Project, Program Management

Strategic Role & Responsibility Redesign | Cross-Geographic Process Optimization

Led a comprehensive service design initiative to restructure Roles & Responsibilities (R&Rs) across global Space Planning teams, aligning them with strategic shifts in store formats and new product implementations.

Project Scope:

• Geographic Coverage: Minneapolis and Bangalore space planning operations

• Timeline: 3-quarter implementation

• Impact: Multiple floor planning and planogram teams

• Key Stakeholders: Strategy and execution teams across locations

Methodology:

• Developed comprehensive process maps and value stream analyses to identify:

  • Key stakeholders and their interconnections

  • Critical input/output requirements

  • Process workflows across organizational levels

• Facilitated collaborative workshops with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to:

  • Identify redundancies and non-value-adding activities

  • Develop automation opportunities

  • Streamline communication channels

Key Achievements:

• Successfully redesigned R&R framework that:

  • Clearly delineated responsibilities between strategy and execution teams

  • Established efficient communication protocols

  • Optimized workflow between global teams

  • Created alignment with new store format strategies

Impact:

• Enhanced operational efficiency through clear responsibility allocation

• Improved cross-functional communication across geographies

• Streamlined decision-making processes

• Reduced redundancies in workflow

• Increased organizational agility in responding to strategic changes

JDA Space Planning System Transformation | Enterprise Software Implementation

Role: Project Manager & Planogram Subject Matter Expert (SME)

Project Overview: Drove the strategic replacement of JDA space planning system with a new enterprise solution, managing end-to-end implementation from requirements gathering to successful deployment across Food & Beverage (F&B) businesses.

Key Responsibilities:

• Requirements Engineering

  • Spearheaded comprehensive requirement-gathering sessions

  • Led MoSCoW prioritization workshops in collaboration with product owners

  • Supported the creation of the product backlog and orchestrated sprint planning 

• Implementation Strategy

  • Supported incremental build processes by ensuring effective sprint planning based on MoSCoW prioritization 

  • Designed phased roll-out approach

  • Coordinated User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for F&B teams

  • Led continuous feedback integration and system optimization

Technical Leadership:

• Served as Planogram SME throughout project lifecycle

• Facilitated seamless integration between technical teams and business users

• Guided developmental decisions based on business requirements

• Supported sprint planning by ensuring SME alignment on priorities

Key Achievements:

• Achieved 40% adoption rate across F&B businesses within 2 quarters

• Successfully executed phased UAT program

• Implemented feedback-driven optimization strategy to drive incremental improvements and product behaviour

• Delivered a product meeting critical and nuanced business requirements

Impact:

• Streamlined space planning operations

• Enhanced user experience through iterative improvements

• Reduced system complexity

• Improved operational efficiency

• Established the foundation for complete system transformation in line with Target's strategic priorities. 

New Store Launch & Remodel Program Management | Target Corporation

Project Overview: Spearheaded end-to-end merchandising initiatives for Target's new store launches and remodel programs, managing complex cross-functional projects with enterprise-wide impact.

Leadership Scope:

• Program Management: Complete ownership of merchandising project lifecycle

• Geographic Scale: Enterprise-wide implementation

• Project Types: New store launches and store remodels

• Stakeholder Network: Global cross-functional teams

Key Responsibilities:

• Cross-Functional Coordination

  • Store Operations teams

  • Legal department

  • Assortment Planning

  • Procurement teams

  • Supply Chain operations

Project Management Excellence:

• Developed comprehensive project execution frameworks

• Implemented detailed process planning methodologies

• Established precise tracking and monitoring systems

• Orchestrated synchronized timelines across departments

Strategic Impact:

• Ensured seamless integration of merchandising initiatives

• Facilitated effective global team collaboration

• Delivered projects meeting corporate standards and timelines

• Maintained consistent execution quality across multiple locations

Core Competencies Demonstrated:

• Strategic project planning

• Global team leadership

• Cross-functional coordination

• Process optimization

• Risk management

• Stakeholder management

Cross-Functional Process Optimization | Retail Operations Enhancement

Led a strategic process improvement initiative to optimize collaboration between Assortment Planning, Catalog, and Planogram teams, addressing critical inefficiencies in SKU management and planogram accuracy.

