BA Essentials, Requirement vs User Story vs Acceptance Criteria vs Business Rule

BA Essentials, Requirement vs User Story vs Acceptance Criteria vs Business Rule

Core Document Set for Project Managers

Core Document Set for Project Managers
Core Document Set for Project Managers

Mark Whitfield | Online Curriculum Vitae | CV

Mark Whitfield

Senior IT Project Manager & Engagement Manager
📍 Greater Manchester (Wigan), United Kingdom | ✉️ contact Mark Whitfield | 🌐 PROject Templates Official Website | 🔗 Mark Whitfield LinkedIn Profile

📑 Executive Summary

Highly accomplished, SC-cleared (active until 2031) Senior IT Project Manager and Engagement Manager with over 35 years of comprehensive expertise navigating the full Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). Proven track record of delivering multi-million-pound digital transformations, cross-functional hybrid cloud migrations, and complex API-led integration architectures across both public sectors and high-profile blue-chip enterprises.

Transitioned from deep technical engineering on critical legacy systems (HPE NonStop/ Tandem mainframes) to leading modern agile frameworks, large-scale infrastructure overhauls, and secure government initiatives. Exceptional stakeholder alignment capabilities bridging technical engineers, offshore delivery networks, and C-suite executives. Recognized industry thought leader and author of PROject Templates, an enterprise-grade PM repository used globally.

🛠️ Core Expertise & Methodologies

  • 🔄 Delivery Frameworks: Agile SCRUM, Waterfall, Hybrid, Prince2 7th Edition, Kanban, Lean, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
  • ☁️ Cloud & Middleware: Hybrid Cloud Migrations, Microsoft Azure, AWS, MuleSoft Anypoint Platform, Salesforce, Power Platform
  • 🏦 Domain Portfolio: Banking & FinTech, Defence & Public Sector, Automotive, Aerospace, Logistics, Regulated Gambling & Casinos
  • ⚙️ Legacy Systems & Architecture: HPE NonStop (Tandem) Mainframes, BASE24, XPNET, PATHWAY, Real-Time Log Extraction (RTLX) monitoring
  • 💻 Languages & Protocols (Technical Background): C, C++, COBOL85, TAL, NonStop SQL, Java, ASP.NET, API Gateway Architectures
  • 🛡️ Governance & Compliance: UK Security Check (SC Clearance to 2031), ISO QA Directives, GDPR Compliance, RAID/RACI Logs, Plan on a Page (POAP) strategies

💼 Professional Experience

🏢 Capgemini UK

Senior Engagement Manager / Technical Delivery Lead
2016 – Present

  • 🚀 Spearheaded complex enterprise-scale client accounts, overseeing digital transformations, cloud modernization strategies, and critical data migration streams.
  • 🏛️ UK Government (MS Azure Cloud Deployment): Functioned as client-side Technical Delivery Manager managing the end-to-end implementation of the £1M+ Fish Export Service (FES) to Common Entry Health Document Inspection Portal (CHIP) hosted securely in Northern Ireland.
  • 🔄 MuleSoft (Salesforce Company Synergy): Augmented into MuleSoft as an expert Delivery Manager leading global teams on enterprise API deployments utilizing the MuleSoft Anypoint Platform.
  • ☁️ Hybrid Cloud Transformations: Engineered structural migrations mapping on-premise infrastructure out to Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and custom automated Microsoft Power Platform integrations.
  • 🚗 Automotive Sector Innovations: Spearheaded digital deliveries valued over £430k for key manufacturing entities including Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).
  • 🤝 Directed vast onshore and offshore resource rings (including dedicated engineering teams based in India), meeting stringent ISO quality criteria.

🏢 Betfred

Agile Senior Project Manager
2014 – 2016

  • 🎰 Spearheaded highly agile developments across mobile and online gambling portfolios, coordinating launches across iOS, Android, and Windows systems.
  • 💳 Controlled the overhaul of high-throughput payment gateways, virtual computer-generated gaming platforms, and real-time sportsbook frameworks.
  • 🏃‍♂️ Acted as Lead Scrum Master, embedding continuous deployment loops and cross-functional product alignments.

