Category: Information Technology, IT

Charts Every Project Manager Should Master

Charts Every Project Manager Should Master
Charts Every Project Manager Should Master

SAFe Scaled Agile Framework

SAFe Scaled Agile Framework
SAFe Scaled Agile Framework

Degree 53 was a Manchester-based digital agency specializing in user experience, design & software development

Degree 53 is a Manchester-based digital agency specializing in user experience (UX), design, and software development, primarily for the online gambling and sports betting industries.

Founded by Andrew Daniels in 2013, the agency has built a reputation for developing high-stakes transactional mobile apps and websites for major operators like Betfred and Scientific Games.

Following its acquisition by Bally’s Corporation in 2021, it now serves as the Sports Product Studio for Bally’s Interactive, focusing on North American gaming products.

Comprehensive Evaluation Timeline

  • 2013: Founding and Launch
    • Andrew Daniels, a former Betfred employee, founded Degree 53 Limited on May 21, 2013, with initial backing from Betfred founder Fred Done.
    • The agency initially established its office at The Sharp Project in Manchester.
  • 2015: Regulatory Milestone
    • In April 2015, the agency secured a Remote Gambling Software license from the UK Gambling Commission, a rare credential for a digital agency that allowed them to build bespoke transactional gambling platforms.
  • 2016 – 2017: Rapid Expansion
    • In 2017, the agency moved to a new HQ in Steam Packet House, Manchester, after recruiting over 30 new staff members, bringing its total headcount to 75.
    • The firm diversified its portfolio during this period, developing products for non-gambling clients like Vibe Tickets.
  • 2020: Sharp Gaming Spin-Off
    • Founder Andrew Daniels launched Sharp Gaming, a B2B gambling technology business, with £25 million in investment from Fred Done.
    • While Sharp Gaming focused on full-stack platform services, Degree 53 continued its focus on UX and front-end development under new Managing Director Richard Wagstaff.
  • 2021: Acquisition by Bally’s Corporation
    • On October 27, 2021, Bally’s Corporation acquired Degree 53 to bolster its internal technical unit for the launch of products like Bally Bet 2.0.
    • The team of 54 experts was integrated into Bally’s Interactive but remained based in their Manchester studio.
  • 2024 – 2026: Consolidation and Leadership Changes
    • The agency remains an active subsidiary of Bally’s. Recent regulatory filings indicate leadership transitions, such as the appointment of Raja B-Sheikh as a director in August 2025.

Summary of Key Services

  • Bespoke Development: Building native mobile applications (iOS, Android) and responsive web platforms.
  • UX/UI Specialization: User-centered design approach, including mapping customer journeys and conducting user testing.
  • Industry Expertise: Complex system integrations, data feed management, and API development specifically for the betting, gaming, and lottery sectors.

Key Areas Summarised

  • Core Focus: High-quality digital solutions for complex, regulated industries.
  • Key Services: UX/UI Design, Native iOS & Android Apps, Web Development, API Integrations, and Digital Strategy.
  • Strengths: Strong focus on user journey and engagement, particularly in betting platforms. They are noted for bringing high-quality digital solutions at competitive prices.
  • Impact: A significant player in the Manchester digital scene, moving to larger premises to accommodate growth from 50 to 75+ staff between 2014 and 2017.
  • Acquisition: In 2021, Degree 53 became the Sports Product Studio for Bally’s Interactive, supporting its North American expansion.

Key Clients and Projects

  • Betfred/Totesport: Mobile betting apps and websites.
  • Bally’s Interactive: Currently developing sports products.
  • Vibe Tickets: Developed a secure ticket-selling app.
  • Sofology: ‘My Account’ functionality.
  • Other projects: Ready for School, Football Acca, Horse Tracker.
Degree 53 logo Manchester Based
Degree 53 Logo

Key Company Facts

  • Acquisition: Acquired by Bally’s Corporation in October 2021 to advance its global sportsbook and mobile platforms.
  • Specialties: Mobile app development, UX/UI design, Bespoke .NET development, and API integrations.
  • Major Clients: Historically has worked with Betfred, Scientific Games, and Gamesys brands like Rainbow Riches.
  • Office Location: They are currently based at 60 Spring Gardens in Manchester city centre. Previous locations included Steam Packet House and The Sharp Project.

