Whitney E. Ferster Email & Phone Number

United States

United States

Newport News, Virginia, United States

• Translated customer needs into functional, performance, software, hardware, and interface requirements for seven aircraft carrier auxiliary systems which gained navy approval • Developed System Requirements Documents (SRDs) and Software Requirement Specifications (SRSs)• Prepared presentations for Navy milestone reviews (CONOPS, CDR, SFR, etc.)• Performed functional, design, and interface analysis of ship systems• Provided traceability of ship system requirements down to system and component level requirements• Developed requirements verification and validation matrices• Gathered and managed project risks, improved quality of existing requirements, managed project plans, developed procedures for writing technical requirements• Created the process for writing Interface Requirements Specifications (IRSs) & Requirement Analysis Documents (RADs) through cross-disciplinary collaboration• Developed functional and interface diagrams. • Identified, derived, and classified requirements at all levels for the Carrier Advanced Weapons Elevator System• Served as technical lead for the requirements management and Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tool, Cradle by 3SL (DOORS competitor)• Developed material and trained employees on Systems Engineering processes and System Development Lifecycle• Documented Cradle’s object schema diagram to document and understand data relationships• Earned Lean Six Sigma Certificate• Managed requirements and developed test plans for Carrier and Submarine Paint, Component Unit Identifiers (CUIs), IRAD Next Gen Carrier, and Ship Specifications• Developed a SharePoint site for Integrated Planning & Production Control (IPPC) Strategic Management Team to organize the documents and artifacts supporting each division’s strategy• Designed the SharePoint Integrated Digital Shipbuilding (IDS) Project Management Office (PMO) site to manage project artifacts and tasking; developed the Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM)

Newport News, Virginia

Integrated Planning and Production Control Project Management• Helped turn the strategies of the division into measurable actions• Prioritized initiatives• Developed a marketing brochure to communicate the division’s goalsIntegrated Digital Shipbuilding Project Manager• Managed project deliverables (Scope, Requirements, Risks, and Schedules)• Supported the transformation of the shipyard into a digital environment Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) Project Manager• Improved safety awareness through examination of NNS and Kesselring safety requirements• Improved customer satisfaction by encouraging feedback, maintaining consistent communication, and regularly evaluating customer needs using Agile methods• Developed and managed the project plan, processes, milestones, and resources Procurement Requirements Project Manager• Sold the value of the project on a regular basis• Collaborated and managed communication with multiple departments to resolve conflict and meet project goals• Led team meetings, encouraged team to meet deadlines and deliver quality products, counseled teammates when needed• Improved integration of purchase order requirements with potential to save $5 million across all programs when fully implementedCoatings Project Manager• Managed timelines, schedules, risks and mitigations, stakeholder issues, key decisions, and weekly statuses using SharePoint, Excel spreadsheets, and data visualizations• Created precise packages of requirements resulting in a 31% reduction in rework and man-hours

Newport News, Virginia

Database Development Requirements Lead• Worked with customers to clearly define their requirements which reduced software development revision iterations by 75%• Led training classes on database operation • Improved tracking of change requests and hole cuts in the ship which reduced rework and costHuman Factors Engineering Project Management Liaison• Applied Systems Engineering principles to Human Factors and Ergonomics processes to reduce injuries • Created and helped manage POAMs and action items for 35 projects in the yard using MS ProjectDatabase Architect• Developed and maintained the Cradle database architecture, served as technical lead, maintained database integrity, and supported software upgrades• Led the development of two new processes through cross-disciplinary collaboration• Organized and taught training classes for the computer aided systems engineering tool, CradleSystems Lead• Translated customer needs into functional, performance, software, hardware, and interface requirements for aircraft carrier systems• Diagrammed system functional operations which improved team communication and requirement accuracy

Bachelor’S Degree, Systems And Information Engineering

Activities and Societies: Engineering Student Council - Student Advisor; Captain of UVA Club Softball Team

Master Of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Business Administration And Management, General

Activities and Societies: Vice President of the Flex MBA Association

Master Of Business Administration - Mba