Tom Karasmanis CAREER PROFILE

Transcription

1 CAREER PROFILE Mr. Karasmanis is a management consultant with over 23 years experience in Information Technology, including roles as a manager, business architect, business process analyst, project leader, business/systems analyst, technical architect, and software engineer. He has participated in all phases and workflows of the system development life cycle, specializing in methodology review and assessment, modeling and analysis of business / system / process domains, requirements elicitation and management, project management, and solution architecture. Industries he has experience with include publishing, public sector (ministries / healthcare / utilities), banking, financial services, insurance, supply chain, telecommunications, and retail. Mr. Karasmanis has expertise in a number of methodologies and frameworks including use case based requirements elicitation, Rational Unified Process (RUP), Agile (Scrum), Waterfall, Zachman, and many other client-specific methodologies. He has worked in several types of projects and architectures including web portal, browser-based, Greenfield, legacy integration, mainframe, client-server, n-tier, and SOA. For over 10 years now, his primary responsibilities have been the delivery of business architecture, business/system analysis, and project management services, both directly and through teams he has managed and led. He also taught business analysis and other IT best practices in academic, corporate, and conference environments. Recent conferences include ProjectWorld*BusinessAnalystWorld and Project World and World Congress for Business Analysts. Mr. Karasmanis is the Chief Architect of the IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis the world s leading association for business analysis professionals with over 13,000 members worldwide. This is a part-time volunteer position on the Senior Leadership Team. The role includes responsibility for the organization s Enterprise Architecture as well as participation in the definition of the organization s business strategy and business planning. He reports directly to the President and CEO, Kathleen Barret.

2 FUNCTIONAL EXPERTISE Areas of Expertise : Methodologies : Soft Skills : Business: ure, Business Process Analysis, Business Analysis, Process Mapping, Business Objectives and Needs Analysis, Requirements Elicitation and Management, Use Case Modeling, Methodology Review and Assessment, Methodology Definition, Vendor and Product Evaluations Technical: Systems Analysis, Object-Oriented Analysis/Design, Data Modeling, Programming Business Development: Proposal (RFP) writing, Feasibility Analysis, Business Case preparation, Statement of Work (SOW) preparation. Project Management, Team Leadership, Training & Development, Coaching. UML, Use Cases, Rational Unified Process (RUP), Agile, Scrum, Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), Feature Driven Development (FDD), Zachman Framework, SWOT Analysis, Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI). CGI: Client Partnership Management Framework (CPMF), Member Partnership Management Framework (MPMF), Operational Framework, Concert (proprietary software development methodology). 'Outside-the-box' problem solver, Systematic thinker, Analytical, Quality and detail-oriented, Excellent decision maker, Tuned to the 'big picture', Self-motivated, Independent, Leader, Comfortable with ambiguity, Mentor, Excellent Negotiator, Perform well under pressure, Positive, 'Can-do' attitude, Excellent presenter, Strong communicator, Very quick learner. SKILLS Programming Languages : Tools : Operating Systems : Databases : ERP : Other : BPMN, UML, SQL, PL*SQL, C, C++, Java, C#, HTML, XML, XSLT, COBOL, Fortran, Java, Pascal, Lisp, PL/1, Prolog, Rexx, Turing, Visual Basic Rational Rose, Rational RequisitePro, Axure, MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), Microsoft Visio, Internet Explorer, Lotus Notes, MS Visual SourceSafe, Microsoft Project, TechSmith SnagIt, MS Developer Studio, MS SharePoint, Together, TSO/SPF, WebEx Windows (all versions), OS/2, UNIX Various RDBMS, MS Access, Oracle, MS SQL Server, LDAP Directory SAP, Niku Time RSA SecureID, MS Office, Quickbooks Page 2

