Lou-Ann Benett
Senior Scrum Master | Agile Coach
Salary / Daily rate
Freelance, open to permanent contract
Skills
Languages
About me
Intro
SAFe Certified Scrum Master with 10+ years leading Agile transformations across Fortune 500 companies. Proven track record of improving team velocity by 25% and reducing supply chain lead times by 15%. Expert in scaled Agile frameworks, team coaching, and delivering measurable business value through continuous improvement initiatives.
Work experience
Senior Scrum Master
New American Funding
Jan 2025 - Present
1 year 10 months
Sr. SAFe Scrum Master
Syensqo
Jan 2024 - Jan 2025
1 year 1 month
Remote, OR 97458, USA
• Facilitating discussions and decision-making processes, resolving conflicts, and enhancing team cohesion, contributing to a 25% increase in value alignment. • Guiding product owners on effective Agile framework practices, enhancing their efficiency and delivery capabilities. • Leading initiatives to improve processes, systems, and products, achieving significant improvements in job area performance across team members. • Establishing a trusting and safe environment, fostering a 20% increase in team commitment and delivery. • Developing self-organizing teams by implementing strategies that enhance collaboration and productivity. • Managing dependencies and reducing risks through collaborative efforts across multiple teams. • Monitoring key Agile metrics and reporting on the team’s progress, velocity, and other relevant KPIs to stakeholders. • Assisted in PI planning, I&A, and release planning, while leading continuous improvement initiatives that identified bottlenecks and implemented process enhancements, resulting in a 15% reduction in supply chain lead times.
Lead Scrum Master
Bosch USA
Jan 2020 - Oct 2023
3 years 10 months
• Successfully managed and developed Scaled Agile portfolios of high complexity, leading to streamlined portfolio governance and enhanced cross-team collaboration across multiple programs. • Guided teams in adopting and adhering to Agile and Scrum best practices, resulting in consistent on-time sprint deliveries and a 20% improvement in prioritization and team readiness across multiple teams. • Optimized team velocity and identified key areas for process improvement, leading to a measurable increase in team performance and efficiency by 25% over a 12-month period. • Effectively removed systemic impediments to team agility, improved the escalation process, and ensured faster resolution of blockers, resulting in a smoother workflow and reduced downtime. • Delivered critical Features using Agile methodologies while ensuring compliance with the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and governance requirements, mitigating project risks and ensuring adherence to security and quality standards. • Collaborated closely with product owners, program managers, and project stakeholders, enabling the successful delivery of key work products while managing escalations, addressing risks, and overcoming roadblocks. • Trained and mentored junior Scrum Masters, contributing to team growth and fostering a culture of continuous learning, which improved overall Scrum discipline and Agile maturity across the organization. • Co-facilitated PI planning and prepared the team for the PI planning event.
Delta Air Lines
Jan 2010 - Jan 2020
10 years 1 month
Scrum Master
Feb 2014 - Jan 2020
6 years
• Led and mentored teams of business analysts, testers, developers, cross-functional team members, subject matter experts and stakeholders to define and deliver projects to the scope, schedule, budget, quality, and client satisfaction measures. • Conducted deep trend & data analysis and research; identified actionable findings and insights into client issues, strategy, market position and business challenges; presented data-driven strategic recommendations to senior leadership team to improve existing processes. • Facilitated scrum ceremonies such as Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Backlog Refinement, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective, and helped remove any impediments. • Improved transparency, disseminated information and ensured excellent communication both internally and externally. • Spearheaded the delivery of new strategies and plans to enable continuous improvement within the Customer Care Department of Delta which impacts up to 20+ million clients yearly.
Business Analyst
Jan 2013 - Jan 2014
1 year 1 month
Remote, OR 97458, USA
• Assisted the Product Owner in managing and maintaining a clear, transparent product backlog. • Captured business requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria in JIRA, ensuring alignment with project goals. • Ensured requirements traceability by mapping user stories to test cases, business processes, wireframes, and UX comps. • Led requirements sessions with stakeholders, driving consensus and clarity through effective communication. • Fostered continuous improvement in business analysis, identifying and addressing gaps to optimize team performance. • Documented functional specs, traceability matrices, process flows, wireframes, and meeting artifacts.
Customer Solutions Manager
Jan 2010 - Aug 2013
3 years 8 months
Remote, OR 97458, USA
• Supported the planning and implementation of key operational strategies, including the introduction of customer service tools via social media, enhancing customer satisfaction and reducing complaints. • Led the training, mentoring, and coaching of up to 60 customer specialists across multiple locations, fostering team growth and performance. • Analyzed daily customer communication KPIs (calls, emails, chat) and recommended process improvements, ensuring service level goals were met and handling times reduced. • Acted as a subject matter expert, advising Customer Care staff and stakeholders on customer needs, growth, and operational strategy. • Collaborated with cross-functional teams (Reservations, IT, Sales, airport departments) to provide analytical support and drive process improvements in line with company policies and procedures. • Streamlined and developed new policies and procedures to align with company goals, improving both profitability and customer satisfaction.
Education
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Master of Business Administration - MBA
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Bachelor's degree
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Master's degree