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Latest Articles
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You Help Companies Change! |
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Written by Jeff Martin, Founder of Collective Genius
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 It's Friday night and your spouse has organized a dinner out with some new friends. You arrive at the restaurant, greet your new friends and sit down. After the small talk subsides and your spouse gets engrossed in a conversation with her/his friend, your new friend looks across the table and asks “So, what do you do?” You pause and think “What explanation do I provide this time? They look smart; they have glasses on, no pencil protector - hmmm.” You choose among your 80 possible explanations from “I work with computers” to the classic novel “Well, I work on the business side of a managed care organization as part SME and part BA, and act as a liaison between multiple business units and the BI IT group providing requirements documentation and analysis on processes and new technology applications to ensure we build the right solutions internally within our organization allowing management the right reporting visibility." Typically your new friend will smile and say "So you work on computers, huh?" My former response was… “I am a Gladiator”, get a laugh then give the midsized explanation leaving them clueless and getting a similar response "Oh, your company works on computers?" So answer the question already. What do you do? |
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Project Parenthood: Reframe for Clarity |
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Written by Geof Lory
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 Last Friday my oldest daughter Jenna asked if she could go to a late movie that I knew would not end until after 11:00 pm. She was going to be with a group of her friends, so I agreed. Then she informed me that I would have to pick them up from the theatre at 11:15 pm and then drive her three friends home. Having driven her friends home before after earlier movies, I knew they live all over town. It would be at least a 45-minute job to do what she was asking. I was just about to tell her that I was not willing to do that, when I stopped myself and decided to try some reframing instead. (What good are kids if you can't practice on them?)
"So, let me understand this Jenna. You would like me to wake up 30-45 minutes after I have been sleeping in my warm comfortable bed, get dressed, go out into the cold Minnesota winter night, drive 15 minutes to pick you up and then another 30 minutes to drop off your friends just so you can see a movie tonight that you could see tomorrow for half-price at the matinee? Have I essentially captured the gist of your request?" Unfortunately I had, and from the look on her face, I had made my point, too.
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The Right Business Analyst, the Right Project |
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Written by Jeff Martin, Founder of Collective Genius
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 If it is allocating your internal resources, making a new hire, or bringing in a consultant; what is the best process to match the right business analyst to the right project? For organizations that truly value the role of the business analyst this is one of the most frequently pondered questions.
Companies that want to have the right people in the right roles need to address four main stages; defining the BA’s roles in the project, attracting the best talent, matching the BA to the project and finally, making the selection and continuing to support.
Define Business Analyst’s Role in the Project
It is just as important to assess the project as it is to assess the BA for the project. In the first stage of the project the Enterprise Business Analyst and the Project Manager will work together to define the business case, high-level requirements, risk assessment, staffing, project plan, scope, budget, timeline, and the work plan.
One of the deliverables at this stage is to identify and develop the roles the BA or BAs will play throughout the project. Having the specific definition of the role and identification of categories and tasks each BA will perform will create the baseline of skills and experience that is needed for matching the right BA to the right role in the project. |
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Business Analysis in a SOA World |
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Written by Kyle Gabhart and Kimberly Terribile, CBAP
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 Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). At first glance, this seems like the sort of thing that only software architects and application developers should be concerned with. Upon further investigation, it is clear that while the technology team is intimately involved in implementing a Service Oriented Architecture but, there are other essential (and sometimes overlooked) roles such as the Business Analyst. Before you can implement SOA, you have to analyze your business and understand the core functions you perform. Getting a handle on your organization to support a SOA strategy is not for the faint of heart. It requires significant commitment from the “powers that be” and a commitment to investing in the initiative from a strategic enterprise perspective. Additionally, there are huge chasms in understanding and perspective regarding what SOA is about and how best to go about service orienting the enterprise. This leads to tremendous communication challenges as each division or even each team perceives and approaches SOA in a different manner. Developing a shared vocabulary and a common understanding of service orientation and how it will be applied to align and transform the organization is essential. In many respects, the role of the business analyst is to bridge the communication gaps within the organization.
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Business Analyst World: Minneapolis |
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Written by Dave Albright
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BA Collective is proud to be a Media Sponsor of the Business Analyst World Minneapolis workshop. We would like to officially invite you to attend the Business Analyst World Minneapolis workshop on June 15 & 16, 2009 at the Doubletree Hotel - Park Place in Minneapolis.
As a subscriber to BA Collective, be sure to take advantage of BA Collective Group discount pricing! You can save up to $150 by entering the BA Collective discount code: BAC when you register.
Please enter source code BAC1 when registering.
* Register Today!
* Visit The Website
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