies
Agile & Scrum methodologies
Certification
Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
Timeline
Product Owner cum Scrum Master
Siyatech
10.2024 - 09.2025
Scrum Master
MUSE Consultancy
09.2019 - 05.2024
Product Owner
HODIMO
08.2017 - 08.2019
Test Lead – Onsite/Offshore Team Co-Ordinator
L&T Infotech (LTI)
11.2014 - 07.2017
Senior Test Engineer
TEK Systems
05.2012 - 11.2014
Software Test Engineer
MphasiS (an HP company)
05.2007 - 10.2011
Software Test Engineer
Magna Infotech
11.2006 - 05.2007