DESIREE PIGFORD

**** ****** ****, ********* ****, MO 65109

C: 573-***-**** ac3wcg@r.postjobfree.com

Ambitious, detail-oriented analyst versed in balancing priorities and meeting deadlines under pressure. Efficiency expert who adapts quickly to challenges and changing environments. Natural Born Leader

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Ambitious professional with superior analytical and problem-solving skills with the drive to make continuous improvements in the efficiency and accuracy of business performance.

Top-performing achievement-driven fiscal, data, and business analyst adept at providing support and cultivating lasting stakeholder relationships. Extensive experience in database administration, database enhancement, defect and bug identification, test cases design and evaluation, performance and capacity monitoring, SQL, business requirements analysis, user training, and procedure writing. Vast knowledge of strategic planning and data analysis. Significant training in efficiency/effectiveness evaluation; including performance measure auditing and efficiency enhancement. Extensive presentation experience. Over a decade of experience as a database administrator with the ability to integrate and translate technical knowledge with data management and analysis.

SKILLS

SQL, HTML, and Query Creation

Advanced Data Analysis

Financial and Database Auditing

Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK)

Agile (Scrum and Waterfall)

Trend and Performance Analysis of Large Data Sets

Statistical Software (Qlik sense, SPSS, SAS Etc.)

ETL: Execute, Transform, And Load

Financial Monitoring and Forecasting

Outreach/Marketing

Strategic Financial Planning

Business Writing

Budget Creation and Management

Excellent Managerial Techniques

JIRA

Tableau

Diagramming

Process Design

The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), (Application Development Life-Cycle)

Business and Technical Requirements Management (Gathering, Auditing, etc.)

Documentation Methodologies

MS Office (Expertise in Access and Excel)

Financial Monitoring and Forecasting

Outreach/Marketing

Project Management and Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)

WORK HISTORY

5/2016-Current

Senior Business Analyst, CSG GOVERNMENT SOLUTIONS (Temporary Contract Position)

Serve as project manager for Project Management Office (PMO) function of the large, statewide systems project Missouri Eligibility Determination and Enrollment System (MEDES).

oThis project is building a multi-function database to include Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, TANF, and other Social Service Functions.

Analyze data, documents, meeting minutes, etc. to determine progress on performance measures and any issues with schedule, scope, design document or anomalies.

Serve as project lead for the following categories: User Acceptance Testing, Functional Design Documents, Organization Configuration Management (staff training initiatives), Salesforce, and Security Roles.

Financial reporting, status reporting, and data analysis.

JIRA queries (JQL) for reports, status tracking, and other initiatives or projects.

Coordinating and communicating efforts for daily tasks and overall project goals.

Solicit updates regarding task progress

Solicit, track, and analyze project schedule changes

Assess impacts to project schedule

Provide daily, weekly, and monthly status reports and identify updates, changes, and risks

Create project management documentation as needed (Activity Attributes Document, status reports, project plans, Assumption Log, business process documents, Implementation and Migration Plans, meeting minutes, performance reports, scope statements, etc.)

Transfer significant knowledge to the PMO team

Management of business requirements (development through implementation)

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) in MS Project

Training for staff on SharePoint site, JIRA, and other processes

Schedule meetings with clients as needed for business requirements, scope, issues, etc.

Ad hoc requests based on project needs

7/2007 to 5/2017

Analyst/Planner, MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

DATABASE COORDINATOR/PROJECT LEAD

Served as Site Management and Reporting System (SMARS) Database Coordinator (Subject Matter Expert/Project Manager) SMARS is a large relational database that holds environmental data for all the known hazardous waste sites in Missouri including contamination, remediation methodologies, and other scientifically technical data. SMARS also manages the related financial components of the management of these sites.

oMaintained and continued the enhancement of the database/system to include task automation, self-reconciliation, and other efficiencies such as connection to the State of Missouri’s financial and human resources data warehouse (SAM II) for financial reconciliation and billable project time to increase efficiency and effectiveness, document creation and automatic email creation (Outlook)

oProvided leadership to managers and staff for the use of SMARS.

Lead meetings with a with environmental specialists, engineers, a variety of financial and technical staff, in addition to different stakeholders to assess, capture, and document end user needs and functionality into detailed business and technical requirements. Worked to determine business requirements and end user needs through these meetings.

Responded to inquiries from end users, IT, and management.

Implemented Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) competencies to perform business analysis successfully.

Designed User Acceptance Testing (UAT) case tests to ensure anticipated outcome was received, met end user expectations, best business practices, and implemented additional efficiency of effectiveness.

Drafted functional design document (technical and end user project plan) for each “significant” program/project specific sprint. Served as Project Lead from the monitoring and working each sprint through completion.

oCreated necessary documentation for each release using the Project Life Cycle and System (aka application) Development Life Cycle phases including planning, analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance.

oDrafted documents, throughout the process, such as system analysis documents, schedules including analysis, design, building, testing, and training, environment evaluation, business requirements outline, project plans, Work Breakdown Structure, Governance Plan, Statement of Work, level of effort documents, deliverable outline(s), test cases, SMARS procedure manuals or updates to procedure manuals, management memorandums summarizing new or overall functionality, user guides, training manuals, webinars, etc.

