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Tag: Planning

5 Common Business Analyst Pitfalls

Written by Brad Egeland on . Posted in Articles.

What if you never dropped the ball as a team or project leader?

What if you could have every base covered? Wouldn’t that be amazing? You have all the information you need to make great decisions. All information and status updates you need to have the best and most accurate status reports and the most interesting and productive meetings possible?

Even though this seems to sound like it is focused on project managers, it is not. I am going to direct this at business analysts. One – because it’s my article and I often handle both roles and can do what I want AND Two – because business analysts in certain projects actually perform the more communicative and facilitator role than the more figurehead project manager. It depends on the project. But there are always those pitfalls. Those behaviors that can be detrimental to the project and we may not even know we are doing things wrong. Consider these five and then let me know what you think…

Micro managing resources.

Micromanaging is a huge mistake! You probably know that already and may just not realize you’re doing it. It serves no good purpose. Stop the oppressive behavior in your leadership style. You won’t be a respected and followed leader of projects and teams if the behavior continues. Your team members are in place because they are experts at what they do. Trust them until they have done something to break that trust. Expect the best and you’ll probably get the best. Help – don’t hinder – team progress, forward thinking, and innovation.

Canceling meetings.

I realize that sometimes it seems like the project is moving slowly and there is no need for that weekly team meeting or formal weekly status call with the customer. Plus, your desk is piled high with work on other hot projects and others on the project are probably in the same situation. So you’ll just do everyone a favor and cancel today’s regularly scheduled team or customer call on the slow project. Stop. This is not a good behavior. Why? Once you start to cancel meetings during slow times your stakeholders who have lots to do will start to consider your meetings to be of less importance and they won’t make your meetings a priority to attend in the future. You’ll be seen as an unreliable meeting facilitator. Even if you’re project is at a standstill, you should still proceed with the regular meeting. Even if all you do is give a quick status update and go around the room once to get any information about tasks that you can from each team member or stakeholder, it’s worth it. You’ve kept your meeting schedule intact. You also may have uncovered a small piece of important information from someone on the team that seemed inconsequential but could have been a big problem if it just fell through the cracks due to a cancelled meeting. You never know when the small things will become the big things. Don’t cancel meetings. Keep in touch, keep the communication flowing and the collaboration in place and the team cohesion strong. You will never regret it.

Multitasking.

If I can do one thing great, then I can juggle two things at once pretty good and three things at once fairly well and four things at once sort of acceptably ok… You get the picture? At that point you’re only performing ok in your own mind. Others may be seeing you as a bumbling fool. Give it up! It’s not worth it. I’ve previously covered my methods of managing projects (if you manage than one at a time) in 60 minutes a day. Try it – you’ll be amazed at how much more you’ll excel and how much more you’ll accomplish. If you’re leading, say, 5-6 projects at once, take a very dedicated 60 minutes on each project and get things done on each project – then move on to the next once. You’ll be amazed at how clearer your head will be, how much more you will accomplish and you won’t feel like you just bounced around all day between projects like a rubber ball.

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Not following up.

Communication is Job One for all project leaders…. business analysts, project managers, tech leads, etc. and a huge factor in project success or failure. And a big part of that communication is follow-up. After a key meeting or phone call, be sure to follow-up with notes to ensure everyone is still on the same page. Gaps can grow over time. Don’t leave any gaps or room for misunderstandings or mid-communications. They can eventually kill a project.

Keeping senior management at arm’s length.

While you may think it’s nice to not have senior management meddling in your project all the time, having them somewhat involved and up to date is a good thing. Need a new resource fast? Go to senior management and get one. If they know more about your project than others than they will be more likely to take a personal interest and get your request expedited. Need more funding or their presence in front of the customer to help resolve an issue. Same thing – they will understand the project, remember you and jump in more quickly and provide that necessary involvement. Keep them in the loop – and continue to send them regular status updates.

Summary / call for input

The bottom line is we all fall short. We all need help. We all go through repetitious behaviors and we don’t always realize that they aren’t working. We might even be working contrary to or project’s best interests, or team’s best interests and our customer’s best interest. It’s not too late to change how we do things. These may not pop up during a lessons learned session so if you’re continuing with any of these practices or pitfalls… then you’re welcome for the heads up. Stop now!

The Disruptive Business Analyst

Written by Brad Egeland on . Posted in Articles. 1 Comment on The Disruptive Business Analyst

Disrupt. By definition disrupt means “to prevent something, especially a system, process, or event, from continuing as usual or as expected.

To throw into confusion, throw into disorder, throw into disarray, cause confusion/turmoil in, play havoc with.”