Mark Whitfield involvement 2014 – 2015 :

In late 2014, I joined Betfred as a Senior IT Project Manager in the Gambling and Casinos industry delivering multiple projects for both Betfred online and mobile (iOS, Android and Windows) using the Agile SCRUM framework. Project deliveries covered payment gateways and methods, sportsbook for football and horse racing amongst others and the online virtual (computer generated) gaming components.

As a major part of this allocation, I also linked into Degree 53 for project/ app status and aid in the setting of priorities for their Betfred specific software delivery.

Degree 53 was a Manchester-based digital agency specializing in user experience (UX), design, and software development
at Degree 53 Manchester office, 2015

Projects varied in size and cost and extended over multiple phases requiring the management of many software suppliers, each delivering different aspects of the solution from fraud detection, frontend, middleware, payment services and mobile apps.

Key Product Owner Terms

Key Product Owner Terms
Key Product Owner Terms

Agile Scrum Overview and Evolution Timeline

Agile Scrum is a widely adopted, iterative, and incremental framework designed to manage complex product development and software projects.

It breaks down large, daunting projects into small, manageable units called sprints—fixed-length iterations typically lasting 1–4 weeks—to deliver functional components faster and adapt to changing requirements.

Detailed Summary of the Scrum Framework

Scrum relies on three pillars—transparency, inspection, and adaptation—and is defined by specific roles, events, and artifacts.

1. The Scrum Team (Roles)

  • Product Owner (PO): Maximizes the value of the product by managing the Product Backlog. They define “what” is built.
  • Scrum Master: A servant-leader who helps the team follow Scrum theory and removes impediments.
  • Developers: The cross-functional team members responsible for creating the increment each sprint.

2. Scrum Events (Ceremonies)

  • Sprint Planning: Defines the Sprint Goal and the work to be done during the sprint.
  • Daily Scrum: A 15-minute daily meeting for developers to synchronize activities and plan the next 24 hours.
  • Sprint Review: Held at the end of the sprint to showcase the increment to stakeholders and gather feedback.
  • Sprint Retrospective: The team reflects on the process and identifies improvements for the next sprint.

3. Scrum Artifacts

  • Product Backlog: An ordered list of everything required in the product.
  • Sprint Backlog: The set of Product Backlog items selected for the sprint, plus the plan for delivering them.
  • Increment: The usable, working product increment produced at the end of a sprint.

Evolution of Scrum Over the Years

Scrum was developed in the early 1990s as a response to the failures of the linear “waterfall” approach.

  • 1986 (Concept Origins): Takeuchi and Nonaka publish “The New New Product Development Game,” comparing traditional relay-race product development to a rugby “scrum” team.
  • 1993 (First Implementation): Jeff Sutherland, John Scumniotales, and Jeff McKenna implement the first Scrum team at Easel Corporation.
  • 1995 (Public Introduction): Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland formalize Scrum and present “The Scrum Development Process” at the OOPSLA ’95 conference.
  • 2001 (Agile Manifesto): Sutherland and Schwaber become signatories of the Agile Manifesto, cementing Scrum as a major Agile methodology.
  • 2010 (The Scrum Guide): The first official Scrum Guide is released to standardize the framework worldwide.
  • 2011–2017 (Refinements): The guide is updated to clarify roles and events, including strengthening the role of the Scrum Master and introducing self-organizing teams.
  • 2020 (The Modern Scrum Guide): A major update makes the guide less prescriptive, focusing on a single Scrum Team (removing “development team” and “scrum team” split), introducing the Product Goal for long-term focus, and focusing on one team working towards one product.

Key Resources and Links

Agile Scrum Overview and Evolution Timeline

CrestCo Ltd, now Euroclear UK & International (EUI)

CrestCo Ltd, now operating as Euroclear UK & International (EUI), is the central securities depository (CSD) for the United Kingdom and Ireland, responsible for the electronic settlement of securities transactions.

