You choose. Have you ever worked with anyone who complains about every task that comes their way? It makes the work day seem so much longer. Some people always seem to have a problem or reason why things go awry or they believe that their issue is always someone else’s fault. They can’t see that it is not the project, the people, or the business complexity that is the problem – it is their own attitude.
In a normal working day we talk and interact often with our stakeholders, our teammates, our colleagues and our management. Our behavior allows those who work with us to view us in a particular way. On a daily basis you get to choose whether you will be perceived as someone who gets things done or as someone who gives reasons why things are not accomplished as committed.
I work with people every day that I consider to be “heroes”. I don’t mean like police or firemen that rescue people out of burning buildings but I do mean the type of people that make our jobs fun and exciting. My work heroes are positive individuals. They take what comes, especially challenges, and they create something so much better than we could imagine. A work hero is someone who can muster enthusiasm and encouragement even when their colleagues are being negative, bemoaning the fact that they are working a difficult assignment. You know those projects from “hell” that everyone loves to brag about. There will probably always be victims in the world ready to point fingers and blame others for failures that occur. My heroes do not let themselves off the hook when there is a tough project and they work their magic by bringing people together to solve a problem in a very creative, unexpected way. Their secret ingredients are persistence, enthusiasm, generosity and hard work. I am very fortunate that I do not work with any victims. My colleagues inspire me with their encouraging, optimistic attitudes.
Unfortunate things do happen, but one way to tackle issues is to take pause and regroup to resolve problems or to replan work that is not going the way it should. Think, “What can I do to create a winning situation?” Often problems begin with poor communication. Keeping heated emotions out of work discussions is prudent and working cohesively through difficult times, rather than pointing fingers at our team mates work unexpected miracles.
When you look around I am sure you can see heroes and victims in your work environment. Learn from the heroes and try to influence any victims you know to look introspectively if problems keep happening. It is not always easy to be positive but it is always a good idea to check our attitudes so that we are getting the best out of ourselves and others who we influence on a daily basis. I would love to hear comments about how heroes and victims affect your work places.
I recently read an article in Time magazine, Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership, that I recommend you read. As BA's we are leaders and need to continue to learn how to become better leaders. After reading the article I would love to hear your thoughts on how the lessons discussed can apply to our position.
I look forward to hearing from you!!!
Managing Business Analysts can be challenging and frustrating. There are several logical reasons for this difficulty. First, business analysis work is complex and the role is not well understood. Review a few BA communities and blogs and you will read varying opinions on what the job is and who best fills it. Most people who are managing BAs do not have experience in this role since the profession is so new. Managers often have analytical experience but in a very different business environment than we find ourselves today.
Second, most organizations don't yet have standards and consistent processes around the business analysis work. It is difficult to evaluate a BA's performance when there is not a clear performance standard around which to measure.
Another difficulty is that most BAs are very detailed-oriented people who are thorough and lean towards perfectionism. It is difficult for them to finish a task because the requirements are never perfect. Many BAs get stuck in analysis paralysis on a regular basis, leading their managers to believe that they can't get anything done.
Other reasons for the management challenge is that analysis work is by its very nature, difficult to plan and measure. BAs don't know how long it will take to "think about" a complex problem and come up with a solution.
Managing BAs will never be easy or straightforward, but there are some quick techniques that can be used to improve the situation. As with most challenges, recognizing the problem is the first step. Spend time with your BAs asking them to explain their work and their challenges in some detail so that you begin to understand the complexity with which they are dealing. Assure them that you have confidence in their ability to analyze and that you want to support their efforts as much as possible. Continue to remind them that a requirements document or business model will never be perfect or absolutely complete. Tell them that you (and their stakeholders) are not looking for perfection but are looking for the best work that can be done within the project timeframe.
Encourage BAs to reuse requirements templates from other projects and share techniques with other BAs. Encourage BA communities of practice so that BAs can learn from their peers. Allow BAs time to read blogs and articles about requirements management. One caution - don't fall into the management trap of thinking that a tool will solve your management problems. A requirements management tool will never replace a BA and will initially add to your management challenges because of the training curve and custodial resources required.
When a BA is stuck, ask her to tell you the risk of letting go. "What is the worse thing that will happen if we don't thoroughly document every process in the Marketing Department before we go forward with this project?" Help them to understand that there are some risks that you and the organization are willing to take.
Much of a BA's time is spent balancing a complete understanding of a problem/solution with the time/resource constraints of the organization. Helping your BAs to maintain a reasonable balance will make them more effective, develop them into senior BAs, and keep your projects moving forward.
I am reading an interesting book on certifications: Performance-Based Cerfication by Judith Hale. The first chapter has a great discussion about Why Organizations Certify and it is one that I think managers of BAs should consider.
Many professions and roles within the IT industry have developed certification programs and getting "certified" has become a hiring criteria for many positions. Business Analysis certification has been needed by many organizations and managers which have not had a method of evaluating BAs and the quality of their knowledge and skills. Now that the industry is developing standards and certification programs are available, should you encourage your BAs to work towards certification? Certification takes time and money. Managers should be sure of their reasons for or against certifcation.
One reason to support and encourage certification is to recruit and retain high quality staff. Professionals want to work for organizations that support professional development. If your BAs are working towards certification, hiring new BAs will be easier because candidates will see your committment to the profession. BAs are more likely to stay with their current employer when they feel their work is being recognized.
Another important value of certification is the establishment of consistent best practices and use of industry standards. Having your BAs all certify means that they have a common understanding of the knowledge and skills of the profession and that they use a common language when planning their work. This consistency of process supports initiatives like CMMI.
A third advantage of certication is to raise the core competencies of individuals in your organization. Even if only a few of your BAs have enough experience to certify today, setting certification as a long term goal for all BAs encourages them to build their skill set and work towards higher performance standards.
We are seeing many BAs work towards certification on an individual basis because they see potential value for their personal career development. BA managers should also consider the value of supporting BA certification.
