Job Specification
Position Title:
I&IT Senior Business Analyst
Job Code:
6A003 - InformationTechnology06
Purpose :
- To lead and provide a comprehensive range of I&IT business analysis services for clients, promote the application of I&IT to business problems, and undertake comprehensive business needs assessments and analysis of complex business requirements to identify and recommend appropriate I&IT
technical business and/or infrastructure solutions and production support.
- To prepare and advise on business analysis policies, processes, best practices and standards to promote a comprehensive and consistent business analysis practice within IT Source, the cluster, Infrastructure Services Technology (ITS), the ministry and across the OPS.
- To develop and maintain business relationships and to provide ongoing I&IT advice for improvements to/options for business development.
Key Responsibilities :
1. Business Analysis
- Leads and conducts business analysis both on an ongoing basis and for business projects to assess clients' business problems or opportunities, document the technical business requirements to meet the functional requirements, ensuring alignment with the OPS project management and related methodologies.
- Applies re-engineering concepts to promote business improvements through alternative, cost effective service delivery approaches.
- Conducts ongoing business analysis activities and analysis within all phases of the project life cycle, including initial technical requirements, detailed plan of business analysis activity, business modeling, analysis of business transformation, new business development and acquired solutions, continual refinement of business requirements and identification of significant changes in requirement documentation and maintenance of approved business requirement.
- Develops strategies, prepares business cases and cost-benefit analysis, and conducts feasibility studies for business I&IT initiatives.
- Oversees ongoing production support and configuration management.
- Leads and participates in the process for requests for proposals, with a focus on client requirements and evaluation of vendor responses for I&IT business and/or infrastructure solutions.
- Leads and facilitates in-depth workshops to elicit, review, document and confirm business requirements, business process reengineering, business models, business rules and user interface design, in order to create the technical framework/specifications for development of the business solution and/or infrastructure services or platforms.
- Develops performance measures for business analysis evaluation and conducts follow-up assessments to ensure compliance with client cluster and corporate I&IT strategies, policies and priorities.
- Manages the problem identification and resolution activity to ensure timely resolution of production problems.
2. Advice and Expertise
- Collaborates to develop consistent business analysis methods and best practices, tools, contributes to the further evolvement of business analysis methodologies and best practices for the cluster and Ministry, OSS, OPCD, OFA.
- Provides general and situation-specific business analysis interpretation, advice and expertise to I&IT project teams, client management and staff, cluster clients, and external contractors;
- Participates in training initiatives, provides business analysis expertise, mentoring, advice and guidance towards improving Business Analysis competency across the organization.
- Conducts and leads research to identify opportunities for improving I & IT systems use and management
- Provides input to annual and multi-year planning cycles.
3. Business Relationships
- Facilitates and manages stakeholder communication both on an ongoing basis and throughout project life cycles, to support informed client/cluster decision-making on solution options; and to verify that requirements were met by final solution, through involvement in QA test planning and preparation, test execution and verification of test results and the coordination of user acceptance testing.
- Defines and obtains agreement on business technical and/or infrastructure requirements with clients, and oversees I&IT and client management approval process.
- Participates in steering committees, working groups and other stakeholder forums to ensure business alignment with proposed IT solutions, provides input to cluster, ITS and client's operational plans, and project resource decisions.
4. Project Leadership and Management
- Participates on cross-organizational projects and committees involving clusters, ITS, external jurisdictions or public sector to provide expertise and hands-on business analysis integration, alignment, review and risk assessment.
- Develops business requirements and technical specifications for RFPs and participates in assessing bids and negotiating SLAs with vendors.
- Monitors progress, resolves problems and reports regularly to I&IT management and clients' decision makers.
- Provides project planning & input, leadership and functional expertise for the requirements, development, testing and implementation of business systems/infrastructure solutions; deploys and oversees assigned project resources: provides technical expertise, guidance and solutions; solves project issues; provides recommendation to management.
- Provides technical guidance and mentoring to ensure the continuous improvement and compliance with established business analysis methodologies and best practices.
Knowledge / Skill :
Knowledge of and skills in:
- Service delivery management, portfolio, program/project management and resource management to manage the business analysis to clients and provide recommendations on clients' I&IT business and infrastructure needs.
- All aspects of business analysis including enterprise level and client program area business analysis and modeling expertise; related business analysis tools, technology, processes, and methodologies; business analysis-related technical and business planning.
- I&IT Cluster and corporate policies, directives, guidelines and procedures related to service delivery processes, enterprise business architecture, current trends and technologies relate to business driven IT solutions to provide practical expertise to meet business needs, ensure traceability of business requirements to I&IT solutions and ensure compliance with OPS I&IT policies and standards.
Clients' policies and programs, business goals and objectives, plans, issues and resources and linkage to understand business needs, identify partnership opportunities and match technology solutions to business requirements and provide advice on application of I&IT.
- Enterprise business architectural concepts in order to ensure that recommended technologies are consistent with OPS standards.
- Software development life cycle, software design, development and integration, database concepts, user interface design principle, change management, quality assurance, risk management, disaster recovery planning, business continuity planning to develop solutions and/or infrastructure services to satisfy business needs. Industry trends in integrated systems, solutions and infrastructure such as mainframe, web based platforms, desktop technologies, networking, security.