Documented required functionality, estimated change impact, and level of effort for IT developers to integrate these needs.

Deciphered technical and business requirements and necessities from different programs and translated the scientific, financial, and other types of information into “IT language” (Functional Design Document and Work Breakdown Structure) to obtain needed functionality.

oWorked with IT and end users to ensure comprehension by both parties of the other’s needs and to ensure successful development.

Provided training, instruction, and direction for other staff members for the different component

Developed bug and defect scopes and submitted request for fix deploys to IT utilizing JIRA

oUtilized JQL (JIRA Query Language) to manage backlog, determine scope of work, and reprioritize when necessary.

Examples of some of the enhancements made:

Implemented functionality in SMARS to pull queries from the State’s data warehouse, reconcile with user entered data, produce invoices, capture payment, close receivables, track encumbrances, reconcile against the State’s financial database for the quarterly billing for all Brownfield/Voluntary Cleanup Program sites,

implemented GIS data component to store data and reconcile using ArcGIS,

implemented time reporting function for staff to enter project specific time reporting that then ran macros on DNR’s time reporting webpage to reduce human error in order for data to be more easily reconciled in SMARS.

Implemented tracking and management component for environmental assessments including automatic document production for all phases of the assessment, financial monitoring of encumbrances and payment, automatic email creation “announcing” different approvals to let staff know to move to different steps

Implemented outreach tracking component to track conferences, meetings, presentations, and other outreach initiative and the applicable attendance, deliverables received (applications, contacts, etc.) which reconciled with demographic and customer satisfaction data (pulling data from Survey Monkey) to determine the best outreach plans and track sites from outreach to completion.

Auto-generated grant reporting

implemented auto-generation of multiple documents, forms, memos, letters, notices, etc.

DATA ANALYSIS, PLANNING, AND PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

Conducted market research analyses and business practice analysis with data collected.

Employed data and research to find potential solutions, enhancements, and improve efficiency and effectiveness using predictive, quantitative, qualitative, regression, and other types of analysis.

Developed, employed, and authenticated operational metrics and performance risk assessments.

Utilized data and research to implement solutions and enhancements to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Procedure and policy development, process mapping, and data modeling

Strategic planning for the Voluntary Cleanup Program, Brownfield Assessment Program, and Long-Term Stewardship Program

Data analysis for special projects such as management requests, sunshine requests, etc.

Directed cross-functional teams through timelines and targeted outputs to ensure that delivery met predicted measures.

Created dashboards, reports, graphs, and other business documents using various software including Tableau, Access, SAS, etc.

Devised methods to promote and market the Missouri Brownfields Program to potential clients through compiling data, analysis of surveys and data collected to determine the best methodology for ensuring customer satisfaction.

BROWNFIELD ASSESSMENT COORDINATOR

Served as Brownfield Assessment Coordinator (Project Manager) and negotiated contracts, workplans, bids, and request for proposals for environmental assessments and lead-based paint and asbestos surveys.

Provided subject matter expertise on environmental assessments to managers and staff on assessment guidelines, rules, laws, and standards

Worked with applicants to nurture and cultivate buy-in to the brownfield process.

Performed outreach to earn potential stakeholders and clients, by marketing past examples, potential benefits, and expertise in brownfield redevelopment.

Developed partnerships with stakeholders, and prospective partners to potentially leverage assistance for the client’s objectives

Worked with clients to support redevelopment plans such as business, community centers, housing, etc.

07/1998 to 8/2005

Regional Manager/Business Analyst, THE COFFEE HOUSE, LLC – SOUTHWEST MISSOURI

Oversaw operations for Southwest Missouri territory

Researched market trends

Ensured best business practices

Applied effective marketing concepts to increase revenue

Managed team of 14 direct reports (general managers)

Created new sales and marketing strategies to drive growth

Determined pricing schedules using pricing analysis of competitors and other data

Profiled significant competitors

Drafted employee manual and established business policies and procedures.

Prepared monthly and annual reports, following grant specifications, as well as daily reports to monitor and track sales, inventory, etc.

Developed an Access database to track store profits and losses. Data included daily entry of revenue, applicable costs, salary, and inventory

Provided profit analysis of over 40 locations across Southwest Missouri (Branson, Springfield, Nixa, etc.). This included estimating customer availability, market share, estimating business volume, completive business comparisons, market forecasting, and projecting estimated monthly income for each location versus projected expenses

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts: Economics 2003

Southwest Missouri State University – Springfield, MO

Economics

3.6 GPA

Bachelor of Science: Business, 2013

William Woods University - Fulton, MO

Business Administration

3.5 GPA

Coursework in Business, Management, Finance, and Administration

Master of Science: Master of Public Administration, 2017

University of Missouri Columbia - Columbia MO

3.7 GPA

Minor in Grantsmanship

Coursework in Public Administration

CERTIFICATIONS

Notary Public

Asbestos Inspector Cert#7020011514MOII16959 (expired)

Certification in Grantsmanship from University of Missouri Columbia.

*Approved 11/16/17 by the Project Management Institute to test for the Project Management Professional Certification. Test in February. (The PMI institute requires 4500 hours of documented verifiable project management experience that fall under several categories of project management)

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