Rajesh Chevendra
Project Manager | Scrum Master
Hamilton
Summary
A dynamic and results-oriented professional with over 10 years of experience in Project Management, Scrum Mastery, and Application Support. Proven track record of successfully leading cross-functional teams and managing complex projects from initiation through to delivery, consistently meeting business objectives and exceeding expectations. Adept at driving agile transformations and optimizing team performance, with a deep understanding of Scrum, Kanban, and Lean methodologies.
As a strong communicator and collaborative leader, I am passionate about creating environments where teams can thrive, delivering high-quality solutions on time and within budget. The goal is to drive project success while fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, and excellence.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
5
5
Certificates
Work History
Project Manager and Scrum Master
Te Whatu Ora Waikato (Health New Zealand)
4 2023 - Current
- Managed IT Projects: Led portfolio of IT projects from initiation to completion, ensuring successful delivery by aligning with organizational goals, established project management methodologies, and governance frameworks
- Project Planning & Execution: Developed and managed comprehensive project plans that defined scope, milestones, deliverables, resources, budgets, and timelines to ensure successful implementation
- Stakeholder Collaboration: Worked closely with business and clinical stakeholders to define project goals, set priorities, and align outcomes with the organization's strategic objectives
- Risk & Issue Management: Proactively identified, reported, and mitigated risks and issues impacting project schedules, costs, or quality, utilizing change management processes
- Governance & Compliance: Established and maintained project management governance structures in compliance with relevant IT policies, standards, and guidelines, including ITIL, DevOps, and architectural design principles
- Team Leadership & Mentorship: Led, mentored, and supported cross-functional teams to foster a collaborative environment
- Promoted knowledge sharing, professional development, and continuous improvement across teams
- Customer Satisfaction: Cultivated effective relationships with customers, colleagues, suppliers, and external stakeholders to ensure customer satisfaction and enhance collaboration
- Quality Assurance & Improvement: Championed continuous quality improvements, leveraging technology to streamline processes, reduce variances, and improve overall project delivery outcomes
- Scrum Facilitation: Facilitated all Scrum ceremonies, including Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Reviews, and Sprint Retrospectives, ensuring each event was well-organized, time-boxed, and effective
- Team Guidance & Support: Provided ongoing guidance and support to Scrum Teams to ensure adherence to Agile principles, Scrum practices, and foster a culture of self-organization and cross-functionality
- Impediment Removal: Actively identified and removed impediments hindering the team's progress, creating an environment focused on continuous improvement and high productivity
- Agile Coaching: Acted as an Agile coach to facilitate team development, improve collaboration, and enhance self-management within Scrum Teams
- Stakeholder Communication: Promoted transparency by facilitating open communication within the team and with external stakeholders, ensuring all parties were aligned on project goals and status
- Product Backlog Management: Collaborated with Product Owners to manage, prioritize, and refine the product backlog, ensuring alignment with business priorities and stakeholder needs
- Continuous Improvement: Fostered a culture of continuous improvement by promoting reflection, retrospectives, and experimentation to enhance team performance and product quality
- Metrics & Reporting: Monitored team performance using key metrics and visualizations, providing stakeholders with regular status updates and actionable insights
- Scrum Framework Implementation: Ensured the Scrum framework was effectively implemented, educating stakeholders and management on Scrum principles, values, and best practices
- Prepared detailed reports on project status for stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment with objectives.
- Achieved significant improvements in project quality by establishing rigorous quality control processes.