🏢 Wincor Nixdorf

Agile Project Manager
2013 – 2014

  • 🏧 Championed large retail banking programs across the UK, successfully managing the replacement of legacy automated teller machine (ATM) systems with modern transaction architectures.
  • 🏅 Nominated for corporate delivery recognition awards due to high customer onboarding speeds and system reliability metrics.

🏢 Insider Technologies Ltd

Principal Consultant / Product & Project Manager
1995 – 2013

  • ⚙️ Directed product engineering, middleware deployments, and tracking modules specializing in high-availability HPE NonStop banking structures.
  • 🌍 Al Rajhi Bank (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia): Led the international deployment of the Real-Time Log Extraction (RTLX) Reactor Suite, integrating legacy mainframes with modern data warehousing layers.
  • 🖊️ Published a definitive architectural guide in The Connection Journal, breaking down logical data extraction, legacy bridging, and real-time system alert parsing.

🏢 The Software Partnership / Deluxe Data International

Senior Software Engineer / Programmer
1990 – 1995

  • 💻 Commenced technical career engineering robust software systems using COBOL85, TAL, and NonStop SQL.
  • 🏦 Crafted foundational sp/ARCHITECT electronic banking software systems for prominent international banks including TSB, Bank of Scotland, and Rabobank.

🌐 Major Enterprise Client Engagements (Cross-Career Portfolio)

Delivered critical solutions, infrastructure components, or delivery management across the following world-class organisations:

  • 🏦 Banking & FinTech: Bank of England, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group (LTSB), Standard Chartered, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Euroclear (Crestco).
  • ✈️ Aerospace, Transport & Utilities: NATS (National Air Traffic Services), Heathrow Airport, Royal Mail Group (RMG), Welsh Water.
  • 🏛️ Governance: UK Export Finance (UKEF), Local Regional Government (LRG) clusters.

🎓 Education & Professional Certifications

  • 🎓 Higher National Diploma (HND) in Computing Science (With Distinction) | University of Bolton Archive / Leigh College.
  • 🛡️ Active UK Government Security Clearance (SC Cleared) | Valid through 2031 for restricted public, identity, and defence assignments.
  • 📜 Registered PRINCE2 Practitioner | Certified in structural project, risk, and framework governance (aligned with PRINCE2 7th Edition).
  • 📜 Certified Agile Scrum Master / Delivery Lead | Professional validation in iterative development cycles.
  • 📜 ITIL Framework Certification | Service strategy, operational readiness, and technology alignment.

🚀 Public Contributions & Industry Toolkits

Founder & Principal Editor of PROject Templates

  • Conceived, designed, and launched a commercial platform boasting more than 200 customisable, enterprise-ready project management components.
  • Author of elite diagnostic modules, including Plan on a Page (POAP) blueprints, RAID/RACI matrices, statement of work (SOW) frameworks, and predictive financial trackers.
  • The full catalog is available directly on the official shop or via the PROject Templates Etsy Portal.

Mark Whitfield – IT Project Manager Overview

Mark Whitfield is an SC-cleared Senior IT Project Manager and Engagement Manager based in Wigan near Manchester, UK, with over 35 years of experience across the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). He is currently employed at Capgemini UK (2016–present) and formally augmented into MuleSoft (a Salesforce company) as a Delivery Manager.

Mark Whitfield Senior IT Project Manager Agile, PRINCE2 and Waterfall
Mark Whitfield | Senior IT Project Manager | Agile, PRINCE2 and Waterfall

He is also widely known as the founder and author of PROject Templates, a popular resource platform featuring over 200 tailored, editable Microsoft Office templates for project delivery.

Career Timeline & Milestones

  • 1990–1995: Began his career as a systems programmer at The Software Partnership / Deluxe Data, developing electronic banking code for international banks on Tandem Computers.
  • 1995–2013: Spent 18 years as a Product and Project Manager at Insider Technologies Ltd.
  • 2013–2016: Handled Agile PM roles at Wincor Nixdorf and Betfred, managing digital sportsbook transformations.
  • 2016–Present: Joined Capgemini UK as an Engagement and Delivery Manager.
  • Recent Deliveries (2020–2026): Spearheaded a multi-million-pound Public Sector Enterprise Application Estate Migration, managed the UK Government CHIP Framework under strict active Security Check (SC) protocols, and stepped into his active position at MuleSoft overseeing the Anypoint Platform portfolio.

