I recently ran across this quote from Marilyn Kennedy a leadership coach, "It's better to be boldly decisive and risk being wrong than to agonize at length and be right too late."
Taking a look at her site it appears she is not speaking directly to business analysts, but I can tell you this quote should speak to you as a business analyst. When I read the quote the first thing that popped in my head was "analysis paralysis".
Often BAs struggle with determining when enough is enough. Even with the great work many of us are doing to help improve project success and business improvements, the need for the right level of business analysis can be a tough sell. In our field, I believe the "Great Perception" is still alive...we don't need analysis, we need development. The quote got me thinking of a reason why this perception exists.
The problem partly stems from our name. We are business analysts and we perform business analysis. Is that the best name to describe what we do? My BA colleagues everywhere and friends at the IIBA® are probably rolling their eyes...please hear me out. In my opinion the word analysis is kind of fluffy. A Merriam-Webster definition of analysis is, "an examination of a complex, its elements, and their relations". I see why discussions continue about not needing business analysis. Uninformed about the value of business analysis, managers and executives don't want an examination of their problem or opportunity. They want solutions. The definition of develop according to Merriam-Webster is "to create or produce especially by deliberate effort over time". That's what I want. That's why development is a must. It sounds more concrete. Analysis alone is not concrete.
I suggest we describe ourselves as Business Advisors. An advisor is someone that recommends, gives advice, and informs. My comparison is a financial advisor vs. a financial analyst. For my retirement fund I don't want a financial analyst...someone that analyzes the market and trends. I want a financial advisor. I want someone who will analyze my current portfolio (AS IS), work with me to define how much I need to retire (TO BE), and then recommend options to fill the gap. Doesn't that sound like what we do?
Barring a major change like the IIBA® renaming itself to the international institute of business advisors, what can you do to change the perception? When working with team members and business partners that may not know the value of business analysis, you need make it clear that you are in the advisor or solution business. The best way to recommend solutions is to do the right level of analysis first. This way they know why you are asking the probing questions.
In addition, this is a big reason I advocate for business analysts developing a business analysis work plan. If you lay out what, why, when and how you will be taking on the analysis effort for a project, you now have a negotiation tool with real data to negotiate the necessary time and stakeholder involvement. Your work plan should include a:
- stakeholder communication plan
- list of deliverables
- detailed task list
- time and cost estimates for you and other stakeholders
By discussing your plan with your manager, project manager and business partners you can discuss how these activities will help develop recommended solutions that address the problem or opportunity the business is facing.
What do you think? Are you an advisor?
Happy Advising,
Kupe
Don't forget to leave your comments below
written by Kupe Kupersmith, September 15, 2010
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written by Leslie Shearer, September 15, 2010
On your topic of work plans, we are in the process of doing just that. It is considered a Requirements Gathering Approach document and challenges the BA to document the techniques that will be used in order to elicit requirements, the specific stakeholders they need to interact with in order to elect requirements, and the amount of time that it will take to elicit the requirements. Other peripheral information is also covered such as known dependencies, constraints, etc. Some groups are piloting the form now and I'm curious to see the impact it I'll have in building credibility and awareness within the organization.
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written by Kristofer Lundin, September 16, 2010
The word "analyst", highlights on one of several "BA" tasks, and it will not energise managers and executives.
They want RESULT and they might even have IDEAs of how to achieve it.
Even though they surely know that to achieve a result you will need to bring the ideas in to more details before recommending one, they are not interested to constantly be reminded of HOW you do this.
They will surely be more confident to pay an Advisor providing basis for desicion enabling the result to be achieved one way or another.
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written by Kupe Kupersmith, September 16, 2010
@kristofer... Totally agree that the analysis is part of what we do. I believe the perception is that is all or most of what we do. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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written by John Foft, September 16, 2010
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written by Kupe Kupersmith, September 16, 2010
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written by Kupe Kupersmith, September 16, 2010
"I have always found that if I move with 75% or more of the facts, I usually never regret it. It's the guys who wait to have everything perfect that drive you crazy."
-- Lee Iacocca, executive
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written by Jorge Henriques, September 16, 2010
That Lee Iacocca quote reminds me of the OODA loop concept by John Boyd - Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. This concept can be applied to any decision processes, but was defined by Boyd as a result of his experiences as a fighter pilot. His key insight into it is to get "inside" your opponent's OODA loop. The application to business processes means to do proper analysis (Observe, Orient), define the solution (Decide), and then produce your product (Act) but to do it quicker than competitors, or in a manner that you can predict customer needs and be ready for them.
A lot of people think Business Analysts are involved in just the first two stages - or even worse, some think it's just about documenting what others decided. We have to show that our biggest impact is in that we are key to 1) Making the Observe, Orient stages go quicker, & 2) Defining the proper solution that will enable success -- the one that minimizes the risk of being wrong.
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written by David Wright, September 16, 2010
I do get a little ansty about the BA as the "decider" of the solution. Many, many factors come into play once you consider a solution: there could be many to choose from; the technology standards of the shop could limit things; do you bleed, lead or follow; budget and time available; and so on. Once all those factors come into play, you may not have much choice; but if you do, then you can at least use requirements to evaluate which solutions still on the mat meets them best.
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written by Faras, September 19, 2010
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written by Doug Goldberg, September 20, 2010
Thanks again
Doug
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written by Kupe Kupersmith, September 20, 2010
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written by Holly Martin, October 05, 2010
"Advisor" is definitely more how I see myself than as an "analyst". I definitely analyze stuff, and love doing it, but I do it with the intent to provide some kind of recommendation. To provide advice to my internal customers on how to approach a problem (and whether it actually is a problem worth solving).
@leslieshearer - I like your suggestion for "Solution Analyst" as a title. My only concern with this is half the time the context of what I provide is not a solution. I joke with people that I'm really the "Project Killer", but in a freaky way it kind of makse sense. I will sometimes provide a recommendation that there isn't an IT solution for a problem.
I many cases I may recommend changes to business process or further training & communication to address an issue, but if my stakeholders walk away from a discussion with me wtthout an "IT solution" they will think I didn't provide them with a solution. It's like going to the doctor and he/she tells you "there isn't a magic pill for this, what you need to do is make some lifestyle changes". Ha! When that happens do you walk out of the doctor's office thinking that visit was worth your $20 copay? Probably not. But actually the doctor is doing you a favor. Throwing more medications into the mix may not address the underlying problem. Perhaps I should start advising my customers that "lifestyle changes" are what's required. I'll experiement and see how that flies.
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I am, also known as a consultant - "One who gives expert or professional advice."
I actually had the title Systems Consultant once, as an employee.
And I agree, the Work Plan is crucial. Doing analysis is work like anything else, it takes time and resources, so it has to be planned like any other work.