Tag: Project Management

We’ve got another line-up of timely articles examining the field of business analysis and surrounding areas. I feel certain that you’re going to find some interesting and provocative ideas and we look forward to your responses, both positive and negative.

 

• When is the BA’s Work Finally Finished? Many people think (some BAs and PMs included) that the BA’s work is done when they’ve signed off on the requirements document. Jill Lilles points out that BA’s role in the project is far from over.
• A Second Look under the Hood of the BA/PM Position Family. Bob Wysocki continues his series about the over-lapping roles of the BA and PM. In this article he takes a deeper look at the relative prominence of the two roles in different phases of their careers.
• IIBA. Check the IIBA section for the 2008 Annual Report and some comments.
• This issue’s blogs. Marcos Ferrer revisits the challenge he threw out last month and asks why BA s don’t have the same level of empowerment as many other professionals. Terry Longo talks about the side-by-side roles of the business analyst and the business manager. And I’m heading for a long weekend away from all forms of electronic communication ….I think. I promise not to….

All the best and I hope you’re managing to enjoy the summer without too many interruptions.

Adam R. Kahn
Publisher, Business Analyst Times
[email protected]

This is the sixth article in the series. In the previous article (A First Look under the Hood of the BA/PM Position Family) I defined the BA/PM position family and the career path sequence. Then I wrote the generic position descriptions of the six-position family. The structure and ordering of the six positions in the BA/PM landscape is now defined at the generic level. Each of the 36 cells in the BA/PM landscape has now been generically defined with respect to the BA/PM position family.

Depending on the extent to which project management and business
analysis exists in your organization, there may be empty cells or cells
with more than one position title in them. If your organization has
more than one specific position title in a cell, then there will
probably be some ordering of those position titles with respect to
their skill and competency profile. So the career path may contain
advancements to positions within a single cell. The minimum skill and
competency profile required to enter a cell at the lowest position is
work that still remains to be done. That will require a significant
effort and help from both the PM and the BA side. That discussion is
left for a future article.

A Deeper Look into the BA/PM Landscape

Since we now have a BA/PM generic position family defined and a career path for that family, Figure 1 takes on more meaning. An example will help. Figure 1 shows an individual whose current position is in the BA/pm Associate Manager cell. This person is a professional project manager with basic business analysis skills and competencies. This is a very common position. Recognizing the importance and value of having stronger business, their short-term goal is to have a position in the BA/PM Associate Manager cell. To do this, they will build a plan in their Professional Development Program (PDP) to accomplish their short-term career goal. Their PDP will focus on improving their business analysis skill and competency profile from that of a PM/ba Associate Manager to that of a PM/BA Associate Manager. The PDP for this person might contain the following strategies:

Experience Acquisition

• Seek out project assignments that have more of a business analysis focus than they are accustomed to.
• Support professionals who are more senior to you and have a business analysis skill that you need to improve to better meet current position requirements.

On-the-job Training

• Look for opportunities to observe and support the business analysis work of BA/PM professionals
• Take courses (on or off site) to enhance the business analysis skills required of your current position

Off-the-job Training

• Take courses (on or off site) to add business analysis skills that will be required by your targeted position in the PM/BA Associate Manager cell
• Look for opportunities to observe and support a professional practicing the business analysis skills you will need in your targeted position.

Professional Activities

• Read books and journal articles on topics relevant to your targeted position in the PM/BA Associate Manager cell
• Attend meetings and conferences offering seminars and workshops relevant to your targeted position in the PM/BA Associate Manager cell
  Figure 1: Using the BA/PM Landscape for a Short-Term Professional Goal in the same Position

In my experience with PDPs they tend to cover an annual planning horizon with at least semi-annual status meetings with a mentor, or as needed meetings that you will request.   

Figure 2 illustrates an example that is a little more complex. Here the short-term PDP is targeting a change from a position in the PM/ba Associate Manager cell to a position in the PM/ba Senior Manager cell. As you can see the Core, PM and ba skills profiles will be affected. The ba skills profile will be minimally affected only by the change of position level.

 

Figure 3 is a combination of the situations depicted in Figures 1 and 2. It illustrates yet another example of a more complex situation than is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. Here the change is not only to a higher level position (Associate Manager to Senior Manager) as was the case in Figure 2 but also to a position requiring a broader and deeper business analysis skills profile (ba to BA) as was the case in Figure 1. A career change like this may take some time to accomplish. Not only will the person need to acquire additional experience to qualify for the higher level position, they will also need to increase their business analysis experience, and skill and competency profile, to qualify for the higher level position’s business analysis requirements. A better professional development plan might be to follow one of the two-step strategies below:

PM/ba Associate Manager -> PM/BA Associate Manager -> PM/BA Senior Manager

or

PM/ba Associate Manager -> PM/ba Senior Manager -> PM/BA Senior Manager    

The likely promotion opportunities may help you choose the better of the two strategies.

