Open To Work
Sandi McDaniel
Senior Business Analyst
West Columbia,SC
Work Preference
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
BA Extended Day Ahead
PacifiCorp
06.2025 - Current
- Extended Day Ahead functionality, with OASIS, OATI, and MCG Energy Solutions technology.
- Review technical and functional requirements for gap analysis.
- Generate step-by-step use cases for missing test cases for end-to-end testing.
- Write test cases for technical and functional requirements.
- Run test cases in manual mode before handing over to the automation team.
- Hold daily reviews with the automation team to ensure a complete understanding of both requirements and steps for each test case.
- Ensure values for Day Ahead data fields are correct and reported to MCG, OASIS, and ECP correctly (Financial analysis)
- Trace requirements to test cases for RTM.
- Generate and track defect reports with each vendor in JIRA, ADO, and CAISO bug APIs.
- Attend JIT meetings to discuss daily progress and issues to test progress.
- Communicate with vendor team members to address issues and potential methods to address them.
- Daily defect research and reporting to upper management for progress reports.
- Ensure accuracy of calculations by comparing to CMRI.
- Create technical documentation for testers and end-users.
ADMS Analyst
PPL Corporation
07.2024 - 02.2025
- As an analyst on ADMS, I learned to install code builds, patches, updates to servers, front-end processors, client, and operator workstations.
- Troubleshot issues for control operators and research design fixes.
- Prepared documentation after fixes have been made and applied it to existing libraries.
- Updated device settings in Eterra for digital values and ranges.
- Generate save cases in Habitat for construction and testing.
- Device Creation in DEV/PROD/QA
- Data management through Habitat and database management.
- Generate release notes for end-users.
Business Systems Analyst
TECO Energy (S3)
01.2024 - 06.2024
- Led QA testing efforts for four major API updates, including test planning, execution, and defect tracking, resulting in a 9% reduction in defects and improved system reliability.
- Managed multiple projects simultaneously, consistently meeting deadlines and maintaining high-quality standards, enhancing overall project efficiency by 13%.
- Responsible for 'One Minute Message' bulletins and documentation for change management.
- Facilitated Agile ceremonies, collaborated with POs, PMs, and stakeholders to define and prioritize requirements, backlog, and sprints, ensuring successful project outcomes.
- Generated Rate Case documentation for PUC, including financial modeling, budget forecasting, variance analysis, and data analysis.
- Collaborated with customer-facing service and billing representatives to update billing requirements to ensure new rates are billed correctly, using Oracle EBS.
- Wrote test cases and conducted testing for a stand-alone ServiceNow COTS server.
- Data mining for artifacts for NERC-CIP data elements, definitions, and development for the server.
Senior Business Systems Analyst
APS (Qualitest Group)
01.2023 - 06.2023
- Elicited and documented business and system requirements, translating them into actionable plans, saving 120 hours weekly by automating processes.
- Generated requirements for KloudGIN (service order management application) using GIS data for device location in relation to work scheduling and routing for field technicians.
- MDM responsibility for the new API to integrate with GE platform.
- Created user stories and traceability matrices in Azure (ADO), designed wireframes, and defined sprints in Agile format for testing.
- AMI requirement creation and test planning, including device integration, communication, accuracy and reporting.
- Landis & Gyr Focus - AXRe-SD/GS and E650 S4x - RXR models.
- Tested for device accuracy and communication integration.
- Metrology (i.e., accuracy and functionality), communication and data, security, interoperability with the grid, and environmental resilience.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to gather requirements, generating use cases and acceptance criteria for testers, enhancing system improvements and efficiency for work management scheduling and routing COTS software.
- Performed a gap analysis and generated requirements/user stories for revenue collection and meter shop departments, which had been managed previously using spreadsheets.
- Responsible for data management for all data artifacts to include in new API, including definitions, dictionary, and developer understanding.
- Managed requirements for SAP ERP system in conjunction with Revenue Collection.
- Generated process maps for end-to-end process flows.
BSA
Shell Energy (Insight Global)
10.2023 - 12.2023
- Conducted extensive research to understand customer-side requirements for microgrids, leading to the creation of three modeling designs for small, medium, and large capacity microgrid installations.
- Researched and created kW ratings, amperage, voltage, and power factor requirements for Shell-operated microgrid, ensuring compliance with regulatory guidelines.
- Generated an application prototype with wireframes and process flows, improving system alignment with customer needs and enhancing project outcomes.
Business Analyst/Sprint Test Coordinator – Part time
Black Hills Energy (TEKsystems)
08.2022 - 12.2023
- Acted as SCRUM Master, generated test suites, cycles, and defects, improving system reliability by 12%.
- Coordinated defect tracking with vendor off-site, reducing defects by 18% through efficient scheduling and prioritization.
- Created daily progress statistics and dashboards, enhancing team collaboration and project transparency for C-level management.
- Generated technical documentation as release notes for end users for updated functionality.
Business Analyst/Quality Analyst
Xcel Energy (Net2Source)
05.2019 - 08.2023
- Guided four system admins through database updates, reducing operational costs by over $100,000 through thorough data analysis and database updates.
