Product Management
Som Ruge
AI & Digital Transformation Leader
Durham, NC
20+ years leading large-scale, cross-functional programs across Agile and enterprise environments — turning strategic roadmaps into delivered outcomes for global teams across the US, India, Australia, and Thailand. Increasingly focused on applying AI to accelerate digital transformation.
About
I'm a program and product delivery leader with a track record of running large-scale, cross-functional programs in Agile and enterprise environments — spanning program delivery, stakeholder management, governance, and the strategic initiatives that improve delivery velocity, reduce risk, and align execution with business outcomes.
I hold a PMP and am a Certified SAFe Program Consultant (SPC6), alongside certifications in Generative AI for Leaders and AI for Digital Transformation — the lens I now bring to modernizing how teams plan, decide, and ship.
Focus Areas
Agile Program Delivery
Running SAFe Agile Release Trains and enterprise programs end to end — PI planning, roadmap execution, and delivery at scale.
Governance & Stakeholder Alignment
Building governance frameworks and operating models that keep cross-team dependencies, risk, and executive alignment under control.
AI & Digital Transformation
Applying generative AI capabilities to modernize workflows, decision-making, and delivery tooling.
Delivery Excellence & Coaching
Coaching product owners and teams on Agile practice, backed by KPI-driven continuous improvement.
Experience
FEI Systems · Columbia, MD
Fidelity Investments · Durham, NC
- Directed program delivery across 8+ cross-functional teams (40+ members), improving delivery predictability by 20–30%
- Partnered with senior leadership on strategic roadmap execution, reducing time-to-market by 25% for key deliverables
- Established governance frameworks that cut delivery defects and escalations by ~20%
FEI Systems · Columbia, MD
- Led enterprise Agile transformation, implementing SAFe across 10+ teams (~60+ members)
- Improved team predictability to 90% and execution efficiency by 75% through Agile coaching and delivery tracking
- Managed the Agile Release Train, improving release cycle reliability by 25%
Ciber Inc · Washington, DC
- Managed a 15+ member cross-functional team delivering a $3.5M SaaS platform on Microsoft Azure
- Implemented an enterprise-wide Database Activity Monitoring system, saving $5M annually
- Established KPIs that reduced development time by 35% and improved quality by 22%
Test Lead, Wipro Technologies (2007–2009) · Senior Test Analyst, ANZ IT (2005–2007)
Key Programs & Impact
Enterprise Agile Transformation
FEI Systems
Rolled out SAFe across 10+ teams (~60 members), lifting predictability to 90% and execution efficiency by 75%.
Global Program Governance
Fidelity Investments
Built the governance model behind 8+ concurrent programs, cutting escalations ~20% and time-to-market by 25%.
$3.5M SaaS Platform & $5M in Savings
Ciber Inc
Delivered an Azure SaaS platform with a 15+ member team, then shipped an enterprise Database Activity Monitoring system that saved $5M a year.
Projects
📝 PNotes — Personal Notes App
React · TypeScript · IndexedDB · Bring-your-own-key AI
A local-first notes app I built end to end to get hands-on with applying AI to everyday tools: create, tag, pin, and search notes stored entirely in the browser, with optional AI-assisted summarizing, tone rewriting, and tag suggestions.
Certifications & Tools
Quick Break
Pop as many balloons as you can in 10 seconds — grab the gold ones, dodge the risky ones.
Get in Touch
Open to conversations on program delivery, Agile transformation, and applied AI.