The Things We Can Control

Kupe — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:28:03 +0000

2009 was a tough year in many ways. If you were not personally impacted by losing your job or being furloughed, you most likely knew one or more close family and friends that were impacted. In the wake of the economic crisis companies have received a huge wake-up call, and if they are still in business, are much more diligent on what and how they spend their money. Executives around the world are developing strategies to survive during these times and be in a position for growth as the economy rebounds. The positive in all of this is we, Business Analysts, are in a place where we can have a direct impact on the successful implementation of the company’s strategies and goals. In life there are things you can and cannot control. The collapse of the economy happened. There is nothing we can do about that now. The future success of the companies we work for is something we can definitely control. Let me explain.

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

So Many Stakeholders, So Little Time

Kupe — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:02:11 +0000

Most of us out there today are up against tight deadlines. I usually sit in my office on Friday singing the line from a Beatles song…”8 days a week.” I wish I had 8 days some weeks. Yes, it can be frustrating trying to fit it all in. We have to be thinking of better ways to approach what we do. My grandfather, who worked in a wine bottling plant (sounds good, but they were bottling Manischewitz…yum) would always say , “Jonathan, work smarter not harder.” Growing up I never realized the wisdom of my grandpa, I just thought he had one glass of Manischewitz too many when he started talking like that!

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:

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.
Distribute the survey – This is fairly easy. I just send an email with a link to the survey to the appropriate people.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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

B2T Training » business analysis

The Things We Can Control

So Many Stakeholders, So Little Time