Leadership

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Skill Validation

Taking Initiative:

Identified and implemented a new methodology to enhance project management and stakeholder engagement, significantly improving structured approaches to work prioritization.

Process Facilitation:

Immersed myself in team operations to tailor and facilitate processes that complemented existing workflows, leading to more streamlined project execution and workload management.

Decision Making:

Led the adoption of a new project estimation method under uncertain conditions, which proved to refine project management practices through critical feedback and iterative development.

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Detailed Project Description

Summary:

I fulfilled the role as Program Manager for the ARK North Sea team for 16hours/week, focusing on rewilding the North Sea with a group of senior project managers. My tenure was dedicated to integrating a program methodology aligned with the current adopted ‘Conservation Standards’, aiming to improve our team's ability to prioritize work and milestones efficiently. The methodology not only facilitated the ability to give off better stakeholder commitments but also enhanced the team's effectiveness in reaching necessary milestones.

Key Responsibilities and Achievements:

Methodology Implementation:

- Developed and implemented a process that was incorporated into the team’s existing practices, improving the project management framework and enhancing stakeholder engagement.

- Team Integration and Process Improvement: Conducted in-depth involvement with the team to adapt processes that enhanced workflow efficiency and project execution, significantly improving the team's operational effectiveness.

Innovative Problem Solving:

- Despite facing initial resistance, I successfully introduced and tested a new workload estimation technique with project managers, starting with those most open to change. This approach allowed us to set a precedent for other team members, gradually increasing acceptance and optimizing project delivery outcomes.

Strategic Data Analysis and Reporting:

- Workload and Capacity Overviews: Generated reports comparing the requested hours per team member against their available hours each month, enabling the team to assess and adjust workload feasibility realistically.

Source Analysis of Workload:

- Provided breakdowns of the reasons behind workload assignments to team members, increasing transparency and facilitating adjustments where unforeseen work volumes were identified.

Milestone Planning and Strategy Alignment:

- Compiled strategic overviews of milestones grouped by strategy, including deadlines and the scheduling of work, which supported more effective planning and execution across projects.

Analytical

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Skill Validation

Critical Thinking:

I employ critical thinking by challenging assumptions and examining the rationale behind each decision during Ruysdael’s strategic planning for annual events. This rigorous analysis helps protect the team from unnecessary errors and enhances project outcomes, ensuring that all aspects are well-considered and grounded in logical reasoning.

Problem Solving:

My approach to problem solving involves understanding the broader context of challenges. A notable example is when I developed a voting system for selecting topics at our annual event amid uncertainties about participant preferences. This innovative solution ensured that decisions were democratic and data-informed, demonstrating my ability to devise effective solutions that meet collective needs and preferences.

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Communication

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Skill Validation

Presenting:

- I have hosted several 'Communities of Practice' (CoP) at Ruysdael. Each CoP is an hour-long session focused on a specific topic and the challenges associated with it, attended by a number of clients. The sessions begin with a brief introduction to the topic, followed by a short interactive segment where clients can ask questions or express specific issues they are encountering related to the topic. To conclude, I present Ruysdael's preliminary approach to addressing these challenges.

- At the annual Ruysdael event, which attracts approximately 100 clients, sessions are conducted to explore the latest developments and current challenges in portfolio and project management. During this event, I led two sessions titled 'Portfolio Commitments in an Agile Environment.' These sessions allowed me to present and discuss key issues directly with a large audience of professionals from the field.

- During my bachelor’s study I also have a lot of experience presenting for several audiences containing students and professors.

Expectation management:

During my bachelor's degree, I participated in a software engineering course where our team was tasked with developing an application to supplement various courses at Leiden University. In this project, I served the role of the Product Owner. My role involved managing stakeholder expectations to ensure clarity about the project deliverables. The stakeholders sought a highly functional application with top-tier design, but our team was constrained by limited resources. Given the initial uncertainty about our team’s efficiency, I was continually required to manage and recalibrate expectations and reprioritize tasks on our backlog. Ultimately, our team successfully delivered a web application that not only fulfilled the criteria for a minimal viable product but also included additional features, thus meeting the stakeholders' expectations.

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Adaptable

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Skill Validation

Open-minded:

Demonstrated openness to new ideas in the collaborative development of a portfolio board with Senior Portfolio Manager John Langelaar. Embraced a creative approach to overcome personnel limitations, showcasing an ability to adapt and innovate under resource constraints.

Context Assessment:

Assessed the organizational context and capabilities, which helped define the frameworks of problems when designing a portfolio board.

Understanding People:

Effectively investigated and understood the motivations and aspirations of individuals within the organisation to strategically select personnel for the portfolio board. This insight allowed for a targeted approach in assembling a team that was not only skilled but also engaged and aligned with the organisation’s goals.

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Detailed Project Description

Summary:

In the role of PMO Portfolio Manager for 16 hours/week, along with Senior Portfolio Manager John Langelaar, I co-led the design of a portfolio board. Aside from this goal, I also created the quarterly reports and long term investment plan reports. An effective portfolio board requires not only a well-thought-out design but also the right individuals from the appropriate departments. Setting this up requires a clear understanding of the organizational context and knowing the capabilities of potential team members to select those best suited for the roles on the portfolio board. It is crucial to be aware of the people's aspirations and motivations and their willingness to take on such responsibilities. Given that designing a portfolio board structure demands creative problem-solving and is limited by the availability of personnel, maintaining an open-minded approach is essential.

Technical Skills

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Skill Validation

Data Engineering:

- I have experience with data collection and pipeline development. I am skilled at integrating data links and collecting data from various sources for different use cases. My expertise includes setting up and utilizing APIs, and creating both relational and non-relational databases. Additionally, I have some experience with data storage and management.

- I have experience in back-end development, particularly in connecting front-end systems to the back-end securely to prevent SQL injection attacks and cross-site scripting (XSS).

PowerBI Dashboards:

- I have created several dashboards that track website and marketing performances. This involved setting up a REST API on a web server, and combining data from various databases and APIs into diverse visuals and reports.

Programming Languages:

- I have approximately eight years of experience with programming. Over the years, I have developed multiple applications and programs. Given that programming concepts are generally consistent, and because my bachelor’s degree covered a broad range of computer science topics, I have little difficulty understanding new concepts and learning new languages.

For evidence of my work, you can check out my GitHub page or my Projects page in the navigation bar above. However, most of my projects are private as they contain confidential information.