BSG Business Analysts reflect on the results of the IIBA’s industry survey. Recently the UK International Institute of Business Analysts (IIBA) published the results of an industry-wide Business Analysis survey (http://bit.ly/iibasurvey2011). BSG BAs, many of whom completed the surveyquestionnaire, reviewed the results and discussed some observations. 2012 03 02 bsg (uk) reflections on iiba ba survey version 1 from BSG (UK)

As human beings, each of our time on this planet is finite. We know that time is precious, and we want to spend it doing things that make us happy. For many of us, one aspect of happiness is the ability to make a positive difference, to help put other people into a better position than what they were before we came around – in short, to create happiness. A lot of individuals make it their life mission to do such tasks, and they truly do impact people in so many wonderfully different ways. How do BAs make meaningful differences? But [&hellip

To technology or not to technology Over the past few years I have come to realise that business stakeholders are growing in their understanding of technology. Does this understanding carry an advantage, a risk, or aspects of both within the project world? In my early years as an analyst, I remember working on a particular project and jotting down business requirements that were delivered from a strategic perspective. It was blatantly clear that these requirements were carefully derived to support an organisation’s strategic mission. I discussed these with the technical stakeholder before committing to the business what could or could [&hellip

If I had a dollar for every time I heard a vendor say, “I know the perfect solution, and I just happen to sell it!” I’d be a retired BA. Instead, I’m a practising BA and one of my responsibilities is to help businesses understand that not all vendors are all-seeing and all-knowing. Nik Gebhard recently spoke about vendors who “seem to be inordinately skilled at pulling the wool over business’ eyes”. These vendors have great sales pitches and get companies to invest vast sums of money in technologies that may not be the right fit for their organisation. The vendor throws [&hellip

Here’s the scenario: You walk in starry eyed. A fresh start. A new challenge. An opportunity to learn and share knowledge. The introductions fly past and, if you’re lucky, you remember the name of the meeting’s facilitator. Kerryn. Or was it Karin? Ready – set – go! The conversation kicks off. Most of the stakeholders around the room already know each other. More importantly, they know the business. No question, no gain From the onset it’s evident that the project is about replacing the CDS with the QLT. Before long a seemingly uninterested attendee enters the room. It’s Gary from [&hellip

Too often we see projects delivered months or years after initiation with no rigour around ensuring that the project achieves what it set out to. As project teams focus more and more on delivery, the recognition of benefit becomes “did we implement it?” rather than “does it deliver the value we had wanted?” A business case should be a living document. Benefits need to be defined in the early days of the project and, on an on-going basis, the likelihood of delivering the benefits should be assessed. PRINCE2® advocates this is done as part of each stage review. More importantly, [&hellip

A change that meets 80% of requirements, but is 100% embedded in the business will deliver more benefit than a change that meets 100% of requirements, but is not embedded in the business. In order to embed the change, stakeholders need to feel a sense of engagement from its inception all the way through to delivery. While the message and the way it’s communicated are important, if stakeholders are neglected during the change implementation, they will feel disconnected, less engaged and potentially hostile. Proactively involving stakeholders throughout the change journey will enable the organisation to build a case for change [&hellip

Too often, project managers talk about how a delayed deliverable affects a Gantt chart or a projectplan. The leap from project administration to project management comes with an ability to understandhow change affects the ability to deliver the benefits promised rather than merely raising exceptions tomanage budget, scope or resource. It is our experience that business analysts are often best placed toinform this type of decision making and therefore play this role more effectively. Business Analysts make the best Project Managers from BSG (UK)

It is a myth that Agile projects are not requirements driven. The Agile Manifesto is all about bringing business and technology closer through creating a co-located single team environment where requirements can be tested with limited overhead. This does not negate the need to wrap the project with structured requirements or the reality that enterprise systems live well beyond the project teams that deploy them. Agile projects cannot be successful without Business Analysts from BSG (UK)

Evolution is key to the survival of any species. This isn’t a revolutionary concept; it has been around since man moved from eating raw meat to finding his first source of heat and energy. In business, the same is true. Those still using caveman techniques in a world evolving around them are likely to become extinct like the dodo. There is clearly a need to constantly adapt, to realize that if one approach doesn’t work that it isn’t the end but rather the beginning. There is a need to recognize that you do not know all the answers, but collectively, [&hellip