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STEVEN J. GARA, PHR, CBAP
       stevengara1@yahoo.com	 						Mobile (305) 491-0417      
stevengara@hotmail.com                    

 BUSINESS ANALYST  ♦  IT PROFESSIONAL  

Requirements Engineering  ~  Data Analysis/Reporting  ~  Systems Analysis & Integration ~  Process Improvement


○  Highly accomplished, innovative, and professionally dedicated Certified Business Analyst (CBAP) with 13 years of demonstrated success in bridging business needs with technical solutions. 
○  Proven ability to lead cross-functional technical and non-technical users in developing and implementing cost-effective, efficient applications.
○  Qualified professional, experienced in developing, administering, and supporting various software systems.
○  Excellent rapport with middle and senior management to analyze and redesign computer systems to meet established and proposed business needs and submit appropriate recommendations to optimize success of business processes.
○  Extensive qualifications in all facets of projects from initial feasibility analysis, data gathering, and conceptual design through implementation, training, and enhancement.
○  Highly versed in project methodologies including Agile, Waterfall and hybrid models.
○  Thrive in a fast-paced, challenging environment, capable of critically analyzing/responding to diverse technology issues. 
○  Seasoned business strategist who can deliver top-level results. 


 Professional Business & Technical Competencies                                                                                                                                      

♦  Over 11 Years of IT Experience		      	   
♦  Systems Analysis, HRIS/ERP systems		
♦  Infrastructure Architecture			   
♦  Project Management 
♦  Strategic Direction and Solutions Delivery	      	   
♦  Technical Design, Testing, Documentation and Review
♦  Business Intelligence	 			   
♦  SQL Server, Toad, SQL Queries, Oracle and Reporting	
♦  Cross-functional Management 		      	   
♦  Hyperion, Cognos, Crystal, Visio, MS Project 


Professional Experience

Business and Technical Analyst                                                                                                                         2007-Present
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES, Miami, FL
☼  Highlight: Will save $3M over next five years by implementing cost reductions through automating processes and introducing new business project initiatives.

●   Conduct business requirements and enterprise analysis/discovery studies, cull findings, and develop and deliver new/redesign for presentation as proposals to executive level management.
●   Create SQL queries/reports and work with IT staff for review of requirements and technical design.
●   Hold JAD sessions as needed and work with users and team members to ensure timely, accurate delivery and acceptance of documentation and other deliverables.
●   Develop long-range plans and competently manage application integration/data networking projects across multiple platforms.
●   Extract and analyze data from SQL server and Oracle databases using decision support from Toad and Hyperion tools and delivered to senior management for decision-making.
●   Promote effective relations and consensus building with management, and work collaboratively at all levels to support corporate goals.
●   Conduct status and touch-base meetings with IT Staff for code review and to ensure the design is adhered to. 


Business / Data Analyst – Project-Based Independent Consultant                                                              2005 – Present  
SGBIZSERVICES.COM, Hallandale, FL 

☼  Highlight: Performed business process and data analysis that saved the following three companies hundreds of thousands of dollars each due to improvements in automating systems and implementing other cost-reducing efficiencies.  


Business Analyst for Finance and Data Warehousing, 2006 – 2007 
QPAY, INC., Miami, FL

Kronos, Great Plains Support, and Cognos, Migration, Sep to Dec 2006 
TOWNCARE DENTAL, Miami, FL

Business Analyst and System Support, 2005 – 2006 
ALPHASTAFF, INC., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 


► SGBIZSERVICES.COM/SJG CONSULTING SERVICES RENDERED  ◄

●   Provided business analysis, gathered requirements, designed and developed IT solutions and business processes to meet client and internal user requirements.
●   Consulted with Directors, VP’s, CEO’s, COO’s, and Presidents to prioritize activities, gather requirements, and achieve defined objectives to reach best business operations results.
●   Created complex technical, functional, and business specifications for Payroll/HR and GL/Financial related imports from external clients.
●   Assisted in analyzing and designing multidimensional small and medium scale database and BI solutions, and created reports and cubes (Cognos and Business Objects).
●   Defined and developed reports, cubes, and database SQL queries, and supported Cognos batch reports on a 24/7 rotating basis.
●   Installed and configured software, wrote technical documentation, and developed tracking tools to measure program performance. 

