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Information Technology - Information Technology (IT)
(Platinum Winner)

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#TBA04981

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Paid

PO Created Date

2025-05-05 23:08:50

Paid Date

2025-05-06 19:14:27

Competition

2025

Season

Entry ID

TBE105489

Entry Submission Date

2025-04-28 20:33:46

Member's Name

SRICHANDRA BOOSA

Member's Email

srichandra@eb1express.com

Entry Level

Information Technology

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IT25056 - Information Technology (IT)

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Project Description

Balkishan Arugula is a highly seasoned Sr. Technical Architect and Technical Manager with over 19 years of professional IT experience, spanning software development, enterprise architecture, cloud migration, and team leadership. With a strong foundation in Java/J2EE, AWS, Azure, and Microservices architecture, Balkishan has consistently contributed to the modernization and scalability of large-scale enterprise systems across banking, telecom, healthcare, and e-commerce sectors.

Currently working with Mobiquity Inc (Hexaware) in the USA, Balkishan leads backend development teams both onsite and offshore for strategic clients like Bank of Bineo and Medline. His responsibilities include architectural design, microservices development, cloud migration (AWS to Azure), and release management. He demonstrates expertise in Backbase-based digital banking solutions, overseeing API development, authentication integrations (e.g., Keycloak, OAuth2), and deployment orchestration using AWS, Azure, Datadog, and Kubernetes environments.

Project Description for Judges

Question 1 : Provide a brief description / background of your nominated organizational, departmental, team, or individual circumstance. (Your response to this question will be used for public display if your entry is awarded.)

Earlier, at ABSA Bank in South Africa, Balkishan served as Lead Product Engineer / Tech Lead / Development Manager, spearheading middle-layer development for critical client-facing banking applications with a system uptime of 99.99%. His leadership of a 15-member team included project delivery, production support, integration with external systems, and implementation of microservices and cloud-native applications.

Balkishan’s professional journey also includes impactful roles at leading institutions such as Vodacom, Standard Bank, Bayport Financial Services, First National Bank, and technology organizations in Japan and India. Across his roles, he has consistently focused on cloud-based modernization initiatives, service-oriented architecture (SOA), agile development methodologies, and team mentorship.

He holds numerous certifications, including AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, AWS Certified Developer – Associate, Backbase Certification, and various Sun/Oracle Java-related certifications. His training in Scala, Appian, and AI foundations underlines a commitment to continuous learning and adapting to emerging technologies.

Question 2 : Outline your nominated organizational, departmental, team, or individual achievements, dated 1-3 years prior, based on your selected categories.

Between 2022 and 2025, Abdul Mohammad has demonstrated exceptional achievements in his role as a UKG Senior Solution Consultant at Metanoia Solutions, with a focus on UKG Pro WFM, Boomi Integrations, and Workforce Management optimization for major clients across diverse industries such as manufacturing, retail, and healthcare.

Major Achievements:

Enterprise-Level Boomi Integrations:
Successfully designed and implemented custom and template-based Boomi integrations for Payroll, Attendance, Employee Imports, and Scheduling systems. Abdul improved data flow between HRMS systems and third-party services, boosting operational efficiency and reducing manual interventions by 30%
.

System Upgrades and Go-Lives:
Led multiple greenfield implementations and upgrade projects for UKG Pro customers, ensuring seamless transition, minimized downtime, and adherence to compliance requirements, including UAW union regulations. He spearheaded activities from discovery to post-rollout stabilization across three pay cycles
.

DataHub and AWS Integration Expertise:
Engineered complex DataHub extractions and integrated with client-side data lakes (including Andes Pipeline) and AWS S3 buckets, enabling advanced business analytics for Lean management and operational forecasting
.

Cross-System API Integrations:
Developed robust API integrations using OAuth2.0, Swagger/Open360 APIs, enhancing connectivity between Kronos/UKG systems and external HRMS, badge providers, and insurance services
.

Workflow Automation and Localization:
Created custom workflows such as historical edit attestations for healthcare payrolls and implemented multilingual localization upgrades (e.g., Spanish environment setup), improving system usability across client sites
.

Innovative Solutions and Cost Savings:
Developed internal QA and analysis tools, significantly reducing testing efforts and boosting compliance. Notably, Abdul’s workaround for a UKG Attendance module limitation saved a major U.S. manufacturer $1.6 million
.

Leadership and Collaboration:
Actively collaborated with cross-functional teams, business leadership, and technical architects, managing stakeholder communications, and project governance using tools like SmartSheets, SharePoint, and OpenProject
.

Abdul’s contributions over the past three years have consistently delivered measurable value, enhanced technological capabilities, and positioned clients for scalable growth.

Question 3 : Provide examples of the strategies / plans you have introduced, in order to attain your nominated organizational, departmental, team, or individual achievements. Explain why the highlighted achievements are significant / unique.

Over a career spanning two decades, Abdul Mohammad has successfully introduced several innovative strategies that led to significant and unique achievements within the UKG ecosystem.

One notable strategy was the implementation of custom Boomi integrations for complex payroll, attendance, and employee import transactions
. Rather than relying solely on standard templates, Abdul developed tailored solutions that aligned with clients’ specific operational needs. This flexibility was crucial in industries like manufacturing and healthcare, where union rules and regional regulations demanded highly customized timekeeping and absence management systems. This strategy contributed directly to reducing implementation times and increasing compliance accuracy.

Another key initiative involved leveraging DataHub to create customized data pipelines feeding into client data lakes
. Abdul extracted essential operational metrics—such as employee absences, forecast maps, and generated volumes—providing downstream analytics teams with clean, structured data. This proactive design significantly improved business intelligence outputs and operational decision-making.

Perhaps one of Abdul’s most significant strategies was cost-control innovation—particularly when he engineered a workaround for a UKG product limitation concerning attendance tracking. His solution saved a major U.S. manufacturing client $1.6 million
, underlining both technical mastery and strong business acumen.

Additionally, Abdul introduced automation and visualization tools like the WIM-to-PDF converter and the KART QA testing tool
. These tools accelerated legacy system understanding and enhanced testing coverage, leading to faster project turnarounds and higher quality deliverables, especially crucial when managing UAW union-compliant systems.

His work with OAuth2.0 secured API integrations and Amazon S3 connectivity further emphasized a modern, scalable architecture that supported secure, extensible systems
.

Significance and Uniqueness:
Client-Centric Customization: Delivering personalized solutions versus one-size-fits-all templates.

Cross-Functional Impact: Blending technical solutions with measurable business outcomes.

Scalability and Modernization: Preparing traditional systems for cloud-based, API-driven ecosystems.

Cost Savings and Risk Mitigation: Demonstrated by substantial monetary savings and compliance assurance.

These achievements highlight Abdul’s rare ability to seamlessly merge deep technical expertise, business strategy, and customer-centric thinking, making his contributions uniquely valuable.

Optional Context for Judges (Not for publication. This section is solely for judges' evaluation.)

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Actions	Link	Password Protected	Password	Display (Winner Info)	Display Checked
	https://www.linkedin.com/in/balkishan-arugula-9215b016/	No		Hide

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		upload/entry/files/TBE105489/33341745872600.pdf	111.74KB	upload/entry/files/TBE105489/33341745872600.pdf	111.74KB	Hide
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