Senior Specialist – Application Services & Scrum Master
Te Whatu Ora Waikato (Health New Zealand)
08.2020 - 04.2023
- Application Consulting & Best Practices: Advised on the optimal use of enterprise applications to enhance business processes and improve operational efficiency, ensuring solutions aligned with organizational needs
- Agile Ceremonies Facilitation: Facilitated core Agile ceremonies (Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Planning, Sprint Retrospectives, Sprint Reviews, and Sprint Showcases) to ensure smooth execution, team alignment, and continuous improvement
- Service Management & Delivery: Partnered with cross-functional teams to maintain consistent service management practices, delivering high-quality application services that meet organizational standards and IT policies
- Mentorship & Training: Provided mentorship to Application Service Specialists and Scrum teams, fostering professional development and ensuring successful implementation of new solutions and enhancements to existing systems
- Change Management & Implementation: Led change management initiatives, including project delivery, non-standard work requests (NSWRs), and process improvements, ensuring adherence to architecture standards, ITIL practices, and regulatory compliance
- User Story & Backlog Management: Collaborated with Product Owners to groom and prioritize the product backlog, ensuring all user stories were well-defined, ordered, and ready for development, enabling smooth sprint execution
- Agile Coaching & Team Development: Acted as an Agile coach, supporting teams in adopting and continuously improving Agile principles, Scrum methodologies, and best practices
- Incident & Escalation Management: Served as the technical escalation point for complex issues, ensuring prompt troubleshooting and resolution, while empowering team members to resolve challenges independently
- Agile Tracking & Metrics: Implemented and analyzed Agile metrics (e.g., burndown charts, velocity tracking) to monitor progress, identify bottlenecks, and drive performance improvements
- Standardization & Process Improvement: Ensured all solutions and processes complied with industry standards, emphasizing cost-effectiveness, regulatory compliance, and ongoing process optimization
Senior Service Desk Analyst
Waikato District Health Board
07.2017 - 09.2020
- Service Desk Management: Responsible for all Service Desk operations at Level 1.5, ensuring efficient and timely resolution of technical queries and service requests in alignment with policies and standard operating procedures
- Health Initiatives Support: Provided Information Services support for key health initiatives, including the Midland Clinical Portal (MCP) and Smart Health, delivering essential support across multiple platforms and ensuring successful project outcomes
- Technical Issue Resolution: Investigated and resolved technical queries, ensuring issues were addressed effectively and in line with established SOPs and IT service management frameworks
- Escalation Management: Assisted Customer Service Coordinators with handling escalations, ensuring timely resolution of complex issues and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction
- Documentation Review: Reviewed and contributed to the development of HOTS documentation, ensuring it was up-to-date and aligned with service delivery standards
Specialist – Application Services/Project Manager
Waikato District Health Board
09.2018 - 08.2020
- Incident & Service Request Management: Accountable for managing all incidents and Service Requests within the assigned portfolio, ensuring timely resolution and adherence to service level agreements (SLAs)
- Operational Performance: Ensured application environments were operationally fit for purpose, optimizing performance, and maintaining high levels of system availability and service efficiency
- Incident Trend Analysis & Root Cause Identification: Identified and analyzed incident trends, proactively addressing root causes to eliminate recurring issues and improve overall system stability
- System Monitoring & Service Availability: Continuously monitored systems to ensure maximum uptime, optimal performance, and seamless service delivery, focusing on availability and operational efficiency
- Problem Management Portfolio: Took ownership of and actively managed a Problem Management portfolio, driving root cause analysis and resolution to prevent future incidents and improve service reliability
- Solution Implementation & Enhancement: Led the delivery of Non-Standard Work Requests (NSWRs), managing projects with budgets of up to $20,000 and ensuring that all initiatives met scope, quality standards, budget, and timeframes
- NSWR Delivery & Compliance: Ensured that NSWRs were executed in alignment with organizational policies and standards, completing projects within the defined scope, quality standards, and agreed deadlines
- Change Management Advocate: Acted as a proactive agent for change management within the organization, advocating for continuous improvement and innovation in service delivery
- Stakeholder & User Collaboration: Worked closely with key stakeholders and super users to ensure the design and implementation of effective, efficient, and fit-for-purpose solutions that met business needs and aligned with organizational goals
- End-to-End Service Lifecycle Management: Took full ownership and accountability for the end-to-end IS business service lifecycles, ensuring seamless transitions between development, implementation, and ongoing support
Service Desk Analyst
Waikato District Health Board
01.2016 - 07.2017
- 1st Line Technical Support: Provided efficient phone and email support for technical issues, troubleshooting and resolving queries for end users
- Remote Support: Utilized remote control software to diagnose and resolve issues effectively
- User Account Management: Created and maintained user accounts, providing ongoing technical support and ensuring smooth operation
- Self-Help Documentation: Updated and created self-help guides to empower users, reducing the overall service desk workload and improving service efficiency
- Troubleshooting & Solution Guidance: Worked closely with users to identify technical issues, providing solutions and collaborating with the team for resolution
- Issue Logging & Tracking: Logged, tracked, and maintained records of customer and employee support requests using service management tools
- Trend Analysis & Process Improvement: Analyzed call logs to identify common issues and trends, implementing solutions to improve team efficiency