Founded in the mid-1990s, CrestCo revolutionized London’s financial markets by moving them from paper-based share certificates to a “dematerialised” (electronic) system, thereby significantly reducing settlement times, risks, and costs.

Worked on-site at CrestCo in 1997 coding volume testing software

Detailed Overview: CREST and CrestCo

  • Purpose: The CREST system (Certificateless Registry for Electronic Share Transfer) enables electronic, real-time settlement of securities.
  • Services: It handles settlement of UK and Irish equities, gilts (government bonds), and various other corporate securities.
  • Key Functions:
    • Dematerialisation: Eliminating the need for physical share certificates.
    • Real-time Settlement: Reducing operational and credit risk.
    • Corporate Actions: Managing dividend payments and other corporate events.
    • CDIs: Utilizing CREST Depositary Interests (CDIs) to facilitate trading of international securities.
  • Transformation: In 2002, CrestCo was acquired by Euroclear and later renamed Euroclear UK & Ireland Ltd (EUI).

Comprehensive Timeline by Year

  • 1993: The Bank of England initiates the CREST project to replace the aborted TAURUS system (Transfer and Automated Registration of Uncertified Stock), aiming to digitize London’s settlement.
  • 1996: CrestCo Ltd is officially founded and the CREST system goes live, beginning the shift from paper-based settlements to electronic transfers.
  • 1997-1998: Rapid adoption of the system by market participants, facilitating faster settlement cycles.
  • 1999: Introduction of automated “settlement discipline” regimes, including league tables and fines to incentivize performance.
  • 2002: Euroclear merges with CrestCo. CrestCo is integrated into the Euroclear group, marking its transformation into a larger, internationally integrated entity.
  • 2007 (July 1): CRESTCo Ltd officially changes its name to Euroclear UK & Ireland Ltd (EUI).
  • 2010 (September 1): EUI merges with EMX Company Limited, enhancing its ability to handle investment funds and expanding its network.
  • 2016: CISI reports that CREST has successfully provided 20 years of secure, efficient settlement, solidifying its role in UK financial infrastructure.
  • 2020s: Continued enhancement of the system, including improved digital security and adaptation to evolving European Union and UK regulatory standards.
  • 2024: Continued operation as a premier infrastructure provider under Euroclear.
  • 2026 (April): Euroclear UK & International Ltd continues to operate as the leading CSD in London, with ongoing focus on digital asset security and efficient settlement.

Key Impacts on London Financial Markets

  • Risk Reduction: Shifted settlement risk from days to near real-time.
  • Efficiency: Drastically reduced manual processing (“mundane practices”) and associated costs.
  • Integration: Facilitated the integration of UK markets into the broader European infrastructure.

CrestCo Ltd, now operating as Euroclear UK & International (EUI)

Agile Backlog MoSCoW, Must, Should, Could and Won’t Have

Agile Backlog MoSCoW, Must, Should, Could and Won't Have
Agile Backlog MoSCoW, Must, Should, Could and Won’t Have

How AI Artificial Intelligence is Evolving in Project Management Career

How AI Artificial Intelligence is Evolving in Project Management Career
How AI Artificial Intelligence is Evolving in Project Management Career

The Reality of a Project Manager, Execution and Accountability

The Reality of a Project Manager, Execution and Accountability

Agile Story Points and the Fibonacci Series, Estimation Strategy

Agile Story Points and the Fibonacci Series, Estimation Strategy
Agile Story Points and the Fibonacci Series, Estimation Strategy

Mark Whitfield, SC Cleared Senior Project Manager, Manchester

Mark Whitfield is a highly experienced, SC-cleared Senior Project Manager and Engagement Manager specializing in complex IT software development lifecycle (SDLC) projects, digital transformation, and cloud migrations.

Currently based in Greater Manchester, UK, he has over 31 years of experience in the IT industry, working with major blue-chip companies across various sectors, including UK Government, retail banking, aerospace, and utilities.

He is a certified PRINCE2 Practitioner, skilled in both Agile SCRUM and Waterfall methodologies.

