Niraj Desai, PMP^®

Summary:

●        18+ years of management experience, with strong leadership abilities, external Client facing to support pre-sales, onboarding and post-sales activities.

●        9+ years’ experience managing global teams with diverse clients and programs.

 

Skills:

●        Big 5 Consulting firm ●        Consultative skills ●        Leadership and Negotiation skills

●        Program/Project Management  ●        Sales Support ●        Retail/Healthcare

 

Delivery Management@ Avanade – an Accenture subsidiary, TX, USA (Apr, 13 – Current)

Environment: Program/Project Management, Large/Med-size multi-year projects, HealthCare, Retail, MS-Projects, MSCRM, SCRUM/Waterfall/Blend Methodologies, Global teams, Business Integration

Role:

·   Avanade – a joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft

·   Accenture delivery methodologies

·   Creation and ownership of the Client Services program

·   Partner with the executive team to identify, research and prioritize achievable technology goals to modernize technology portfolio

·   Provide vision and technology leadership based on strategic goals.

·   Lead multi-disciplinary, cross business-unit teams.

·   Lead the delivery of project plans, resources, financial, capacity statements, release schedules, etc.

·   Increase ramp-up velocity without sacrificing customer service and operational readiness

·   Identify and pro-actively manage risk, develop options and drive decision-making

·   Proven track record of successfully delivered solutions

·   Superior ability to align solutions with business objectives

·   Experience with vendor and contract management

·   Excellent understanding of project/program management principles (Scrum/Waterfall/Blend)

 

Client Services Manager@ IkaSystems, MA, USA (Sept, 11 – Apr, 13)

Environment: Client Services, Team and Program Management, multi-year projects, MS-Project, Microsoft.NET, SQL Server, BizTalk, Agile/SCRUM/Waterfall/SDLC, HealthCare

Role:

·   Direct the planning and execution of multiple concurrent product programs. Be a driver of team planning and program execution.

·   Lead multi-disciplinary, cross business-unit teams comprised of Business Analysts, engineering, quality, and Clients' teams.

·   Lead the development of project plans, financial, capacity statements, release schedules, etc.

·   Ensure alignment of diverse resources both within the company and at clients.

·   Identify and pro-actively manage risk.  Develop options and drive decision-making.

·   Ensure that all aspects of program cost, quality, timing and scope meet business requirements.

·   Provide regular significant contribution to the company’s product portfolio development process by pro-actively providing technical, financial and delivery insights.

·   Develop and implement improvements to the company’s structured new product development process.

·   Establish and maintain essential program documentation

·   Assist with day-to-day delivery of established programs with direction from client and Strategic Account Manager.

·   Prepare necessary reports.

·   Provide knowledge and recommendations regarding upcoming release and change management strategies.

·   Ensure the quality of the worksite delivery.

·   Participate in client meetings.

·   Coordination and leadership of the production support staff, supporting the programs

·   Improve support delivery by implementing process improvement programs

·   Coaching, mentoring, training staff

·   Establishing and strengthening client relationships and internal customers

 

Technical Manager@ DPN Technologies, MA, USA (Aug, 10 – Sept, 11)

Project@ Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA (Nov, 10 – Sept, 11)

Project@ Boston Scientific, Natick, MA, USA (Aug, 10 – Oct., 2010)

Environment: Hospital/Healthcare/Clinical, Team and Project Management, Ms-Project, Agile/Waterfall/SDLC

Role:

●        Collaborate with business process owners to identify opportunities; define business requirements, and design and implement solutions designed to maximize efficiency and productivity.

●        Full life cycle project ownership from analysis to development to delivery of solutions.

●        Continuously communicates with key end user constituents, keeping abreast of current challenges that affect customers and assists in developing creative solutions to meet challenges.

●        Work with other stakeholders to ensure the development of technically consistent and supportable enterprise wide applications align with departmental standards.

●        Provides sound leadership to their application development group(s), effectively coaching and mentoring direct and indirect reports.

●        Development of detailed project plans and logically breaking down into manageable pieces.

●        Managing, executing and revising project plans as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements

●        Identifying resources needed and assigns individual responsibilities.

●        Manages and tracks day-to-day operational aspects of a project and reports on project progress.

●        Multitask in a fast paced, leading technological environment

●        Design new or re-engineer existing processes to improve operational efficiency

●        Work with Management to establish, maintain, and communicate project pipeline / priorities.

●        Team Management and performance review.

●        Coordinate with researchers and Hospital staff for Clinical application implementation

●        Activity in open source development (I2B2, CTSA, CARRANET), NIH funded grants.

 

Sr. Technical Architect@ CSN Stores, Boston, MA, USA (May, 07 – July, 10)

Environment: Team Management, e-Commerce/Retail, Ms-Project, Agile/Waterfall/SDLC

Role:

●        Contributes to the development of strategies, policies and best practices through participation in meetings and other direct contributions. Develops and cultivates strong customer relationships

●        Design and develop the technical content as defined in the statement of work

●        Designs, develop and supports the solution, customization, and integration of the solution using .NET

●        Prepares technical architectural and implementation design documents and works with the project management to develop the implementation plan and provided technical oversight

●        Develops project plans to ensure timely completion of projects, communicates project information and status to all appropriate internal and external clients

●        Co-ordinates with end users as needed to address and resolve issues and ensure project dates' are met

●        Manages the production support process including final approval of resolution of production issues

●        Developed product roadmaps, that lead to increased revenue and customer experience

●        Provides subject matter expertise and business analysis in addressing complex projects and issues

●        Leads project quality assurance activities, including performing technical QA reviews on components for a team and performing QA reviews of code documentation

 

Project Manager@ Boston Scientific, Natick, MA  (Nov, 06 – May' 2007)

Environment: FDA Regulated/Medical Device, Project and Team Management, Ms-Project, Corporate physical/Information Security, Agile/Waterfall/SDLC

Role:

●        Develop and maintain detailed resource plans to leverage and communicate staff availability.

