ANNA PLAXCO
Greenwood,CA
Summary
Senior Business Analyst with 10+ years of experience leading enterprise business transformation initiatives, ServiceNow solution delivery, stakeholder engagement, and process improvement within insurance and financial services environments. Proven success facilitating discovery workshops, gathering and documenting complex business requirements, developing user stories and acceptance criteria, and partnering with architects, developers, and implementation consultants to deliver high-impact technology solutions. Experienced serving as a trusted advisor to both internal stakeholders and external business partners, providing consultation, relationship management, change management, and training support throughout the solution lifecycle. Skilled at translating business needs into actionable technical requirements, driving consensus among diverse stakeholder groups, and guiding organizations through process and technology change. Recognized for building strong client relationships, delivering successful outcomes, and bridging the gap between business objectives and technical solutions.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
SENIOR BUSINESS ANALYST
Vision Service Plan
08.2018 - 06.2019
- Led a team responsible for managing approximately 100 active client product exception requests and regulatory updates for large health plan partners.
- Implemented a structured ticketing and prioritization process that improved visibility, resource allocation, and executive decision-making.
- Partnered with business stakeholders to gather requirements, define project scope, and support strategic initiatives.
- Guided teams through Agile transformation efforts and established documentation frameworks supporting Agile delivery practices.
- Executed risk assessments and developed mitigation strategies to support successful project outcomes.
- Analyzed business requirements and translated them into functional specifications for IT development teams.
- Facilitated workshops to gather stakeholder feedback and refine project scope and objectives.
- Developed process maps to identify inefficiencies and recommend improvements across operational workflows.
- Led user acceptance testing, ensuring solutions met business needs before deployment.
- Mentored junior analysts in best practices for data analysis and project management methodologies.
- Implemented data analytics tools to enhance reporting capabilities and support decision-making processes.
- Conducted risk assessments to identify potential project challenges and developed mitigation strategies accordingly.
- Managed stakeholder expectations through transparent communication and timely status updates, ensuring alignment between project deliverables and business objectives.
- Conducted gap analyses to identify discrepancies between current and desired states, leading to actionable recommendations.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams, ensuring a cohesive approach to business analysis.
BUSINESS ANALYST
Vision Service Plan
05.2013 - 08.2018
- Supported implementation of new insurance products, warranty programs, and strategic growth initiatives.
- Enhanced user experience on company website by analyzing user feedback and implementing necessary adjustments.
- Reduced costs through meticulous budget management and cost-benefit analysis for each project phase.
- Improved data governance with establishment of standardized protocols, ensuring consistency and accuracy across datasets.
- Optimized business operations by designing and introducing efficient workflow processes, which led to smoother project execution.
- Conducted root cause analysis and process improvement efforts that reduced claims overpayments and manual workarounds, generating approximately $300,000 in savings.
- Participated in innovation initiatives from concept through working prototype, contributing to patented technology solutions.
- Analyzed business requirements to identify gaps and recommend solutions for process improvement.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to gather data and support project initiatives effectively.
- Developed detailed documentation of business processes to ensure clarity and consistency across operations.
- Conducted data analysis using Excel and SQL to inform strategic decision-making and reporting.
- Facilitated workshops to engage stakeholders in requirement elicitation and feedback sessions.
- Prepared comprehensive reports that highlighted trends, insights, and actionable recommendations for management.
- Enhanced existing workflows by implementing automation tools, improving efficiency and accuracy of outputs.
- Developed high-quality documentation to support training efforts, helping employees fully understand new systems and procedures.
- Performed gap analysis between existing systems or processes and desired state, identifying areas for improvement or enhancement.
SENIOR BUSINESS ANALYST
ROBERT HALF, INC CONTRACTED WITH CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE AUTHORITY
06.2019 - Current
- Serve as Lead Business Analyst for multiple enterprise ServiceNow implementations, including Customer Service Management (CSM), CSM enhancements, and IT Service Management (ITSM) initiatives.
- Facilitate discovery sessions, stakeholder interviews, and requirements workshops to identify business needs, define solution requirements, and drive consensus among stakeholders.
- Partner directly with ServiceNow developers, architects, implementation consultants, and business leaders to design and deliver solutions aligned with business objectives and platform best practices.