3 WORK EXPERIENCE KARAONE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS (Independent Consultant) Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd. MediaPlus Enterprise Project objective is to replace three existing core legacy systems with a third-party application. May 2010 to Present Ensuring end-to-end business functionality was complete, correct and met all existing business objectives. Preparing material for the ARB (Architecture Review Board). Participating and contributing to project planning and estimation. Interviewing the business to elicit requirements and working to reach an acceptable solution. Creating System Requirements Specification documents and obtaining approval from the business. Leading UAT for migration to new version of the vendor application International Institute of Business Analysis Certificate of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA) March 2010 to December months Project objective is to replace three existing core legacy systems with a third-party application. Analyzing organizational needs and documenting detailed business requirements International Institute of Business Analysis Corporate Membership February 2010 to December months Project objective is to assess impact of corporate membership initiative on the organization s business processes. Eliciting and capturing business requirements for Corporate Membership program Capturing and documenting organizational business processes with key stakeholders International Institute of Business Analysis Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) Project objective is to replace three existing core legacy systems with a third-party application. February 2010 to July months Researching HST regulations and information to assess impact on organization s processes and systems Writing detailed business requirements and system changes required for HST International Institute of Business Analysis Time Tracking Application Project objective is to ensure organization s systems are HST-ready. January 2010 to March months Researching vendor products to evaluate suitable time tracking application for organization Writing high-level business requirements and recommendation for time tracking application International Institute of Business Analysis Global Tiered Membership (GTM) Project objective is to add tiered rates to membership to support globalization. December 2009 to February months Creating detailed Business Requirements Template for use within the organization Writing detailed business requirements (use cases, GUI, etc.) and system changes required Page 3

4 CGI Mr. Karasmanis had two roles at CGI: (1) Leading the Business/Systems Analysis Practice within the Management Consulting Group, and (2) As a Management Consultant on billable client projects. The Practice Manager role describes his management responsibities (role 1); all subsequent roles describe specific client projects (role 2). Internal (CGI) Practice Manager November 2003 to December years Leading Business/Systems Analysis Practice within the Management Consulting Group. Defining business analysis processes, methodologies, tools, and standards. Managing members, including new hires, mentoring, training, performance reviews, resource planning, and ensuring compliance with corporate policies and procedures. Participating in internal initiatives to select tools, develop methodologies, define career paths, produce training programs, and create marketing material. Managing client relationships for delivery and business development. Ensuring team projects are on track and resolving issues or escalations. Portage Insurance Portage Real-Time Gateway Project objective was to create a web portal interfacing to existing legacy systems. September 2008 to March months Ensuring end-to-end business functionality was complete, correct and met all existing business objectives. Working with team and client to define business process structure to support business objectives. Participating and contributing to project planning and estimation. Interviewing, evaluating and recommended BA resources for project team. Managing the people and process impact of introducing use cases to the team and client. Creating System Use Case and System Requirements Specification templates for team. Creating Business Use Case and Business Requirements Specification templates for Client. These artefacts defined the organizational unit s business processes and constituted the business architecture. Mentoring and training team in business process analysis, use cases, and other best practices. Advising on, reviewing, and ensuring quality of all artefacts prior to delivery to the client. Artefacts included use cases, UML diagrams (use case, activity, and state chart), and specifications. Evaluating and selecting GUI prototyping tool and requirements management tool for the project. Page 4

5 Ontario Power Generation (OPG) OPG LEAP Phase 1 January 2008 to April months Project objective was to conduct scoping and planning of implementation of SAP in the supply chain to replace proprietary ERP legacy system (Passport). Leading team of Business Process Analysts to develop all business process artefacts and presenting them to the client for review and acceptance. Delivering As-is and To-be business process models, business objectives, assumptions, and risks. Ensuring all in-scope functional areas are covered end-to-end, including demand planning, procurement, finance / accounts payable, audit and control. Developing and recommending approach and methodology for business architecture activities. Supervising and reviewing business process analysis artefacts produced by the team. Conducting workshops with subject matter experts, key stakeholders, and other project teams to validate scope, ensure business strategy is met, explore alternative business and technical solutions, and reconcile the final business and technical solutions. Assisting in producing the Business Case and Project Execution Plan. University Health Network (UHN) SIMS Business Modelling Best Practices Training June 2006 to November months Project objective was to review the business objectives of UHN Shared Information Management Services (SIMS) Project Management Office (PMO) and enhance its effectiveness through processes improvement, revision of templates, and training. Enhancing UHN's project management methodology with RUP-based business analysis best practices, processes, and templates. Preparing customized course tailored for UHN staff and their training requirements. Course included UHN-specific artefacts and case studies to illustrate BA best practices. Instructing over 100 UHN staff in Business Analysis, Rational Unified Process (RUP), Unified Modeling Language (UML), Requirements Management, Business Modeling, and other BA best practices. Reviewing Wait Time Information System and P-CIRT (a pharmaceutical system) use cases, workflows, and other artefacts for use in the training sessions and providing mentoring in their use. Developing As-is and To-be business process models for use in training exercise based on P-CIRT workflows and use cases. Ontario Power Generation (OPG) Automated System Health Reporting August 2007 to October months Project objective was to define requirements for automation of System Health Reporting for nuclear facilities at Darlington and Pickering. Analyzing existing documentation and other information, such as corporate website. Conducting interviews, workshops, and JAD sessions, with multiple stakeholders to elicit and validate business requirements and to reach consensus on a single set of requirements. Writing Business Requirements Document (OPG BRD). Contents included business requirements, As-is and To-be business process models, use cases, functional requirements, non-functional requirements, user interface requirements, data requirements, and traceability matrix. Page 5