From a technology perspective, it refers to “any enhanced or completely new technology that replaces and disrupts an existing technology, rendering it obsolete. It is designed to succeed similar technology that is already in use. Disruptive technology applies to hardware, software, networks and combined technologies.”

So, what about the disruptive business analyst? I work mostly with tech projects so for me the disruptive business analyst is working with what we used to call bleeding edge technology on new projects for anxiously awaiting project clients leading tech teams on exciting and sometimes dangerous new project adventures. End users and subject matter experts are awaiting a nearly ready solution during user acceptance testing (UAT) and at implementation rollout to the end user community with this creative solution. Hopefully the tech team… and the business analyst… along with the project manager have provided a workable solution that meets their requirements dead on. This can be difficult, of course, anytime you’re moving to a new technology that you’ve not worked with before, the project team hasn’t worked with before, the client has never likely seen or used it before, and that may not have been implemented in the client’s type of industry before. You’re on the edge… you’re going where no one has gone before (well, with that customer in that industry anyway…).

Stay abreast of new technologies

Since the business analyst is usually at least the liaison between the tech team and the project manager on a technical project – and is sometimes even the co-lead or sole lead of the project – then it is obviously critical that he remain relevant and current of ongoing tech trends and new technology. Through regular training, reading and research, this is easy to do and in terms of products, technology and security, conferences and the exhibit rooms at these conferences are a great way to get first hand face to face knowledge and deep dive information from the individuals creating and introducing this technology. Conferences like CES (Consumer Electronics Show), Interop and Black Hat will have briefings, demonstrations and training available for attendees and they can be fascinating ways to enhance your knowledge level.

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Ensure the right team assembled for the tech implementation

A new technology is being used on our high-tech solution for the project client. Is our project team up for the challenge? Is the learning curve reasonable or do we need part time or full-time consulting or new resources on the project? That initial assessment must be made or at least assisted by the business analyst. And this determination needs to be made – and not lightly – as close to the kickoff of a new project as possible so as not to result in a timeframe extension, budget overrun and big, long learning curve for newly on boarded project resources.

Oversee customer training and education on the tech solution and the technology used

The project manager works closely with the customer throughout the engagement. There is no question about that. But on many tech projects the business analyst works even closer and for extended periods of time. On one of my projects, the customer wanted a change order to have the business analyst work full time onsite for the remainder of the project resulting in a $100k+ change order with a high profit margin added to the project. I was happy to oblige, of course. Especially in cases like this one, the business analyst is going to have the best feel for the customer’s ability to understand and eventually take over a new high-tech solution. Should education and training take place? Often the answer is yes. Yet another change order revenue opportunity! Win-win. This is an area where the business analyst will usually need to play point on – be aware.

Ensure Cybersecurity measures are taken

While hackers know that organizations using legacy technology are the easiest target, most get more challenge and enjoyment from cracking new technology. If you are embarking on new tech adventures on your project, know that you may be a target, especially if you are handling any sensitive data with this new tech angle. So, know that if you’re utilizing bleeding edge technology, you are on the hackers’ radar – you are a likely target will need to take proper measures. It’s best to address this possibility early in the planning phases while assessing risks and the skill set needed for your project team.

Summary / call for input

Are you a disruptive business analyst? Most business analysts working with startups and large corporations entering new areas of delivery are going to be utilizing new and cutting-edge technology. The key is to be fully engaged, ensure the client understands – at least to some degree – the new technology and that you have the right talent designing and implementing the project solution. Oh, and that the end user community knows what they are getting. It never hurts to make sure that your project manager is on board with the same technical understanding. Project management is sometimes project management across all complexities and industries… but I’ve always felt that a technical background is critical to the tech project manager’s success in managing tech projects. Sounds logical – and it is logical. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’ve got the tech background myself, but I’ve seen many colleagues fail miserably on technical projects because of a lack of tech background and understanding.

Readers – what’s your take on this list and these areas of emphasis? What would you add to it or change about? Do you agree with it? Tell us about a project you played a key role on using new technology and how you managed issues and risks – if there were any – in the implementation. Was it smooth? A success? A failure? Let’s share and discuss.

Business Analyst = Cybersecurity Expert

Written by Brad Egeland on . Posted in Articles.

Ok, this may be a stretch to say “cybersecurity expert”, but I got your attention, didn’t I?

