Provides expertise, guidance, consultation, facilitation, and thought leadership to the client and/or project team based on specialized in-depth expertise in such fields as: engineering and technology; policy and administration; planning; analysis; training and development; facilities; communications; visual design; human capital; business; and management. Ensures that quality is an integral part of the development, design and manufacture of products or services. Monitors products and services throughout the life cycle; validates/verifies adherence to specified requirements through test and measurement activities; manages/leads quality assurance activities.
Analyzes user interfaces, maintain hardware and software performance tuning, analyze workload and computer usage, maintain interfaces with outside systems, analyze downtimes, analyze proposed system modifications, upgrades and new COTS. Defines the problem, and develops system requirements and program specifications, from which programmers prepare detailed flow charts, programs, and tests. Coordinates closely with programmers to ensure proper implementation of program and system specifications. Develops, in conjunction with functional users, system alternative solutions.
Tasks:
- Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine approach and feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.
- Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan computer specifications and layouts, and peripheral equipment modifications.
- Review existing programs and assist in making refinements, reducing operating time, and improve current techniques.
- Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design system and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.
- Obtain and evaluate information on factors such as reporting formats required, costs, and security needs to determine hardware configuration.
- Estimate software development costs and schedule.
- Consult with customers about software system design and maintenance.
- Consult with engineering staff to evaluate interface between hardware and software, develop specifications and performance requirements and resolve customer problems.
- Confer with data processing and project managers to obtain information on limitations and capabilities for data processing projects.
- Prepare reports and correspondence concerning project specifications, activities and status.
- Evaluate factors such as reporting formats required, cost constraints, and need for security restrictions to determine hardware configuration.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Business Management and Administration
- Computers and Electronics
- Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Technology Design
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Tools used in this occupation:
- Desktop computers
- High end computer servers - Application servers
- Integrated circuit testers - In circuit emulators ICE; Logic analyzers
- Notebook computers
- Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers - Personal digital assistants PDA
Technology used in this occupation:
- Project Management software (Project, Primavera)
- Financial tracking software
- Customer relationship management CRM software - ACT! software; Microsoft Dynamics CRM; Performance Solutions Technology ManagePro; Provisioning software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software - Microsoft Dynamics AX; Microsoft Dynamics NAV; Oracle E-Business Suite; Oracle JD Edwards OneWorld