6 Ontario Power Generation (OPG) CIO RUP/BA Methodology Revision February 2007 to October months Project objective was to review the business processes of the OPG CIO and enhance its effectiveness through processes improvement, revision of templates, and training. Advising client on improving current business analysis practices within the CIO. Scope of work included methodology enhancements, template revisions, and process improvements. Conducting workshops and working with multiple stakeholders to ensure buy-in and that key business data is captured for all organizational units based on business requirements of funding process. Rewriting key templates in OPG's Application Development Methodology. Business Requirements Document (BRD) and System Requirements Document (SRD), both successfully rolled out to all OPG. Reviewing and mapping OPG's project management methodology against RUP-based business analysis activities, best practices, and templates. Producing As-is business process maps of existing application development methodology. Preparing and delivering an Executive Overview session for senior OPG executives. Tailoring BA Best Practices course for OPG staff to address their training requirements. Instructing over 100 OPG staff in Business Analysis, Rational Unified Process (RUP), Unified Modeling Language (UML), Requirements Management, Use Cases, and other BA best practices. University Health Network (UHN) ereferral Ottawa Conversion Project objective was to convert ereferral ASP application to C# and ASP.NET. Project Manager October 2005 to April months Preparing proposal and estimate and conducting negotiations to finalize contract. Managing client, resources, and budget, including change requests and related activities. Producing weekly status report for client and conducting meetings to review issues and risks. University Health Network (UHN) PRO Phase 0 May 2005 to February months The objectives of Phase 0 were to use the Patient Record Online (PRO) application to recommend improvements for a scalable and robust enterprise architecture, develop As-is and To-be business process models, and provide UHN with the necessary training and guidance in RUP and Business Analysis best practices. As part of this phase, a pilot was conducted to replace two disparate hospital Whiteboard systems with a single Whiteboard solution. Preparing proposal, estimates, change requests, and status reports for the client and management. Managing client, resources, and budget. Creating vision document, business use cases, and domain model. Creating As-is business model by reverse engineering business processes surrounding existing systems and through workshops and JAD sessions. Creating To-be business model of proposed solution. Existing Whiteboards used completely different technologies and had significant functional differences. Proposed solution had to satisfy both sets of stakeholders, be adaptable to future stakeholders, and adhere to recommended enterprise architecture. Validating requirements with subject matter experts and identifying assumptions, risks, and dependencies. Working with Solution Architect to provide recommendations for enterprise architecture improvements based on best practices that meet UHN s business strategy. Preparing course material and UHN-specific examples. Delivering training to over 50 UHN staff and mentoring another CGI business analyst to deliver training. Page 6

7 TD Bank Rainbow Lead Business Analyst November 2004 to June months A multi-stakeholder, multi-million dollar project to deliver a web-based mutual fund system to the bank. The web front end connected to an existing portal and to a legacy back-end. Managing a team of 8 business analysts to deliver all business analysis artefacts (including business requirements, business rules, use cases, workflows, functional requirements, and data mapping). Defining project methodology to use for business analysis, identifying artefacts, defining templates. Managing schedule and resources and coordinating activities with other project teams. Producing project plan forecasts and status reports for project manager and client. Innovapost-Purolator Air Miles 2 Proposal Lead Business Analyst September 2004 to November months Having successfully delivered the original Air Miles project to Purolator on time and on budget, CGI was asked to create a proposal for Phase 2 of the Air Miles initiative. Creation of the proposal was itself a small project. Analyzing existing system. Eliciting and managing new requirements. Producing gap analysis and prioritizing requirements. Identifying areas for process improvement. Innovapost-Purolator Tier Pricing Lead Business Analyst March 2004 to October months The objective of the Tier Pricing project was to provide a web-based product interfacing with the existing legacy systems to replace the Excel-based contract pricing process. Accountable for delivery of all business analysis artefacts and ensuring requirements scope is under control. Business analysis artefacts included vision document, use cases, GUI specifications, report specifications, and traceability matrix. Validating end-to-end business processes to ensure new system meets all existing requirements. Managing a team of business analysts to develop and deliver business analysis artefacts. Supporting QA and development teams to resolve defects and coordinating end-to-end and other testing. Revising existing methodology and enhancing use cases for improved project delivery. Conducting workshops with stakeholders and subject matter experts to elicit and approve requirements. Conducting design walkthrough with sponsor and stakeholders to obtain consensus and final approval. Innovapost-Purolator Kitty Hawk (Air Miles) Lead Business Analyst November 2003 to February months The objective was to add Air Miles functionality to the Purolator web portal and provide back-end support for managing Air Miles on behalf of clients (including submission of accumulated Air Miles to The Loyalty Group). Accountable for delivery of all business analysis artefacts and ensuring requirements scope is under control. Artefacts included, use cases, GUI specifications, report specifications, and traceability matrix. Managing a team of business analysts to develop and deliver business analysis artefacts. Supporting QA and development teams to resolve defects and coordinating end-to-end and other testing. Revising existing Innovapost methodology and introducing use cases and RUP best practices. New methodology was extremely well received and was incorporated into future development projects. Conducting workshops with stakeholders and subject matter experts to elicit and approve requirements. Conducting design walkthrough with sponsor and stakeholders to obtain consensus and final approval. Page 7

