Christonikos Zonafos

Project Manager

Business Analyst

Christonikos Zonafos

Hi, I’m a Business Analyst and Project Manager with experience since 2006 delivering complex IT solutions for European institutions, banks, and healthcare organizations.

My work sits at the intersection of analysis, delivery, and decision-making. I’ve worked across software development, business analysis, quality assurance, and project management, which gives me a practical, end-to-end view of how ideas become reliable systems — and where they usually break down.

Over the years, I’ve led and contributed to multimillion-euro initiatives in areas such as document management, publication workflows, statistical production, fintech, and healthtech, supporting organizations including the Publications Office of the European Union, Eurostat, the European External Action Service, and DG SANTE.

Alongside delivery work, I write about Business Analysis as a practice, not a role. I’m the author of Business Analysis: A Practical Guide and the Business Analysis Mini Guides series, where I focus on clarity, facilitation, and the human side of making good decisions in complex environments.

This site brings together my project experience, writing, and ongoing reflections for practitioners who care about doing the work well, not just following frameworks.

What I Do

BA Books & Writing

I write about Business Analysis as a practical discipline, shaped by real projects, real constraints, and real conversations. My work focuses on facilitation, shared understanding, decision-making under uncertainty, and the human dynamics beneath processes and frameworks.

Books
Business Analysis: A Practical Guide
Business Analysis Mini Guides

Articles
Essays and reflections on Business Analysis, collaboration, and professional growth.

Management

I keep projects within scope, identify and manage risks, create plans, accurately report on the progress, manage teams according to project needs, ensure smooth stakeholder interaction, resolve conflicts, and respect contractual obligations and KPIs.

Requirements Engineering

I perform requirements elicitation, documentation and management for systems combining the IREB standards with some out-of-the-box thinking.

Analysis & Design

I perform analysis of systems organising workshops, analysing needs and requirements, followed by system design preparing the system or feature specifications (UML/BPMN/Use Cases).

Quality Assurance

I proofread documentation, create and execute test plans for functional, non-functional, integration, and regression coverage, and apply best practices which evolve according to the lessons learned.

Mentoring

I help colleagues to identify their desired career path, prepare material to lessen their weaknesses, guide them toward appropriate trainings, support them on their day-to-day activities, and empower them to own their work and their success.

Process Improvement

I've established a BACoE through which business s are exposed to all the activities expected of a BA and acquire solid business and methodological knowledge. They have been carrying on projects successfully, addressing difficulties as a group but also handling project issues on an individual level, thus increasing the collective level of service.

Moreover, I'm always close to the needs of the team, ready to identify points for improvement in their established workflows.

Clients & Institutions

Selected organizations I’ve worked with across multi-year projects in public sector, statistics, and health-related domains.

Professional Experience

Years of Experience

Experience

2017 - Today

European Dynamics SA

Project Manager / Dpt. Project Manager

Accountable for the delivery of multiple projects across statistical production and health-related domains, including scope definition, stakeholder and team leadership, risk management, contractual coordination, budgeting, and reporting.

2018 - Today

European Dynamics SA

Business Analysis Manager

Established and led the department’s Business Analysis Centre of Excellence, defining standards, training paths, and practices that enabled the team to take on more complex systems and responsibilities.

2012 - 2020

European Dynamics SA

Business Analyst

Performing the function of Business Analyst, Senior Business Analyst, Lead Requirements Engineer, Product Owner, Lead Test Analyst, or deputy Project Leader, depending on the specific project.

2014 - 2025

European Dynamics SA

Technical Manager

I provided technical lead to a team of 6, guiding the rest of the team on technical and procedural aspects, implementing the overall project planning, representing the team in client meetings, and maintaining the business documentation in close cooperation with the Project Manager. I also acted as a Scrum Master for a team of 5.

2012 - 2015

European Dynamics SA

Senior Software Developer

.NET developer extending system’s functionality, performing data migrations, and training junior developers introduced to the team.

2006 - 2012

IBM Hellas / Datamation
Systemic

Software Developer

XML and .NET developer, working on the Banking Solution (IRIS – Deposits) of the National Bank of Greece and Systemic's Risk Management Solution.

Publications

2026

Amazon KDP

Business Analysis Mini Guides series

Concise, practical books for analysts who want to sharpen their skills, one topic at a time.

2025

Amazon KDP

Business Analysis: A Practical Guide

Unlock the real-world tools, techniques, and mindset of a modern business analyst.

Certifications (selected)

PM² Alliance

PM² Essentials Certification

IREB®

Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering (CPRE-FL)

ISTQB®

Certified Tester, Advanced Level – Test Manager (CTAL-TM)

iSAQB®

Certified Professional for Software Architecture — Foundation Level (CPSA-F)

EXIN

Agile Scrum Product Owner (ASPO)

International Six Sigma Institute™

Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB)

since 2013

National – NATO – European Commission

Secret Classification Clearance (ΑΠ-NS-EU SECRET)

Education

2006

The University of Glasgow

MSc in Information Technology

Major in Software Systems (SAAS Award).

2004

The American College of Greece

BSc in Business Administration

Major in Computer Information Systems (High Honors).

Beyond Work

Alongside my professional work and nonfiction writing, I also write literary fiction. My interest in storytelling, structure, and visual narratives extends beyond business contexts and has led to the completion of a literary novel rooted in the history and culture of comics, scheduled for publication in 2026.

I have a long-standing involvement with comics as a medium, both as a reader and contributor, and have participated in publications and community initiatives related to comics research and criticism. I also maintain an interest in photography as a way of observing and capturing everyday complexity.

These pursuits reflect a broader curiosity about meaning, structure, and continuity, quietly informing my analytical and professional work.