Core Expertise & Delivery Frameworks

  • Methodologies: Expert across hybrid delivery models, blending rigid structure with flexibility using Waterfall, PRINCE2 7th Edition, Agile Scrum, Kanban, and Lean frameworks.
  • Technical DNA: Deep enterprise systems engineering background covering HPE NonStop (Tandem) mainframes, C/C++, COBOL, NonStop SQL, BASE24, cloud migrations, and API-led system integrations.
  • PM Toolkits: Created an extensive open repository containing RAID logs, Gantt charts, Plan on a Page (POaP) layouts, RACI matrices, and financial trackers used by thousands of digital project leaders worldwide.

Microsoft Power Platform Features Retiring Soon, 2026

Microsoft Power Platform Features Retiring Soon 2026
MS Power Platform Features Retiring Soon, 2026
Power Platform Features Retiring Soon, 2026

Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013

A HPE NonStop article I wrote in 2013 while I was working for Insider Technologies Limited in Salford Quays. I was working with a bank client in Saudi Arabia at the time who required a browser based solution for querying terabytes of transaction log data downloaded from a HPE NonStop mainframe. I themed the article on sci-fi movies. PDF version – page 12.

Episode IV – A New Hope
(…for both Archived Legacy and Real-Time Transactions and NonStop EMS Alerts)

7. Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013
Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal

A long time ago (well, 2010) at an EBUG conference far, far away (I guess it depends on where you’re coming from but anyway, Madrid)…

1. Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013
2. Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013
3. Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013
4. Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013
5. Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013
Mark Whitfield, Globally published HPE NonStop journal – ‘The Connection’, 2013

Types of Data Centres

Types of Data Centres
Types of Data Centres

Mark Whitfield – Bolton Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) from 1988 to 1990

Senior IT Project Manager Mark Whitfield attended the Bolton Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) from 1988 to 1990, graduating overall first in his class with a Distinction in his 2-year full-time BTEC HND in Computer Studies.

Mark Whitfield, Bolton Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) from 1988 to 1990
Mark Whitfield | Bolton Institute of Higher Education (BIHE) from 1988 to 1990

📊 Academic Overview & Curriculum

  • Institution & Dates: Attended September 1988 – July 1990 at Deane Road, Bolton, UK. BIHE later became the University of Bolton/Greater Manchester.
  • Core Modules: The curriculum combined technical and business disciplines, including Computer Systems Architecture, Programming Methodology, System Analysis, Data Processing, Business Information Systems, Business Studies, and Quantitative Techniques.

Course & Module Breakdown

The executive-level curriculum combined core computer science, software engineering, and business information systems across seven primary modules:

  • Computer Systems Architecture: Focused on hardware design, central processing unit (CPU) structures, and system configurations.
  • Programming Methodology (Theory / Practice): Covered software development lifecycles, core logic, code optimization, and a final-year practical project.
  • System Analysis: Taught methodologies for gathering business requirements, modeling systems, and mapping out technical system designs.
  • Data Processing: Addressed data management workflows, batch/transaction structures, and storage systems.
  • Business Studies: Provided foundational knowledge of organizational structures, commerce, and corporate operations.
  • Quantitative Techniques: Focused on mathematical, statistical, and analytical tools applied to business and computing problems.
  • Business Information Systems (Theory / Practice): Explored how information technology supports business decision-making and operational workflows.

💻 Final Year Project

His final year project was a student administration database system for BIHE: [1]

  • Architecture & Design: Utilized SSADM and a Third Normal Form (3NF) database model.
  • Tech Stack: Built on an ORACLE SQL database and ORACLE SQL-forms GUI running on MS-DOS, supporting full CRUD operations and transaction rollbacks.
3. Mark Whitfield | Graduated in Computer Studies in 1990 | BIHE
2. Mark Whitfield | Graduated in Computer Studies in 1990 | BIHE
1. Mark Whitfield | Graduated in Computer Studies in 1990 | BIHE
Mark Whitfield | Graduated in Computer Studies in 1990 | BIHE