Kathleen Brennan

Denton, Texas

602-***-**** • ad133j@r.postjobfree.com • linkedin.com/in/kathleen-brennan-428a466

Manager Information Technology

Set Quality Standards Vision and Direction, Direct IT Quality Teams, Drive Strategy and AppDev Delivery

Manager IT Quality overseeing business analysis, release management and IT maturity with experience in ERP, SDLC and STLC solutions that include roadmaps, team member assignments, gap analysis, process optimization/architecture re-engineering, business requirements documentation, functional requirement documentation, systems integration, test planning/strategizing, release management and change management. Proven leadership skills within large and small business units. Exceptional communication skills developed to meet and exceed internal client needs, communicate with internal governance, and implement projects on time, at or below budget. Enhance organizational goals and expectations to ensure user satisfaction.

Core Competencies:

Leadership

Technical AppDev Implementation

Stakeholder Communications

ERP

Project Management

IT Requirements, Testing & Analysis (BRD/FRD/DSD)

IT Quality Assurance & Control

Communication

Continuous Improvement

Enterprise IT Management

Business Systems Analysis

Contract Administration

Business Process Optimization

Financial Forecasting

Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)

Major Applications:

Planview

Jira

ServiceNow

Maximo

ProVision

Azure DevOps

SAP

Smartsheet

Professional Experience

The Smart PM, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (IT Services and IT Consulting Company)

Senior Project Manager, Process Optimization Expert, Partner 2023 – Present

Certified Smartsheet consultant providing project management, business process optimization and business analysis services in implementing software development projects that provide visibility into complex business processes.

Selected Achievements:

Work with business units to Implement, support and/or re-engineer Smartsheet functions

Train and troubleshoot Smartsheet solutions

Builders First Source, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (Fortune 500 building material and supply company with 29K employees)

Manager, IT Quality, 2020 – 2023

As part of AppDev organization, managed 20 quality assurance and business analysts and 2 supervisors who developed software requirements, evaluated, tested, and validated software and IT services. Delivered implementations according to planned schedules, strategy, policy, and budgets ranging from $100,000 to $2,000,000 across a complex company landscape. Analyzed deficiencies in service or performance and provided solutions to address problems. Designed and implemented defect reduction programs.

Selected Achievements:

As part of the AppDev organization, collaborated with the PMO and key stakeholders to strategize schedules for current and future project work demand to schedule appropriate staffing levels leading to 390% increase in IT project deliverables within one year

Created Release Management team which implemented software release best practices leading to a 50% increase of on-time project deadlines

Designed training curriculum, onboarding SOP’s to prepare business analysts, software testers and release managers with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to perform daily tasks

Served as the face of quality focus to represent the organization with external partners, industry peers, and vendors

Oversaw ServiceNow and PlanView software implementations

Builders First Source, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (Fortune 500 building material and supply company with 29K employees)

Supervisor, Business Analysis, 2019 – 2020

Built business analysis team within the AppDev organization and assumed ownership of software testing team. Consisted of 11 analysts and 8 contractors; created job descriptions, onboarded, and trained the group. Supervised business analysis and software testing teams, including contractors, to strengthen its focus on requirements and testing quality across multiple, large cross-application datasets leading to improved project timelines and deliverables. Planned and forecasted all team activities and projects to quality, budget conformity, and timeliness.

Selected Achievements:

Assessed AppDev operational flows, defined process models, and observed business processes and made recommendations for that enhanced accessibility, reliability, and performance – leading to a 80% reduction in bugs within a 3 month period

Inherited IT Software Testing Team and matured by establishing software testing tools based on STLC best practices, including testing plan, test case scenarios, defect log, and metrics tracking

XSell Resources, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (IT Services and IT Consulting Company)

Senior Business Analyst, 2018 – 2018

Partnered with Enterprise Finance portfolio management and with the division change management leader to develop and implement an internal change, communication & knowledge management strategy. Contributed towards the efforts around communication, knowledge management, and financial management capabilities to implement Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM), specialty pharmacy, and pharmacy retail projects.

Selected Achievements:

Framed and organized complex problems into simple solutions, and wrote precise business and technical requirements, documenting complex process flows and preparing concise and accurate documents

Facilitated sessions to document scope, using business process optimization technique, and business requirements (BRD)

Salt River Project for Power and Water Utility, Phoenix, AZ (Non-profit cooperative with 5K employees)

Senior Business Analyst / Lead, 2012 – 2018

As part of the IT projects department, led a team of 6 to within the business analysis/process analysis deliver and support all phases of IT application development projects including data gathering, documentation, scope, and requirements to translate into functional specifications for complex ERP and SDLC solution initiatives. Played a key role in facilitating stakeholder reviews to ensure requirements were understood and agreed upon by all stakeholders. Maintained comprehensive forward and backward Requirements Traceability Matrix.

