OTUG June 20, 2006 Lecture

Abstract

Software projects require both functional and technical resources. The two groups have diverse perspectives and require different skills to succeed. How does it feel to be on the other side? What does it take to make a move? Join us for a fishbowl discussion on making a career move between technical and functional roles.

About The Speakers

Jeanine Krier has 13 years experience in Instructional Technology, focusing in Healthcare and Finance industries. She started her career as a Database Administrator and moved into Technical Project Management, Database Administration training and consulting and Database Modeling roles. In the year 2000, she started doing consulting work and also received formal training in Business Analysis, Project Management, Rational Unified Process (RUP) and Unified Modeling Language (UML). After obtaining her MBA, she began to specialize in business analysis and project management. With six years of consulting experience, she now works in a variety of roles including Business Analyst, Project Manager, Business Strategy Consultant and Database Modeling. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems with a minor in Computer Science from North Dakota State University, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with an International Business emphasis from Metropolitan State University. Currently, Jeanine Krier is a Senior Consultant with Sharp Sky Partners Consulting firm.

Eric Markgraf is a business analyst for Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has a BS in Business Administration from Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Florida. Prior to working at Capella, Eric was a software development consultant in Chicago and Minneapolis where he has worked on software development projects for First American Title Insurance Company, Yaskawa Electronics, US Data, GE Fanuc, Dow Elanco, mvp.com, Target, Ecolab, and Carlson Corporation. Eric has over two years of experience working on projects following the Extreme Programming methodology and believes that process is critical to managing the inherent complexity of software. Eric completed MCSD certification in 2003 and although he is currently a business analyst, he is still a programmer at heart.

Karl Lacher has worked on data warehousing and business intelligence projects since 1996. He has played various roles in data warehouse initiatives: manager, project manager, business analyst, data modeler, ETL developer, DBA, and report developer. Industries covered include health care (MCC Behavioral Care), food (Pillsbury), retail (Dayton-Hudson, Best Buy), financial services (Reliastar Financial), transportation (Koch Logistics, Logistics Specialists), manufacturing (Plastics Inc.), and education (Wisconsin State Technical Colleges, Capella University). Mr. Lacher holds an MBA in Finance from the University of St. Thomas and a Master's Certificate in Project Management and Leadership from Capella University.