Steven Manni Projects Feb2013

Steven M. Manni

Projects♦ Program Manager, International Financial Services Firm

An International Financial Services Firm hired IBM to pilot Business Process Management (BPM) for their global agent onboarding processes. The pilot went exceptionally well, and then the project fell into a troubled state due to a lack of skills/experience to move from pilot to production. Steven was responsible for recovering the project and re-establishing the client’s confidence in BPM and IBM. Steven assembled a high performance team and they rapidly designed a recovery plan based on developing a common global process that incorporated only the mandatory regional variances. This single process application was designed to simplify deployment and maintenance, and to accelerate the global rollout. The team successfully deployed Release 1 of the solution as planned and established a monthly release cadence to rapidly deliver incremental business value. Feedback from business users was very positive, and the client’s management team was very enthusiastic about continuing their BPM transformation.

♦ Program Manager, Leading Brokerage Firm

Program Manager for the design and implementation of an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) to integrate the banking and brokerage lines of business as part of an overall merger program. Responsible for leading a forty-five-person team of IBM, client, on-shore and off-shore contractor resources to design, develop, test, deploy and support the solution against a very aggressive merger time-line. The ESB was based on IBM XI50 DataPower appliances, IBM WebSphere Transformation Extender (WXT) and IBM WebSphere MessageQueue. When Steven joined the team in December 2009, the project was faltering and the client was extremely concerned that it was about to fail and derail the merger. Without the luxury of a time out, Steven developed a triage approach to get the team productive while he remediated the underlying issues. Within weeks the client began to see forward progress and their trust in the team began to rapidly increase. By the end of January the program was on solid footing as the team continued to refine the approach and processes to meet the needs of the business.

At the peak of the program, Steven had six Project Managers managing eight projects under his leadership. He also had a program staff that included a test lead and test team, a command center team that managed the major migration events, a finance manager and a project coordinator. In addition, Steven was responsible for managing the overall $15M program budget including development of a financial tracking model and production of detailed monthly financial statements, development and presentation of the detailed weekly Program Status Report, and for leading the bimonthly Executive Steering Committee meetings. As this was all new infrastructure and associated processes, the team took the pro-active step of commissioning an independent assessment. This team reviewed the infrastructure, a subset of the operational processes (i.e., change, capacity), the testing approach (function and performance) and the development/deployment approach. Following the assessment the team implemented a subset of the critical recommendations prior to the conversion events. We participated in six conversion events where we began to flow traffic through the ESB starting in January 2011. These events literally went flawlessly (zero defects). Overall the program was extremely successful; we delivered on all of our commitments with a high degree of quality, on-time, on-budget and with very high client satisfaction. Steven jointly presented the program at IBM's 2011 Impact conference with his executive counter-part from the client who was awarded IBM's ACE Award for the success of this program at Impact 2011.

♦ Project Manager, Fortune 500 Insurance Corporation

Responsible for leading a team of IBM and client resources to employ Pattern Based Engineering (PBE) techniques to reduce the effort to migrate webMethods applications to WebSphere Message Broker (WMB). The team developed the Exemplars employing best practices and the client’s standards, developed the PBE Tooling to automate many of the manual tasks typically required for a migration, developed a Migration Cookbook defining the step-by-step process required to migrate an application using the PBE Tooling, and migrated two existing webMethods applications to WMB to test and refine the PBE tooling. The project was successful as our PBE Tooling reduced the effort to manually migrate an application by approximately 50%.

♦ Project Manager, Fortune 500 Financial Services Firm

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Steven M. Manni

Led a team of IBM and client resources to develop the architecture and process models for a BPM layer that front-ends the client’s existing legacy CICS Corporate Actions application and incorporates many manual steps and other islands of automation. We developed a detailed application architecture using the WebSphere BPM Suite and Content Manager products. In addition, we developed the end-to-end Process Models (business models and execution models) and a detailed Project Plan for the Implementation Phase.

♦ Program Manager, Government of Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) hired IBM to design and implement a Government Service Bus to become the central platform of integration for the provision of government electronic services and to provide common value-add Shared Services which would be used by all connected entities and government agencies. For a variety of reasons, this project became troubled. Steven was responsible for recovering the project and re-establishing the client’s confidence in IBM. Steven implemented a set of project controls, rebuilt and mentored the team, and aggressively drove the collective team (IBM, contractors and the client) towards the goal of delivering the first production release of infrastructure and supporting applications within 90 days. Working in an emerging country presented many challenges including the culture, availability of skills, and lack of baseline infrastructure (making a phone call was often a challenge). The team delivered against the commitments on time with a high-degree of quality and re-established the client’s confidence in IBM’s ability to deliver the remainder of the program. In addition, Steven was responsible for assisting with the planning, staffing and preparation of the team to successfully execute the remainder of the program, and he developed “A Field Guide to the Kingdom” to orient new team members assigned to projects in KSA as this was a very challenging work environment.