- Develop and maintain business requirements, functional requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria, process flows, and implementation documentation throughout the project lifecycle.
- Manage and prioritize project backlogs, triage incoming enhancement requests, and coordinate priorities with business stakeholders and delivery teams.
- Utilize ServiceNow and Microsoft Planner to create, maintain, and track user stories, defects, enhancement requests, and delivery progress throughout Agile project lifecycles.
- Coordinate User Acceptance Testing (UAT) activities and work closely with Quality Assurance and IT teams to validate solutions and support successful implementation.
- Conduct current-state and future-state process analysis to identify automation opportunities, improve operational efficiency, and enhance user experience.
- Support enterprise modernization initiatives involving policy administration and claims processing systems, documenting functional and non-functional requirements, data migration needs, integrations, automation opportunities, and transition planning.
- Research ServiceNow capabilities, industry best practices, user communities, and emerging technologies to support solution design and continuous improvement efforts.
- Serve as a trusted advisor and relationship manager for participating insurance companies that market and sell California Earthquake Authority products.
- Develop and maintain strong partnerships with external stakeholders, providing consultation regarding enhancements, operational improvements, process changes, and technology initiatives.
- Consult with business partners to understand challenges, evaluate opportunities, and recommend solutions that align business objectives with organizational capabilities.
- Facilitate workshops and collaborative working sessions with internal and external stakeholders to define requirements, evaluate options, and establish implementation strategies.
- Lead change management activities by assessing organizational impacts, supporting adoption efforts, developing training materials, and delivering end-user training.
- Act as a liaison between business partners, operational teams, and technology teams to ensure effective communication, expectation management, and successful project delivery.
- Foster long-term relationships that promote collaboration, trust, and continued engagement between participating insurance companies and the California Earthquake Authority.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration – Information Technology Management
Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, UT01.2024
Skills
- ServiceNow Customer Service Management (CSM)
- ServiceNow IT Service Management (ITSM)
- ServiceNow HRSD Evaluation
- Requirements Elicitation
- Discovery Workshops
- Stakeholder Management
- Client Relationship Management
- Business Process Analysis
- Current State/Future State Analysis
- User Stories & Acceptance Criteria
- Backlog Management
- Story Triage & Prioritization
- Agile Delivery
- Scrum Methodology
- Jira
- Azure DevOps
- UAT Planning & Coordination
- Change Management
- Training & Adoption
- Vendor Management
- Insurance Operations
- Cross-Functional Leadership
- Process mapping
- Software development lifecycle
- Business process improvement
- Process development
- SQL proficiency
- KPI tracking
- Risk assessment
Certification
Certified Business Analyst Professional Certification with IIBA - in progress.
Timeline
SENIOR BUSINESS ANALYST
ROBERT HALF, INC CONTRACTED WITH CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE AUTHORITY
06.2019 - Current
SENIOR BUSINESS ANALYST
Vision Service Plan
08.2018 - 06.2019
BUSINESS ANALYST
Vision Service Plan
05.2013 - 08.2018
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration – Information Technology Management
Western Governors University
Technical Tools
- ServiceNow
- Jira
- Azure DevOps
- Sensei IQ
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Visio
- SharePoint
- SAP
- Agile/Scrum Methodologies
- Process Mapping & Documentation Tools
- SQL
- Power BI
Personal Information
I'm a dedicated professional who loves to learn new things, and I am continuing my education starting with a CBAP certification. I also sit as a volunteer on the board of a nonprofit that supports the improvement and maintenance of hiking and riding trails in Eldorado county which has provided me with the opportunity to learn how to write grants, fundraise, and work with government agencies and officials.
Servicenow Experience Highlights
- Lead Business Analyst for three enterprise ServiceNow initiatives, including Customer Service Management (CSM), CSM enhancements, and IT Service Management (ITSM) implementations.
- Facilitated discovery sessions and requirements workshops with business stakeholders, technical teams, and external partners.
- Developed business requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria, process documentation, and implementation support materials.
- Partnered directly with ServiceNow developers, architects, implementation consultants, and QA teams throughout solution delivery.
- Coordinated User Acceptance Testing (UAT) planning and execution activities to support successful deployments.
- Currently supporting analysis and planning efforts related to a potential ServiceNow Human Resources Service Delivery (HRSD) implementation.