Senior Business Analyst



Position description

Title: Senior Business Analyst

Group: Organisational Support

Location: Palmerston North / Wellington / Auckland

Reports to: Manager Business Analysis Practice

Date: April 2012

Purpose of position

The Business Analysis team has a key role in enabling NZTA to achieve its strategic goals by delivering effective information systems and technology.

The Senior Business Analyst will contribute to the achievement of these strategic objectives by identifying and analysing the needs of the business for change to business systems, with future goals in sight. The role will include the provision of high quality, technically robust requirement artefacts, which are used in the successful delivery of NZTA IS projects within NZTA.

This is delivered by providing:

• Professional, impartial analysis for IT systems

• Effective and innovate solutions to meet business requirements

• Positive direction and advice on IT projects

The Senior Business Analyst is also expected to assist in the development of junior staff through the provision of coaching, mentoring and day to day guidance in conjunction with the Manager Business Analysis Practice.

Organisation profile

The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) is a Crown entity set up to contribute to an affordable, integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable land transport system for New Zealand as set out in the Land Transport Management Act 2003.

Our three main functions are -

- Planning and investing in land transport networks

- Managing the state highway network

- Providing access to and use of the land transport system

In 2011-14, we will focus on five priorities as we progress towards the government’s long-term transport impacts:

- Plan for and deliver roads of national significance (RoNS)

- Improve the road safety system

- Improve the efficiency of freight movements

- Improve the effectiveness of public transport

- Improve customer service and reduce compliance costs

We employ approximately 1300 staff throughout New Zealand and are structured into six business groups. We encourage staff to work collaboratively across the organisation. We are committed to linking people together and drawing from the combined skills and knowledge held within the organisation, in order to develop innovative solutions and work more effectively with stakeholders.

NZTA purpose and behaviours

Our purpose

Our purpose is ’creating transport solutions for a thriving New Zealand.’

Whatever your role is in the NZTA, we are creating transport solutions for a thriving New Zealand. It’s the same whether you work in planning and investing in land transport networks, providing the State highway, or managing access to and use of the land transport system.

We are solutions-oriented, focusing on the needs of our customers.

If New Zealand is to thrive, transport is vital — for connected communities, and a growing economy.

Our behaviours

- Sign up – Commit to where we are going and put our heart into what we do. Get engaged every day.

- Team up – Enjoy the people we work with. Appreciate their talents. Use joined-up thinking to find solutions for our customers.

- Front up – Be courageous. Tackle the difficult issues. Know our own value and bring it to work with confidence and good judgement.

Business Group Background – Organisational Support

The Organisational Support Group, one of six business groups within the NZTA, comprises a cluster of five units with a purpose of “We sign-up, team-up and front-up to provide fit for purpose services to enable the NZTA to deliver”. The functional units in the group are:

• Finance

• Information Services

• Legal Services

• Corporate Services

• Assurance and Risk

The Group’s key drivers and leadership messages are:

• Developing our people – growing our people and building our culture

• Partnering and customer service ethos – embedding a service culture and ethos

• Transform and optimise – understanding the business and bringing the service culture, people and technology together to transform the way we do business.

• Value for money – offering enhanced value for money.

• Trusted business advice – adding real value to the business

• Fit for purpose solutions – providing services that focus on the real value-add

• Transparency and accountability – what we do is transparent, open and inclusive.

Key accountabilities – general

Team Contribution

• Participates in the annual business planning processes for their team

• Demonstrates support for all the NZTA initiatives and organisational development activities, modelling expected behaviours to managers and other staff

• Works in a manner that reflects a clear alignment with the values and expectations of the NZTA staff and works to understand and resolve issues that may be in conflict with these values and/or expectations

• Actively supports an organisational culture based on high quality, innovation, responsiveness, excellent communication and continuous improvement.

