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2025 and 2026
Software Development Life Cycle Workshop 2025 and 2026 are hands-on, 3 month experience; Each year, 95 Individuals from around the world came together to tackle real life problems and create the right solutions. The results, you can view their work in the teams pages here on this site; this is experience you cannot get outside of DOING IT!
SDLC Experience Workshop
Team 03
Our team represents six countries, five time zones, and a wide range of levels of experience.
When we formed, we were a group of strangers - now we are a working team!
Product Owner
Aaron Whittenberger, CBAP, AAC, CPOA, A-CSPO- ICP-APO
35 years of Business and Information Technology experience, including 20 years of business analysis and 15 years as a Consultant. Founding President of Bluegrass IIBA Chapter. 2016 Inductee into the Bluegrass Business Analysis Hall of Fame and two-time IIBA Americas Southeast Region Volunteer of the Year.
Project Manager
Tina Ewing, ECBA
Results-driven professional with strong acumen in IT, project management, operations, purchasing, and supply chain. Skilled in Scrum and business analysis, delivering critical global projects and key deliverables. Extensive experience collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders to support decision-making, data analysis, requirements gathering, and resolving project issues.
Business Analyst
Munirat Omowunmi Usman
Business Analyst driving digital transformation and process improvement in financial services, and tech-enabled environments. Background spans Project Management, Banking, Entrepreneurship, and Social Media Marketing. Passionate about delivering continuous business solutions, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring customer satisfaction.
Quality Assurance
Ugochi Obialo Ekoh, Bsc/ED, TRCN
Business Analyst with 6+ years of experience in education, retail, and technology. Passionate about translating business needs into actionable solutions, improving processes, and driving measurable results across industries.
Quality Assurance
Keith Ellis
Recovering Data Scientist of 10 years with experience in data solutions across industries focusing on predicting modeling and strategic forecasting. He is a Learning Engineer focused on developing and improving educational learning environments for student success and student outcomes.
User Interface & User Experience Designer
Toyin Grace
Business Analyst with 2+ years’ experience and 5+ years in technical support & customer service, skilled in requirements gathering, stakeholder engagement, and Agile delivery. Passionate about optimizing processes and delivering user-focused solutions.
Developer
Pamir Shinwari, BCS
A Computer Science graduate with experience in customer service and retail, now seeking to return to the software development field. Currently pursuing a Web Development Certificate from Harvard University.
Business Analyst
Pradeepbalasekar BC, PSM-1
Business Analyst specialized in healthcare and IT environments, skilled in driving digital transformation through process improvements, data-driven decision making and agile project delivery. With strong knowledge in Scrum and project management, I focus on efficienct collaboration with business and technical teams to deliver impactful solutions
Problem Statement:
In today’s digital world, many insurance companies still rely on outdated, manual processes to handle customer claims. Customers often must print forms, fill them out by hand, and mail or physically deliver them to a branch office. Once submitted, there’s no easy way to know whether the claim was received or where it is in the process. Communication is slow, and many customers call repeatedly just to get updates.
This paper-based method causes major delays and frustrations for both customers and staff:
● Customers don’t get timely updates, which reduces trust and satisfaction
● Claims officers waste time on data entry and manual routing
● There’s no easy way to monitor performance or track bottlenecks
● Errors and lost paperwork are common, leading to rework
Solutions
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A digital claims platform can fix this.
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It can offer customers a faster, more transparent process while reducing the workload for internal teams.
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Enable better data collection, status tracking, and accountability.
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Team 3 will design and build a simplified version of such a system.
Success Looks Like
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Submitting a claim is fast and intuitive.
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Customers can successfully submit a claim – w/attachments.
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Claim status can be updated by staff ,viewed by customers and easy to understand.
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Team can articulate the 'Before and After' value during the final presentation.
Kanban (Agile)
Kanban Purpose
A Kanban board is a visual project management tool that helps teams organize, prioritize, and track their work in real time. It breaks down tasks into columns like “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done,” making it easy to see what’s moving forward and where blockers may exist.
