Nate Winkelman
Agile Business Coaching -Technology - Music
Education/ Training

Nathan Winkelman
SPC - RTE - SASM - CSM - CSPO
Current Location: West Michigan
Degree: CMU
BS Psychology, Religion
Agile
Scaled Agile Framework:
SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE)
SAFe Advanced Scrum Master (SASM)
Scaled Agile Product Owner/Product Manager (PO/PM)
Scrum Alliance
International Scrum Assembly™
Certified International Scrum Master (ISM)
Certified International Scrum Product Owner (ISPO)
Apple Inc training:
Software, Hardware, ios, and leadership.
Advanced Google Analytics certified through Google.
Experience
Business Product Forecast & Agile Consulting (Owner)
NEW Agile Consulting LLC
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At NEW Agile Consulting LLC, we specialize in helping businesses streamline processes, establish effective organizational structures, and set accurate milestones to manage budgets and ensure timely, successful product delivery. Through the application of agile methodologies and SAFe frameworks, we optimize team performance, enhance workflow efficiency, and drive sustainable business growth. Our focus is on improving time-to-market, reducing waste, and maximizing customer value, which leads to increased profitability and productivity.
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Key Achievements:
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• Partnered with clients to establish processes that accurately forecast timelines, milestones, and budgets for product completion.
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• Developed a streamlined process for ideation handoff to inception teams, enabling efficient feature creation.
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• Guide development teams through refinement, sprint planning, and Scrum ceremonies, establishing predictable workflows to improve forecasting of milestones, costs, and overall project timelines.
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Advised clients on building and scaling worldwide development teams, focusing on collaboration with top-tier contracting companies in Ukraine, Brazil, India, nearshore, and domestically to access highly skilled talent.
2010 - present
Head of Product/Agile Delivery Lead (Portfolio Manager/Product Manager)
Truly Free Market
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Truly Free Market is an e-commerce marketplace with multiple development teams, one iOS team, one Android team, and four business Mastermind teams. We successfully took four multi-epic web, iOS, and Android products from concept to launch. After launching our site and apps, we now support hundreds of sellers and affiliate marketers and are generating thousands in product sales per week.
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Utilized custom JQL filters and Jira Automation to effectively manage product backlogs and track progress across multiple development teams, ensuring alignment and consistent delivery.
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Established and led mastermind teams focused on seller success, affiliate success, member experience, and administration portal for the market, creating effective ideation funnels that enhanced product innovation and improvements across all areas.
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Implemented agile ceremonies and administered PI planning, which led to a more efficient sprint execution for the next quarter. Within the first two months, these rhythms significantly improved the ideation, inception, development, and deployment processes, creating predictability in product scope and cost management.
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Trained teams on agile methodologies, fostering a collaborative and high-performing work environment.
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By analyzing estimation data and reliability metrics gathered from the masterminds and development teams, we successfully established portfolio budgets for each product. Moving forward, we can monitor the costs associated with each product area and allocate funding based on its actual revenue generation potential or lack thereof.
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Led the hiring process for offshore, nearshore, and domestic contractors to develop the marketplace, including contracting development teams from India, independent Scrum Masters and Product Managers, and U.S.-based Architects and Lead Engineers.
2010 - present
Nexus Scrum Master & Team Scrum Master
Abercrombie & Fitch (TEKsystems)
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At Abercrombie & Fitch, I was part of a large cloud migration project. We successfully moved all on-premises databases to the cloud along with all the new backend APIs and new frontend UI.
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Coached Brazil, India, and United States-based Scrum masters to use JQL and Jira automation to track progress and enhance communication across the Nexus team, revitalizing a struggling team into a cohesive unit that consistently improved sprint predictability and elevated performance standards.
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Facilitated solution delivery (Project Management team) from EPIC inception through feature discovery to product delivery, ensuring alignment with the product vision and enhancing overall quality.
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At the start of the project, the project managers lacked an accurate estimation of the project’s duration and resource requirements. They initially relied on rough guesses for the cost and timeline. As the Nexus Scrum Master, I collaborated with all the development team Scrum Masters to gather data on capacity, velocity, and reliability. By using these metrics, we were able to improve the forecasting for the project’s timeline and determine the necessary team size to complete the project before the deadline.
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Managed planning cadence for multiple delivery teams and guided several Scrum Masters, establishing consistent workflows that enabled focused, efficient, and successful product teams while allowing for more accurate timeline expectations and quarterly budget setting.
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Stepped in as Scrum Master for the Brazilian-based development teams when needed, ensuring continuous delivery and seamless operations.
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Helped hire nearshore and domestic contractors from the U.S. and Brazil to support the development and cloud migration efforts, collaborating with business teams to ensure alignment with project goals and agile practices.
SAFe Program Consultant - Advanced Scrum Master
Meijer Corporate
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At Meijer, I worked with several teams, Scrum Masters, Release Train Engineers, Product Owners, and Product Managers to develop Web, iOS, and Android apps, allowing customers to shop with pickup and delivery options for the first time. The apps were launched between January and September 2020, and within one year of deployment, they contributed to significant revenue growth.
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I served as the Scrum Master for the Shop & Scan team, which developed an app that lets customers scan items as they shop and checkout without waiting in line, further enhancing the in-store shopping experience.
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I served as the Scrum Master for the team that delivered the initial version of the customer pickup feature for both the iOS and Android apps.
Technology Support & Agile Consultant
Grand Valley State University Department of Art and Design
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Hired and Coached student teams in agile practices, providing leadership and training to faculty, staff, and students.
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Served as a technology advisor, supporting the Visual and Media Arts department in achieving their tech goals.
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Set and managed the annual budget for the entire Visual and Media Arts department, overseeing computer hardware, software, cameras, projectors, and student employee salaries. Ensured all resources were maintained and allocated efficiently to support department operations.
Level 2 Technology Specialist
Hudsonville Public School District
Leadership
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Hired, trained and coached all tech specialist for the district. Scrum Master and Product Owner.
Agile Product Management
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Helped mover the technology department to begin using Agile and Scrum framework.
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Our team implemented wireless and interactive media in the classroom with computers, iPads and projection.
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We designed and implemented a video security response system across district for an active security response team that engaged lockdown procedures and directly connected with the local law enforcement.
Computers repair and deployment
Software Trainer, Technician, and Specialist
Apple
*Teaching & Training
- Taught Customers and employees how to use everything apple.
*Technician
- Apple Devices repair - Trained by apple to service and repair apple iOS devices and Apple computers.
*Specialists
- Building relationships with people to help find the best solutions for their technology needs.
Art, music, and, technology Director
The Branch Church 2010 - 2021
Greenville Community Church 2008 - 2010
First Wes of Battle Creek 2006 - 2008
I coached the leaders for the creative design teams, music teams, and Technology teams for these churches.
Montague United Methodist Church 2004 - 2006
Worked with and trained volunteer staff to run the College, High School, and Junior High student ministries.
Business Owner
Urbn Studios Business Partner 2009 - 2015
Teaching
- Mount Pleasant Public Schools 1997 - 2001
Music teacher and Special Education Teacher
- Shepherd Public Schools 2003 - 2004
Fifth Grade Teacher