8 Community Living Toronto (CLT) ISIS 2 April 2003 to October months The project objective was to web-enable an existing Windows-based application, adding new functionality. The application was very sophisticated and consisted of modules to manage volunteers (hours worked), organizations (vendors, employers), attendance (respite, unplanned), and resources (spaces, beds). Conducting workshops and interviews with subject matter experts to validate existing requirements. Analyzing business requirements to create use cases, GUI and technical specifications. Creating change requests and gap analysis detailing changes in scope from new requirements. Providing all requirements and specifications in HTML format using only MS Office with all key terms and references hyperlinked. This was very well received by the client and eased review of the artefacts. Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG) OLG Portal Redesign November 2002 to February months Redesign of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Lottery Consumer and Corporate web portal. Preparing proposal and conducting due diligence phase with client. Tracking issues with customer and identifying gaps and issues with existing system. Eliciting new requirements and refining use-case model, business process models, and other artefacts. Manulife Financial EZ(K) Web Portal Lead Business Analyst March 2002 to November months The EZ(K) web portal was developed to allow client access 401(K) information and request account changes. Conducting workshops and interviews with subject matter experts to elicit portal requirements. Analysing business requirements to ensure they are feasible. Creating functional and technical specifications documents. Preparing project templates and implementing methodology for project members to estimate effort. Reviewing project artefacts for scope and accuracy. Creating security specification (100+ pages) describing user access and implementation of user profiles. CGU Group Canada Legacy Web Implementation The General March 2002 to March weeks Development of business and technical specifications for legacy online system in order to develop web front end. Conducting meetings with subject matter experts to elicit requirements. Developing use cases, business process flows, functional, and non-functional requirements. Presented detailed requirements and specifications to client for review and approval. Schawk Canada White Label Web Portal November 2001 to February months Development of a detailed specification of a new white-label website allowing clients of Schawk Canada to allow their clients to conduct business through the new web portal. Reviewing project architecture and business model and assess against business objectives. Ensuring that all artefacts, deliverables, and processes from the requirements, analysis, and design workflows are complete and meet quality control standards. Creating architectural and business model documentation, including domain models, business process diagrams (UML activity diagrams), and use cases. Page 8

9 AIM Funds Management Content Management System November 2001 to February months Evaluating and recommending web content management and hardware authentication products to meet AIM s business direction.. Eliciting customer requirements. Performing product analysis and evaluating products, including vendor demonstrations. Making recommendations for products and estimating effort and cost for acquisition and implementation. Analysing website content and documenting business procedures using process maps and use cases. Assisting with preparation of proposal and statement of work. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE (ITI) Instructor March 2006 to December months Instructing students in Information Technology. ITI is the technology division of The Art Institute of Toronto (Ai). Courses taught were Business Systems Analysis and Object-Oriented Analysis and Design. Preparing curricula and course material (lecture material, tests, assignments), heavily revising course material to add RUP and UML to the curriculum, and selecting student text book. Delivering classroom training. Counselling and mentoring students in various areas, such as business analysis career decisions, tool selection for business analysis, and managing stakeholders. TEK SOLUTIONS INC. (Independent Consultant) Financial Models Company (FMC) Legacy Web Application Development Technical Architect / Business-Systems Analyst November 2000 to May months Analysing business requirements to reengineer a legacy financial modeling application to a web-based architecture. Creating UML object models using RUP. Performing data analysis and designing data objects. Developing GUI design and workflows based on business requirements. Responsible for two developers. I2 Technologies Supply Chain Optimization / Solution Architect May 1998 to December months Reverse engineering supply chain management application to produce conceptual use-case and business models in UML using RUP. Analysing requirements and developing specifications for new functionality. RAD performance prototyping and measurement to compare relative performance of alternative implementations. Analysing, designing, implementing, and documenting a new archiving utility. DeVry Institute of Technology Various Courses Instructor July 1997 to July months Instructing Software Engineering, Operating Systems (Windows and Unix), Database Management Systems, and Advanced C/C++. Assisted with course curriculum. Page 9

