Business Analyst

job summary:

Scope of Services

Background: The Department has identified Human Resources (HR) business process modernization needs to better serve all business units. The HR Office and Office of Work Program and Budget (OWPB) have jointly prioritized an HR workflow automation platform. HR Actions are HR transactions which have been initiated but not yet validated, approved, or executed in the system of record. These actions include four primary types: Authorization to Fill Vacancy, Appointment Package preparation, Pay Action Request, and Promotion or Reclassification.

These workflows currently move through multiple systems and communication exchanges contributing to operational inefficiencies including elevated time-to-fill metrics and limited visibility into rate-impact reporting obligations. This initiative will deliver a custom application similar to an existing internal automation platform using ReactJS and .NET Clean Architecture, extending current capabilities.

Problem Statement: The selected candidate will be assigned to support requirements gathering and analysis, backlog management and quality assurance for the HR Automation initiative, starting with HR Actions application development effort in collaboration with the HR Office and Office of Work Program and Budget. The candidate will serve as the primary liaison between OWPB Systems Support and HR subject-matter experts, translating HR business intent to actionable user stories with clear acceptance criteria. Quality assurance and user acceptance testing will play a vital part of the overall delivery to ensure any discrepancies or gaps that may arise during implementation are quickly and properly addressed. As part of this effort, the candidate will participate in iterative release planning, support stakeholder engagement across HR and OWPB, and produce documentation that supports both the development team and end users. The selected candidate will be given access to existing source documentation and project staff, and will be required to identify functional gaps, develop, and document all activities necessary for successful implementation.

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Systems, or financial related field and 6 years professional work experience. Work experience can substitute on a year for year basis for the degree. Special consideration will be given to candidates with Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP), International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB) certification, or similar business analysis and quality assurance certifications.

Experience

Candidate must have a minimum of 6 years of experience in business analysis, requirements engineering and quality assurance documentation. This experience must also be in a professional environment, preferably workflow automation, human resources systems, or state government applications. Candidate will be expected to describe multiple past experiences with business analysis tools and methodologies, and how they were deployed for a successful outcome that met customer's objectives.

Primary Job Duties / Tasks

The submitted candidate must be able to perform the following duties and/or tasks. Duties of the selected candidate will include, but not be limited to:

Coordinate the development of project schedules, implementation plans, and documentation for HR automation releases and present to management, customers, and technical staff.

Lead User Acceptance Testing (UAT) cycles with HR Office stakeholders; confer with impacted personnel such as Budget Office to ensure systems are performing as required.

Oversee the development of testing strategies, data scenarios, and test plans to ensure functional requirements are addressed.

Evaluate critical information gathered from multiple resources. Summarize detailed data into executive level formats as well as breaking down aggregate information into meaningful pieces.

Develop standardized desk procedures that include the purpose, prerequisites, process flows and narratives of business processes.

Manage user stories, project backlog, sprint backlogs, participate in SCRUM meetings including daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and sprint retrospectives within Azure DevOps.

Produce deliverables including, but not limited to, project schedules, implementation plans, business requirements, functional specifications, supporting business processes, quality assurance plans, and user acceptance testing artifacts.

Use subject matter expertise, industry methodologies and best practices, and automated tools to analyze and make recommendations on behalf of the Department for required changes to HR automations supporting HR workflow processes.

Prepare business specifications to communicate Department specific functional requirements for remediation efforts and address dependencies with other interfacing systems and external stakeholder interfaces.

Assist in business process redesign and documentation as needed to support ongoing efforts in the Office of Work Program and Budget and Enterprise environment.

Work with functional and enterprise system support staff during technical assessments of the Department's internal HR-related systems and integrations as needed.

Facilitate work sessions with HR subject-matter experts to elicit and prioritize remediation requirements. Identify any functionality seen as needed, but missing, in Department maintained systems.

Translate high level business requirements into detailed business documents and/or functional specifications.

Job Specific Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

The submitted candidate must be able to apply common knowledge, skills, and abilities in the following areas:

Knowledge of human resources business processes and state government workflow practices with the ability to translate HR domain knowledge into functional requirements and acceptance criteria.

Ability to produce legible and complete functional documentation in a way that thoroughly captures business processes and inputs/outputs of the applications.

Ability to analyze and accurately and completely define processes and workflows to design efficient information solutions, including missing or duplicate functionality in existing applications.

Ability to work effectively with users and a project team, to identify and document requirements for the maintenance, enhancement, or development of computer application systems, including technical overviews and context diagrams.

Knowledge of relational database theories and concepts.

Skill in testing complex applications and interpreting whether requirements and designs were met in the product.

Ability to plan, organize, coordinate, and prioritize work assignments for him/herself.

Skill in accurately preparing schedule estimates for requirements analysis and quality assurance tasks in an iterative software delivery environment.

Ability to work effectively with Project Managers, Business Analysts, Software Developers, and Technical Architects to build efficient, viable solutions in the maintenance of business applications utilizing all established Departmental standards.

Ability to prepare functional specifications and user stories with clear acceptance criteria.

Ability to prepare test plans and to design test cases, test data, and test environments.

Ability to interpret and communicate technical and functional information related to software applications, both verbally and writing.

Advanced skills with Microsoft products: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, and Project.

Experience working workflow automation, human resources, or government administrative computing applications.

Knowledge of Agile Project Management methodologies and practices.

Knowledge of the SCRUM Framework.

Preferred (but not required) KSAs

Azure DevOps experience for backlog management, spring planning, and test execution.

Skill in performing QA reviews in determining that standards are met.

Experience with state government human resources systems, payroll systems, or position management applications.

Skill in data analysis techniques, data validation approaches and validating data relationships.

General Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

The submitted candidate must be able to apply common knowledge, skills, and abilities in the following areas:

Communication: Ability to clearly convey information, in both written and verbal formats, to individuals or groups in a wide variety of settings (i.e., project team meetings, management presentations, etc.). Must have the ability to effectively listen and process information provided by others.

Customer Service: Works well with clients and customers (i.e., business office, public, or other agencies). Able to assess the needs of the customer, provide information or assistance to satisfy expectations or resolve a problem.

Decision Making: Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions.

Flexibility: Open to change, new processes (or process improvement), and new information. Has the ability to adapt in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles. Ability to receive and give constructive criticism and maintain effective work relationships with others.

Interpersonal: Shows friendliness, courtesy, understanding, and politeness to others.