Website Links:

Professional Biography:

Mark specializes in bridging technical teams and business stakeholders, delivering complex IT systems under challenging conditions.

His career spans from early roles as a developer on Tandem Mainframe Computers (HPE NonStop) to senior management positions focusing on cloud resources, API integrations, and CRM platform implementations.

  • Key Skills: Project Planning, Stakeholder Management, Financial Forecasting, Risk Management (RAID), Agile Scrum, PRINCE2, ITIL.
  • Key Strengths: Cloud Migration (Azure/Dynamics 365), Payment Systems (ATM/POS), and API-led connectivity.

Detailed Career Timeline:

  • Nov 2023 – Feb 2024 (UK Government – Capgemini): Acted as Client-Side Technical Delivery Manager for a £1m+ Fish Export Service (FES) to CHIP project, facilitating Azure-based API updates for UK-Northern Ireland trade.
  • Nov 2022 (UK Government – Capgemini): Managed two Microsoft Dynamics 365 Azure Cloud projects, including a £0.4m Dynamics 2016 migration and a £0.54m CRM platform discovery/build.
  • Feb 2022 (UK Utility Industry – Capgemini): Managed a £0.5M project migrating legacy document management systems to an Azure-based Enablon product.
  • 2020 (UK Gov – Capgemini): Senior PM for a £375k Agile proof-of-concept (POC) project migrating legacy applications (MS Access/Oracle) to Microsoft Azure and Dynamics 365.
  • Oct 2018 – June 2019 (MuleSoft): Served as Delivery Manager overseeing 5+ UK accounts for MuleSoft Anypoint Platform (API-led connectivity) implementations.
  • Oct 2017 (Automotive Industry – Capgemini): Managed a £430k Digital Readiness project and a £670k Customer Portal/Online Sales project (Agile).
  • May 2017 (Local Govt – Capgemini): Led a £400k telecommunications project (CCaaS) for the Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) program.
  • Jan 2017 (Aerospace/Def – Capgemini): Senior Project Lead for two £1.3M projects with high-governance and gated deliverables.
  • Jan 2016 – Present (Capgemini UK): Joined as an Engagement Manager (A8), working on projects including Apple iOS app development for UK Air Traffic (NATS) and a £4.3M data center migration for Postal Services.
  • Dec 2014 – Jan 2016 (Betfred Limited): IT Senior Digital Project Manager for online/mobile payment gateways and sports book platforms.
  • Sep 2013 – Dec 2014 (Wincor Nixdorf): Senior Project Manager for a £5+ million ATM/POS software swap-out at a UK retail bank.
  • 2013 (Retail Banking – Riyadh): Delivered an RTLX transaction tracking project (BASE24 Classic) at a Saudi Arabian bank.
  • 1995 – 2013 (Insider Technologies): Worked on Strategic Technical Initiatives and bank-facing projects on the HPE NonStop platform (Tandem) for products Reflex 80:20, Reflex ONE24, RTLX and XPERT24.
  • 1990 – 1995 (The Software Partnership/Deluxe Data): Commenced career as a programmer specializing in electronic banking software on Tandem Computers (HPE NonStop), sp/ARCHITECT-BANK

Education:

  • 1988 – 1990: Higher National Diploma (HND) in Computing, Distinction/Overall First, Bolton Institute of Higher Education (now University of Greater Manchester from 2024).

Mark Whitfield, SC Cleared Senior Project Manager, Manchester

Connect NonStop Registration Sept. 2026, NonStop Technology & Business Conference

Connect NonStop Registration 2026, NonStop Technology & Business Conference
Event Date

September 15-17, 2026 (HPE Education Sept. 14)

Event Location

Orlando, Florida

Venue

The Rosen Plaza 9700 International Drive

Contact Us

info@connect-community.org

TBC’26

Agile Dependency Matrix Management in Project Management

Agile Dependency Matrix Management in Project Management
Agile Dependency Matrix Management in Project Management

