Open To Work
Shailaja Akkin
Belle Mead,NJ
Summary
Results-oriented Business Systems Analyst with 13 years of experience in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and expertise in Agile and Waterfall methodologies. Skilled in requirements elicitation, process mapping, and stakeholder collaboration to deliver enterprise solutions. Proficient in creating essential documentation such as BRDs and FRSs, and adept in data analysis, SQL, and ETL processes. Experienced in utilizing Agile tools to manage backlogs and prioritize product features effectively.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Business Systems Analyst
Essent Guaranty
Radnor, PA
07.2021 - 12.2025
- Led analysis and optimization of P&C insurance and mortgage lending business processes, improving operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and audit readiness across core policy and claims platforms.
- Elicited, analyzed, and documented business, functional, and technical requirements using BRDs, FRDs, epics, user stories in Jira, Use Cases, and end-to-end process flows to support implementations and integrations.
- Assessed legacy platforms and service-oriented architectures to document current-state capabilities and define future-state solutions supporting cloud and digital modernization initiatives.
- Partnered with underwriters, lenders, auditors, and SMEs to align requirements across insurance, claims, rating, and risk domains, ensuring cross-functional delivery alignment.
- Supported project planning and execution by coordinating tasks, tracking milestones, managing dependencies, and maintaining comprehensive delivery plans, RAID logs, and status reporting.
- Proactively monitored risks, issues, and cross-team dependencies, driving mitigation plans to protect scope, schedule, and release timelines.
- Facilitated client workshops, Agile Sprint ceremonies, Sprint demos, and UAT sessions, capturing decisions, validating outcomes and driving closure on action items.
- Led Agile backlog refinement, sprint planning, and validation of acceptance criteria for partner onboarding, ETL pipelines, and REST API integrations.
- Supported Security and Access Management initiatives, contributing to Azure AD–based role design, CI/CD access controls, and audit-driven enhancements for regulated environments.
- Tracked sprint metrics, audit milestones, and regression cycles to ensure on-time delivery of security and compliance-driven enhancements.
- Managed enhancements to a .NET-based Rate Finder application, including dynamic pricing logic, API security requirements, and third-party integration validation (e.g., bureau and vendor services).
- Conducted usability testing and UI/UX reviews, translating findings into improvements that enhanced agent and underwriter workflows.
- Investigated and resolved system-level issues through structured root cause analysis, partnering with engineering to validate fixes in QA and staging environments.
- Designed and delivered Tableau dashboards using enterprise data warehouse sources to enable operational and executive reporting.
- Defined business and data requirements for analytics solutions, translating needs into functional specifications, visualization standards, and governance-aligned documentation.
- Communicated regulatory alerts and bureau-driven change impacts to business and technology teams, facilitating coordinated implementation and ongoing compliance.
- Supported regulatory initiatives through reporting, data analysis, documentation, and audit evidence preparation for internal and external examinations.
- Ensured reporting accuracy through source-to-target mapping, SQL validation, and UAT support in collaboration with business stakeholders.
- Delivered solutions within a Scaled Agile framework, supporting high-quality analytics, application modernization, and system integrations.
- Partnered with QA teams to develop UI and API test scenarios, ensuring traceability between requirements, test coverage, and delivered functionality.
- Worked closely with DevOps teams to validate API deployment pipelines, environment configurations, and front-end/back-end integration consistency across releases.
- Essent offers private mortgage insurance to single-family mortgage loans by providing lenders with private capital to mitigate mortgage credit risk. It helps borrowers obtain a mortgage with a smaller down payment. This, in turn, allows lenders to make additional mortgage financing available to prospective homeowners.
- Environment: MS Visio, Tableau, .NET, REST APIs, Azure Data Factory, SQL, Excel, Jira, Postman, WCF, Git, VSTS.
