Arihant D profile photo 1 on Tal

Arihant D

EXLian | Ex Cognizant | IIBA Certified Business Analyst | Bridging Business & Technology | Agile | Waterfall | Stakeholder Management | Delivering Strategic Insights

Chennai

10+ years of work experience

EXL
Sep 20251 yr 3 mosPresent

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

• Conducted requirement-gathering workshops and documented detailed Business Requirements Documents (BRDs) and Functional Requirements Documents (FRDs) ensuring clarity and alignment with business objectives. • Designed and implemented new process configurations ensuring seamless integration with existing systems and workflows. • Led User Acceptance Testing (UAT) across multiple Product Operations Centres (PODs) and stakeholder groups managing issue resolution and obtaining product sign-off for production release. • Provided ongoing support for existing processes including role-based access, workflow management and system enhancements. • Diagnosed and resolved configuration-related issues improving system stability, efficiency and user adoption. • Conducted solution evaluations and recommended enhancements to optimise process performance, scalability and compliance. • Collaborated with cross-functional teams, IT and stakeholders to translate business requirements into functional specifications, use cases and process flows.
Cognizant
Jul 20241 yr 3 mosSep 2025

Led the development of a Practice-wide demand approval grid through end-to-end automation using UiPath and Digital First technologies, cutting manual work by 90% and ensuring alignment with business standards and procedures. Responsibilities: • Interacted with the stakeholders and gathered requirements by using various elicitation techniques. • Created user stories with appropriate acceptance criteria with the assistance of the Product Owner. Added user stories into product backlog using the JIRA tool. • Prioritized and validated the requirements using Moscow and FURPS technique, added user stories to sprint backlog based on prioritization order. • Collaborated with Product Owner and Scrum Master for BV and CP and assisted the Product Owner for the creation of DOR and DOD checklist. • Participated in sprint ceremonies to remove road blocks in the project. • Generated Sprint, Product Burn down/Burn up charts to track the project progress. • Participated in product planning and UAT to successfully deliver each sprint component. • Collaborated with the UiPath team to develop automation for Excel-based templates in to different level of BOTs, ensuring they adhered to business rules and guidelines while processing submissions from multiple users across practices. • Feedback was thoroughly reviewed and documented; valid suggestions were transformed into Change Requests and executed in alignment with the specified requirements. • Built a revenue-to-headcount hiring model incorporating revenue forecasts, attrition, promotions, org structure, and utilization to validate hiring requests. • Led promotion cycle analysis, drafting quarterly T&Cs based on growth metrics and resolving discrepancies with vertical teams for COO reporting. • Analyzed monthly revenue per FTE, identified gaps, and facilitated stakeholder alignment meetings. • Created executive dashboards and leadership reports on demand, optimization, layering, span, and pyramid metrics.
Cognizant
Jun 20213 yrs 1 moJun 2024

Project Name (2): SGA (Sales & General Administrative Expenses) Automation – Waterfall Method Role: Supporting Business Analyst Project description: Supported an automation initiative focused on enhancing cost forecasting and improving financial performance analysis. Contributed as a Business Analyst by leveraging manual process expertise and delivering data insights to guide automation design. Responsibilities: • Conducted Enterprise Analysis and under the assistance of a senior BA in creating a Business Case Document, conducted Stakeholder Analysis, and prepared RACI Matrix. • Gathered requirements from business heads using Elicitation Techniques and created a Business Requirements Document (BRD). • Translated BRD into Functional Requirements Document (FRD), Collaborated with the technical team, and prepared SRS Document. • Created UML diagrams and wireframes to visually represent requirements using MS Visio, Balsamiq, and Axure. • Created and maintained RTM throughout the project and assisted in Testing Team by preparing Test Case Scenarios and ensured the UAT was successful. • Collaborated with forecasting teams across verticals to manually evaluate cost projections, ensuring alignment with Operating Margin (OM%) and Gross Margin (GM%) targets and align the concepts into automation. • Conducted variance analysis testing between actuals and forecasts to detect anomalies, assess risks, and recommend corrective actions. • Supported the preparation and refinement of Power BI dashboards by gathering required data inputs and validating metric accuracy for leadership reporting. • Documented end-to-end process flows and business logic to support automation development by the UiPath team. • Participated in solution validation by reviewing BOT’s outputs against manual results and refining automation requirements. • Presented cost optimization insights and dashboard narratives to stakeholders through structured reports and review sessions.
Cognizant
Apr 20192 yrs 2 mosMay 2021

Automated routine time management tasks including timesheet submission, daily TruTime updates, and leave request processing. The solution streamlined employee inputs, ensured compliance with organizational policies, and reduced manual effort, improving overall accuracy and efficiency in time tracking. • Collaborated with business stakeholders to gather and document detailed business and functional requirements in Business Requirement Documents (BRDs) and Functional Specification Documents (FSDs). • Supported project planning and phase-based delivery by ensuring clear scope definition and approval at each project milestone. • Worked closely with development and QA teams throughout the design, build, and test phases to ensure requirements were correctly implemented. • Conducted gap analysis, risk assessments, and facilitated requirement sign-offs to ensure alignment with business objectives and minimize scope creep.
GE Capital
Apr 20141 yr 8 mosNov 2015

