Case Study · State Government
CalOES
Emergency Preparedness Technology
Leading BA, UX, and PM delivery for mission-critical statewide technology platforms at California’s Office of Emergency Services — supporting public safety, GIS, Salesforce, and ServiceNow modernization initiatives.
2yrs
ENGAGEMENT DURATION
Hybrid
Agile + Waterfall SDLC
Multi
PROGRAMS SUPPORTED
3
PLATFORMS INTERGRATED
Client
California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES
Engagement
Aug 2023 – Aug 2025 · ARK Strategies Consulting
Sector
Emergency Management / Public Safety / State Government
Background
Technology at the Center of California’s Emergency Response
The California Office of Emergency Services coordinates the state’s preparedness, response, and recovery for all emergencies and disasters — from wildfires and earthquakes to public safety threats. Behind that mission is a complex portfolio of technology systems: GIS platforms for situational awareness, Salesforce and MuleSoft integrations for inter-agency data exchange, and ServiceNow workflows managing the IT operations that keep everything running.
When these systems don’t work — or when they’re difficult to use, slow to update, or misaligned to the operational reality of emergency management — the consequences are measured in response time, resource misallocation, and mission risk. I joined the Cal OES technology team as the senior BA, UX lead, and project manager responsible for ensuring that didn’t happen.
“At Cal OES, requirements aren’t abstract. Every workflow I documented, every backlog item I prioritized, every integration I helped specify had a direct line to California’s ability to respond to the next emergency.”
The Challenge
Multiple Programs, Multiple Stakeholders, One BA
Cal OES technology initiatives spanned multiple divisions and programs simultaneously — each with its own leadership, priorities, compliance obligations, and delivery timelines. There was no standardized intake process for technology requests, which meant work arrived ad hoc, was inconsistently scoped, and competed for limited development capacity with no clear prioritization framework.
At the same time, the agency operated across both Agile and Waterfall environments. Some programs required iterative sprint-based delivery; others required phase-gate approvals, formal sign-off documentation, and procurement-compliant artifacts. A single BA had to navigate both worlds without losing rigor in either.
My Approach
Building the BA Infrastructure Before Delivering the BA Work
- Intake and backlog management design — Identified the absence of a standardized demand intake process as a root cause of delivery chaos. Designed and implemented a new intake and backlog management process from scratch — defining how requests were captured, triaged, prioritized, and transitioned from concept to development-ready requirements in Azure DevOps.
- Multi-program requirements elicitation — Led requirements elicitation across multiple simultaneous programs, partnering with division leadership, IT architects, GIS specialists, and PMO stakeholders. Facilitated structured interviews and workshops to surface needs that stakeholders didn’t always know how to articulate in system terms.
- BRD/FRD/NFR authoring aligned to statutory mandates — Authored comprehensive Business Requirements Documents, Functional Requirements Documents, and Non-Functional Requirements aligned to California state governance standards, ADA compliance, Section 508, and applicable statutory mandates. Developed requirements traceability matrices (RTMs) from BRD through development, testing, and deployment.
- Salesforce, MuleSoft, and ServiceNow integration BA — Served as BA on cross-agency Salesforce and MuleSoft integration initiatives — partnering with architects to translate business rules into API, database, and integration specifications. Developed ServiceNow automation requirements to streamline internal IT workflows and reduce redundant request handling.
- Hybrid SDLC navigation — Operated fluidly across Agile and Waterfall delivery environments. In Agile programs: facilitated sprint planning, grooming, stand-ups, reviews, and retrospectives, converting BRD artifacts into epics and user stories with acceptance criteria. In Waterfall programs: led phase-gate documentation, requirements sign-off, design review, UAT sign-off, and change control processes.
- PMO and executive reporting support — Supported PMO reporting including RAID logs, risk mitigation strategies, and executive status reporting. Participated in procurement documentation and SOW development. Defined KPIs and success metrics to validate business outcomes post-implementation.
- UX leadership for mission-critical platforms — Led UX delivery for digital platforms supporting emergency preparedness operations — mentoring designers, building scalable design systems and component libraries, and championing ADA and accessibility compliance across all digital experiences.