●        Work with Management to establish, maintain, and communicate project pipeline / priorities.

●        Define technical architecture to ensure performance, reuse, and reliability

●        Provides advanced technical expertise in designing and developing software applications supporting complex projects including evaluation of system development processes.

●        Manage production support processes and resolution of production issues.

●        Oversee maintenance and support of existing software applications.

●        Provides subject matter expertise and business analysis in addressing complex projects and issues.

●        Implementing projects that impact globally and high visibility.

●        Provide and track technical support for existing global business systems

●        Establish and enforce quality control processes for all application development.

●        Prepare and present reports and status information to management as needed

 

Sr. Programmer /Analyst@ Health New England, Springfield, MA, USA (June, 01 – Nov., 06)

Environment: Healthcare, Project Management, AGILE/SCRUM/Waterfall/SDLC/OOAD, HIPAA X12 EDI Implementation (270/ 271/ 997, 834)

●        Design, Develop and implement enterprise wide solutions using .Net Technology.

●        Project and Resource planning and estimation

●        Managing of multiple projects

●        Technical resource to the team.

●        Liaison with internal and external clients for product implementation

●        System and Process Analysis, Designing & Applications development.

●        Documenting the technical specifications, process/Application flow and reports.

●        Support for enhancements to existing applications and customers.

Project: PHC – Partnership with Passport Health Communications for Member Eligibility & Benefit Inquiry

Description: PHC - A secure partnership with Passport Health Communications, provides Member Eligibility and Benefit inquiry for TPA as well as internal applications. Web service provides Member Eligibility and Benefit inquiry upon user and access level authentication and returns only the information that is defined under the access level for that user.

 

Project: HNEDirect.com (https://www.hnedirect.com)

Description: HNEDirect – A secure web-based self service portal for Employers, Providers, Brokers and members. It provides online Member Eligibility lookup, Benefit Enrollment and Maintenance for the Employer Groups. Billing reconciliation and customized member rooster, transaction and advanced employer related reports for employer Groups. Benefit Enrollment and Maintenance (834 EDI X12) Implementation through the web based data entry. Employers can submit Initial enrollment, Re-Instate, Change and Terminate Enrollments through this system. ID Cards requests are also processed through 834.

 

Project: e-Timesheet – web based Intranet Application

Description: eTimesheet – web-based intranet application.  The application was developed for the payroll department. It reduced payroll’s administrative tasks and streamlined the business process. Associates and Managers were better able to run reports on the timesheets and learn about any pattern of time taken off or days worked. 

 

Project: Credential Site Visit Application (Tablet PC Application)

Description: Credential Site Visit Application – An intranet web-based application, for credentialing of the providers. Credentialing checks out the provider(s) that he/she shall be visiting for the period of time, takes the tablet PC to the Provider’s site. Survey is filled out. Credentialing tells the scores of the site at that time and sends the report later.

 

Project: Provider Information Portal (https://www1.hne.com)

Description: Provider Information Portal – A secure web-based application, reporting application for the providers and PHO for members’ claims, prescription, Quality Measures, Controlled Drugs, Hospital visits details, providers’ Quality Measures and to PHO for their risk pool’s  level reporting.

 

Project: Executive Information System (Web Based Intranet Application)

Description: Executive Information System – web-based intranet application consisting of more than 70 different types of drill down reports. It provides reports for the internal reporting and auditing purposes of members’ claims and prescription details, Quality Measures and to PHO for their risk pool’s quality measures and provider’s overall quality measures, Employer, pharmacy and accounting reports

 

Project: Provider Directory Application

Description: Provider Directory Application – A client-server application for generating the data files with the provider listing by product types (HMO, PPO etc.), and FTP the PGP encrypted data files to the Third party vendor for directory printing.

 

Project: IT Access Request

Description: IT Access request - a web-based Application, for IT Access Request and updating the AMISYS dataset on HP 3000 machine using Minisoft driver.

 

Project: NDO (Network Development & Operations) Application

Description: NDO Application - A Contact and Issue management desktop application, which allowed tracking the NDO Site visit information based on the providers’ office NDO visit.

 

Sr. Consultant

@ Lucent Technologies, Whippany, NJ, USA (July, 99 – Mar. 01)

@ NCSi, New York, NY, USA (Apr, 99 – July, 99)

@ Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Mumbai, India (Feb 98 – Dec 98)

@ Span Medicals Pvt. Ltd., India (Aug 97 – Jan 98)

@ Alpha Computers Pvt. Ltd., India (Jun 97 –  Aug 97)

@ Marc-Walker Opticals Pvt. Ltd., India (Feb 97 – Jul 97)

 

Education:

●        Master’s Degree (Major - Computer Applications)  - Gujarat University

●        B.S. (Major- Electronics)   - Gujarat University