10 Transformation Processing Inc. Transformation Engine Senior Systems Analyst November 1997 to May months Analysing, debugging, and reengineering a system to transform AS/400 Cobol, RPG, and CL source to Microfocus Cobol, Visual C++, SQL Server, and Windows NT using three-tier architecture. Bell Sygma Telecom Solutions Long Distance Telemarketing Application Senior Software Engineer March 1996 to February months Designing, implementing, testing, and documenting of server components, stored procedures, and implementation scripts of a major client-server telecommunication application using RAD. Alcatel Sel Canada Train Control System Senior Programmer Analyst October 1995 to February months Responsible for the reengineering and conversion of components of a train management application suite in an ISO 9000 environment. Reviewing and updating technical and end-user documentation. Hudson s Bay Company (HBC) Seasons Project Manager February 1994 to March months Managing installation, integration, testing, configuration, and rollout of company s first client-server application to assist retail buyers making stock purchases for stores. Supervising team of up to three people to integrate thirdparty host and workstation components and develop and test in-house exit routines, batch jobs, and other utilities. Tracking project expenses, preparing budget estimates, and interacting directly with vendors, end users, and data centre as the primary contact. Procurement, scheduling, installation, configuration of new hardware and software. IBM Canada Theseus Project Leader May 1993 to February months Assisting Project Manager in managing, staffing, and developing a large multi million dollar project to develop a billing application for three major natural gas companies. Conducting status meetings and technical reviews. Liaising with customers to coordinate activities, resolve issues, and conduct JAD sessions. Supervising team leaders (6 teams of about 30 people), tracking progress, and calculating metrics. Preparing work plans, staffing requirements, and other reports for senior management. Conducting interviews, making hiring recommendations. IBM Canada Gemini Senior Software Engineer June 1990 to May months Responsible for designing, implementing, and documenting SNA gateway for airline consortium connecting fifteen thousand airline and travel agency devices across Canada to multiple host applications. Providing production support. Canadian Pacific (CP) Various Projects Software Engineer February 1990 to June months Responsible for implementation of GUI components in a client-server application to control train scheduling. Page 10

11 IBM Canada Gemini Software Engineer December 1989 to February months Responsible for designing, implementing, and documenting SNA gateway for airline consortium connecting fifteen thousand airline and travel agency devices across Canada to multiple host applications. Providing production support. ARATEK INTERNATIONAL INC. (Permanent Position) Various Projects Software Engineer November 1987 to December months Development of embedded software for Xerox high capacity laser printers, including design and implementation of database interface, a compiler for a custom VM display interpreter, and a bi directional, multi channel, routing subcomponent for SNA gateway. GEAC COMPUTERS INTERNATIONAL (Permanent Position) Acquisition System Programmer Analyst March 1986 to November months Development of real time and batch software in a world leading library information system for international clients such as the Smithsonian Institute, the Vatican, and the State University of New York (SUNY). Page 11

12 EDUCATION 1984 B.A.Sc. Chemical Engineering University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada PROFESSIONAL TRAINING 2009 Structured Communications CGI 2008 BA World Symposium ProjectWorld 2008 Unlocking the IIBA BABOK: Analysis Modeling across the KAs 2008 Working Globally Managing Projects Successfully ProjectWorld CGI 2007 Setting the Stage for Project Success CGI 2007 Getting Organized MICA 2006 The High Performance Management Training Program Other 2006 Business Development Skills Other 2005 Introduction to Project Management for non-pms CGI 2004 Data Modeling with Rational Rose CGI 2003 Object-Oriented Analysis & Design UML & Intro Rational Rose Greek. CGI LANGUAGES AFFILIATIONS International Institute of Business Analysts: IIBA Chief Architect & Member Association of Computing Machinery: ACM Member Page 12