To me – and on all the “real world” tech projects I’ve managed – the business analyst has played the role of part-time tech and full-time tech liaison with the technical team on the project. They run the requirements definition portion of the project, they document – with project manager assistance – the functional requirements for the project and help extract the project client’s current business processes that are or will be affected by the project as well as helping to analyze and define what the new processes need to look like as we build the solution that will satisfy the business needs of the project client.
Easy process? No. Lots of work involved? Yes. Lots of documentation involved as well and much of it will become the basis for the full, detailed requirements document as well as what the ultimate solution is tested against as we run through user acceptance testing (UAT) with the project client. Defining all of this is critical to selecting the right technology, fully and correctly defining what the real requirements are, fully understanding what the “as-is” and “to-be” business and technical processes are or planned to be and fully preparing for the rest of the project.
Now, that said, the project manager has his role. The tech lead and team have their roles. Often, everything else might fall to the business analyst. And as we manage projects in ever increasing dangerous waters filled with hackers and data breaches, the business analyst may be taking on a new role in the smaller and/or less prepared project execution organizations. That is the role of the cybersecurity “expert.”
I’ve often said two things: data security and hacking are such a growing concern that no project should be consider “safe.” Hackers are always one step ahead of us and if you were on their radar you would have already been affected. But you may get lucky for a while. Sooner or later you will be affected to some small or potentially large degree. You can’t necessarily completely avoid or mitigate the hacker / data breach risk. But you can take measures. Does every project need some involvement from security as a part of the project team – if only as a sit-in during risk identification? I think so. Will all organizations eventually have a team of cybersecurity experts? Probably. But for now, that cybersecurity team or presence may just be one untrained or “in training” individual who has a strong interest in cybersecurity (or is forced to have that interest). And who is that likely candidate? The business analyst. In fact, the smart organization would be bringing in cybersecurity trainers right now to start getting the ground work laid for a solid team of security individuals tasked with keeping organization and customer data and systems safe from harm. The larger organizations should be putting a CSO (chief security officer) in place to guide the security infrastructure down the right path and career growths for those hired to be part of that infrastructure.
So, does the business analyst really = cybersecurity expert? In some cases, yes. And in the case where there is no real security awareness, representation or position on the project and in the organization the answer – in my opinion – is a definite yes. Get those BA’s in the organization as a whole at least educated on cybersecurity at a high level so they can begin to integrate cybersecurity awareness on the projects, the project teams and with the company’s senior management. It will give your project clients a better comfort level of satisfaction and confidence and hopefully provide some useful mitigation planning. There are some cybersecurity 101-type documents, videos, webinars and classes out there – often for free. Yes, that is all better than nothing. It’s what I’m immersing myself in – you learn something new and helpful with every watch or read. And I’ve attended many Las Vegas versions of the Black Hat digital security conferences over the years. They aren’t cheap, but they are if you get in for free with a media pass as I do because I’m also an author of these articles, white papers, eBooks and videos.
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To get to the point of the proper cybersecurity presence, you can do one or more of the following 4′ things…

If you are a project-centric professional services organization – start with your business analyst or tech leads. In my opinion, this is probably the best way to start spreading the cybersecurity expertise to those who are most entrenched daily in the projects underway, about to happen, being planned and the customers they are working with. And it ensures that every project has a cybersecurity / cyber risk planning and management presence. That is priceless. And you have homegrown talent – also priceless.
Hire an outside consultant to review processes, projects and infrastructure and make recommendations. Expensive, but it can be a good start to building your own cybersecurity infrastructure. The expert will tell you what your needs likely are and help you plan a path to getting there including any re-organization and hiring you need to do today, a month from now and a year from now to be successful and safe. Expensive, but it will help the organization determine their real needs and how to get to the point of fulfilling those needs properly.
Hire cybersecurity talent and build a staff. If you are large organization handling sensitive internal or customer data, then you probably should have done this yesterday. So do it tomorrow and don’t procrastinate. And put a C-level security person in the organization – a CSO.
Hire an outside consulting organization to take part in necessary projects. Not your best choice for the money, but this can be a stop-gap measure if you find yourself suddenly immersed in projects that are highly data sensitive. As you move in that direction, the last thing you want is project failure and a big, highly visible data breach. So, if you must, then do this. It is far better than the alternative. And should something bad happen, it is far less expensive than the hack exposure.

Summary

Now is the time for action. Not tomorrow, not next year. Procrastination can cost millions in this instance. Train, buy, hire, or whatever… do something to protect your projects, customers and data.

It’s Time to Put Genuine Care for People and Empathy Back into Business Analysis

Written by Stephanie Warden on . Posted in Articles. 2 Comments on It’s Time to Put Genuine Care for People and Empathy Back into Business Analysis

I recently accepted a new business analysis position because too many days were filled of dread for work.

I couldn’t figure out the reason for my boredom and lack of fulfillment, until one day, it dawned on me. 

I missed people. 

