Dragana Covic Jovanovic, Project Manager in Makarska, Croatia

Dragana Covic Jovanovic

Project Manager

Location
Makarska, Croatia
Toptal Member Since
January 22, 2021

Dragana is a Certified Scrum Master and project manager with a technical background and a master's degree in computer science. She has 12 years of work experience in IT companies in the health and financial sectors and in a digital marketing agency. She has extensive experience in both Waterfall and Agile methodologies, has managed strategic projects, led large agile and non-agile international teams, and served as a scrum master in Agile reorganizations of two large companies.

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Expertise

Agile LeadershipAgile Project ManagementAgile TransformationCertified ScrumMaster (CSM)HP Project and Portfolio Management (PPM)Project ManagementScrumScrum Coaching

Education

Master's Degree
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb

Select Certifications

Professional Scrum Master Level I (PSM I)
Scrum.org

Work Experience

2013 - 2021

Project Manager

Calyx
  • Served as a scrum master, facilitated and supported all Scrum events, coached the team and stakeholders on Agile practices and principles, ensured the team adheres to the Scrum framework, and resolved impediments.
  • Acted as the product owner for a solution for assisted reproduction clinics, defining the requirements with the client and managing the implementation of the product.
  • Worked with clients, subject matter experts, and technical leads to analyze business needs.
  • Led all of the activities related to project planning, scope management, and time estimation.
  • Supported the client and led the user acceptance testing and validation activities.
2018 - 2020

Freelance Project Manager

FIT Digital
  • Managed Agile and Waterfall projects involving digital marketing and website design.
  • Analyzed business needs in collaboration with clients and technical experts.
  • Led all of the activities related to project planning, estimation, and risk management.
  • Supported the client during the user acceptance tests and managed the verification and validation process.
2013 - 2020

Consultant Project Manager

Nets A/S
  • Served as the scrum master for the pilot team during the Agile reorganization of the company.
  • Hosted scrum ceremonies and coached teams and product owners in Agile methodologies and the Scrum framework.
  • Led all of the activities related to project planning, risk, and change management on strategic international projects, involving managing multiple internal teams and external vendors.
  • Managed stakeholders and communication of project progress, issues, and risks across all levels of the organization.
  • Managed Waterfall and Agile software development projects for global clients and web application products for internal and external clients.
  • Spearheaded the company-wide implementation of a project and change management tool, which included the integration with existing systems and import of historical data.
2009 - 2013

Software Engineer

Ericsson Nikola Tesla d.d.
  • Served as a software engineer on the development of the web and mobile application for remote patient monitoring.
  • Acted as the scrum master of the pilot team for the successful Agile reorganization of the company.
  • Managed the development team and deliverables as the development project manager.
  • Led validation and verification as well as user acceptance testing, pilots, and customer support.

Project History

Scrum Master at a Financial Technology Company

Served as a scrum master for multiple teams, including a pilot team for Agile transformation.

As a scrum master for the pilot Scrum team, I had the opportunity to be part of the Agile transformation of the company and take part in the extensive on-the-job training provided by expert coaches for the duration of the pilot.

I hosted and facilitated Scrum ceremonies, coached teams and product owners in Agile methodologies and the Scrum framework. I exercised servant leadership with a focus on removing impediments preventing the team from achieving the sprint goal.

High Availability and Disaster Recovery Implementation

Managed the implementation of the high availability (HA) and disaster recovery (DR) project for a financial technology company.

Led the project with over 20 multidisciplinary team members working on the complex issue of ensuring the high availability of all the crucial systems used in the company and production of alternate sites to secure business continuity in case of a disaster.

Development of Card Personalization Solution and Client Migrations

Led the development of a new card personalization solution and facilitated the migration of more than 15 clients to the new environment.

Managed the international team of over 20 team members working on developing a card personalization solution for a financial technology company. Worked with clients in order to organize user acceptance tests, pilots, and migrations to the new system.

Implementation of Portfolio and Project Management Tool

Managed the implementation of HP Project and Portfolio Management (HP PPM) tool for over 400 users, integration with existing applications, and migration of data from previously used tools for time tracking and change management.

Facilitated the definition of requirements for customization of the tool, managed the process of integration and import of historical data. Organized the user acceptance and pilot testing, training sessions for the user, and creation of the user guides for each customized role.

3D Secure 2.0. Adaptation

Led the adaptation of the authentication protocol for online transactions, 3D Secure 2.0.

Managed the project of adaptation of 3DS 2.0, involving development activities, certification with card schemes, customization for clients, user acceptance, pilot testing, and migrations, which were to be performed under strictly regulated deadlines.

Carpusoft In Vitro Fertilization Database

Served as the product owner of the Carpusoft In Vitro Fertilization database, a solution for clinics for assisted reproduction.

Managed the requirements analysis, planned and prioritized the feature backlog to ensure work focuses on those with maximum value. Defined the product vision, roadmap, and growth opportunities and researched and analyzed the market. Managed the validation of the product and supported the customer during the implementation process.

Ericsson Mobile Health

Served as a scrum master, development project manager, and software engineer to develop the remote patient monitoring solution, Ericsson Mobile Health.

Managed the development team, coordination with external vendors, and validation and verification during the development of the web and mobile applications used for the remote monitoring of patients.

The team working on the solution was the pilot team for the successful Agile transformation of the company. I had the opportunity to serve as the scrum master and be a part of the Agile adaptation.

Education

2003 - 2008

Master's Degree in Computer Science

Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb - Zagreb, Croatia

Certifications

JANUARY 2021 - PRESENT

Professional Scrum Master Level I (PSM I)

Scrum.org

DECEMBER 2011 - PRESENT

Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 6 Programmer

Oracle

MAY 2003 - PRESENT

Cambridge English: First (FCE)

University of Cambridge