Currently Browsing : practitioner experience

The days of the humble report are surely numbered. Infographics, self-service reporting, BI dashboards and real-time analytics have usurped the humble report. Instead of knowing how many widgets we produced last month, now we want to know what the likely impact is going to be of next month’s unforeseen event on our ability to reach the financial measures of our balanced scorecard for the current financial year. When I first began business analysis work, we’d focus intently on process and data requirements. After rounds of analysis and reviews, we’d have a detailed sense of what it is the system needs [&hellip

I fear the wrath of project managers everywhere when I write that delivery against planned timelines is unimportant. The success of a project does not depend on whether the changes were implemented by some, often random, predetermined date. The success of a project depends solely on whether the benefits promised (and paid for) were delivered. It amazes me how often this perspective gets overlooked, never at the outset of the project of course. In the heady early days, it’s all about benefits models and the associated business case. It’s usually once the project gets underway that the focus slowly shifts [&hellip

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

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

Something rings true about the age old saying, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” If a process is working, why change it, right? Wrong! As Bob Dylan rightly said: “The times they are a-changin’.” Our world is continually evolving and long-standing methodologies and techniques don’t necessarily provide the benefit that they once did. Similarly, the world of organisational strategy is shifting. This shift calls for innovation which will allow businesses to retain their competitive advantage. Innovation requires support In response to my last post, “The best methodology is freedom“, I have had a number of questions around how a [&hellip

I was sitting with my wife the other day, enjoying a bright summer’s afternoon and having a bit of a chat. We were discussing our experiences during interviews, and chuckling about certain questions that inevitably get bandied around during the process (yes, we are nerds!). One question that always pops up is about teamwork: are you a team player, etc, etc.  Now we both like to think of ourselves as efficient individuals, people who get things done. Hence we were amusing ourselves by hypothesising at how an interviewer would react if one of us said during an interview that I [&hellip

There have been bounteous discussions around the need for new life to be breathed into business analysis methodologies. I have chosen to stay away from the agile versus scrum versus waterfall versus iterative versus I-don’t-care debate. I was always of the opinion that these discussions were intuitive and unnecessary. I was wrong. Business is changing. So is business analysis. Almost every article surrounding business today makes mention of the changing business world. Specific emphasis is placed on the doom that organisations face if they don’t adapt with the changing times. Cue the enormous gulp of fear. Given that a large [&hellip