I know that sounds silly – in business analysis you are often surrounded by people in meetings or requirement elicitation sessions with stakeholders. Even though I worked with a great team of people each day, I took too many calls rather than sitting face-to-face, collaborating in meetings. I often didn’t have the time to really get to know the stakeholder and feared key requirements and details were missing because of this lack of relationship between me and other team members. 

If my children, friends or family members came to me only when they needed something – I would be resentful and our relationship would suffer. Work shouldn’t be any different. Whether it’s the developer who will be building the user story you wrote on the website, the QA tester trying to break the new feature or the marketing manager with the vision for the functionality, the more we become real people to one another, the better. I’m not saying we need to sit and chat all day or learn each other’s deep dark secrets, but having a genuine interest in getting to know your team members can be invaluable. 

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You don’t have to be a manager to ask how someone’s day is going or how things are going. I believe it’s all of our responsibility to do whatever we can to make sure the team is rowing in the same direction. At the first marketing company I worked at, we grew extremely fast. The two owners of the company tried as hard as possible to usher us through the transition but also needed to focus on sales to keep the company thriving. 

At only 26-years-old, without a lick of management experience, I went desk to desk at least 1-2 times per month to a staff of almost 50 and asked people how they were doing. “How’s life?” I’d say. At first, people were thrown back by the question, something to this day still puts a tear in my eye. People often commented I was the only one who ever asked them that question and soon opened up and told me about troubles at work or funny stories about their kids. I would then see if there was anything within my control to help the troubles they mentioned in terms of workflow, process or communication. If they needed someone to help go to bat for them with management, I would help facilitate the tough discussions. I also remembered the details about my co-workers lives because I truly care about them as people. 

A developer once confided in me I was the only business analyst or project manager who made them feel like a person and not just an employee hired to just write code as fast as possible. I’ve dined with wealthy business executives that I needed requirements and ideas from accustomed to small talk and everyone agreeing with everything he or she said. I’ll tell you, it seemed at times I was one of few to really talk to them like a person and even – gasp – not just nod my head in politeness. I know, deep down, my candor (though oftentimes even a little more reserved than I would like) led to better project requirements and follow-on business. 

I once worked for a company called Sherpa CRM, a content relationship management tool for senior living. Each day, sales counselors would use Sherpa not only to gather information about prospective residents, but to learn about the senior citizen’s reason for staying in their homes – hopes, fears and hesitations. A psychology exists behind every interaction in business, big or small. My time at Sherpa taught me the difference between sympathy and empathy and how being able to truly put yourselves in someone’s shoes can be invaluable no matter your career path. 

At the end of the day, people are people, and the more we start treating each other that way, the happier we all will be.

Why is Data so Important for Leaders?

Written by Rovena Bytyci on . Posted in Articles.

The rise of digitisation has had a huge impact upon all industries and organisations and big data is at the forefront of this digital transformation.

Organisations and their leaders now have access to valuable insights into their business, customers, competitors and marketplace, allowing them to make strategic, data-driven business decisions. But why is data so important for leaders and how can it transform their role in an organisation?

‘As data and analytics become pervasive, the ability to communicate in this language, to become data literate, is the new organisational readiness factor’ Carlie J.Idione – Gartner Research

Streamlining the customer experience

Emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) are allowing leaders and businesses to automate certain work processes such as customer service. This not only allows for additional resources to be allocated to strategic business decisions, but it collects valuable data and trends from customer feedback that in turn improves the customer experience. Whilst most organisations will already have a strong idea of their target audience and demographic, it’s important not to stand still and constantly develop innovative products and services for the ‘new wave’ of consumers. A great example of this is Spotify, who used AI to sort through customer data and highlighted the most unique customer trends around the world, simultaneously humanising consumer data and creating a lucrative global marketing campaign.

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Strategic Decision Making

Algorithms and real-time predictive data are enabling leaders to make better-informed decisions. These decisions are made on a basis of tangible data and trends resulting in less guesswork and increased accuracy. Predicting future industry trends can put an organisation ahead of the curve, spotting potentially lucrative business opportunities before their competitors. By analysing these trends, organisations can create products and services based on consumer need and desire, rather than ‘educated’ guesswork.

Shaping stronger leaders

A successful leader in the digital era should have a strong analytics aptitude and demonstrate logical thinking and verbal and quantitative reasoning. Rather than resting on their laurels they should always be looking for the next business opportunity and data-driven technologies can make this job significantly easier. Rather than being motivated by emerging technologies, strong leaders and analysts should be motivated on solving problems using well analysed data and algorithms. Leading a business through this era of digital transformation takes a unique set of skills, which can be developed through courses such as a Master of Business Administration.