Analysis & Specification (iANA)
Interpreting specifications and applying them practically to new and existing solutions. Analysing customer requirements and how to transcribe them into solution-specific output. Engaging with the right stakeholders and peers to produce relevant and meaningful system proposals.
LVL 2 - Engineer I
Is able to follow basic specification set by others, clarifying details with their team.
- works to specifications already provided by other team members.
- may require guidance on how to implement a specification within their domain.
- regularly discusses their planned approach with a more senior team member.
- understands Gherkin acceptance criteria, and can contribute to producing them as part of a group workshop.
LVL 3 - Engineer II
Regularly writes specification for basic features, working with more senior members for analysing and specifying more complex work.
- is comfortable contributing to understanding the problem and coming up with a solution as part of a team or pairing.
- is able to interpret specifications and implement a solution within their domain.
- is able to write basic specifications but requires supervision/guidance for more complex features.
- is able to support senior team members with code/system audits to identify issues and common problems and contribute to a report document as required.
- can write standard Gherkin and is capable of producing multiple scenarios for any given feature to account for different cases as relevant.
LVL 4 - Senior I
Builds up requirements and proposes detailed specifications to new or existing clients. Considers and manages the impact of changes on other domains or areas of their application.
- is comfortable analysing problems within a subdomain, building up requirements and turning them into a simple specification document, or part of a larger one, for submission as a formal pitch to clients.
- considers the non-technical requirements and impact of a system, for example the manual effort required to perform the administration of the feature.
- contributes answers to client RFP requirements using their technical and domain experience.
- conducts technical investigations ("spikes") to identify and compare possible approaches for small problems, documenting the outcome.
LVL 5 - Senior II, TTL
Converts complex problems into client-facing specifications, and conducts audits of existing applications to recommend improvement. Delegates and supports other members to analyse and specify in their domains.
- has the experience to break down large problems and compose them into client-facing specifications.
- supervises others in creating specification documents, delegating responsibilities as necessary without needing to be directly involved in the analysis.
- performs a complete audit of an existing application and/or system to identify issues and common problems, and produce a suitable report document for a client.
- can produce Gherkin scenarios to cover the main acceptance criteria as well all reasonable variations and edge-cases. Understands when edge-cases are exceeding the bounds of obscurity.
- conducts technical investigations ("spikes") to identify and compare possible approaches for highly complex problems, documenting the outcome.
LVL 6 - Principal, SEM
Supports pitches to new or existing clients and can communicate complex systems through documents and presentations. Works with others to transform high-level business requirements into technical recommendations.
- produces pitch-level analysis of client requirements to architect a large-scale solution.
- collaborates with other team members and the client to document business needs and assumptions to help inform the eventual specification.
- considers multiple facets of a system, including those outside of their area of expertise in order to determine what other providers are required to produce and be responsible for.
- can provide alternative solutions, communicating at a high level the implications and cost of each.
- communicates their designs and visions through various means including documents, presentations and various types of diagrams at different levels of abstraction (system, data flow, component, etc).