For SDLC teams, the Kanban board reinforces agile principles by promoting transparency, accountability, and continuous delivery. It also serves as a living roadmap—helping mentors, PMs, and contributors align on deliverables and timelines at a glance.
Key Lesson Learned
“Visualizing work through Kanban improves team alignment, accountability, and delivery speed.”
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Helped identify bottlenecks early (e.g., dashboard integration delays)
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Encouraged ownership and momentum across design, build, and testing phases
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Made final presentation smoother by ensuring essential tasks were not overlooked
Miro Link
Project Deliverables - By the Project Manager
Here are three reasons for initiating the insurance claims digitization project based on the project charter:
✅1. Improve Customer Experience
The current paper-based process causes delays, confusion, and frustration.
A digital system allows customers to submit claims easily, track progress, and receive timely updates—boosting satisfaction and trust.
✅2. Increase Operational Efficiency
Manual data entry, routing, and follow-ups waste staff time and lead to errors.
Digitizing the workflow reduces rework, streamline approvals, and frees up resources for higher-value tasks.
✅ 3. Enable Better Monitoring and Compliance
The existing system lacks audit trails, SLA tracking, and performance metrics.
A digital platform provides real-time visibility and automated documentation
✅ Project Results
Customer Experience - Customers could submit claims online, upload files, and view real-time status updates, eliminating the need for paper forms and phone follow-ups.
Operational Efficiency - Staff use a centralized dashboard to manage claims, reducing manual data entry and speeding up approvals.
Process Transparency - The new system provided clear tracking of each claim, improving accountability and reducing lost paperwork.
Team Collaboration - Tools like Slack, Miro, Balsalmiq, and Python enabled smoother communication and faster iteration across design and development.
Presentation Delivery - The team successfully demonstrated the full claims flow, from submission to status creating a MVP.
Miro Link Team 3 - Project Charter - Miro
Product Manager: Tina Ewing
Project Charter
Project Deliverables - By the Project Manager
Product Manager: Tina Ewing
Timeline Balance
Timeline Balance Benefits
Communicate expectations to team and all dependent parties.
Miro Link
Week 1 Planning: Scope, Roles, Miro Flow
Week 2-4 Requirements
Week 5-6 Design: Figma, Balsalmiq and Python
Week 7-8 Testing: QA + Optional Features
Week 9 Build and UAT
Week 10 Retrospective and Lessons Learned
Project Deliverables - By the Product Owner
Product Canvas
Vision
Modernize claims process with a simple digital platform
Target Users
Customers, Claims Officers, Customer Service Staff
User Needs
Easy submission, file uploads, status updates, efficient tools for staff
Product Features
Online form, uploads, dashboard, alerts
Business Goals
Improve satisfaction, reduce errors, boost compliance
Metrics for Success
Submitting a claim in a timely manner, updates are visible by staff
Miro Link
Product Owner: Aaron Whittenberger
Project Deliverables - By the Business Analyst
A use case diagram visually maps out how users interact with a system to achieve specific goals. It identifies the key actors (like customers or admins) and the actions they perform—such as logging in, submitting a form, or generating a report.
For SDLC teams, this diagram helps clarify scope, align stakeholder expectations, and guide development by showing what the system must support. It’s especially useful early in the project to ensure that user needs are accurately captured and translated into functional requirements.
Miro Link: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVJXP0GUY=/
Business Analyst: Munirat Usman
Use Case Diagram
Quality Assurance Analysts: John Ellis and Ugochi Ekoh
Project Deliverables - By the QA/Tester
Lessons Learned
A key lesson learned from this QA phase is the importance of traceability and clear documentation. By mapping every test case directly to a User Story and its corresponding Acceptance Criteria, it became easier to identify gaps or inconsistencies early in the testing process. This traceability ensured that each requirement was validated and nothing critical was overlooked.
