Kupe Kupersmith, Director of Client Solutions, was interviewed by Laura Brandenburg, Bridging the Gap, to discuss his views on the challenges BAs face in selling their value and how to overcome them.

BAF 2010 is the first inclusive, cross-specialty conference for all aspects of Business Analysis. Ensure you see the big picture: How Enterprise Analysis, Business Rules and Business Process are all related to BA and each other. Designed to help senior practitioners hear about innovative, state-of-the-art techniques by world-class practitioners.

Please join B2T Training at this event in Washington, DC, October 17-21, 2010. Our Co-Founder, Chief Curriculum Strategist, Barbara Carkenord, will be presenting “The BA 5 Musts of COTS Project” and Angie Perris, VP of Client Solutions, will be presenting “Mastering the Business Analysis Mentor Relationship”.

Click here to Download the paper. 

Is your company utlizing senior level business analysts the way Barbara points out? Please share your comments.

Regards,

Kupe

In How to Wow, Frances Cole Jones covers some oldies but goodies like reminding us that 7% of your impact comes from the words you say, 38% from your tone and 55% from body language. Jones also packs in a number of invaluable strategies for helping make all meetings and social events successful.  I found one technique priceless – writing a diary entry as if it were tomorrow. If you have an important meeting or event coming up, write down details of the event as if it had already happened. This technique helps you think through potential scenarios and prepare for the meeting or event. This is similar to the Field of Dreams mantra, “If you build it they will come.” If you write it down it will happen.  

Jones’ conversational writing style makes this a fun and easy read. I felt like I was her long time friend and she was just giving me some good sound advice over coffee.  She pulls many of her thoughts from her vast library of experience working with executives preparing for TV and print interviews and large scale company meetings. Although many of her examples may not directly align with your role, you will not find it hard to bridge the gap and find ways to implement her strategies. 

Whether you facilitate meetings or just attend them, host lunch meetings or just get invited to lunch, present to large groups or just one person, you’ll find significant value in reading How to Wow.    

Happy reading,

Kupe

Executives develop strategies and overall goals for success.  These strategies and goals get realized through implementing projects.  Business Analysts have the critical role and responsibility to ensure the solution implemented via the project meets the company’s goals.  Are you feeling it? 

Besides having a good grasp of the techniques available to you as a BA there are two strategies of your own you should employ to make a positive impact.

1)      Lift your head out of the details and look where you are going.  Every now and then make sure your project is still aligned with the company goal(s) it is supporting.  If it is not, raise a flag to make the PM, your manager, and the business sponsor(s) aware.  You and your team should make adjustments to get the project re-aligned or push to have it canceled.  Stopping a project that no longer supports a company goal is a success, not a failure.

2)      Use the support network around you.  In the fast paced environment we work in there is not enough time for you to come up with solutions to the challenges you will encounter on your own. You do not have to do this alone.  At your company you are surrounded by an endless number of subject matter experts, other BAs, project managers, and a wealth of technical knowledge.  That is just the beginning. Look outside of your company and join and participate in local professional organizations like the IIBA.  There is no need to stop there.  Why stay local, when you can go global?  There are so many online communities where you can connect, interact, and learn from like minded people around the world.  Communities like BA Times, Modern Analyst, and a number of LinkedIn groups are great place to get answers to the business analysis questions you need answered.  Think about how valuable you are to a company by not only bringing your knowledge and expertise, but also bringing expertise from around the world.

Being a part of the future success of your company is wonderful.  Even though there is a lot of pessimism with the current economy it is an exciting time to be a business analyst.

To our success,

Kupe

On my current project I had to do exactly what my grandpa said.  I had to come up with a plan to work smarter, not harder.  I am analyzing 145 business processes and have over 30 stakeholders, scattered over 6 offices, to elicit all the information I need.  Based on my deadline, if I tried one-on-one interviews or requirements workshops I would be working very hard.  Many hours of meetings and follow-ups.  With everyone’s busy work loads trying to schedule the meetings would be a heroic effort.  To increase my efficiency I turned to surveys to help.  What a great way to elicit a lot of information from a large group. 

With the list of questions I intended asking in some form or fashion in an interview, I created a survey.  This approach allows me to analyze and elicit at the same time.  While I am analyzing a group of surveys another group of stakeholders is completing surveys.  Brilliant!

Here is an overview of the approach I am taking:

1. Create the survey – I am using SharePoint to create and store the surveys. This is the preferred collaboration tool of the client that I am working with.  Along with the survey questions I put help text to really clarify what I am asking the stakeholder to answer.
2. Distribute the survey – This is fairly easy.  I just send an email with a link to the survey to the appropriate people.
3. Prepare the stakeholders – I am holding “kick-off” meetings for each of the offices to go over the survey, explain what I am looking for and show an example.  This will ensure I get the right level of detail in the answers.
4. Complete the survey – I just sit back, sip some Manischewitz and let my stakeholders work their magic!  I’ll be available for questions of course.
5. Review and Follow-up – Once the surveys start rolling in I’ll start my analysis.  I’ll follow-up with the stakeholders as necessary and make updates.
6. Track progress – One of the items on the survey is “status”.  I have a great PM that will be working closely with the stakeholders to ensure the surveys are getting completed on time so I have a healthy back log to review. 
7. Compile project deliverable – One of the project requirements is to produce a deliverable of all the process details.  From SharePoint I can export the data to my MS Word template.  Thank goodness, I would hate to type all of that information again!

I’m looking forward to this adventure.  Let me know if you have specific questions.  I’d also love to hear your experiences of working smarter, not harder.  Leave a comment so we can all improve.

Kupe

When writing the title of this post I started to sing “How low can you go…How low can you go?”  I told you that so I am not the only one with that song stuck in my head.

On to the blog post.  Yesterday, I had a meeting with the technical lead for the project I am working on.  We were reviewing some of the initial requirements I had elicited and we started discussing technical design considerations.  He asked if I would be documenting some of the technical design details.  My initial plan did not have me going that far, but I said I could and would if necessary.  In the end, it was agreed he was the most qualified to document the technical requirements for the project.

Now I have a few questions.  How technical do you go?  Does your current role require you to work on the detail technical requirements for a project.  If asked, could you go technical?  Do you feel it is best for the business analyst to go technical?

Whether you do or don’t go technical, I feel it is critical for the business analyst to be part of the design sessions to ensure the business needs are being met through the designed solution. 

Please share your thoughts.  Thanks

This type of innovation is needed by analysts.  In the end, our goal is the same.  We need understand the true business opportunity and develop and implement the right solution.  New methodologies, different project types, different stakeholders, etc. are a constant in our work.  You need to adapt your approach to meet the changes you are faced with.  If today you are using the “lighter” be prepared to bust out your “cell phone” on the next project.

Please take some time to read Fireproof Your Job.  The author, Donna Rosato, covers 6 strategies to help you overcome being one of the many impacted by the historical layoffs.  She also includes a short self assessment so you can see how vulnerable you are.

Please share your stories on how you implement or plan on implementing some of these strategies.