Senior Business Systems Analyst
Cap Specialty
CT
05.2019 - 06.2021
- Led end-to-end business analysis for Property & Casualty claims processing systems, including requirements elicitation, documentation, validation, and stakeholder sign-off.
- Facilitated migration of legacy web services and applications to modern internet portal, enhancing accessibility and user experience.
- Translated complex business needs into detailed functional design and technical specifications to support configuration and enhancement of policy administration, billing, and claims platforms.
- Played a key role in platform modernization initiatives, driving transformation from legacy systems to cloud-based solutions and custom-built insurance platforms.
- Led analysis of P&C transaction workflows and defined REST and SOAP API integration requirements to enable accurate data exchange and regulatory reporting with external platforms and ISO Verisk.
- Partnered with underwriting, claims, actuarial, and finance stakeholders to gather and document requirements for new insurance products, enhancements, change and regulatory-driven changes.
- Defined and documented detailed UI/UX requirements, including dashboards, wireframes, and workflow diagrams, collaborating with product and design teams to deliver intuitive, user-centered experiences.
- Authored and maintained BRDs, functional specifications, test plans, API documentation, and user training materials to support implementation, adoption, and operational readiness.
- Mapped regulatory requirements, including NCCI WC state deviations and ISO form approvals, to policy issuance and claims workflows, ensuring compliance with state standards.
- Supported state regulatory compliance by translating state-specific rate, form, claims, and statistical reporting requirements into configurable Guidewire rules and auditable workflows, reducing compliance risk related to misapplied bureau standards and unapproved filings.
- Developed API specifications (Swagger/OpenAPI) defining endpoints, payload schemas, authentication, and validation rules to support seamless third-party and vendor integrations.
- Partnered with development teams to ensure API contracts met data integrity, performance, and security standards, including proper error handling, status codes, and response structures.
- Facilitated UI mock-up and design reviews, validating user journeys against business objectives and incorporating stakeholder feedback into final solutions.
- Led and supported system, integration, and UAT testing with actuaries and underwriters to validate rating logic, regulatory compliance, and readiness for state filing deadlines.
- Coordinated Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning and backlog refinement, ensuring cross-team collaboration and timely delivery of ISO Verisk rating content integrations.
- Partnered with business stakeholders to refine, prioritize user stories related to ISO circulars, rate tables, underwriting rules, and rating algorithm updates.
- Identified and resolved integration blockers related to API connectivity, data normalization, and eDocs ingestion, enabling on-time sprint delivery and release milestones.
- Collaborated cross-functionally with business users, product owners, project managers, developers, and third-party vendors to define and align solution scope.
- Leveraged advanced SQL to analyze data, investigate anomalies, validate rating outputs, and support reporting and production issue resolution.
- Tracked delivery metrics in Jira and Azure DevOps, monitoring sprint velocity, identifying delivery risks, and driving continuous improvement.
- Translated regulatory circulars and bureau maintenance requirements into documented business and system requirements through close collaboration with compliance, product, IT, and SMEs.
- Supported ongoing regulatory initiatives by coordinating stakeholder communications, validating reporting requirements, and producing audit-ready documentation and evidence.
- Partnered with DevOps teams to support automated deployment of rating configurations and ensured regulated releases met audit and Definition of Done (DoD) standards.
- Cap Specialty is the provider of specialty insurance for small to mid-sized businesses. They offer insurance in Healthcare, Professional liability, Surety & Fidelity and Specialty Casualty.
- Environment: MS Visio, Figma, MS Visual Studio, Soap UI, Postman, SQL Server, SSIS/SSRS, Azure DevOps, TFS, Jira.
Business Systems Analyst
QBE
WI
01.2017 - 04.2019
- Led requirements gathering sessions for regulatory requirements for a Fixed Annuities product, translating regulatory and compliance, actuarial, business requirements into system rules governing guaranteed rates, disclosures, payout schedules, and tax-deferred growth.
- Documented system specifications, user stories, and acceptance criteria, ensuring alignment between business objectives and technical requirements for annuity calculators, policy administration and payout estimation.
