Rebekah Knapp

Rebekah Knapp studied marketing but was always facinated with computer technology.  After earning a marketing degree she worked for PrimeCo, the first to launch CDMA wireless technology.  She began as a Geographic Information System analyst and used those skills to identify targeted areas to place the new CDMS coverage based on population trends and block group data.  She received a promotion and became a product manager for network features, handset insurance and roadside assistance and launched Enhanced Directory Assistance with Call Completion (where it completes your call after you dial 411) in 1999.  She moved on to manage Interent products for Excel Communications and VarTec.  It was in 2007 when she worked as the eCommerce Product Manager for MetroPCS Wireless that she realized that there is a better way of doing things besides spending months writing long product requirements docs that no one read and that were outdated by the time they were done anyway.  She learned to collaborate with cross-functional teams  to include everyone necessary to create shippable products.  She worked as a Chief Product Owner interfacing with mutliple product managers each with their own requests which made up a ongoing Product Backlog.  Rebekah set up a system so that the development team reviewed each item and gave it a size which then helped her prioritize the items for requesting them in releases.  The development team was encouraged to provide suggestions and feedback for feature ideas and timelines.  They worked as a team to execute daily releases (every day at 5 pm) of small incremental changes which sometimes included medium and large implementations.  These daily releases allowed for iterative work to be launched knowing that we could change it again tomorrow at 5 pm if there was something critical.  And, we only had one 15 minute outage in 3 years when being attacked by a hacker.  Otherwise, the code was sound.  From there, Rebekah provided eStrategy consulting using the same methods at Unitrin Specialty (Kemper Insurance), ACE Cash Express, American Airlines and on Tekzenit projects with AT&T.  Today she is acting in the role as an Agile Coach assisting multiple teams with their data in Rally and creating program strategies for processes effectiveness.