Valarie Smith Email & Phone Number

• Fill role of Product Owner role in our Agile development process by grooming the product backlog utilizing JIRA, participating in agile sprint planning, product demos and retrospective meetings.• Handle day-to-day management of internal and external customer questions and needs and will participate in meetings, respond to questions and issues, document policy, procedures and meeting minutes, and serve as the primary contact to the IT-Development staff. Creates and manages project tasks lists.• Develop and execute product release plans• Elicit requirements using interviews, document analysis, requirement workshops, survey, site visit, business process descriptions, use cases, scenarios, business analysis, task and workflow analysis.• Critically evaluate information gathered from multiple sources, reconcile conflicts, decompose high-level information into details, abstract up from low-level information to a general understanding, and distinguish user requests from the underlying true needs.• Proactively communicate and collaborate with external and internal customers to analyze information needs and functional requirements and deliver the following artifacts as needed: (Functional requirements (Business Requirements Document), iii. Use Cases, GUI, Screen and Interface designs)• Successfully engage in multiple initiatives simultaneously• Work independently with users to define concepts and under direction of project managers• Drive and challenge business units on their assumptions of how they will successfully execute their plans• Develop agile requirements specifications according to standard templates, using natural language.• Collaborate with developers and subject matter experts to establish the technical vision and analyze tradeoffs between usability and performance needs.• Perform SQL to identify data issues, reports and UAT validation updates to DB.* Role allows for unique varying remote support with core business units.

System Analyst for Guide Wire Claim and Policy Center, lead Sr. BA facilitated redesign of adding parties to a claim, facilitate integration of CAIV3/GAM application with Claim Center that instituted communication e-2-e integration transferring and sharing of data between Source Application for provisioning and de-provisioning of (designee, entities, Contacted and Non-Contracted Vendors) which is a large application that incorporates 5 other mini applications. (GAM, GAM Billing, Guide wire Claims system Provisioning/De-provisioning of BPO, Contact Management enhancement, Vendor Management, CAIS/IMS, Contract Management and CAG)Lead and manage multiple projects within a 4 week sprint scheduleFacilitate JAD sessions with business leads and stakeholders to determine the scope of projects.Create user stories, story cards per high level requirements from the business.Triage production issues as well as testing discrepancies that arise within the organizationAdministered review process for the creation and approval of test plans Manage and prioritize defects submitted through Quality Center by QA teamsProvided training for newly incumbent junior level project managers and junior level B.APractice Waterfall and Agile methodologies for all application development projects Worked as release manager to approve code changes and mergers into lower level environments for code validation and testing. Identified root cause analysis and defined business processes for resolving technical issues, mitigating technical risks and escalating to the relevant business units.Organizes and work on multiple efforts with multiple business units through collaboration efforts and determining time delivery of projects.Perform SQL to identify data issues and UAT validation updates to DB and create ad-hoc reports.Developed best practice deployment plans and process as it relates to ITIL FrameworkRole allows for unique varying remote support with various core business units

Columbia, South Carolina Area

• Perform analysis on current health claim process for Military Contract on current application issues and providing a timely resolution utilizing Rational Pro Concepts.• Work directly with customers to define, create and clarify business and functional requirements.• Perform project specific root cause analysis and review processes to recommend changes, corrections and improvements during development, testing and implementation. • Modify existing backend application programs to set system edits, add additional functionality and identify RTI of existing processes. • Utilize expertise with APS COBOL II/CICS/DB2, Easytrieve, MVS/JCL, SmartTest (version of Expediter) and QMF to modify and develop process, implement improved process functionality utilizing System Life Cycle methodology.

Greater Atlanta Area

• Initially employed as Contractor, then hired as Software Developer, promoted to Lead Software Developer, Application Architect and then to Sr. Application Architect due to outstanding performance.• Worked directly with customer to define and clarify Business requirement.• Created functional requirements, Use cases and held JAD sessions with customer and Development Team. • Utilize application design skills to provide direction to Development Team in establishing design specifications for Dialup and Fast Access DSL applications.• Serve as Subject Matter Expert on business processes and client requirements.• Perform project analysis and reviews to recommend changes, corrections, and improvements during testing.• Interface professionally with teams of Technical Architects, Business Analysts, Database Analysts, Developers, and Testers in defining workflow processes.