Mark Whitfield is a highly experienced Senior IT Project Manager based in Manchester, UK, with over 31 years of experience in the IT industry specializing in both Agile and Waterfall methodologies. He holds SC clearance (valid until 2031) and has a strong technical background in banking and digital project delivery, including experience as a developer in software development lifecycles (SDLC).
Mark Whitfield is a highly experienced Senior IT Project Manager based in Manchester
Professional Biography
After graduating in Computing in 1990, Mark began his career as a programmer specializing in Electronic Banking software on Tandem Mainframe Computers (HPE NonStop). He spent five years coding in COBOL85 and NonStop SQL for banking clients before transitioning into project management.
Mark has operated as a Senior IT Project Manager for over two decades, delivering complex projects for major blue-chip clients, including Jaguar Landrover, Heathrow, Royal Mail Group, and various financial institutions. He currently provides project management templates based on his extensive experience via his website, PROject Templates.
Example POaP Plan On a Page templates by Mark Whitfield
Projects: Delivered Waterfall and Agile digital projects for automotive, local regional government (LRG), postal services, and aerospace & defence sectors.
C&CA UK’s Communications & Engagement Award Winner 2022
Betfred (Late 2014 – Jan 2016)
Role: Senior IT Project Manager.
Projects: Managed mobile and online gambling/casino projects, including payment gateways, sportsbook, and virtual gaming using Agile SCRUM.
Wincor Nixdorf (Sept 2013 – Late 2014)
Role: Agile IT PM, Professional Services – Banking Division.
Projects: Managed ATM software delivery (Wincor Nixdorf work stream >£5M) for Lloyds Banking Group/Halifax.
Mark Whitfield provides a variety of Plan On a Page (POaP) templates designed to simplify complex project schedules into a single, high-level visual. These templates are typically available through his official website as part of a larger project management toolkit that includes over 200 editable documents.
PowerPoint Plan On a Page (POaP) templates
Mark Whitfield’s POaP Template Formats
Whitfield’s templates are available across multiple platforms to suit different project needs:
PowerPoint POaP Templates
Includes over 35+ slide examples showing different ways to visualise a Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) plan. These are ideal for client presentations where high-level detail is needed.
Excel POaP & Tracker Templates
Features Gantt views, resource costing grids, and Agile Sprint views. Some Excel versions allow you to align the POaP with resource availability and overall phase costs, useful for project bids.
MS Project (MPP) Templates
Detailed PRINCE2 and Waterfall templates that can be condensed into a “timeline” view to serve as a POaP. These are annotated for tasks like Agile Scrum ceremonies or specific PRINCE2 7th Edition stages.
Key Features of the POaP Templates
Adaptability: Templates are designed to be tailored for Waterfall (PRINCE2) or Agile (Scrum/Sprints) methodologies.
Integrated Tracking: Often bundled with RAID logs (Risk, Action, Issue, Dependency) and RACI trackers to provide a complete overview beyond just the schedule.
Visual Dashboards: Many versions include self-populating charts and summary dashboards for at-a-glance status reporting.
Availability: Templates can be purchased individually or as a bulk pack on Mark Whitfield’s Website or through platforms like Etsy and Eloquens.
PRINCE2 Agile combines the structured governance of PRINCE2 with the flexibility of agile methods (like Scrum and Kanban) to manage projects effectively. It focuses on maintaining control, transparency, and high-quality delivery while empowering teams, making it ideal for fast-paced environments.
Key Aspects of PRINCE2 Agile:
Structure + Flexibility: It provides the framework to guide projects, while allowing the use of agile techniques to build the product.
Key Focus Areas:
The Agilometer: Assesses the level of risk and agility in a project.
Requirements: Prioritized to ensure the most valuable features are delivered first.
Rich Communication: Emphasizes face-to-face interaction and team rooms.
Frequent Releases: Ensures regular delivery and feedback loops.
Tailored Governance: Allows projects to remain aligned with organizational goals while keeping the flexibility needed for innovation.
Compatibility: Works well with various agile methods including Scrum, Kanban, and Lean Startup.
Main Benefits:
Increased Flexibility: Enables faster adaptation to changes and new information.
Improved Quality: Focuses on delivering high-quality products that meet client needs.
Enhanced Control: Provides necessary governance for project success.
When to Use:
Projects requiring both structure and high responsiveness.
Teams using Agile techniques who need to satisfy governing bodies.
Situations demanding regular, iterative delivery of results.
Mark Whitfield is a highly experienced, SC-cleared Senior Project Manager and IT professional with over 31 years of experience in both public and private sectors, specializing in software development, cloud migration, and IT systems delivery.
He is currently associated with Capgemini (since 2016) and runs a project management resource website, PROject Templates.
Joined Capgemini in 2016 having worked at ascending points in software development lifecycle projects for over 31 years
Key Qualifications & Experience:
Roles: Senior Project Manager, Engagement Project Manager, Delivery Manager, and former programmer.
Methodologies: PRINCE2 Practitioner, skilled in both Waterfall and Agile (SCRUM) approaches.
Sector Experience: Extensive experience in finance and banking, including ATM software swap-outs, cloud migration (Azure, AWS, Power Platform), and POS monitoring systems.
Background: Graduated in Computing in 1990; worked as a developer (COBOL, SQL, Tandem / HPE NonStop) before transitioning to project management.
PRINCE2 Practitioner, skilled in both Waterfall and Agile (SCRUM) approaches
Professional Highlights:
Delivered major projects for clients such as Barclays, Bank of England, HSBC, Royal Mail Group, UK & Welsh Government, Heathrow, and Jaguar Land Rover.
Led complex IT infrastructure projects and business transformations.
Maintains mark-whitfield.com, offering over 200 project management templates, trackers (RAID, budget, benefit, cost etc.), and many plans for Agile / Waterfall projects including 30+ Plan On a Page (POaP) and MS Project MPP examples (click on Blog above for a summary).
Provides specialized templates for PRINCE2 7th edition and MS Project (MPP).
December 2022 – C&CA UK’s Communications & Engagement Award Winner – Cloud & Custom Applications – Capgemini UKNovember 2017 – Advanced Engagement Management Course – Level 2 ExamJune 1990 – Higher National Diploma in Computer Studies, Distinction
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.
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.
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 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