Speaker | Author | Blogger
Coach | Trainer | Mentor | Advisor | Consultant
Hello, world! My name is Rachael Wilterdink. I have been working with technology for a long, long time. I started this blog to share my knowledge and experience and to help you avoid some of the pain and mistakes I made along the way.
When I started in tech, colleges didn’t have web design and development classes – just programming. So, what did I do? I bought many books and taught myself how to code HTML and use Photoshop (CSS and Javascript didn’t even exist yet). I built an extensive personal website, and boom, I landed a tech job in California with a small start-up company. It was my dream job, which was about movies, and it was on the web. That little company was called Netflix.
Fast-forward 20+ years, and I am still tech, and I also can play Scrum Master, Product Owner proxy, Business Analyst, Quality Analyst, Agile Coach, etc. I hold professional certifications in many of these roles. I also speak, teach, coach, and mentor aspiring business analysts.
For many years, I gave back to the educational community, chairing the Advisory Committee for the Business and Data Analytics Program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College for five years. And I participated for many years on the Advisory Committee for the Web and Software Development Program at Lakeshore Technical College.
I also volunteer my time to a couple of professional organizations. I’m the VP of Education and Certification for my IIBA chapter here in Southeast Wisconsin (SEW) and the Vice President of Membership for the PMI Northeast Wisconsin (NEW) chapter.
I welcome you to join me on my blogging journey.
What I do
Business Analyst
As a Business Analyst, I hold the following certifications:
| Credential | Issuing Organization |
| Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®) | International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) |
| Professional Business Analyst (PMI-PBA®)* | Project Management Institute (PMI) |
| Agile Analysis Certification (AAC) | International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) |
Scrum Master
My Agile journey started pretty rough, but over time it improved as I shifted my mindset (which wasn’t an easy thing to do). I hold the following Scrum Master certification:
| Credential | Issuing Organization |
| Certified Scrum Master (CSM) | Scrum Alliance |
| Professional Scrum Master (PSM) | Scrum.org |
| Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) | Project Management Institute (PMI) |
Speaker
I am extremely passionate about my profession and love sharing my knowledge and experience with others. I have given presentations on a wide variety of topics for the following organizations and events:
- WIBADD (Wisconsin Business Analysis Development Day) – which shut down in 2021
- Northeast Wisconsin IIBA® Chapter – chapter closed down due to COVID
- Southeast Wisconsin IIBA® Chapter
- Madison PMI® Chapter
- Milwaukee SPIN
- Fox Valley Business Intelligence Group
- BAWorld Chicago
- Northeast Wisconsin Agile Meet-up
- Northeastern Wisconsin Technical College – guest lecturer
- International Institute of Business Analysis, global®
- Wisconsin PMI Professional Development Day
- Southeastern Business Analysis Day
- South Florida IIBA® Chapter
- Palmetto IIBA® Chapter
- Birmingham IIBA® Chapter
- University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh – guest lecturer
- Hartford, Connecticut IIBA® Chapter
- Palmetto IIBA® Chapter
- Central Iowa IIBA® Chapter
- Tampa Bay Florida IIBA® Chapter
- Kansas City IIBA® Chapter – Kansas City Business Analysis Development Day (KCBADD)
COVID put a damper on most of my speaking engagements for 2020, but I’m back to speaking now. If interested in having me present to your group, please reach out to me. Check out my speaker sheet to see a list of popular topics.
Trainer / Teacher / Coach / Mentor
I am actively involved in sharing my knowledge about Business Analysis and Agile with others as a trainer, teacher, coach, and mentor. Topics cover:
- Business Analysis knowledge areas
- Business Analysis techniques
- Agile Basics
- Scrum Master Training
- Product Owner Training
- Agile Advanced
Blogger / Author
I have been blogging for my company for many years now, but I have a lot more to share, and I love doing it, so that is why I have my own blog.
I am also the author of an eBook entitled “40 Agile Transformation Pain Points, and how to Avoid or Manage them.”
Product Owner
I have trained and worked with some amazing Product Owners in my career, and I see it as a natural progression of a Business Analyst’s skills. Yes, there are differences, but it sets a solid foundation for taking on the role. I also hold these Product Owner certifications:
| Credential | Issuing Organization |
| Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) | Scrum.org |
| Certification of Product Ownership Analysis (CPOA) | International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA® ) |