Relationship management

• Engages effectively with internal experts/staff across the NZTA so that the best information is available for decision-making, policy development, planning, resource and risk management, operations and service delivery to our Minister and the public

• Actively manages internal client expectations and maintains timeliness of delivery including meeting service level agreements

Stakeholder management

• Establishes and maintains professional relationships with all relevant stakeholders, suppliers and peers as appropriate

• Build and maintain networks external to NZTA aligned to the BA industry e.g. IIBA, as well as other government agencies

• Convenes and attends meetings with key internal and external stakeholders to address specific issues and generate solutions and has the ability to influence thinking and decisions that are consistent with the NZTA strategic direction

• Provides meaningful and timely communication to the business and other stakeholders so that all stakeholders understand their requirements in relation to the Government transport sector objectives.

Risk and issue management

• Escalates any significant risks and issues to their manager in a timely way and looks for opportunities to promote the NZTA or Group

• Identifies threats to business and the NZTA so that risks can be managed, mitigated or minimised

• Identifies and takes advantage of opportunities so that there is continuous improvement in business processes, and improved value is delivered to customers and stakeholders.

Customer service

• Develops a customer service ethos that focuses on the provision of high quality, proactive and timely service, support and advice, which is aligned to the NZTA’s needs and strategies.

Health and safety

• Takes responsibility for own health and safety

• Ensures own actions keep self and others safe

• Identifies, reports and assists to eliminate hazards in their own workplace

• Participates in local workplace safety management practices.

Self development

• Takes responsibility for personal development and continually develops their own professional expertise.

Key accountabilities – specific

The majority of key accountabilities for this position are linked to the NZTA SLDC phases. See Appendix A of this position description for an overview of the phases.

Pre-Concept

• Identify business needs by conducting interviews of key business stakeholders and creating a Project Outline for each business need identified.

• Identify and highlight any common initiatives in place, underway or planned across other business groups that need to be considered.

• Identify and involve further stakeholders during business planning to ensure a complete, balanced view of the business need.

• Identify and highlight those business needs that do not comply with the organisation’s strategic goals.

Concept Phase

• Assess the business request and determine what tasks are required to produce the outcome desired by the business

• Create the relevant artefacts. For example:

• Solution options and recommendations

• High level estimates

• Technical advice or input into an existing business project

• Impact assessment for policy or legislative changes

• Identify and highlight any common initiatives in place, underway or planned across other business groups that need to be considered.

• Identify and involve further stakeholders to ensure a complete, balanced view of the business need.

• Identify and highlight those business needs that do not comply with the organisation’s strategic goals.

Business Case Phase

• Plan the BA activities required to produce the high level requirements and developing an estimate of effort required to execute those activities.

• Elicit and analyse the high level functional and non-functional requirements, ensuring that architectural recommendations / options are incorporated if required. Ensure all relevant stakeholders have been identified and consulted. Create high-level requirements e.g. use cases identified, high-level domain model, etc.

• Review supplier responses (ROI, high-level design, high-level costs).

• Provide input into the PID and business case as required.

• Note: a Senior Business Analyst will be responsible for projects of all sizes from small to large which are any risk level from low to high risk.

Design Phase

• Plan the BA activities required to produce the detailed requirements and develop an estimate of effort required to execute those activities.

• Elicit and analyse the detailed functional and non-functional requirements, ensuring that architectural recommendations / options are incorporated if required. Create detailed requirements e.g. use cases, UI prototype, supplementary specifications, interface specifications, domain models, etc.

• Assist in the design of the technical solution as required, including the review and analysis of the technical documentation created by the software supplier.

• Assist in the RFP process e.g. provide requirements, evaluation of responses.

• Review statements of work / Solution Delivery Plan

• Provide input into the revised PID as required.

• Note: a Senior Business Analyst will be responsible for projects of all sizes from small to large which are any risk level from low to high risk.

Implementation Phase

• Provide clarity around the requirements set to developers and testers.

• Provide general support and liaison during the build of the solution.

• Ensure any changes in requirements are within the approved scope of the project.

• Ensure any changes in requirements are appropriately documented, reviewed and approved.

• Ensure any issues, regarding the delivery, testing and deployment of the solution as per the requirements, are resolved. Seek assistance of a more senior business analyst as required.