Six months later, the Saudi Arabia Director General and the IBM Executives asked Steven to return to the KSA to assist the collective team, both IBM and the client, in the final stretch of the project. His role was to guide/lead the client team through the delivery acceptance process within the allocated timeframe. Steven also provided assistance in driving the IBM team to complete their obligations and in designing an approach for the client to support the solution post implementation. The effort was very successful as the team reached the goal of Delivery Acceptance within the allotted time.

♦ Project Manager, Global Travel Company

Led a team of IBM and client resources in the development of a new strategic business and technology architecture for a global travel company. We assessed the client’s current business and technology landscape and developed a new architecture to transform the current landscape to meet the key business and technical objectives, as well as to overcome known challenges. The project included three major work-streams: 1). Business Architecture, where we modeled the as-is and to-be business processes, 2). Technical Architecture, both Application Architecture and Operational Architecture, where we analyzed the as-is and developed the to-be architectures, and 3). Center of Excellence Planning, where we defined the framework for the organizational and procedural changes required to begin moving forward with SOA.

♦ Project Manager, IBM Business Consulting Services

Led a team of on-shore and off-shore resources through the design, implementation and global deployment of the Professional Marketplace. This was a world-wide internal web-based solution, the objective of which is to optimize the assignment of resources on engagements or proposal efforts by making all viable staffing options visible to resource requestors, providing relevant buying decision information to enable faster, more profitable staffing decisions, and introducing rules of engagement that result in an efficient marketplace of buyers and sellers across organizational boundaries. IBM estimates that this solution has saved them $500 million in its first year of use (BusinessWeek Online November 21, 2005). The system was developed using Endeca’s Profind technology, Java and Struts on WebSphere with DB/2. The team utilized Rapid Application Development techniques to deliver incremental functionality every two to three months. As each release was launched, we conducted Usability Testing and incorporated the feedback into the subsequent release. The solution, which was

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Steven M. Manni

developed for one line-of-business (LOB), has been so well accepted that it is now being deployed to all IBM LOBs.

♦ Project Manager, Fortune 500 Insurance Corporation

Responsible for assisting the Group Insurance Division of a major insurance company with the design and implementation for their Plan Sponsor Portal. The business objective was to provide a single, easy to use interface for their Plan Sponsors to access all of the required information (e.g., forms, reports, contracts). During this engagement we assisted our client with defining and prioritizing their functional and nonfunctional requirements, we applied our User-Centered Design (UCD) methodology to develop and usability test a wireframe prototype depicting the navigational scheme and page layouts, we developed the high-level architecture at both the application and operational levels, we implemented the portal front-end code (e.g., portlets, authoring templates), and we supported the client through the System Test and Pilot Test phases. The solution was based on IBM’s WebSphere Portal Server technology.

♦ Project Manager, National Executive Sedan Service

Orchestrated a cross-functional team to assist a national executive limousine service to “squeeze 20% more rides out of its cars. That adds up to $10 million annually to the company’s $94 million in sales.” (BusinessWeek Online November 24, 2003). Prior to the implementation of this solution, there was no computerized system to find the most appropriate driver for any given reservation. The dispatchers were tasked with balancing the supply and demand for each geographic area using rules of thumb, their knowledge of the geographic area and the available drivers. While they were expert at their jobs, even the best were not able to visualize the complex network of variables required to improve utilization without sacrificing customer satisfaction. The IBM team, including the Boston Center for e-business Innovation and IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Lab, developed state of the art mathematical algorithms combined with advanced GPS technology to deliver near-optimal dispatch schedules. The system provides real-time utilization data and capitalizes on GPS technology for location tracking of sedans based on mapping software from ESRI and custom applications developed by IBM. The heart of the system is the optimization engine, which takes various data, including business rules, reservation and driver information, travel times, and even FAA information feeds, and produces a near optimal schedule. IBM designed and implemented the solution, provided integration with the client’s reservation and dispatch systems, and provided ongoing maintenance and support. In addition to BusinessWeek, this project was covered in ComputerWorld, FastCompany, InformationWeek and the IBM Annual Report.

♦ Project Manager, Fortune 500 Custodial Bank

Responsible for assisting with the development and launch of a new organization to provide a suite of tools and infrastructure designed to more effectively connect investment managers to their custodial and accounting service provider partners. The suite and supporting infrastructure was designed to dramatically improve the efficiency of the investment manager’s back office operations and facilitate better decision-making through improved business intelligence. IBM was engaged to assist the client with the design and development of the technology systems to support this new organization. Our role included business consulting, requirements definition, application design and development, infrastructure planning, application testing, and deployment planning. The underlying technology included WebSphere Application Server, MQ-Series, DB/2 UDB, Mercator, and DataChannel.

♦ Project Manager, Internet Startup

Responsible for leading a team to develop an electronic marketplace for the Architectural, Engineering and Construction Industry (A/E/C). The site was designed to facilitate business-to-business commerce between companies (i.e., architects, contractors, and manufacturers) that operate within the A/E/C industry. The team was responsible for requirements definition, application and infrastructure design, application development, testing and deployment.