 

Career Planning Using the BA/PM Landscape

A section of the PDP should be devoted to long range career planning. The BA/PM landscape is a tool that can aid in the planning process. Figure 4 illustrates a career path leading from a position in the BA Team Member cell to a position in the BA/PM Senior Manager cell. The CareerAgent System that I mentioned in an earlier article (A First Pass at Defining the BA/PM Position Family) included a decision support system that helped the individual plan their career path down to the position title level within the cells. It mapped out a training and development sequence leading from position to position across the BA/PM landscape until the final career goal had been reached.

 

As the plan is executed it will most likely change. Even the targeted position might change. There are several factors that will influence the plan and suggest revisions more compatible with the changing business environment and that offer more career growth and professional development opportunities.

A Call to Action

In the previous article (A First Look Under the Hood of the BA/PM Positin Family) I stated that this is a work in progress. I have participated in the development of similar structures for the IT professional but not for the BA/PM professional (or PM/BA if you prefer). Much remains to be done. I welcome a partner from the BA side to work with me in this challenging and valuable pursuit. It is my hope that I have launched this effort in a direction that ultimately will make sense across the entire BA and PM professional landscape. If you are interested in discussing a possible collaboration, you may reach me directly at [email protected].

Putting It All Together

In this article I have shown by example how the BA/PM landscape and BA/PM position family would be used in professional development and career planning.

The responses to the first five articles have been overwhelming. They have been both positive and negative. Being a change management advocate I am thankful for your interest but not surprised with your reactions. My hope is that we can continue the exchange. As always I welcome opposing positions and the opportunity to engage in public discussions. Your substantive comments are valuable. Criticism is fine and is expected but, in the spirit of agile project management, so are suggestions for improvement. Also in the spirit of agile project management, I am trying to find a solution to the career and professional development of the BA, BA/pm, BA/PM, PM/BA, PM/ba and PM.

I realize that I have taken a controversial position and in so doing have stepped out of my comfort zone and perhaps put myself in harm’s way. I do so intentionally. Through all of the earlier articles I hoped to get your attention and that has happened. In this and subsequent articles I hope to get you to start thinking about the care and feeding of a single BA/PM professional – one who is fully skilled in both disciplines. I have a very strong belief that there is a crying need for the BA/PM professional. As you dig deeper into the BA/PM through this series I ask that you approach my suggestions with an open mind and offer your ideas in this public forum.

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Robert K. Wysocki, Ph.D., has over 40 years experience as a project management consultant and trainer, information systems manager, systems and management consultant, author, training developer and provider. He has written fourteen books on project management and information systems management. One of his books, Effective Project Management: Traditional, Adaptive, Extreme,3rd Edition, has been a best seller and is recommended by the Project Management Institute for the library of every project manager. He has over 30 publications in professional and trade journals and has made more than 100 presentations at professional and trade conferences and meetings. He has developed more than 20 project management courses and trained over 10,000 project managers.

As you read this, you may well be gearing up for the July 4 Independence Day holiday or, if you’re in Canada, winding down after the July 1 Canada Day holiday. Whatever the celebration, I hope a good time was or will be had by all.

In this Business Analyst Times, Bob Wysocki and Glenn Brûlé continue with their respective ongoing series. This time, Bob takes A First Look under the Hood of the BA/PM Position Family. In his last article, he took a general look at the BA/PM “landscape.” In this issue, he defines the six positions he sees in a BA/PM family, looks at the skills required and discusses professional development for the BA/PM position. Glenn continues his Back to Basics series (should that be BAck to BAsics?) with Getting Back to Basics: Fourth Fundamental – Choosing Elicitation Techniques. In this article, he examines the complications, stumbling blocks and other problems inherent to elicitation. But he also offers very constructive tips and help to overcome obstacles in the process.

In Agile Oxymorons, regular blogger, Terry Longo, asks some probing questions about why the BABOK doesn’t have a more prominent role in the lives of BAs and wonders if terminology needs to be clarified. Hiring a BA? Looking for a BA Position? If you’re in either camp, What are Gen X and Y BAs are Looking for in Their Careers? should provide some practical information.

