The client needed extensive changes to its main application and faced a tight, legislatively imposed deadline.

Role

Business analyst.

Objective

To manage enhancements to the client’s key public-facing application, including major changes to two web apps, three batch processes, and the overall system architecture.

Keywords

Use cases; data-flow models; UI design and prototyping; stakeholder engagement, business-requirements document.

Description

The main task was developing a business-requirements document that would map the client enhancement requests onto a set of detailed business requirements. The scope was the entire business process, from generating custom mailouts for a million-plus households, to supporting front-line staff, to enabling citizen self-service. Requirements definition followed an iterative process, aided by excellent staff on both the client and developer sides. As is typical for web business analysis, the analysis function led directly into UI design and high-level data architecture.

The trickiest part was the web front-end. Strict security rules demanded separate interfaces and workflows for internal staff and the general public, as well as an architecture that isolated sensitive data from the web front-end. From parsing dataflows to crafting culturally sensitive web copy, this project was a challenging but enjoyable experience.