Tamil Nadu, India

Handled inbound and outbound customer interactions, efficiently resolving inquiries and escalations while capturing feedback to identify recurring issues and support process improvement initiatives. Generated and analyzed call quality reports to identify trends, recommending workflow enhancements that reduced defects and improved overall service efficiency. Collaborated with team leads to document Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and establish feedback loops for continuous improvement in customer support processes. Participated in requirement-gathering sessions with process managers to recommend improvements in call handling processes and CRM data capture. Contributed to process improvement initiatives by leveraging call data to highlight system issues and escalating findings to relevant business units for resolution. Mentored and onboarded new team members by sharing best practices and providing guidance on the effective use of internal tools and systems. Assisted in the preparation of internal reports and participated in discussions on performance metrics, customer satisfaction trends, and issue resolution tracking.
Justdial
Apr 20131 yr 1 moApr 2014

Tamil Nadu, India

Conducted outbound sales calls and gathered client requirements to tailor product offerings, laying the groundwork for basic requirement elicitation and stakeholder interaction. Maintained detailed records of client interactions and feedback, enabling the identification of trends for sales process optimization and service enhancements. United with internal teams to analyze lead conversion data, contributing insights that improved targeting strategies and customer engagement outcomes. Created and maintained daily performance dashboards to monitor KPIs, supporting data-driven decision-making for sales and outreach planning.

Arihant’s AI Stack

claude code
claude code
claude
claude
openai
openai
perplexity
perplexity
ChatGPT
ChatGPT
ChatGPT Images
ChatGPT Images

Education

University of Madras

Bsc, Computer Science

University of Madras

20093 yrs2012

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Headline

EXLian | Ex Cognizant | IIBA Certified Business Analyst | Bridging Business & Technology | Agile | Waterfall | Stakeholder Management | Delivering Strategic Insights

About

Expertise in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) across various phases, including both Waterfall and Agile methodologies. Proficiency in the Waterfall Model: Skilled in gathering requirements using elicitation techniques and preparing Business Requirement Documents (BRD), Functional Requirement Documents (FRD) and System Requirement Specifications (SRS). Experienced in creating RACI Matrix, Business Case Diagrams (BCD), UML diagrams, prototypes and tracking requirements through Requirements Tracking Management (RTM). Well-versed in handling User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and managing Change Requests. Expertise in Agile Scrum: Proficient in creating detailed user stories with defined Acceptance Criteria, calculating Business Value (BV) and Complexity Points (CP), maintaining Sprint and Product Backlogs and conducting key Scrum ceremonies. Experienced in utilising Sprint & Product Burndown Charts and ensuring alignment with Definition of Ready (DOR) and Definition of Done (DOD) checklists. Proven success in automating complex business processes using UiPath combined with Agile methodologies, achieving up to 90% reduction in manual efforts while ensuring compliance with business standards and organisational objectives. Expertise in creating executive dashboards and providing actionable insights on demand, utilisation and operational metrics, supporting leadership teams in data-driven decision-making and fostering alignment across organisational verticals. Strong background in workforce planning and resource optimisation, including headcount modelling, utilisation tracking and stakeholder alignment to support strategic hiring and operational efficiency across teams and verticals.

Location

Chennai

AI stack

claude code

claude

openai

perplexity

ChatGPT

ChatGPT Images

Work experience

Lead Business Analyst at EXL, Sep 2025 - Present · 1 yr 3 mos, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, • Conducted requirement-gathering workshops and documented detailed Business Requirements Documents (BRDs) and Functional Requirements Documents (FRDs) ensuring clarity and alignment with business objectives. • Designed and implemented new process configurations ensuring seamless integration with existing systems and workflows. • Led User Acceptance Testing (UAT) across multiple Product Operations Centres (PODs) and stakeholder groups managing issue resolution and obtaining product sign-off for production release. • Provided ongoing support for existing processes including role-based access, workflow management and system enhancements. • Diagnosed and resolved configuration-related issues improving system stability, efficiency and user adoption. • Conducted solution evaluations and recommended enhancements to optimise process performance, scalability and compliance. • Collaborated with cross-functional teams, IT and stakeholders to translate business requirements into functional specifications, use cases and process flows.