- Facilitated workshops, stakeholder interviews, and process-mapping sessions with compliance, Underwriting, UX, development teams to align regulatory constraints with product features and operational workflows in the policy lifecycle.
- Documented functional and non-functional requirements, process flows, use cases, data mappings, and decision models to enhance core insurance system and customer data systems.
- Collaborated closely with developers, QA teams, vendors, and cross-functional partners to clarify requirements, support solution design, and ensure delivered functionality met business objectives and regulatory expectations.
- Coordinated system testing and UAT, defining test scenarios, supporting execution, triaging defects, and validating fixes to ensure calculation accuracy and business continuity during platform transformation.
- Performed data analysis and wrote SQL queries to validate source-to-target mappings, support Business Intelligence (BI) and reporting needs, and address data quality issues related to annuity rates, payouts, and customer data.
- Supported system integrations and API-driven data exchanges between frontend (React) applications and backend Node.js microservices (REST APIs), ensuring implementation of regulatory-driven calculation logic, validations, and error handling.
- Ensured solutions aligned with insurance compliance and data governance requirements, supporting audit readiness, regulatory reporting, and lifecycle management of regulatory circulars and bulletins using SharePoint.
- Maintained extensive project documentation, communicated status updates to stakeholders, and managed requirements traceability throughout the project lifecycle.
- Worked within Agile Scrum methodology, participating in backlog grooming, sprint planning.
- Partnered with Business Analyst to define MVP scope definition and requirements refinement for Fixed Annuity product capabilities, including guaranteed rate setup, payout scheduling, and rider options.
- Supported data migration, system integration, and UAT activities to ensure business continuity during system transformation initiatives.
- Conducted comparative analysis of annuity products (fixed, variable, indexed) to assess market fit, risk profiles, and customer value propositions, delivering data-driven recommendations to product and leadership stakeholders.
- Created product comparison and roadmap documentation, identifying future enhancements like digital onboarding, rider customization, and retirement projection tools to align business strategy with customer needs and regulatory compliance.
- QBE Insurance offers insurance and reinsurance in commercial, personal and specialty products and risk management solutions.
- Environment: Tools/Environment: Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Dynatrace, Power BI, Databricks, SQL, ITSM Jira, Excel, Confluence, MS Visio, SharePoint.
Business Systems Analyst
First Data Bank
IN
01.2015 - 11.2016
- Project: Member administration system integration with enrollment, eligibility, billing redesign and fulfilment.
- Collaborated with healthcare professionals, information system developers, and business associates to gather and analyze requirements for drug and medical device databases, ensuring alignment with user needs.
- Managed projects for database updates, new product rollouts, and system enhancements.
- Developed detailed documentation of functional and technical requirements for the integration of FDB’s databases into various healthcare information systems.
- Analyzed drug and medical device data to ensure accuracy, relevance, and compliance with healthcare regulations and standards.
- Identified opportunities to optimize delivery of medication- and medical device-related information to clinicians and patients, improving user experience and satisfaction.
- Worked closely with IT teams to ensure seamless integration of FDB’s databases into client systems, providing support during implementation and troubleshooting issues as they arise.
- Participated in the testing and validation of data systems to ensure that they meet the specified requirements and deliver accurate information to end-users.
- Partnered closely with end users and technical teams to develop a comprehensive testing strategy ensuring functional accuracy, data integrity, and alignment with business requirements.
- Provided training and support to clients and internal teams on how to effectively use FDB’s databases and tools, ensuring that stakeholders can leverage the information for decision-making.
- Monitored and ensured that all systems and processes comply with relevant healthcare regulations, including data privacy and security standards.
- Applied critical thinking and attention to detail to ensure accuracy, precision, and logical consistency across testing, analysis, and defect resolution efforts.
- Utilized Microsoft Excel and Office tools to track defects, analyze trends, document findings, and communicate results effectively.