Another valuable insight was the role of bug tracking and backlogging. Logging and prioritizing issues that emerged during testing allowed the team to distinguish between critical defects (e.g., claim form submission failures) and non-critical improvements (e.g., UI alignment or field label updates). This structured backlog approach ensured timely fixes and helped the team maintain focus on delivering a high-quality, functional solution within the project timeline.
Through this QA process, the QA team learned how effective testing not only validates functionality but also enhances collaboration between QA, developers, UI/UX, and business analysts, ultimately leading to a more reliable and user-centered system.
Test Case Document
Test Cade Document Benefits
Test cases and the test case document serve as a structured blueprint for validating whether the product behaves as intended.
They help the team translate user stories and acceptance criteria into measurable, repeatable checks—ensuring that each feature meets quality standards before release.
By documenting expected inputs, actions, and outcomes, the team can identify defects early, streamline communication across roles, and reduce rework.
This process strengthens accountability and supports a more reliable, user-centered final product
Project Deliverables - By the UI/UX Designer
User Experience Designer - Toyin Grace
Wireframes are low-fidelity visual layouts that show the structure and flow of a user interface before final design begins. Created by the UI/UX designer, they help the team visualize how users will interact with the product—mapping out screens, buttons, and navigation paths. Wireframes clarify functionality, reduce design ambiguity, and allow early feedback from stakeholders and developers. By aligning the team around a shared visual blueprint, wireframes accelerate decision-making and ensure the final product is intuitive and user-centered.
Solution Walkthrough
Developer: Pamir Shinwari
Tools & Technologies Used
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Backend: Python Flask for business logic
and API management.
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Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and
Bootstrap for responsive UI.
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Database: PostgreSQL for secure data
storage.
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Development Tools: PyCharm IDE.
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Deployment: Render server.
This tech stack ensures scalability, maintainability, and efficiency across all user roles.
Developer: Pamir Shinwari
Policyholder Home Page
This page serves as the main dashboard
for policyholders to view and track their
submitted claims.
Features two buttons: New Claim and
View Claims.
Allows users to monitor progress :
Submitted, Approved, Rejected, or Paid.
Clean, responsive design for desktop and
mobile.
Improves communication by giving policyholders real-time visibility into the status of their claims.
Developer: Pamir Shinwari
Claim Processor Home Page
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Claim processors use this page to review and act on submitted claims.
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Displays statistics: Submitted, Approved, Paid, and Rejected claims.
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Provides a detailed table of claim
submissions with policyholder information and dates.
Streamlines internal review workflow and minimizes administrative delays.
Developer: Pamir Shinwari
Account Representative Home Page
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This page allows account representatives to manage claims submitted by policyholders.
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Shows total payment summaries and claim details.
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Includes filter options for Approved and Paid claims.
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The Pay button allows representatives to mark approved claims as paid.
Eliminates the need for manual tracking or spreadsheets.
Developer: Pamir Shinwari
Impact of the SDLC Experience Workshop
From the Team
Working with persons of different backgrounds & geographic locations
Exposure to SDLC and understanding of test cases
Very interesting to watch team members grow and interact with other global team members
Increased Productivity: Streamlined workflows and automation of repetitive tasks to free up developers to focus on more complex challenges, increasing throughput.
Better Collaboration and Transparency: Workshops bring together stakeholders, including developers, QA testers, BA and project managers, to ensure better communication and alignment with project goals.
Learned to focus on achieving Higher Customer Satisfaction: Ultimately, delivering high-quality, reliable MVP on time and within budget leads to greater client and customer satisfaction.
In the Workshop: Quality Assurance Specialist
Ugochi Obialo Ekoh
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Ugochi reports she is much more confident in the role of Quality Assurance Analyst after completing the SDLC Experience Workshop.
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She said, "Working as a QA Analyst in a global team was one of the most rewarding parts of this project. I collaborated with team members across different time zones using Miro, Slack, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn. On Miro, we had our Kanban board, project charter, requirements, and test scripts all in one place, which made it easier for everyone to stay aligned. Slack was our main channel for daily discussions and sharing updates, while WhatsApp helped with quick coordination when we needed faster responses. LinkedIn allowed us to stay connected professionally and share progress beyond the project space.
