Troy Wands

Experience

• 

  Maryland State Lottery Agency

  Jun 1996 - Aug 2001

  Public Affairs Specialist/Webmaster

  - Public Relations- Maintained the website- Wrote press releases.

• 

  U.S. Census Bureau

  Aug 2001 - now

  I am a project manager in charge of getting Census data products released. The Demographic Profile (DP), Demographic and Housing Characteristics Summary File (DHC), 118th Congressional District Summary File, 2020 Island Areas Census Demographic Profiles amongst other related 2020 data products. I work with multiple divisions and have to deal with changing timelines and competing priorities to get products released. I monitor all activities, and I help the responsible areas as much as possible to make sure their tasks happen on time, or earlier, to prevent the critical path from delaying the release. I set up and run touchpoint meetings to handle last minute issues that need to be resolved. I make sure all corresponding charts, fact sheets, blogs, and metrics for the products will be released on time.I set up lessons learned sessions to help future releases operate more efficiently. I helped review the file specifications and suggested changes to correct issues. I also led the creation of the accompanying technical document that communicates complex information to data users so they can read the comma-delimited text files that contain all of the detailed tables for the data releases. I gathered requirements for products from stakeholders. I created baseline schedules for Decennial product releases that were put into the integrated master schedule (IMS). I did this by compiling tasks, working with various areas to understand the connections, and limiting durations. I have used RACI charts and checklists to make sure tasks were done as fast as possible.I assisted the tracking of budget items related to Decennial product releases and making sure items were spent as allocated and preventing high variances. I have prepared reports comparing planned versus actual expenses, commitments, and obligations. I have monitored the projected budgetary expenditures to ensure they are within available funding. I have tracked expenditures for various items. Weniger anzeigen My primary responsibilities were related to developing Training and Production applications. I used agile project management techniques to push user stories along from birth, grooming, sizing, development, review, and finish. I planned, developed and analyzed application activities. I managed the points/costs for application development. I weighed stakeholder wants vs needs to prioritize development. I worked with scrum teams to gather, analyze, and create requirements. I worked with stakeholders to construct and collect requirements, resolve issues and/or provide clarification to requirements to teams. I assisted with the development, implementation, maintenance, and operation of systems. I lead sessions to analyze business needs, long range plans, and develop strategic solutions. I helped prioritize the backlogs. I helped requirements get approved by management and the Change Control Board. I developed and organized testing strategies in multiple environments. I helped develop automated testing. I helped with the development of training manuals and job aids. I delivered applications that allowed for quality training and did not have any major issues. I provided support for training dry runs and production training.I managed security and database management of the applications and implemented quality assurance procedures. I responded to inquiries/requests in a timely manner to address concerns and resolve issues. I worked with others to develop KBAs used by the help desk.I helped prioritize Bug/Issue fixes. I helped manage the risks related to adding features and bug fixes to the applications. I monitored the IT war room and emergency calls during work hours and while being on call. I participated in daily IT support teleconference.I performed Quality Control on devices at distribution sites. I have set-up and attended various meetings needed to complete my duties. I have done various tasks to help others complete their tasks. Weniger anzeigen While working in the Nonresponse Operations branch (NROB), my primary responsibilities are related to determining the housing unit status for non-responding addresses and enumerating housing units for which a 2020 Census response was not received. In order to complete these responsibilities, I participate in a number of teams related to the various aspects of the enumeration process. I work across inter-divisional, internal, and external organizational lines to develop program/project goals, coordinate programs/projects, exchange program/project information, communicate program/project priorities and goals, and communicate program/project progress and outcomes. I collaborate with customers to understand user requirements and meet customer expectations. I apply independent judgment during times when specific and detailed instructions are not provided. I communicate orally and in writing to guide, inform, and persuade individuals who are skeptical or uncooperative, in order to provide information, implement policies/procedures, and influence change. I work and communicate in different capacities with a variety of staff to exchange information, resolve problems, probe for information, clarify issues, collect data, develop alternatives, and troubleshoot. I independently analyze processes and make recommendations to improve efficiency. I apply the judgment and problem solving skills to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information, extract relevant information from documents and other sources, and analyze information to uncover patterns and trends.Other duties include leading the user acceptance testing for the enumeration field data app and field operation control system (FOCS). I trained staff how to create test cases and report errors in HP Application Lifecycle Management (HP-ALM). I assigned, reviewed, and approved staff test case creation assignments. I developed the testing plan and limitations of the user acceptance testing. Weniger anzeigen While working in the Retail Trade Branch, my primary responsibility was working on the Economic Census and Annual Retail Trade Survey. I worked on all aspects of the survey process such as questionnaire design, frame development, data collection, editing, imputation and estimation, data analysis and review, and data dissemination. I have analyzed, reviewed, edited, tabulated, and produced annual and quinquennial micro and macro data for Economic surveys covering multiple sectors of the North American Industry Classification System. I created SQL searches and documents to assist with Economic Census review.I tested the effectiveness of the disclosure system the Census used. I used mathematical techniques to suppress data that would have identified a respondent when the system could not do it, and verified the data that was released. I created documents for testing the accuracy of the system. I assigned, reviewed, and corrected parts of the disclosure review process given to other analysts.I showed companies across the country how to respond to the economic census, helped the companies with any reporting problems, and made sure the reported data was consistent with Census Bureau requirements. After data was received, I made sure data output was consistent, error free, and released in a way not to disclose the identity of the survey respondents.I planned, identified, strategized, researched, and formally documented requirements and specifications while on teams such as the reconciliation and product lines teams. I have gained consensus and cooperation to help meet team deadlines. I have helped develop written material that communicated complex and technical information to others on those teams. I created parameters for classifying industries and verifying the various versions of text on the surveys. Weniger anzeigen

  • Project Manager

    Jan 2020 - now

  • Training Project Manager

    Jan 2018 - Jan 2020

  • Program Analyst

    Aug 2016 - Jan 2018

  • Survey Analyst

    Aug 2001 - Aug 2016