Here's a common scenario for IAG, the company I work for: client wants to make significant improvement in their business analyst organization - AND - they need to demonstrate the performance improvement made. It happens all the time, and there are many managers that know the pain of getting locked into managing the wrong set of key performance indicators.
You Need Desire to Be a Desired BA
There were a few comments on my last blog, Will the Real BA Foundational Skills Please Stand-up, referring to a business analyst's need to be curious and inquisitive. No one can argue this is a essential trait for a BA. Conventional wisdom says this trait is innate, meaning, you are born with it. I agree 100%. On this subject I hear people say that you are either born with it or you are not, and you can't teach someone how to be curious and inquisitive. In this I disagree 100%.
I See What You Mean... Leveraging Transparency!
One of the core tenets of the agile methods is transparency. I've been doing agile for nearly 10 years and this is one of the tenets that I find myself understanding and appreciating more and more as I gain experience. It's the tenet that keeps on giving.
Let's generally define it first. What is transparency?
The BA and PM Role; a Deeper Dive
In November I wrote about whether or not the roles of PM and BA could be combined into one. I received wonderful responses, all of which broadened my perspective. Although I remain convinced that in most circumstances both roles are preferable, I understand that certain conditions, such as project size and corporate culture, may dictate whether or not one person plays both these roles on the same project. Another factor is that from a high-level view the skills seem similar. However, once we dive deeper into the business analysis and processes, the overlap lessons.
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