- OPS procurement methodology and practices to write business requirements, specifications, prepare input for RFPs and participates in evaluating proposals.
- Project management methodology and practices to participate in and lead business I&IT initiatives.
- Oral and written communication techniques to provide advice, lead workshops and make presentations to clients and cluster/ITS senior management.
- Operating a computer, common office software, and specialized software for process and data modeling and diagram development.
- Job may have mandatory requirements in areas such as: specific in-depth knowledge of the information technologies, applications and computer languages specific to the program system(s) currently in use. These mandatory requirements will be specified in the job ad during the recruitment process.
Interpersonal / Influencing Skill :
- Communication, presentation, facilitation, collaboration and negotiation skills to lead client dialogues to reach agreement on technological requirements to meet established business (functional) needs, and to design solution frameworks that are compatible across various stakeholders.
- Demonstrates cost-benefit analysis of different solutions/technology options and provides advice to support senior management decision making.
- Consulting, advisory and client management skills to lead/obtain understanding of business processes, and propose new/re- engineered business processes, related tools and solutions, such as performance measurement indicators, and obtain support for solutions recommendations and business cases.
- Collaboration skills to lead/participate on committees, lead/provide advice and assistance in business process analysis. to identify options for improvement.
- Ability to share knowledge concerning business analysis, trends, standards, methods, and specific solutions with clients and colleagues.
- Negotiation skills to negotiate agreements and resolve problems and issues.
Analyzing / Problem Solving Skill :
Analyzing and problem solving skills to:
- Assess clients' business requirements, identify best technology solutions from among alternatives to ensure clients' expectations are satisfied in the cost effective manner, both for individual issues and longer-term overall requirements.
- Evaluate directions, trends, standards and policies in a complex and evolving environment using multiple sources of guidance; identify requirements, develop options and make recommendations on general and specific information architecture and data management issues.
- Identify, research, develop and assess information architecture and data management options, policies, standards and methods; make recommendations for solutions options and creates design specifications for solution and/or infrastructure development which satisfy general and business needs.
- Advise on and make recommendations for improving performance through new solutions, technology, expansion or replacement. Determine RFP requirements/specifications to participate in evaluating proposals.
Decision Making / Responsibility :
Responsible for:
- Planning, coordinating and leading all phases of assigned business analysis, process improvements, architecture or infrastructure projects or services within risk, time and resource constraints to meet client needs.
- Ensuring the quality of business solution recommendations and implementation and ensuring integration with enterprise and cluster standards and directions.
- Conducting business analysis reviews, recommending options & changes and contingency provisions.
- Providing leadership/management for ongoing operation and maintenance of information systems and related client support for Tier 2 and Tier 3 support.
- Providing technical leadership, business analysis and architecture expertise ensuring that a valid plan is developed, implemented and evaluated according to approval standards and policies and assisting in issues management.
- Preparing and controlling assigned project budget expenditures and meeting project goals within budget.
- Participating in preparing and evaluating RFPs and negotiating contracts to acquire business I&IT solutions and to assess new technologies, managing the work of external contractors.
Has latitude to: ensure the delivery of I&IT services to achieve the solution, consistent with strategic and operational plans of the client, cluster and ITS; identify business issues, determine and recommend solutions to resolve them and meet goals, needs and standards; recommend new or revised business analysis methodologies, best practices and standards to senior management.
Work is performed under the broad mandate, polices and guidelines of the corporate and Ministry I&IT program, and is guided by corporate and I&IT strategies and policies and OPS administrative policies and procedures governing procurement, contract management, business planning and allocation and I&IT usage.
Contacts / Stakeholder :
- Cluster staff, project and team leader and senior management to provide advice and guidance on business analysis, discuss or explain clients' business requirements and facilitate the development of technology solutions.
- Business consulting teams and staff to discuss various business and I&IT initiatives.
- Cluster and clients' management and staff to analyze business needs, provide project status reports, advice and recommendations, explain resource requirements, provide briefings, and assist in resolving issues.
- External professional peers in IT community to keep abreast of developments, exchange information and investigate technology alternatives.
- Vendors, suppliers and external I&IT consultants to manage acquisition of services on behalf of clients.
- Clusters, Enterprise I&IT organizations (ITS, Cyber Security etc.), ministry, public sector to discuss overlapping business requirements and develop partnerships.
Guidance / Supervision :
- Provides technical leadership, functional business analysis and architecture expertise to project staff, colleagues and clients.
- Provides technical guidance, advice and monitoring to other Business Analysts across the organization.
- Provides consultation and expertise on clients'/clusters' business problems/opportunities, business improvement to develop business analysis/architect methods and best practice.
- Leads business analysis within risk, time and resources constrains to meet client needs.
Demands / Pressures :
Work Demands :
- Frequent unexpected work demands; multiple and /or conflicting work demands, shifting priorities, deadline changes, tight time pressures.
- Expectations that knowledge about I & IT disciplines and client needs' is current and readily available.
- The challenge of balancing the alignment between clients' demands and expected results versus I & IT solution/infrastructure providers' abilities to deliver quality solutions.
Mental / Sensory :
- Frequent requirement for concentrated reviewing, analysis, researching, and reading materials without interruption, developing documents and presentations.
- Frequently required to concentrate intently while preparing documents and listen during meetings and in daily interactions.
Conditions / Environment :
Work is performed in a typical office environment.