Senior Business Analyst at Cognizant, Jul 2024 - Sep 2025 · 1 yr 3 mos, Led the development of a Practice-wide demand approval grid through end-to-end automation using UiPath and Digital First technologies, cutting manual work by 90% and ensuring alignment with business standards and procedures. Responsibilities: • Interacted with the stakeholders and gathered requirements by using various elicitation techniques. • Created user stories with appropriate acceptance criteria with the assistance of the Product Owner. Added user stories into product backlog using the JIRA tool. • Prioritized and validated the requirements using Moscow and FURPS technique, added user stories to sprint backlog based on prioritization order. • Collaborated with Product Owner and Scrum Master for BV and CP and assisted the Product Owner for the creation of DOR and DOD checklist. • Participated in sprint ceremonies to remove road blocks in the project. • Generated Sprint, Product Burn down/Burn up charts to track the project progress. • Participated in product planning and UAT to successfully deliver each sprint component. • Collaborated with the UiPath team to develop automation for Excel-based templates in to different level of BOTs, ensuring they adhered to business rules and guidelines while processing submissions from multiple users across practices. • Feedback was thoroughly reviewed and documented; valid suggestions were transformed into Change Requests and executed in alignment with the specified requirements. • Built a revenue-to-headcount hiring model incorporating revenue forecasts, attrition, promotions, org structure, and utilization to validate hiring requests. • Led promotion cycle analysis, drafting quarterly T&Cs based on growth metrics and resolving discrepancies with vertical teams for COO reporting. • Analyzed monthly revenue per FTE, identified gaps, and facilitated stakeholder alignment meetings. • Created executive dashboards and leadership reports on demand, optimization, layering, span, and pyramid metrics.

Business Analyst at Cognizant, Jun 2021 - Jun 2024 · 3 yrs 1 mo, Project Name (2): SGA (Sales & General Administrative Expenses) Automation – Waterfall Method Role: Supporting Business Analyst Project description: Supported an automation initiative focused on enhancing cost forecasting and improving financial performance analysis. Contributed as a Business Analyst by leveraging manual process expertise and delivering data insights to guide automation design. Responsibilities: • Conducted Enterprise Analysis and under the assistance of a senior BA in creating a Business Case Document, conducted Stakeholder Analysis, and prepared RACI Matrix. • Gathered requirements from business heads using Elicitation Techniques and created a Business Requirements Document (BRD). • Translated BRD into Functional Requirements Document (FRD), Collaborated with the technical team, and prepared SRS Document. • Created UML diagrams and wireframes to visually represent requirements using MS Visio, Balsamiq, and Axure. • Created and maintained RTM throughout the project and assisted in Testing Team by preparing Test Case Scenarios and ensured the UAT was successful. • Collaborated with forecasting teams across verticals to manually evaluate cost projections, ensuring alignment with Operating Margin (OM%) and Gross Margin (GM%) targets and align the concepts into automation. • Conducted variance analysis testing between actuals and forecasts to detect anomalies, assess risks, and recommend corrective actions. • Supported the preparation and refinement of Power BI dashboards by gathering required data inputs and validating metric accuracy for leadership reporting. • Documented end-to-end process flows and business logic to support automation development by the UiPath team. • Participated in solution validation by reviewing BOT’s outputs against manual results and refining automation requirements. • Presented cost optimization insights and dashboard narratives to stakeholders through structured reports and review sessions.

Subject Matter Expert at Cognizant, Apr 2019 - May 2021 · 2 yrs 2 mos, Automated routine time management tasks including timesheet submission, daily TruTime updates, and leave request processing. The solution streamlined employee inputs, ensured compliance with organizational policies, and reduced manual effort, improving overall accuracy and efficiency in time tracking. • Collaborated with business stakeholders to gather and document detailed business and functional requirements in Business Requirement Documents (BRDs) and Functional Specification Documents (FSDs). • Supported project planning and phase-based delivery by ensuring clear scope definition and approval at each project milestone. • Worked closely with development and QA teams throughout the design, build, and test phases to ensure requirements were correctly implemented. • Conducted gap analysis, risk assessments, and facilitated requirement sign-offs to ensure alignment with business objectives and minimize scope creep.

Customer Service Representative at GE Capital, Apr 2014 - Nov 2015 · 1 yr 8 mos, Tamil Nadu, India, Handled inbound and outbound customer interactions, efficiently resolving inquiries and escalations while capturing feedback to identify recurring issues and support process improvement initiatives. Generated and analyzed call quality reports to identify trends, recommending workflow enhancements that reduced defects and improved overall service efficiency. Collaborated with team leads to document Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and establish feedback loops for continuous improvement in customer support processes. Participated in requirement-gathering sessions with process managers to recommend improvements in call handling processes and CRM data capture. Contributed to process improvement initiatives by leveraging call data to highlight system issues and escalating findings to relevant business units for resolution. Mentored and onboarded new team members by sharing best practices and providing guidance on the effective use of internal tools and systems. Assisted in the preparation of internal reports and participated in discussions on performance metrics, customer satisfaction trends, and issue resolution tracking.

Process Associate at Justdial, Apr 2013 - Apr 2014 · 1 yr 1 mo, Tamil Nadu, India, Conducted outbound sales calls and gathered client requirements to tailor product offerings, laying the groundwork for basic requirement elicitation and stakeholder interaction. Maintained detailed records of client interactions and feedback, enabling the identification of trends for sales process optimization and service enhancements. United with internal teams to analyze lead conversion data, contributing insights that improved targeting strategies and customer engagement outcomes. Created and maintained daily performance dashboards to monitor KPIs, supporting data-driven decision-making for sales and outreach planning.

Education

Bsc, Computer Science, University of Madras