AI – ChatGPT vs Perplexity vs Claude

ChatGPT vs Perplexity vs Claude
ChatGPT vs Perplexity vs Claude, AI

Product Manager and Project Manager responsibilities and deliverables

Product Manager and Project Manager responsibilities and deliverables
Product Manager and Project Manager responsibilities and deliverables

Agile Defintion of Done, DoD

Agile Defintion of Done, DoD

Agentic AI Strategy Pack, read about Agentic AI in 2026

Agentic AI Strategy Pack, read about Agentic AI in 2026

Project Management Office PMO, an Overview

Project Management Office PMO, an Overview

Soft Skills of Successful Project Managers

Soft Skills of Successful Project Managers

BASE24 Overview and Historical Timeline

BASE24 is a foundational electronic payments software suite developed by ACI Worldwide, first launched in 1982 to provide “always-on” (24/7/365) transaction processing, primarily on HP NonStop servers.

It is used by large financial institutions to acquire, authenticate, route, switch, and authorize card- and non-card-based financial transactions across multiple channels, including ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, and mobile/internet banking. 

The product has evolved from “Base24 Classic” into BASE24-eps (formerly BASE24-es), a modern, object-oriented, platform-independent payments engine designed to support high-volume, real-time transaction processing in hybrid or cloud-based environments. 

Comprehensive Historical Timeline of BASE24 

  • The Foundation Era (1975–1981): ACI (Applied Communications, Inc.) was founded in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1975, initially developing software for fault-tolerant Tandem NonStop computers. The focus was on connecting the first wave of ATMs to bank systems.
  • The Launch and Global Expansion (1982–1990):
    • 1982: BASE24 product family is officially launched, serving as the “baseline” software for 24-hour operations.
    • 1986: By 1986, ACI has 131 customers in 14 countries, expanding globally.
    • 1987: ACI receives the U.S. President’s “E” Award for Excellence in Export.
  • Public Company and Modernization (1995–2000):
    • 1995: ACI becomes a public company.
    • 1997: Adopts the name ACI Worldwide.
    • 1996–2000: Initial expansion of support to platforms beyond Tandem, including IBM mainframes and UNIX, to support rising internet commerce.
  • The Transition to Open Systems: BASE24-eps (2001–2010):
    • Early 2000s: Introduction of BASE24-es (later renamed BASE24-eps), a Next-Gen, C++ based engine.
    • 2003: BASE24-eps is live on HP NonStop, IBM zSeries, and IBM pSeries/Sun Solaris.
    • 2006: ACI announces a version of BASE24-es to support UK Faster Payments.
    • 2008–2010: ACI moves toward a unified strategy, with BASE24-eps becoming the mainstream offering while Classic matured.
  • Modernization and Cloud Era (2011–Present):
    • 2011: BASE24-eps wins the Most Innovative Financial Product Award.
    • 2015: ACI celebrates 40 years of operation and introduces advanced fraud detection (Proactive Risk Manager) integrated with BASE24-eps.
    • 2023: ACI goes live as an early adopter of the Federal Reserve’s FedNow Service, using modernized BASE24-eps technology.
    • 2024–2025: BASE24-eps becomes fully PCI-SSF compliant (PCI 4.0), running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and supporting hybrid cloud deployments. 

Key Features of BASE24-eps

  • Fault Tolerance: Designed for high availability with near-zero downtime.
  • Multi-Channel Support: Manages ATM (NCR, Diebold Nixdorf), POS, and Mobile/Web traffic in a single engine.
  • Scripting Engine: Uses JavaScript-like scripts to allow customers to define authorization logic without modifying the core system.
  • Universal Connectivity: Supports 40+ global and regional network interfaces (Visa, Mastercard, etc.).
  • Platform Independence: Runs on HPE NonStop, IBM z/OS (CICS), and Linux/x86_64.
  • Real-time Fraud Prevention: Integrated with ACI Proactive Risk Manager. 

BASE24 Classic vs. BASE24-eps

  • Classic: Monolithic, Tandem-dependent, older technology.
  • eps: Object-oriented (C++), open systems architecture, 30% faster processing, supports cloud-native approaches. 

BASE24 Overview and Historical Timeline