January staff profile: Research IT Senior Research Business Analyst Erica Dougherty
We start off the new year by speaking with Research IT business analyst Erica Dougherty, who helps make our software as high performing as the people who use it. We asked her all about that, as well as what has surprised her most about her job and her two professional mottos.
What does your role entail as the Research IT business analyst? How long have you been in that position?
As a business analyst (BA), my task is to work with the business offices within OVPR to identify opportunities for software to support gains in efficiency, compliance and positive user experience. My main focus is the UT Research Management Suite (UTRMS), and I’ve had the privilege to work with the Institutional Review Board (IRB), Conflict of Interest (COI) program and Animal Resources Center (ARC) on past and present implementations. I transitioned to the BA role three years ago.
How long have you been at UT Austin? Where else have you worked?
It’s getting close to five years! OVPR was the first place at UT Austin that I landed (though we were a much smaller team solely devoted to UTRMS at the time). I also worked in human subjects research at the University of Florida (go Gators!) for several years.
What is your favorite thing about your job? Any big surprises?
My favorite thing is the behind-the-scenes problem-solving! The work we do requires diving into the complex and varied work of the business offices, and it’s a fun challenge to first understand the job and then translate the needs into software solutions. There are so many moving parts in research administration, and I appreciate the thoughtful approach that our business offices take.
Surprising for me was the realization that software is always a work-in-progress. (Except you, original Pac-Man. Never change!) There is continuous development to fix bugs, upgrades to adopt new and improved versions, settings changes to make. When you use something like MS Word, you don’t realize all the work that goes into the back end to produce the product you see.
Your professional mottos are “There is nothing permanent except change” and “Trust, but verify.” How did those come to be your “words to work by”?
It helps that they’re short and sweet!
I realized that adopting the change mindset up front with any new project helps set expectations and creates room for all parties to make and correct mistakes, reevaluate and remain adaptable. Change can be scary, and acknowledging it makes it less daunting.
“Trust but verify” is my reminder that everyone brings their own perspective to the table, and when it comes to business analysis and the documentation required, I have to be sure that what I capture has been verified so that the final solution addresses the true issues at hand.
When did you move to Austin, and what brought you here? What do you like most about it?
We were living abroad in Germany and decided it was time to move back to the U.S. I moved to Austin (sight unseen!) for a job opportunity for my husband in 2019.
Texas definitely has its own culture; it’s been interesting being immersed in it. I really enjoy getting to know the different flora and fauna in the area. It’s still exciting to me to see a blooming agave or cross paths with a roadrunner, and I’m still hoping to see a tarantula in the wild!
What do you like to do in your free time?
If the weather is tolerable, I’m going outside until the mosquitos, allergies and/or heat send me back inside. I love visiting parks with my two kids or making futile attempts at growing a garden (seriously, it’s so hard here — I’m switching to cacti). Music was a big part of my upbringing and for my family now, so I attend different Austin events and serve on the board of the Austin Children’s Choir, which keeps me busy with fundraising and organizing.
I also love to travel and always need a trip on the calendar — we try to do one international trip every year.
And, finally: what is your favorite place in the world and why?
The Hirschgarten! It's a park in Munich with the largest beer garden in the world(!), and I lived near it for 6 years. You can pack a picnic, grab a drink and listen to a Bavarian Oom-pah band under old chestnut trees. It’s a place where you’re just meant to sit and spend time with friends and family.