Aarthi Shankaran

Led 3 product verticals to drive innovation and adoption within Quinyx's Workforce Management (WFM) platform:

Frontline Portal:
• Managed a task management and communication solution adopted by leading retail clients. After Quinyx acquired the product in October 2022, led its integration into the WFM platform to deliver an "All-in-One" solution.
• Conducted discovery sessions with 20+ customers (60+ users) to gather insights on WFM needs and defined a strategic vision and roadmap through 2027 for the unified platform.
• Released the first beta version and launched an Early Adopter Program, collaborating with six ambassador customers. Feedback from this program shaped the product backlog, enabling continuous development.

Platform Team:
• Defined technical requirements to enhance foundational product capabilities, such as analytics and reporting, aligned with business strategies targeting enterprise customers.
• Supported R&D efforts to ensure scalability and functionality for expanding into larger market segments.

Core Product Offering:
• Currently, managing the salary engine to ensure compliance with labor laws, regulations, and workforce scheduling requirements across diverse markets.
• Collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to interpret complex regulations and embed compliance as a value proposition within the product.
• Addressed compliance gaps and enhanced product value streams, driving customer adoption and positioning Quinyx as a leading WFM solution in the market.

• Led a team of 13 engineers managing 8 train sub-systems, including CCTV and Passenger Information Systems, across six major train projects, such as the Elizabeth Line.
• Defined high-level requirements, supervised system integration, and ensured alignment with customer needs and project goals.
• Managed deliverables from 7 global suppliers, reviewed milestones, and ensured compliance with quality standards and regulatory requirements.
• Developed and maintained a traceability matrix for 1,800+ functional requirements, facilitating system certification for multiple projects.
• Spearheaded system requirements definition and integration for train projects within Alstom UK's portfolio, including the Elizabeth Line, London Overground, C2C, and South Western Rail.
• Maintained sub-system roadmaps to meet product objectives, achieve certification, and ensure on-time vehicle delivery.

• Managed SW requirements for Train Controls and Management Systems (TCMS) across Aventra Product family of commuter trains
• Built a requirements management (RM) team of 5 engineers and streamlines RM process
• Responsible for the full life cycle of train software requirements starting from discovery to documentation, implementation and validation
• Developed the Train software product's first Traceability matrix clarifying validation status of each train sw requirements to independent assessors. This helped the Aventra family of trains achieve its first EN50567 certification (introduced in 2017)
  Monitored and tracked project progress to support timely completion
• Updated customers and senior leaders on progress and roadblocks
• Led cross-functional teams to successfully deliver several requirements documentation

• Collaborated with Engineers, QAs, Safety Engineers, Functional Architects, SW validators to deliver over 60 train SWs that have successfully been certified to be deployed on trains in Passenger Service
• Delivered key software release documentation (Release notes, Open defects list along with its impacts and mitigations, SW traceability matrix, SW deployment checklists, etc.)
  Collaborated with external Independent Safety Assessors to successfully certify our releases
• Chaired sprint planning and backlog refinement meetings to define sprint scope
• Conducted triage meetings to prioritise and debug integration problems (sometimes with external suppliers like signalling systems if needed)
• Managed simultaneous and multiple releases across various subs-sytems of the train and within diverse projects in UK

• Managed SW delivery for 3 sub-systems (Human Machine Interface, Passenger Information Systems and Train Controls and Management Systems)
• Responsible for complete V-cycle of SW development (Requirements, design, architecture, dev, testing & validation)
• Developed and presented KPIs tracking readiness of SW for certification purposes
• Led a team of 17 SW developers and QAs across 3 global locations
• Successfully delivered final TCMS software that went into passenger service on upgraded London Underground trains

• Delivered 300+ requirements for Passenger Information Systems containing route related information for trains
• Defined requirements to integrate our train sw with external signalling systems
• Analysed real time events/failures data recorded by Train Data Recorders for the London Underground family of trains
• Identified patterns and performed root cause analysis by understanding functional block diagrams of our sub-systems, thus presenting solution proposals to the Change Control Board (CCB)

• Spearheaded Altius Foundation's Karka Math Lab project, providing alternate model of education for underprivileged children
• Facilitated math learning to 70+ children by adopting technology and collaborating with Khan Academy which aims at providing free education to anyone, anywhere
• Trained over 74 local teachers to facilitate learning sessions themselves across the county

• Supported research team working on designing and fabricating Micro Air Vehicles
• Conducted full market research to study specifications of existing MAVs in the industry and helped team articulate a baseline product specifications for prototyping

• Studied sub-systems of Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft
• Developed understanding of overhaul process for this aircraft through my involvement at the hangar with maintenance engineers

• Conducted series of experiments on 'Flow Visualisation Techniques in Aerodynamics' to study shock waves on aerodynamic wing models inside supersonic wind tunnels, using Shadowgraph and Schlieren visualisation techniques
• This work supported PhD candidates analyse problems due to shock waves on various aerodynamic models

Highlights:

- Designed & Fabricated a lunar rover addressing a series of engineering problems faced on the moon & received an invitation from NASA to participate in their 17th Annual Moonbuggy Race at their Marshall Spaceflight center in Huntsvile, Alabama. We were among the only 3 teams representing India at NASA in 2010.

- Thesis: Conceptual Design of a UAV for stealth and tactical purposes. Validated its design and stability using simulations on XFLR5 and MATLAB softwares.