Challenge Identification:

• Core Issue: Misalignment in SKU dimension data flow between teams

• Business Impact:

  • Inaccurate planogram calculations in 30-50% of planograms in a project impacting 3000 planograms

  • Revenue loss from stockouts caused by incorrect stock calculation on the planograms

  • Excess inventory driving markdowns

  • Inefficient resource utilization 

Scope:

• Departments: Food & Beverage (8 divisions)

• Annual Volume:

  • 12-15 major transitions

  • 12-15 revisions

  • 6 sales plan revisions per business unit

Quantified Problem Analysis:

• Data Accuracy Issues:

  • 15% SKUs showing default 1x1 dimensions in chain-wide transitions (Produce, Dairy, Frozen categories)

  • 60% planograms requiring rework per project

• Resource Impact:

  • Significant manual hours spent on non-value-adding activities

  • Multiple revision cycles across transitions

Methodology:

• Conducted comprehensive business process analysis

• Mapped current state workflows

• Identified bottlenecks and pain points

• Developed future state process maps

• Implemented structural changes in ownership

Key Achievements:

• Successfully restructured dimensioning and imaging ownership

• Transferred responsibility to merchandising function

• Established streamlined process workflows

• Reduced delays in SKU processing

• Improved cross-functional communication

Business Impact:

• Enhanced planogram accuracy

• Reduced inventory management issues

• Minimized stockouts

• Decreased excess inventory

• Improved team efficiency

• Reduced non-value-adding activities

Micro Space-planning and planogram owner for the Adult Beverages. 

• Collaborating with the merchandising team to create planograms that align with the company's strategic vision and merchandising goals 

• Worked on the launch of exclusive brands such as Sun Pop, Jingle Mingle to maximize sales and profits in the category

• Using past sales data and customer behavior to position products to increase sales

• Reviewing assortments to ensure they meet capacity and profitability requirements 

• Identifying the best merchandising solutions, clustering, and product positioning

Reports:

• Planogram software: Can help analyze shelf space efficiency by reporting on factors like product placement, space allocation, and days of supply 

• Fixture reports: Provide information about the height, width, and depth of shelves, which can help with planning and allocating space 

• Shelf reports: Indicate which products aren't performing as intended on a shelf 

• Change reports: Show areas like the congestion factor, which can indicate if products are too close together 

• Plano performance reports: Analyze a variety of performance measures to help achieve strategic and financial objectives by using data such sales performance by SKU.  

Financial Reporting:

Inefficient finance reporting processes were resulting in significant manual effort and delays, impacting productivity and decision-making.

Scope:

• Analyze existing reconciliation workflows across the finance team

• Redesign and automate reporting processes to compile data from multiple sources

Methodology:

• Mapped current state processes and pain points

• Collaborated with PMO and analysts to develop Excel macro automation

• Implemented automated scripts to compile data from 2 platforms and enabled real-time dashboards to track revenue

Achievements:

• Drove 720+ hours in annual efficiency savings through reporting automation

Impact:

• Enhanced finance team productivity and decision-support capabilities by highlighting defaults, delays in processing POs and debit/credit notes. 

• Strengthened client relationships by ensuring timely resolution of payment related issues. 

Product Operations Streamlining:

Outdated product operations processes were hindering timely delivery of security system upgrades, impacting customer experience.

Scope:

• Redesign the framework for delivering security system upgrades

• Optimize resource planning and implementation

Methodology:

• Analyzed support request data and client feedback, identifying themes and creating a framework for prioritization to calculate developmental effort and the resulting reduction in the number of tickets as well as impact on customer experience. 

• Developed a sprint-driven upgraded delivery model. 

Achievements:

• Implemented the new upgrade framework within 1 quarter, enabling the delivery of 4 key features such as SMS delivery to key stakeholders incase of high-severity alerts. 

• Improved alert management and incident response capabilities driven by improved training modules and clear mapping of metrics. 

Impact:

• Increased operational agility and responsiveness

• Enhanced customer experience and satisfaction

• Strengthened security posture and compliance 

Strategic engagement and growth opportunities with key clients.

Scope:

• Developed impactful communication for AbinBev, GSK and Infosys, reporting monthly OTA, OTD, EV vs Fuel cars ratio, etc. 

• Drove high-value upsell at Infosys, contributing to the successful launch of the Shuttle Program at Infosys. 

Methodology:

• Conducted workshops and demos to showcase capabilities of MIS-One, the in-house solution which enabled clients to outsource the employee commutee management solutions to MIS entirely. 

• Collaborated cross-functionally to identify growth areas for potential MIS-One clients. 

• Proposed tailored solutions to address client needs

Achievements:

• Delivered workshops and demos for clients like Infosys, GSK, and AbInBev

• Contributed to high-revenue upsell opportunities, supporting the launch of the shuttle services at Infosys and GSK. 

• Strengthened strategic client relationships by maintaining engagement across online and offline channels, reporting and timely resolution of issues. 

Impact:

• Increased client satisfaction and loyalty

• Drove incremental revenue growth