- Support Call Management: Prioritized and managed support tickets, ensuring timely response and resolution
- Field Support Collaboration: Coordinated with field engineers for on-site support for more complex technical issues
- Hardware Testing & Repair: Diagnosed and repaired faulty hardware, ensuring all equipment was fully functional
- Service Desk Documentation: Documented and maintained policies and procedures to ensure smooth and efficient service desk operations
Service Desk Analyst
Qantas Airlines (Fujitsu)
01.2015 - 01.2016
- First & Second-Level Support: Provided first and second-level technical support for 40,000+ users worldwide, resolving issues and service requests across various platforms and applications
- Incident Management: Managed and prioritized incidents assigned to second-level support, ensuring timely resolution in collaboration with desktop and server teams
- Escalation & Third-Party Management: Escalated and managed incidents involving third-party vendors and service providers, ensuring effective resolution and minimal downtime
- Operating System Support: Delivered support for Windows 7, Windows XP, and Mac OS platforms, ensuring system functionality and resolving user issues
- Software & Application Support: Provided support for Lotus Notes, Microsoft Office (2007, 2010, 2013), and SharePoint, including troubleshooting business applications across the organization
- Active Directory & Exchange Management: Managed user accounts in Active Directory (AD), and configured/troubleshot email accounts using Exchange Management Console (EMC)
- Remote Support & Maintenance: Delivered remote support and software maintenance for end-user devices, ensuring smooth operational functionality
- Mobile Device Support: Provided hands-on support for iPhone, iPad, and Mac systems, managing configurations and resolving device-related issues
- Printer & Peripheral Management: Configured and managed network printers, MFDs, and print queues, ensuring efficient printing and document handling
- Asset Management: Collaborated with asset management for device disposal and inventory management, ensuring proper tracking and handling of IT assets
- Knowledge Sharing: Contributed to the knowledge base, sharing technical insights and best practices to improve team efficiency
- Service Desk Ticketing: Created and managed service tickets within the Service Desk, ensuring accurate issue tracking and resolution
- Linux & Mac Troubleshooting: Provided basic troubleshooting for Linux systems and Mac OS, ensuring system stability and functionality for end users
- Project Support: Assisted with Windows 7 and Microsoft Exchange migrations, supporting end users and project teams to ensure successful transitions
Service Desk / Support Analyst
ECU Chips Ltd
05.2013 - 01.2015
- Improved customer satisfaction by promptly addressing and resolving support issues.
- Increased efficiency of problem-solving by implementing automated diagnostics tools for common issues.
- Implemented process improvements that resulted in reduced ticket resolution times and increased first-call resolution rates.
- Answered customer support inquiries via specialized ticket-tracking platforms.
- Streamlined support processes for increased efficiency and faster issue resolution.
Windows 8 & MS Office 2013 Demonstrator (Part-Time) – On Call
Market Pulse
06.2013 - 08.2013
- Delivered high-quality training sessions for new demonstrators, ensuring consistent messaging across all presentations within a team.
- Maintained up-to-date knowledge of industry trends and competitor offerings to effectively position products during demonstrations.
- Assisted in creation of attractive marketing materials used during product demonstrations such as brochures or banners.
Service Desk/Support Analyst
Pinnacle Recruitment
08.2012 - 11.2012
- Improved customer satisfaction by promptly addressing and resolving support issues.
- Established best practices for incident management, leading to improved response times and higher customer satisfaction levels.
- Monitored helpdesk and responded to incoming tickets to address support needs.
- Managed service follow-up communications, confirming satisfactory resolution of customers' service requests via email and phone.
IT Recruitment Consultant
Various Consulting Companies
01.2007 - 03.2012
- Implemented innovative sourcing strategies to attract top IT talent from various channels such as job boards, social media, and referrals.
- Provided exceptional customer service by addressing client concerns promptly and effectively resolving any issues that arose during recruitment process.
- Coached junior recruiters on best practices in candidate sourcing, relationship management, and interview techniques for continued team growth.
Education
Diploma - Computing Information Technology
Newton College of Business And Technology
Auckland, AUK 06.2013 - 2014.06
Skills
Agile Methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, Lean)
Certification
Certified Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO)
Timeline
Senior Specialist – Application Services & Scrum Master
Te Whatu Ora Waikato (Health New Zealand)
08.2020 - 04.2023
Specialist – Application Services/Project Manager
Waikato District Health Board
09.2018 - 08.2020
Senior Service Desk Analyst
Waikato District Health Board
07.2017 - 09.2020
Service Desk Analyst
Waikato District Health Board
01.2016 - 07.2017
Service Desk Analyst
Qantas Airlines (Fujitsu)
01.2015 - 01.2016
Diploma - Computing Information Technology
Newton College of Business And Technology
06.2013 - 2014.06
Windows 8 & MS Office 2013 Demonstrator (Part-Time) – On Call
Market Pulse
06.2013 - 08.2013
Service Desk / Support Analyst
ECU Chips Ltd
05.2013 - 01.2015
Service Desk/Support Analyst
Pinnacle Recruitment
08.2012 - 11.2012
IT Recruitment Consultant
Various Consulting Companies
01.2007 - 03.2012
Certified Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO)
Certified Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
Certified Agile Service Manager (CASM)
Kepner Tregoe trained in Problem Management
Kepner Tregoe trained in Major Incident Management
Project Manager and Scrum Master
Te Whatu Ora Waikato (Health New Zealand)
4 2023 - Current
Languages
English
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Telugu
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Hindi
Upper intermediate (B2)
Software
MS Office Suite
MS Project Professional
PlanView
Smartsheet
SharePoint
JIRA
ServiceNow
KanbanFlow
Work Preference
Work Type
Full TimeWork Location
On-SiteRemoteHybridReferences
Available on request
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