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Steven M. Manni


Responsible for designing and implementing a corporate intranet portal for a major custodial bank. The team developed the content plan and overall taxonomy, designed the page layouts, implemented a variety of “out of the box” portlets and worked with the vendor, Plumtree, to develop some custom portlets to meet the clients specific requirements. The Portal was launched on-time, on-budget and provided a high level of value to the client’s employees.


Responsible for developing an e-business Architecture Framework for a major custodial bank. The architecture provides a framework for developing all future e-business applications including a User Interface/Experience Style Guide, an Application Architecture Practice Guide and a Data Architecture Practice Guide. In addition, the team developed a Reference Implementation Guide, which provides a detailed architecture for a selected application based on the new framework.

♦ Project Manager, Fortune 500 Commercial Bank

Responsible for implementing a web-based Cash Management system for a large commercial bank. This system allows the bank’s clients to manage their cash position via the Internet including the ability to transact multi-million dollar transfers. During this engagement we designed the JAVA interfaces from the mid-tier business layer to the back-office systems; designed and implemented the infrastructure including the DMZ, firewalls, web servers, application servers and database servers; reviewed the overall system security including recommending and implementing Unix-based security products and conducting Ethical Hacking to verify the system security. The IBM team was also responsible for training and mentoring the bank’s technical resources in JAVA/OO design and development techniques and methods. The project was completed on schedule, within budget and with very high client satisfaction. The bank claimed the notable honor of the first institution to allow their clients to execute Fed Wire transfers via the Internet.

♦ Project Executive, Super-Regional Bank Holding Company

Prime-contractor responsibility for a $72 million dollar Systems Integration Technology Deployment Project. The bank was driven to refresh the technology in their branches to improve customer service by leveraging the capabilities of the new technology. Responsibilities included managing five Project Managers with over 100 resources in total for the integration and installation of a new branch banking technology infrastructure. The team was responsible for product procurement, site surveys, facility upgrades (including cabling and electrical), integration/installation of the new telecommunications network, and integration/installation of the servers, desktops and printers to support both the Platform and Teller applications. This 3-year, $72 million engagement was completed on time, within budget and with a customer satisfaction rating of 98%.

♦ Project Manager, Fortune 500 Drug Store Chain

Responsible for implementation and integration of an Inventory Replenishment System for a large drug store chain. The objective of the project was to improve inventory management so that the corporation could continue on its aggressive growth path. Led a team of IBM and sub-contractor resources through the complete application development life cycle. The project involved the implementation of an AS/400 hardware and software infrastructure, the installation and integration of a third-party, client/server software package and the development of interfaces to the client's legacy mainframe applications. The project was successfully completed the project on time, within budget and with very high client satisfaction.


Responsible for the implementation of a Voice Response System for 401K processing at a large financial services company. Responsible for leading a team of IBM, client and vendor resources through the Implementation and Production Cutover phases of the project. The project involved the implementation of a Unix-based client/server infrastructure, the installation of IBM's voice response

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software packages and the development of a 401K voice response application using IBM's DirectTalk product.


Project Manager for the implementation of a corporate-wide Profitability Reporting System for a large commercial bank. This system provided the corporation with profitability data down to the product level. Responsible for coordinating the efforts of a team of client, IBM, sub-contractor and vendor personnel through the implementation of Hogan System's Earnings Analysis System in an MVS DB/2 environment.

♦ Project Executive, Natural Gas Local Distribution Company

Responsible for a multi-million dollar Systems Integration project to design, develop and integrate a Gas Administration and Supply System (GASS) and a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for a natural gas local distribution company. Responsibilities included management of a ten-member team for the development of GASS at the customer's facility and management of the vendor responsible for the development of SCADA at their facility in Dallas. The GASS System was developed using the Uniface 4GL and Oracle's relational database running on an RS/6000 with Windows and X-Station clients. The fully redundant SCADA System ran on two VAX VMS processors accessed by Unix clients. The systems communicated via an Ethernet network using TCP/IP.


Lead a team through the conversion of the assets and liabilities of an acquired institution for a large commercial bank. Responsible for managing a fifteen-member team of IBM and sub-contractor resources with the assistance of the client's application experts. The project included product mapping, data mapping, development of data load software, system test and production migration. In order to meet the client’s extremely aggressive schedule, I managed teams of developers working three shifts, seven days per week. The project was completed on-schedule, with a virtually flawless conversion weekend and extremely satisfied client.


Project Manager for an Information Systems Study and Outsourcing Evaluation for a commercial bank. Responsible for leading a team of IBM and sub-contractor resources through the evaluation of the client's existing IS Operations and Application Development organizations, and recommending a series of strategic and tactical improvements.

♦ Solution Architect, Private College

Designed and implemented of the Admissions Application Processing System for a private college. Responsibilities included system design using Joint Application Development (JAD), application development and overall technical guidance to the team of IBM and client resources. The system was developed using IBM's 4GL (CSP) and SQL/DS relational database in a VM environment.

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