Carol S Dodson

Dynamic Information Technology Specialist with extensive experience at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, excelling in Agile methodologies and quality assurance. Proven track record in leading teams, enhancing web accessibility, and implementing automated testing solutions. Adept at translating complex requirements into actionable plans while fostering collaboration and driving project success.

• Title: Information Technology Specialist
• Nationality: United States of America
• Visa Status: Information Technology Specialist, GS-2210-13/08

• As a Team Lead, I had the privilege of presenting my Quality Control Team's Section 508 test process from a tester's point of view to the Department of Labor's Section 508 Monthly Partnership Forum to approximately 100 people in May 2021. After the presentation, the Forum allowed discussion on my team's test methods, and I was able to orally justify our decision to use automated test tools to assist in our Section 508 testing.
• As the Team Lead of a three-person team and using my exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills, I was able to plan, prioritize, and organize project requirements enabling my team to test and support over 328 web enhancement and defect tickets, develop, and execute over 50 new comprehensive test plans, and update and execute over 38 existing test plans while working under pressure to meet the fluctuating deadlines and priorities of our customers in Fiscal Year 2021.
• Lead the day-to-day activities of a four-person help desk, providing online and email help desk coverage for the IDCF to the public, regional offices, and BLS program offices. I ensure that the recommendations and directions given are followed to accomplish a successful and timely completion of each help request. The help desk is tasked with responding to all web and email help inquiries within eight working hours and sending follow-up emails to the public, regional offices, and program offices to ensure excellent customer service. In the past fiscal year, the IDCF help desk received 8,178 help requests. I ensure that the help desk responds to every help request with eight (8) business hours of receipt 95% of the time in an accurate, timely, and professional manner. The responses enable the public survey respondents to report their critical BLS survey data on time. In my capacity as lead, I train and mentor all team members, collaborate with program office help desks, monitor and evaluate the work of team members, and provide reports to development staff and management. I also provide expert technical advice, guidance, and recommendations to management on critical issues.
• Collaborated with the Quality Control Team and served as the Configuration Management primary contact for the DEWS in absence of the CM Manager. Performed all aspects of Subversion tagging and deploying requests to all Windows and UNIX Servers. (November 2015 - June 2016)
• As the Agile Product Owner of the Internet Data Collection Facility (IDCF) Help Desk System (iHelp), Credentials Administrative System (CAS), and the Gatekeeper Utility (GU), I demonstrated an expert-level understanding of these products as well as the BLS programs and surveys they support during their Struts to Spring development. Motivated by the surveys' success, I applied my knowledge of the help desk processes, product management system, and quality assurance process in planning, prioritizing, and organizing the requirements, to ensure that these web applications were developed within their projected timeframes.
• After receiving my Department of Homeland Security's Section 508 Trusted Tester (v3.0 and 5.0) certification, I recognized the need to train the rest of the team in this 508-testing process as Trusted Tester is the government-wide standard. Over the course of five days, I orally presented the test standards, acceptance criteria, and requirements on test documentation to the team. I monitored the team's nonverbal cues to gauge their understanding of the subject and asked and answered any questions or concerns. After the training, the four members of the team can evaluate a DEWS application by following the Trusted Tester method.
• With the continued demand for new IDCF applications and the modernization of existing applications, it became clear that members of the IDCF development teams needed some basic information about the surveys and their collection processes. Using written communication skills, I initiated the collection of data through email solicitations and disseminated the detailed data from twelve program offices that thoroughly explains their current, overall, and projected sample size, collection frequency, period, and method, and solicitation materials in order to provide DEWS staff with an understanding of the programs in which they are developing applications. Designing and developing this web page has benefited not only the five person IDCF help desk but the development teams.
• One of five team members on a multi-program team responsible for developing the graphical user interface (GUI) and graphical experience (GX) for all pages in the IDCF web applications that all BLS program office users agreed on and are presently using.
• As the lead Business/Requirements Analyst for the Internet Data Collection Facility (IDCF), I met numerous times with a wide variety of potential customers for the purpose of gathering requirements and addressing stakeholder needs and concerns while orally justifying the team's decisions and recommendations. Pursued input from potential users, and consistently documented, researched, and followed up with users, management, and systems staff on issues and requirements. Successfully accomplished six web data collection facilities, involving virtually every office, and staff from field economists to senior management sometimes over periods lasting more than 12 months.
• The Division of Enterprise Web Systems (DEWS) IDCF maintains 25 web collection applications on three different server environments. Each time an application is deployed to one of the server platforms, authorization must be given by the appropriate program staff at different intervals. It became increasingly difficult for team members to maintain the names of those program office staff who were responsible for the various roles in deploying the applications to the three environments. I used my problem-solving skills to identify this increasing problem, developed a form for all programs including IDCF to update, and determined that requesting that the programs update this information twice a year would resolve any employee turnover. By initiating this change in process, deploying applications to the various environments has become much easier for IDCF.
• System and functional requirements gathering occur at a very rapid pace during the initial stage in the software development lifecycle. Applied above average organizational skills in successfully gathering and documenting requirements, through meetings and one-on-one interviews with eight BLS program offices. Utilizing Requirements Trace Matrices, Use Cases, Vision and Scope documents, and flow diagrams enabled the web developers to meet critical deadlines that resulted in on-time production releases.
• Coordinated the work efforts of six help desks (IDCF, CES, SOIL, IPP, PPI, and MWR) to establish standardized procedures for both internal (IDCF) and external (survey specific) help desks. These new standards improved BLS customer service.

• 2019 Section 508 Trusted Tester Training (V5.0)
• 2017 Section 508 Trusted Tester Training (V3.0)
• 2016 Agile 2016 Conference
• 2014 UNIX Introduction
• 2012 Certified Scrum Master Training
• 2010 Introduction to Oracle SQL and SQL Plus
• 2010 Agile Team Workshop
• 2009 Microsoft Project Fundamentals of Dreamweaver
• Country of Citizenship: United States of America
• Veteran's Preference: None
• Federal Status: Information Technology Specialist, GS-2210-13/08