Larry Sparkman's Resume

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Education, Certifications

LARRY SPARKMAN

6352 Duck Call Court · Tallahassee Florida 32309
850-942-6034 · larrysparkman@larrysparkman.com
 

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST
 

Project management specialist with a Masters Degree in Project Management, ITIL Foundations Certification, PMP Certification, and over 20 years of experience in formal project management, PMO leadership and training. Project Management Office establishment expert with demonstrated expertise in building and oversight of highly efficient and successful Project Management Offices. Adept at building customized project life cycle methodologies and mentoring project management staff in the execution of these methodologies to improve the time, cost and quality constraints of complex projects.

Project Management Professional · ITIL Certification · MS Project Blue Belt Certified
Life Cycle Methodologies: RAD, RUP, Iterative, Agile, Waterfall
Proposal Development · Technical Writing · Scope & Schedule Management · Budget Estimating
Large-Scale Applications Management · Web Service Projects · Recovery Planning  
Project Portfolio Management · Quality Assurance · Project Management Office Establishment
Change Control · Instruction & Mentorship · Cross-Functional Leadership

 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

VCARVE Inc. Tallahassee, Florida   · June 2010 to present

Client: Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Beaches and Coastal Systems

 Project Manager
Manages a team of three Java/GIS consultants in the design, development and implementation of an enhancement to the Beaches and Coastal Management System (BCMS) Geographic Information System (GIS) called “Collection of Aerials and Shoreline Trends System” (COASTS).  The new system integrates and organizes the historical repository of geo-referenced digital photos, drawing, and other geo-referenced GIS data files via an indexed file system that populates a publicly accessible GIS Web application (Coasts). 

COMPUTER TRAINING & CONSULTING, Tallahassee, Florida  · June 2010 to present

Client: Department of Financial Services, Workers’ Compensation 

Project Manager
Manages a team of five consultants in the conversion and rewrite of the Workers’ Compensation Integrated Suite of applications and modules from PowerBuilder 6.5 to a Dot.Net web-based system.  Responsible for defining project scope, estimating work effort and time, change control, acceptance management, issue management, and the delivery of a quality solution onetime and within budget.  

Director of Project Management
Recruited to establish and oversee Project Management Office optimizing delivery of web application services. Developed proposals in response to quote requests from government agencies. Orchestrated operations of proposal teams; collaborated with IT staff members to assess prospective client needs and design solutions; estimated scope of work, pricing and timeframe; oversaw logistical assembly and collection of documents. Executed and managed the scope, cost, quality, schedule and implementation efforts for Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) projects. Spearheaded legislative budget request initiatives.

 Key Achievements:

• Secured $4 million in funding from Florida Legislature in support of IT enhancement project upgrading and integrating DEP servers through expert leadership of budget request efforts.
• Coordinated modernization of DEP servers. Oversaw scheduling, work breakdown structure, definition of deliverables. Facilitated meetings and provided regular status reports to CIO.
• Enhanced project management and reporting through development of customized project management and technical life cycle tools, techniques, methodologies and processes.
• Orchestrated installation of upgraded video conferencing equipment throughout all DEP divisions.
• Launched ITIL initiative in support of new Service Desk implementation to improve the quality of technical support for DEP staff.

 KEANE, INC., Tallahassee, Florida · February 2004-June 2007

Global IT consulting firm specializing in formal project management, employing approximately 15,000 employees worldwide.

Principal Consultant—Project Management Officer
Served critical role in establishment of Project Management Office to improve the enforcement of quality assurance standards. Managed project portfolios; trained and managed employees in project management. Commanded numerous projects and oversaw project resource operations.

 Key Achievements:

• Designed, implemented and oversaw operations of highly efficient Project Management Office.
• Heightened project visibility and sharpened communication with executive management through development of stable and consistent approach to project scope definition and quality control.
• Orchestrated strategic plan to integrate water monitoring data from 5 distinct areas into central database. Commanded definition of 15 sub-projects and approval of $2 million operating budget.

• Secured thousands in savings through identification and elimination of indefinable projects.
• Oversaw consolidation of Industrial and Domestic Permit Builder applications into single program.
• Achieved Davis Productivity Award for developing online self-certification for Office of Submerged Lands and Environmental Resources, commanding 6 project resources and $50,000 budget.
• Spearheaded development of web-based application for NPDES. Coordinated external and internal resources with oversight over web, Oracle and GIS mapping applications.
• Delivered employee education to Information Systems personnel in use of MS Project 2003.

COMPUTER ASSOCIATES, Tallahassee, Florida · September 1997-April 2003

Global software development and implementation firm with approximately 30,000 employees.

Project Management Office Representative
Served as primary oversight representative for all mainframe projects throughout U.S. and Canada; ensured quality, profitability and timeliness. Conducted quality assurance audits for 10-15 proposals and statements of work daily. Collaborated with project management staff to reorganize and ensure success of in-trouble projects. Delivered comprehensive training to project management throughout North America on risk management, quality management and scheduling oversight.

 Key Achievements:

• Ensured competency of project managers, supervisors and directors in use of MS Project; delivered on-site and remote training sessions.
• Cooperated in creation of formal project management life cycle; trained and mentored staff on use of tools and templates facilitating management of scope, risk, quality, and communications.
• Oversaw Y2K assessment of application systems for Department of Education. Managed analysis of 57 application systems, 2,784 programs, 2,665 jobs, and 4 million lines of code.
• Enhanced Legal Notice printing for Child Support Enforcement.
• Developed reputation as resident expert in MS Project, Critical Path and Earned Value concepts.

 ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS (EDS), Tallahassee, Florida · March 1984-September 1997

Global management and implementation company overseeing Medicaid and student loan systems for statewide agencies, with approximately 100,000 employees worldwide.

Systems Engineer/Supervisor
Oversaw implementation, optimization and ongoing management of Medicaid and student loan systems. Managed daily operations of 5-15 staff, Student Loan System administration for State of Florida and Buyin/Bendex and Cap/SFL Medicaid systems.

• Commanded Batch Cycle implementation for Florida Student Loan System, securing promotion to Systems Supervisor.
• Served as technical lead for establishment of Ohio Student Loan System. Orchestrated over 40 technical leads throughout 5-state operating theatre.
• Spearheaded technical writing for winning proposal to assess Y2K readiness for State of Iowa. Ensured successful execution of $1.2 million project as Technical Manager.
• Secured Leadership Award for 1993 Student Loan implementation.

EDUCATION

Web Programming Certificate (candidate 2011)
Lively Technical Center, Tallahassee, Florida

 Master of Science in Project Management (2005)
University of Management and Technology, Arlington Virginia

 Master of Science in Education: Movement Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Education: Physical Education
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

CERTIFICATIONS

ITIL Foundations Certification · Project Management Professional (PMP) · MS Project Blue Belt: IIL

 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Villanova University

Lean Six Sigma Training

University of Management & Technology

Iteration and Agile Project Management · Establishing a Project Office courses

 PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATION

 Project Management Institute