Author: Marcos Ferrer

When I speak with many BAs, we laugh and agree that there is nothing more detestable than politics. We have seen SO MANY bad “ego” or “fear” based decisions instead of “fact” or “opportunity” based decisions that we rightly do not admire what people call politics.

For those who want to explore the full depth of “political evil”, I offer the following link – http://the-redpill.blogspot.com/2009/04/art-of-politics-10-methods-to-obfuscate.html – not very scholarly, but very illuminating. This article is a pretty good summation of the forces resisting positive change, and the sorts of dirty tricks that many use.

For those who want to know what to do about negative politics, I say simply – become a master positive politician, or hook up with one (a master political act in its own right!).

Even as an amateur politician, I have enjoyed huge (in spite of high risk and low probability) successes. Now I realize that no one can be a senior BA without practicing politics. If you think you can, it only means that you are merely a technician (not a leader) OR you have a master politician backing you and you don’t even know it – wake up!

I leave the “dirty tricks” to others – let’s look at the “clean tricks” in politics.

The essence of politics (and human society) is STORY. Become a storyteller, give people a plot, a crisis, a villain, a hero and a twist and climax to strive for.

Political Clean Trick # 1

The best I ever participated in was a huge COBOL to on-line real time system conversion (the name of the client remains mine to know, of course). In spite of the fact that the employees of the client spent vast amounts of time writing duplicate data in forms, instead of doing their primary jobs (finding significant data), the employee’s union was dead set against the new system. This had gone on for years (don’t laugh – the client bought a new phone switch, and the union forced them to store it for four years during negotiations on its use).

The “plot” of the story that was used was quite brilliant – the COBOL system must be replaced, because of Y2K (the crisis). The villain was the stupidity of technology itself.

The “heroes” were the employees, who knew best, and would be allowed to continue filling out paper forms – just like daddy and mommy did – and would not be required to use he new system (a $15,000,000 investment, by the way).

The twist was that, since the employees knew best, we engaged a number of the best employees in advising us about the requirements for any new system (darnnY2K, what are you gonna do?), and we made sure that they saw ALL developing screens, and that their input was eagerly engaged, and a majority of their suggestions were implemented.

The climax was (and this was planned all along, and much supported by management, the true powers in the process) that the new system was so excellent, and so fun, and so productive for the employees (unlike the old system), that even though they were not required to use it, they just wanted to.

Again, without force, the employees (especially early adopters, who got promotions, lots of attention, and/or improved duties if they wanted them) were the heroes.

After three years of the new system, the employee’s union agreed that it was a fait accompli, and a desirable addition to their profession, and that they would not fight it anymore. The last “non-users” of the new system retired several years ago, and now if you try to change the new system, people complain.

Political Clean Trick # 2

Hey, 500 words at a time! This is only a blog, and free besides J.

If you really want to know, what’s it worth to you? Is it worth enough to read this blog next month? Is it worth enough to question your attitude about politics, and learn something different? Is it worth enough to tell us one of your own stories, in return for picking my brain? I promise if you stay tuned, that # 2 is worth its wait in gold.

Have fun, and I look forward to your questions and comments.

Don’t forget to leave your comments below

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Marcos Ferrer, CBAP has over 20 years experience in the practice of business analysis and the application of Information Technology for process improvement. While still a student at the University of Chicago, he developed a consulting practice with local property management and accounting firms. Following graduation in 1983, Mr. Ferrer joined IBM in Chicago, where he worked on requirements and systems implementations in diverse industries. In 1990, Mr. Ferrer became an independent consultant, again working with a variety of clients in the family entertainment industry and then for 10 years at the U.S. Department of Labor, converting legacy COBOL systems into real time client server systems. His recent projects include working requirements for the Veteran’s Administration, introducing BA practices at the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, and creating bowling industry models for NRG Bowl LLC. In November 2006, Marcos Ferrer became one of the first 18 CBAPs certified by the IIBA. He has served as an elected member of the DC-Metro chapter of the IIBA, most recently as President, and assisted in the writing of the BOK 2.0 test.