Senior Applications Systems & Business Analyst                                                                                             2004 – 2005 
BANKUNITED FSB, Miami Lakes, FL      

☼  Highlight: Saved Bank over $200K in personnel and equipment costs by replacing an outdated HR system with a new one on a hosted platform.

●   Provided business process and technical analysis, and design and documentation for current / proposed technology architecture frameworks.
●   Cooperated with IT / Business Managers to effectively prioritize activities and achieve objectives. Translated business requirements into business, technical and fundamental specifications that led to the full life cycle of IT solutions.
●   Assisted in budget development for three projects costing over $100K each, and provided in-house maintenance, SQL, and Oracle database administration.
●   Conducted training sessions and workshops to clarify and enhance end-users’ understanding of new systems.
●   Fulfilled business objectives including implementation, administration, support, and documentation for HRIS System, and Compliance and Imaging products.

Implementation Systems Consultant                                                                                         		     2003 – 2004 
KRONOS, Boca Raton, FL and Miami, FL

☼  Highlight: Saved clients thousands of dollars as an Implementations Consultant by installing automated “Best-in -Class” Time and Attendance systems for small and mid-sized companies.

●   Managed up to six engagements simultaneously; supervised entire technical projects and completing numerous implementations. 
●  Led broad range SQL server database administration functions, ensuring data integrity and system security, and led complex migration of data.
●   Resolved technical SQL, data and database related issues for numerous applications.

Cognos / Data Warehouse Technical Analyst                                                                                                     2000 – 2002 
ANC / VANGUARD CAR RENTAL, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 

●   Designed multi-dimensional, medium and large scale database solutions and reports/dashboards.
●   Installed and configured software, wrote technical documentation, and developed tracking tools to measure program performance.                 

Technical Support Engineer – Cognos BI Analyst                                                                                              1998 – 2000 
ULTIMATE SOFTWARE, Ft. Lauderdale, FL  

●   Provided technical support for issues relating to the Ultipro HRMS/Payroll system for clients.
●   Performed troubleshooting for reports and databases issues and created new reports for clients using Cognos     Impromptu and Powerplay.

Adjunct Faculty (Part-time positions)                                                                                                              2002 – Present 
UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX and DEVRY, ONLINE 
●   Teach several undergraduate and graduate level business courses on-line. 

Business and Finance Writer / Reporter/ Commentator for Examiner.com – Web 2.0 

Education – Training – Certifications – Publications  

Cornell University / Baruch College, New York, NY
●   Master of Science Degree in Management 

Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
●   Bachelor of Arts Degree in Arts & Sciences 

Certified Business Analyst – CBAP Certification as of 2009
Professional Designation in Human Resources - PHR
Current Coursework: Six Sigma – Yellow/Green Belt 
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Formerly Certified In: MS SQL Server Administration, Data Modeling Concepts, Data Warehousing, Concepts and Business Intelligence, Software Systems Analysis, Project Management, Networking Concepts from Brainbench certification services.

Key Technical Skills: Requirements Engineering, Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence (Hyperion, Cognos, Crystal), HRIS/ERP Systems (ADP, Kronos, Ultipro), Project Management, SDLC (Software System Dev. Life Cycle), Flowcharting/Diagrams (Visio), Web 2.0/Web Marketing/SEO.

Other Technical Skills: Star Schemas and Dimensional Modeling, ERDs, OLAP, Windows Vista, Great Plains/MS Dynamics, MS Project, MS Office Suite (Access, Excel, Word, PowerPoint), General Networking, PC Hardware.

Published White Paper: “The Impact of HRIS Technology on the Role of HR for the Next Century.” 
Most recent published White Paper: “The Integration of Six Sigma with Business Analysis sub-disciplines to achieve desired results.”  

Professional Affiliations 

◊   South Florida Business Analyst Chapter (IIBA Member) 
◊   Miami User Group – MS and SQL Server Database Administrators
◊   Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM and HRABC.ORG)
◊   Additional list of affiliations and recommendations at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenjgara

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