• Review test plan, defect summary reports and test exit report.

• Review System Admin Tasks document.

• For LINC changes, review the Internal Design Specification documents for accuracy and readability.

• Develop training materials and deliver training for the solution as required.

• Provide post-implementation support.

• Provide input into the post-implementation review.

• Contribute to negotiations of inter-agency agreements and solution delivery contracts as required.

Other Accountabilities

• Perform peer reviews of BA artefacts, as assigned by the BA Practice Manager, following the documented Peer Review process.

• Provide mentoring and coaching to other business analysts as part of the mentoring programme.

• Support BA Practice Manager in their absence.

• Ensure requirements elicited are within scope of the project. Identify potential scope changes to project manager and business.

• Ensure requirements elicited support the business objectives for the project.

• Ensure any issues and risks are identified and escalated to the project manager or the BA Practice Manager as appropriate.

• For larger projects which require more than one business analyst, the Senior Business Analyst will assume the role of Lead Business Analyst. This requires the Senior Business Analyst to manage and oversee the day to day activities of the other business analyst(s) assigned to the project.

• Represent NZTA at meetings and conferences as required.

• Perform other such functions and duties that are delegated to the position.

• Ensure all activities comply with internal policies, procedures and standards and with any relevant legislative requirements.

Financial dimension

Not applicable

Committee / Steering Group / Team memberships

The senior business analyst will be assigned, by their BA Practice Manager, to project teams as required.

Key relationships

Internal

• IS Management Team

• Project Managers

• The NZTA managers

External

• Key stakeholders

• Suppliers

Person specification

Education and training

Relevant tertiary qualification, in information systems or related disciplines

Significant proven experience in the field of business analysis

A current and valid New Zeland Driver’s Licence (or equivalent) is required for this position.

Knowledge and experience

Project-related experience

• Documentation of organisation’s direction, structure, business processes and requirements

• Researching organisation’s industry and competitive position

• Analysis and evaluation of highly complex issues

• Provision of requirement artefacts, risk analysis, cost impacts and delivery plans

• Advanced level of information technology skills (including data modelling, requirements gathering and documentation, experience with analysis of Thin Client, Mainframe and Desktop applications, experience in UML)

• Understands project plans and is able to clearly articulate roles, project goals and timelines

• Takes input from project manager, other project team members and peer reviewers and appropriately and accurately applies comments / feedback

• Adheres to project standards defined by project management

• Knowledge of software development frameworks and methodologies

• Accurately employs the organisation’s SDLC and documentation tools

• Proactively carries out project support / administrative functions

• Establishes responsible deadlines and personal work plans and manages time effectively

Organisational Responsibilities

• Understands the professional development process and becomes actively involved by setting challenging goals and meeting them through continuous learning

• Seeks input from mentors and supervisors

• Actively applies feedback received to day-to-day work and strives to improve performance

• Accurately completes and submits time and expense reports in a timely manner

• Accurately completes and submits status reports in a timely manner

• Complies with organisation’s policies and procedures

Career Path Competencies

• Listens to others and accepts input from team members

• Clearly articulates ideas and thoughts verbally

• Accurately prepares written business correspondence that is coherent, grammatically correct, effective and professional

• Proposes solutions to problems and considers timeliness, effectiveness and practicality in addressing client needs

• Generates innovative solutions by approaching problems with curiousity and open mindedness, using existing information to its fullest potential

Personal attributes

• Enjoys and excels at business analysis and problem solving

• Displays a positive attitude

• Ability to work with minimal supervision

• Demonstrates flexibility in day-to-day work

• Maintains awareness of overall organisational goals and performance, as well as the political and regulatory climate

• An ability to understand the requirements of business and develop and deliver appropriate solutions

• Ability to think laterally and view situations / issues in a holistic manner

• Determination to overcome obstacles and deliver on commitments

• Knowledge of mentoring techniques, some experience in mentoring

• Seeks to keep technical knowledge and skills up to date

• Consults and shares information and experience with others

• Commitment to practicing high standards of professionalism, integrity, confidentiality and competence towards clients, the team and the workplace

• Establishes effective working relationship with stakeholders including liaising and consulting with a range of stakeholders. Effective relationship skills with the aptitude to gain the confidence of key stakeholders. Values internal and external clients and responds to their needs as they arise.