- Created process flow maps and swim lane processes for operational readiness documentation, enhancing team collaboration and project transparency.
- Wrote over 300 test cases for SIT and UAT for EMS/AMI/OMS, ensuring software quality and alignment with business needs.
- AMI test requirements and requirements for device selection, accuracy, communication, and comprehensive piloting with various manufacturers.
- Generated swim lane and process flows for As-Is and To-Be processes.
- Documented the Operational Readiness requirements to ensure all personnel and processes were in place and understood before Go-Live.
- Recorded requirements, traceability, and defects in ALM.
Senior Software Quality Analyst
DTE (Olenick)
01.2019 - 04.2019
- Implemented a new OSI monarch platform for GMS, EMS, GIS, DMS, AMI, and OMS, and conducted gap analysis between client requirements and vendor test procedures, ensuring alignment and quality.
- Authored over 600 step-by-step test procedures for SmartGrid ADMS (EMS and OMS) Agile ADO project, enhancing software quality and operational efficiency.
- Mentored two consultants on SCADA, AMI, EMS, GIS, and OMS systems, fostering knowledge transfer and improving team efficiency and capabilities.
- Performed end-to-end testing for EMS on monarch OSI ADMS.
Senior Business Analyst
Ameran (BRIDGE Energy Group)
11.2017 - 12.2018
- Utilized XP Agile development on an ABB SCADA platform, transforming customer requirements into user stories for a predictive analytics project, enhancing system functionality.
- Using GIS technology, defined artifact data to include in the historical database.
- Managed stakeholder expectations through transparent communication and timely status updates, ensuring alignment between project deliverables and business objectives.
- Created prototype wireframes for user review and approval before writing end-user documentation.
- Identified cost-saving opportunities by conducting thorough research into historical data on database devices, saving $80,000 in the first year of production.
Senior Business Analyst/Test Analyst
FPL (Cognizant Technology Solutions)
09.2016 - 11.2017
- Transformed business requirements into data mapping for Hadoop Data Lake, enhancing data accessibility and business insights.
- Led integration efforts for SAP reporting and analytics.
- Led product backlog grooming and sprint planning for three-week cycles, ensuring timely delivery and quality for each sprint.
- Responsible for data management, definitions, and dictionary for customer, product, and supplier information across all systems and departments.
- DB Queries using Oracle
- Plus.
- Generated technical documentation and end-user manuals.
- Conducted workshops for 148 technical requirements, mentored three new business analysts to improve team capabilities.
Senior Business Analyst
NV Energy (Cognizant Technology)
01.2016 - 09.2016
- Led workshops and created requirements, technical specifications, use cases, and test scenarios for new DER API in an Agile environment, enhancing power grid functionality.
- Mentored junior analysts on business analysis techniques, fostering professional growth and improving team efficiency by 23%.
- Generated requirements for COTS distributed energy resource API.
- Enhanced stakeholder engagement and kept the project within a $1.5 million budget through effective communication and strategic planning, reducing costs by 16%.
Senior Software Quality Assurance Specialist
Duke Energy
05.2011 - 12.2015
- Led business, development, and test analysts in an Agile SCRUM environment for Schneider (Telvent) SmartGrid platform implementation, saving $400K in O&M costs and reducing commissioning efforts by 4 months, saving $300K in labor costs.
- Facilitated development of 250+ high-level and 3200 detailed requirements across seven projects, preventing scope creep and ensuring stakeholder sign-off.
- Gathered all data definitions across all functional areas and was responsible for data dictionary (online) to ensure all groups used data throughout the system as a common platform.
- Researched GIS database and corrected lat/long as necessary for database cleanup.
- Created requirements in Caliber and ALM for test cases and defects for pilot testing of smart meters (Advanced Metering Infrastructure).
- Itron OpenWay - included lab testing for accuracy, temperature variations, communications, cybersecurity, data protocol, and integration.
- DB queries using TOAD and Habitat.
- Improved product quality by implementing rigorous testing protocols, documenting 82 tests for automatic power restoration, and creating a new process for defect resolution.
Timeline
BA Extended Day Ahead
PacifiCorp
06.2025 - Current
ADMS Analyst
PPL Corporation
07.2024 - 02.2025
Business Systems Analyst
TECO Energy (S3)
01.2024 - 06.2024
BSA
Shell Energy (Insight Global)
10.2023 - 12.2023
Senior Business Systems Analyst
APS (Qualitest Group)
01.2023 - 06.2023
Business Analyst/Sprint Test Coordinator – Part time
Black Hills Energy (TEKsystems)
08.2022 - 12.2023
Business Analyst/Quality Analyst
Xcel Energy (Net2Source)
05.2019 - 08.2023
Senior Software Quality Analyst
DTE (Olenick)
01.2019 - 04.2019
Senior Business Analyst
Ameran (BRIDGE Energy Group)
11.2017 - 12.2018
Senior Business Analyst/Test Analyst
FPL (Cognizant Technology Solutions)
09.2016 - 11.2017
Senior Business Analyst
NV Energy (Cognizant Technology)
01.2016 - 09.2016
Senior Software Quality Assurance Specialist
Duke Energy
05.2011 - 12.2015