- Communicated technical findings and recommendations clearly through written documentation and verbal discussions, bridging the gap between technical and non-technical/business stakeholders.
- Generated reports and insights on data usage trends, enabling stakeholders to better understand the influence of FDB’s data on clinical and business outcomes.
- Environment: .NET Framework, C#, ASP.NET MVC, ADO.NET, IIS, WCF, WEB API, VB.Net, JavaScript, jQuery, XML, XSLT, SQL Server.
Business Analyst
Educational Testing Service
NJ
02.2013 - 12.2014
- Project: Enterprise Registration System (EREG 4.0): This project objective was to transform multiple Test Taker profiles into a unified profile to view across various programs while leveraging the PII data only to the extent needed by the program. This project was to maintain a universal cart for registering tests and ordering test preparation materials and to provide a single sign-on across various products of ETS like GRE and Praxis.
- Analyzed business process for test registration, enhancing clarity of workflows.
- Analyzed the high-level business process flows for the program registration and scheduling process.
- Developed a blueprint of the new business processes by conducting workshops with the Product Owners.
- Engaged stakeholders to clarify business requirements for EREG, identifying critical Profile-related issues.
- Analyzed the business requirements for EREG and the Profile related issues for identifying the impacted features.
- Created enumerated functional requirements with child levels for the Profile related features.
- Collaborated with UI team to create wireframes and involved in developing the Use Cases.
- Conducted and facilitated the requirements, gathering meetings involving the Product Owner, SMEs and the stakeholders.
- Identified and documented the Profile related functional requirements.
- Categorized the User-Profile related attributes as Basic, Test Taker, and Program specific attributes.
- Identified and documented the Profile related functional requirements and the Use Cases.
- Conducted meetings to gather the requirements for the interface with a Third-Party tool to collect and update User Preferences.
- Collaborated with the User-Experience team in creating Wireframes for the User Interface.
- Categorized and documented the User-Profile related attributes such as Basic, Test Taker, and Program specific attributes.
- Participated in discussions and review meetings for Profile related features and created UI mockup screens.
- Environment: Jira, Sybase Power Designer, SharePoint, SQL, Silk Central, Azure, MS Office, MS Excel.
Business Analyst
Alfa Mutual Insurance Company
Montgomery, Alabama
04.2012 - 01.2013
- Project: Insurance Claims Processing System. This project was undertaken to enhance the existing Insurance Claims Processing System. The scope was to optimize the existing ICPS effectively based on the complexity of the individual insurance claim. In the Fast Track Claims segment, basic tasks such as matching the loss to the policy of the insured, issuing payment in response to receipt of an invoice were automated to bypass manual intervention, which caused inefficiencies in the business process. As a part of this project, a data warehouse was created utilizing SSIS to extract, transform and load data into the Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) from different source systems. The data was loaded onto different data marts from EDW for reporting purposes.
- Analyzed existing claims processing system and articulated business case for integrating insurance platforms to enhance operational efficiency.
- Elicited high-level requirements (Business) by conducting agenda-driven business stakeholder meetings followed by process map analysis.
- Facilitated stakeholder discussions and brainstorming sessions to gather project requirements, defining deliverables, timelines, and workflows to support project success.
- Documented non-functional requirements and business rules for claims process and data warehouse, ensuring alignment with stakeholder expectations.
- Prepared the high-level scope and performed high-level process analysis to create the future process flow.
- Used Team Foundation Server (TFS) to document and track the requirements and user stories.
- Extensively involved in developing Use Cases and wireframes utilizing MS Visio.
- Conducted stakeholder analysis to identify subject matter expertise for technical requirement gathering sessions and used various elicitation techniques like interviews, workshops.
- Gathered and documented the data warehouse requirements and managed project deliverables on Project and Portfolio Management tool (PPM).
- Collaborated with product development, compliance, IT, and business SMEs to interpret regulatory reporting requirements.