• Ability to work as part of a team with internal and external colleagues. Appreciates each team member’s contributions and values each individual member. Establishes harmonious working relationships with team members. Displays strong team skills, contributing to team success.

• Ability to travel and work outside normal business hours

• Self motivated and highly organised

• Ability to remain objective and calm in difficult situations

• Actively demonstrates, promotes and models desired organisational behaviours and values

• Displays strong interpersonal and verbal and written communication skills. Uses good judgement in what and how to communicate.

• Experience in building and fostering relationships

• Displays a strong customer service ethos

• Possesses a strong achievement/delivery focus – sets high standards including accuracy and attention to detail, meets deadlines etc

• Promotes a high quality climate of innovation, collaboration, change and adaptation in own area

• Actively looks for opportunities to improve services and support organisational change

• Takes accountability for the responsibilities of the position and own actions.

Appendix A -SDLC Overview

Concept Phase

The purpose of the Concept phase is to determine whether an idea / need / opportunity identified by the business is worth pursuing as a project. If the business believes there is merit in progressing to a project, they will create the Project Mandate which is reviewed by the appropriate PCG (Portfolio Control Group) for approval to proceed to the Business Case Phase.

In addition, projects which have been identified during the six-monthly Business Planning round and have had Project Outlines developed will, in the majority of cases, have Project Mandates developed and approved within this phase. The exception to this is where a project has already been well-defined and has either already been approved as part of a wider programme of work or is associated with legislative or policy changes and therefore must be executed. Projects such as these will move directly to the Business Case phase of the SDLC.

The Project Mandate will be presented to the PCG who will approve the Project Mandate, reject the Project Mandate or request that more information is provided to them to enable an informed decision to be made.

Business Case Phase

The purpose of the Business Case phase is to enable the appropriate PCG to make a decision on whether the project is viable and, if deemed to be viable, agree to commitment of resources for the Design phase of the project.

In the majority of cases, during this phase the Business will create a Business Case which specifies the reasons for the project, the justification for it based on estimated costs, the risks and the expected business benefits and savings. The exception to this is where a business case has already been approved for the wider programme of work which includes this project. In this instance, the business case details will be included in the Project Initiation Document (PID).

Design Phase

The objectives of the Design Phase are to:

• Establish a full and complete understanding of the business requirements ensuring that the business case remains viable.

• Confirm costs for all remaining phases of the project.

• Select and engage the supplier(s) who will design and develop the solution (if not already known)

• Ensure the solution design is created, reviewed and approved.

• Establish plans for all remaining phases of the project.

The Project Manager updates the Project Initiation Document (PID) with the confirmed costs and any other changes identified during this phase.

The updated PID will be reviewed by the Project Sponsor and, if the budget and scope of the project remain within the initial budget and scope with agreed tolerances, approved to proceed to the Implementation phase.

If the budget or scope for the project, as documented in the updated PID, is outside of the initial budget and scope with agreed tolerances, the PID will be presented to the appropriate PCG for their consideration. The PCG will either approve the project to proceed to the Implementation Phase or reject the project.

Implementation Phase

The objectives of the Implementation Phase are to:

• Develop the solution based on the documented requirements and solution design.

• Ensure the solution developed meets the agreed quality criteria.

• Deploy the solution into the appropriate environment(s).

• Handover the solution to Service Delivery to support.

Depending on the development strategy chosen for the particular project (waterfall, concurrent, hybrid) the solution build and implementation may be completed over a single stage or multiple stages.

Once the solution is successfully deployed the following occurs:

• A Post Implementation Review is undertaken to identify opportunities for improvement and a Lessons Learned Report is presented to the ISGC.

• The solution is handed over to Service Delivery to support

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