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Collaborating in this setup taught me how to communicate clearly, manage my time effectively, and stay flexible when working with people in different time zones. I learned how to plan my tasks ahead, give detailed updates, and respect other team members’ schedules to keep the workflow smooth.
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I also learned the importance of traceability during the QA phase. By linking every test case to its User Story and Acceptance Criteria, I could confirm that each feature was tested thoroughly and no requirement was left out. This approach enabled us to identify issues early and maintain confidence in the system’s overall quality.
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Another key takeaway was how bug tracking and backlogging supported the process. I documented all identified issues and categorized them by priority, critical, medium, or minor so the development team could focus on fixing the most urgent ones first. Through this experience, I learned that QA is not only about testing for errors; it’s about building collaboration, improving communication, and ensuring the final product truly meets user needs."
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She went on, "This was an amazing workshop and has made me realize that I can do anything I put my mind to.", and "All my teammates in were amazing. From collaboration to showing up for meting and just ensuring we were all on track. Keith John made the QA role very easy to understand. All our weekly meetings before the general meeting days helped me understand better what I was supposed to be doing and how to do it."
In the Workshop: User Experience & User Interface Designer
Toyin Grace Nwabueze
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Toyin reports she is much more confident in the role of Quality Assurance Analyst after completing the SDLC Experience Workshop. She said, "I gained hands-on experience working with international and cross-functional teams, using tools like Miro. This opportunity expanded my technical skills, improved my collaboration, and gave me practical insight into how real-life UI/UX projects operate."
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She went on, "The workshop was excellent and covered a lot of valuable ground....
The team did an excellent job! The simulation was well-structured, engaging, and highly collaborative.
The teamwork, mentorship, and guidance were outstanding. Everything from communication to project delivery was on point. This simulation showed me how consistent teamwork drives smoother delivery.
I truly appreciate the effort put into this experience. Please keep up the great work!"
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Additionally, Toyin said, "I want to sincerely thank the Tampa Bay IIBA Leadership for creating such an impactful learning experience. Your dedication, mentorship, and commitment to developing professionals through hands-on projects have truly made a difference. This initiative has not only enhanced my technical and analytical skills but also boosted my confidence to take on real-world challenges. Thank you for your vision and support."
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"I would like to recognize a few individuals who made a significant impact:
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Aaron Whittenberger, CBAP, AAC, CPOA, A-CSPO – for his exceptional mentorship, guidance, and patience throughout the project. His insights and feedback greatly enhanced my understanding of business analysis best practices.
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Thea Soehren, CBAP, CSPO, ICP-APO – for her inspiring leadership, encouragement, and the opportunity to be part of such a transformative learning experience.
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Grace Toyin – for her teamwork, collaboration, and contribution to ensuring tasks were completed efficiently and aligned with project goals.
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Each of them played a key role in making this experience both impactful and rewarding"
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In the Workshop: Business Analyst
Munirat Omowunmi Usman
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Munirat reports she is much more confident in the role of Business Analyst after completing the SDLC Experience Workshop. She said, "IThis simulation has helped me grow significantly in collaboration and communication. While working on my deliverables, I applied active listening, clarified requirements effectively, and ensured alignment with overall project objectives. I also gained hands-on experience applying the SDLC lifecycle, managing deadlines, providing constructive feedback, and adapting to diverse working styles within a cross-functional team. Overall, this experience strengthened my confidence in delivering high-quality outcomes while maintaining teamwork and transparency."
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She went on, "I plan to engage more proactively in my next project and maintain regular check-ins with each team member to ensure alignment and smooth collaboration as a Business Analyst."
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Additionally, Toyin said, "Huge appreciation to my amazing Group 3 teammates, everyone gave their best to make sure we delivered on our project goals!"