Selected Achievements:

Led facilitation and requirements gathering sessions to create optimal solution for ServiceNow, Maximo and other software applications

Partnered with solution architects and stakeholders to evaluate and select new solution and modification of existing solution for both short-term and long-term needs, including understanding of financial costs and impacts

Provided strategic and tactical analysis for IT architecture framework and work management groups, including enterprise process architecture

Identified and expanded business and system process reengineering solutions that improved enterprise process visibility

Paradigm Technology, Phoenix, AZ (IT Services and IT Consulting Company)

Consultant - Senior Business Analyst/Project Lead, 2007 to 2012

As a consultant to a major utility company and part of the IT projects department, mentored and led up to 12 team members on business systems analyst role to deliver and support all phases of the application development lifecycle including data gathering, documentation, scope, and requirements to translate into functional specifications for complex ERP and SDLC solution initiatives.

Selected Achievements:

Assumed leadership role in gathering and documenting business requirements for 2 major asset consolidation projects

Serving as lead analyst, including process modeling, business requirements gathering and documentation for optimal user/design solutions on project consolidating 150+ applications into 5, and another project consolidating 4 major groups onto a single EAM instance on Maximo software application – saving utility company $2M

Facilitated sessions to document scope using business process optimization technique, business requirements (BRD) and translated to functional specifications (FRD) on complex ERP and SDLC solution initiatives

Performed QA, maintained requirements traceability matrix, led UAT and training for complex ERP and SDLC solution initiatives

Played a key role in facilitating stakeholder reviews to ensure requirements were understood and agreed upon by all stakeholders

Interface between the user group and developers, resolving user and developer issues as project progresses through lifecycle

Wells Fargo Bank, San Francisco, CA (Fortune 500 international financial services company with 265K employees)

Project Manager / Business Systems Analyst, 2000 to 2007.

As a project manager/business systems analyst embedded the Corporate Properties division, delivered and supported all phases of the application development lifecycle including creating project deliverables, scope, and requirements to translate into functional specifications for complex ERP and SDLC solution initiatives.

Led SAP RE/FICO full lifecycle implementation and reinstallation from v4.5 to v4.7 for Wells Fargo

Consolidated 52 SAP company codes into 1 for Wells Fargo, simplifying processes and reporting. As lead analyst, identified and re-classed all applicable real estate objects, including 6000 buildings and properties. Migrated information ahead of schedule and within budget, ensuring readily available data for accurate reporting

Turned around lagging $2M call center project for Wells Fargo, improving outcome and reducing costs. Installation project was bogged down. Assumed role as analyst and project manager. Assessed problems, reviewed responsibilities, expanded tracking, and increased communications. Reduced scheduled timeframe

Performed complex configurations for SAP FI/CO and RE modules

Facilitated sessions to gather and document scope, BRD, FRD, QA, UAT & training on complex ERP and SDLC solution initiatives for SAP and other software applications

Assisted Solution Architects and stakeholders in evaluation and selection of new solution or modification of existing solution for both short term and long term needs including an understanding of financial costs/impacts

Education

Bachelor of Science in Business

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ

Certifications

Certified Scrum Master (CSM) – Scrum Alliance, 2023

Scrum Master Certified (SMC), 2023

ISTQB CTFL - Certified Tester, Foundational Level, 2023

Smartsheet Aligned Certified Sales Consultant, 2023

Smartsheet Aligned Certified Sales Professional, 2023

Smartsheet Aligned Certified Solution Professional, 2023

Business Analysis Boot Camp Certification, ASPE, 2017

Agile Scrum Boot Camp Certification, ASPE, 2016

Agile Kanban Certification, ASPE, 2016

Power System University I and II, SRP Power System University Certifications, 2017

Process Optimization/Re-engineering Change Methodology, Alec Sharp/Clariteq

Asset Accounting, SAP America Training Course Certification

Real Estate Management, SAP America Training Course Certification

General Ledger Configuration, SAP America Training Course Certification

Business Warehouse Reporting and Analysis, SAP America Training Course Certification

ESI Business Analysis Foundational Certification, George Washington University

Professional Development

Builders First Source Leadership Training, 2022

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