- Identified the source systems (flat files, tables, legacy data stores) required to create the data warehouse followed by identification of iteration metrics.
- Assisted the data analyst in mapping source and target data and prepared the ETL mapping document.
- Involved in designing and validating the logical data model that provides a logical representation of the data requirements for the warehouse.
- Involved in developing and validating source target mappings and transformation logic and involved in data mart design and prototyping.
- Wrote multiple user stories and updated the documentation for the deliverables and work packages committed by the Scrum Team.
- Facilitated various scrum events and acted as a Scrum Master for conducting the sprints and ensured efficient communication between the Scrum Team and the Product Owner.
- Coordinated with the UI team, middle tier and the database development team.
- Analyzed the existing monthly, quarterly business user reports and documented the report list.
- Ensured that the final data warehouse implementation met the user expectations as well as the expectations of the business stakeholders.
- Developed quality assurance procedures for Master Data Management.
- Created the test cases and documented the use cases on Application Lifecycle Management tool (ALM).
- Collaborated with the end-users for the User Acceptance Test followed by user training for the new interfaces and applications.
- Utilized the RTM (Requirements Traceability Matrix) for tracking defects followed by creating and closing tickets after conducting triage calls.
- Environment: Team Foundation Server, Application Lifecycle Management (HP Quality Center), MS Visio, MS Office, MS SQL Server, SSIS, SSAS, SSRS, SharePoint 2013, Java, C#, .Net, ASP.net.
Education
Bachelor of Computer Applications -
Osmania University
India01-2001
Skills
- UML
- BPMN
- SDLC
- Agile Scrum
- Waterfall
- RUP
- Kanban
- MS Visio
- Balsamiq
- Lucid Chart
- Figma
- Axure
- Process Improvement
- Data Analysis
- SQL
- C#
- Python
- Jira
- HP ALM
- MS Project Professional
- Microsoft Excel
- SQL Server
- MS Access
- Teradata
- Oracle 10g/9i
- Tableau
- Power BI
- Data integration
- Informatica
- Selenium
- UNIX Systems
- Linux
- Windows
- Mac
- SharePoint 2010/2013
- Confluence
- MS Office Suite
- XML
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Windows
- Requirements gathering
- User acceptance testing
- Workflow Analysis
- Data analysis
- Data mapping
- Process mapping
- System analysis
- Gap analysis
- Systems analysis
- Stakeholder management
Volunteer Experience
American Red Cross, Volunteer, 2017, Involved in projects like Service to the Armed Forces, Administrative Service, Volunteer Intake Process and Blood Services Volunteer.
Technical Tools
UML, BPMN, SDLC, Waterfall, RUP, Agile Scrum, Kanban, MS Visio, Balsamiq, Lucid Chart, Figma, Axure, DevOps Diagram Tool, HTML, CSS, XML, JavaScript, Angular, React JS, C++, Java, SQL, C#, Python, Jira, HP ALM, MS Project Professional, MS Excel, SQL Server 2012, SQL Server 2008, SQL Server 2005, MS Access, Teradata, Oracle 10g, Oracle 9i, SQL Server Reporting Services, Tableau, Power BI, SQL Server Integration Services, Informatica, QTP/UFT, Selenium, MS Office Suite, Share Point 2010, Share Point 2013, Confluence, UNIX Systems, Linux, Z OS, Mac, Windows
Timeline
Senior Business Systems Analyst
Essent Guaranty
07.2021 - 12.2025
Senior Business Systems Analyst
Cap Specialty
05.2019 - 06.2021
Business Systems Analyst
QBE
01.2017 - 04.2019
Business Systems Analyst
First Data Bank
01.2015 - 11.2016
Business Analyst
Educational Testing Service
02.2013 - 12.2014
Business Analyst
Alfa Mutual Insurance Company
04.2012 - 01.2013
Bachelor of Computer Applications -
Osmania University