This month the O.B.A.M.A. award goes to the American Medical Association, for one of the most enlightened public positions on change I have ever heard articulated. The President of the AMA, speaking about HR 3200 (the evolving health bill in the House), said:

“It’s a solid start to achieving health reform this year that makes a positive difference for patients and physicians. The status quo is unacceptable. So let me be clear – without a bill that can pass the house, there is no health reform this year. But the debate is far from over. The AMA is going to be at the table to improve the final legislation….To the physicians of America I say – together we are stronger. .And to the patients of America I say – we are working to make the health care system better for you.”

 

Just THINK about the implications of this statement. Even though the health care bill is not perfect (the AMA has specific concerns about tort/malpractice and Medicare payment rates) they are backing a “risky” CHANGE PROCESS, with their eyes on the greater good.

How many of our societal institutions have “Unacceptable Status Quos”, yet persist in resisting change processes? In case my kind readers think “unacceptable” is too strong of a word (my readers would always offer the benefit of the doubt, no doubt), I offer the following buffet of “status quos” that resist scrutiny and possible change.

1. The immense social and economic costs of enforcing “Prohibition” against marijuana, and treating hard drug addiction as a “moral” problem instead of a personal medical one.
2. The strange fact that in the supposedly freest country in the world, we incarcerate more people than anyone except China, which has over five times our population.
3. The insistence on “free market” processes in the face of the fact that no such thing exists, and the track record of its passionate supporters includes two Depressions plus world class executive performance bonuses in the middle of the second.
4. The vanishing of journalism and its accompanying ethics.
5. Ongoing economic discrimination against women, minorities, foreigners.
6. Basing policy on (and destroying our economy because of) a terrorist stunt, statistically rare, and nowhere near as harmful as cars, cigarettes, alcohol, cancer, even bathrooms (yes, bathrooms kill).
7. The persistence in emphasizing time and cost over quality in American endeavors (no one is less surprised than me that GM has “failed”).
8. Taking 12 ounce drinks from airline passengers, because of the potential “danger”, and then tossing them into garbage cans in the screening area.

Remember, sometimes the emperor really has no clothes – now is a good time to speak candidly about the value of change, the process of change, and to be honest about the risks, even as the risk of not changing increases.

Rather than dwell on the negative, I ask my kind readers to send me THEIR examples of an Outstanding B.A. Moment in America, for publishing here!

Have fun, and submit your comments below.

During a business analysis transformation project at a large organization, I had a quality assurance management executive ask me what the BOK says about QA.  Surprisingly little, and in my opinion, rightly so.  The quality movement succeeded in Japan, and mostly failed in the U.S., because in the U.S. QA was given out as if it was a separate job.

BA IS QUALITY, and I quote Edward Deming and his followers to make the point.
http://en.thinkexist.com/quotation/if_you_can-t_describe_what_you_are_doing_as_a/12330.html 

“You can’t inspect quality into a product – the quality is already there.”  In other words, you must examine how you do things, not what you have done.

“If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you’re doing.”  Indeed, they don’t.

“It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do your best.”  If only – so many projects work so hard so everyone can feel good about their contribution, as if every contribution was the “best”.

“We should work on our process, not the outcome of our processes.”  Can you spell BPR?

“Quality is everyone’s responsibility.”  Goodbye, ineffective QA Managers?

“If you do not know how to ask the right question, you discover nothing.”  This is why elicitation of requirements is such a key “art” for BAs – how do you explain what else to ask?  Experience!

“Does experience help? NO! Not if we are doing the wrong things.”  BA is committed to doing the right thing – no wonder it struggles for status in the U.S.

“It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.”  As demonstrated by the last two large IRS IT projects (look ’em up!).

And my contribution:  “If there is no significant change in the business, there is no significant requirement to analyze.”

More shall be revealed. Keep the feedback coming to [email protected].

Have fun!

© 2009 Marcos Ferrer