I hope you find some interesting reading in this issue and that we hear from you with your suggestions for future issues.

Many thanks.

Adam R. Kahn
Publisher, Business Analyst Times
[email protected]

In the previous article I defined the BA/PM Landscape. That set forth the high-level model of the six positions in the BA/PM Position Family. In this article I’ll set forth the high-level definition of each of those six positions. This will lay a foundation for a more detailed definition of the six positions, a discussion of the skills profile of all six positions and then the details of a BA/PM Professional Development Program. As was the case with the previous article this is my opinion and has not been discussed with any of my business analyst or project manager colleagues.

The responses to the first four articles have been overwhelming. They have been both positive and negative. Being a change management advocate I am pleased with your reactions. My hope is that we can continue the exchange. As always, I welcome opposing positions and the opportunity to engage in public discussions. Your substantive comments are valuable. Criticism is fine and is expected but in the spirit of agile project management so are suggestions for improvement.

I realize that I have taken a controversial position and I do so intentionally. At least I have your attention whether you agree with my position or not.

Professional Development of the BA/PM

In the previous article I offered a first pass at defining the BA/PM position family. Figure1, below, displays the career path for the BA/PM generic position titles. At the Staff Level there are two positions: Team Member followed by Task Manager. Once the staff person has acquired the experience and skills that qualifies them as a professional, they move into the Professional Level as an Associate Manager followed by Senior Manager. At this point there are two separate paths to the Executive Level. The Program Manager position is much like a consultant to the Professional Level positions. The Director position is a people management position. This is a look from a different perspective at the information that was presented in Figure1 of the previous article. With the career path defined, it makes sense to now define the positions themselves.

Figure 1: The BA/PM Position Family

Position Descriptions

First let me clarify my use of the word project. I use it in a very general sense. It refers to business analysis efforts as well as projects not encompassing business analysis activities. At this level the position descriptions need to simultaneously embrace both the project manager and the business analyst. That has put some strain on the choice of language and I beg your patience with that. In time and with the help of BA Times and Project Times readers and others we will converge on the solution.  

Team Member

This is an entry level position into either a project management or business analysis effort.

Key Indicators

• Relevant two or four year specialized education at entry.
• May have relevant but limited part time, cooperative education or internship experience. 
• May have previous experience in a trainee level position outside the BA/PM position family. 
• Limited experience (12-18 months) in a related position.

Essential Characteristics 

• Operates within a structured and routinely supervised environment. 
• After initial training, uses methods, procedures and standards applicable to assigned tasks with less frequent need for direct supervision. 
• Demonstrates rational and organized approach to tasks. 
• Has developed sufficient oral and written communication skills for effective dialogue with colleagues and superiors. 
• Is able to absorb and apply new technical information rapidly when it is systematically presented. 
• Within a short time horizon, is able to plan, schedule and monitor own work.

Task Manager

This is the upper level staff position for those who are familiar with the scope of their tasks. Task managers do not have responsibility for projects. Their responsibility extends to tasks within a project. They may have team members assigned to these tasks and may receive guidance and supervision from the task manager. It is distinguished from the team member position by the depth and complexity of the technical knowledge base covered, and the extent to which supervision is required. This position implies a high degree of accountability for self-controlled work. It may include a guidance role for the less experienced team members assigned to their task.

Key Indicators 

• Fully trained Team Member. 
• Relevant experience in a related position (2-4 years).

Essential Characteristics 

• Depending on the scope and complexity of the work, operates within a largely unsupervised environment but within a clear accountability framework. 
• Is familiar with, uses effectively, and can select appropriately from applicable methods, procedures and standards. 
• Is able to function effectively and productively, and meet time and quality targets across tasks within scope, using available tools, methodologies and/or equipment with reference to others only by exception. 
• Can assume team leader responsibilities for the work of less skilled professionals. 
• Demonstrates both formal and informal communications ability; orally and in writing, when dealing with all colleagues and clients. 
• Is able to rapidly absorb new technical information as required. 
• Demonstrates a systematic, disciplined and analytical approach to problem solving. 
• Has a good appreciation of the wider field outside his/her own specialization and has developed a good broad understanding of computer systems and techniques. 
• Understands how the specific role relates to the relevant are of employment, to its clients and to the employing business as a whole.

Associate Manager

This is the lower of two levels in the professional category. It will normally be achieved after clear evidence is available of full competence in a specialized role. At this level, full technical accountability for work done and decisions made is expected. The ability to give technical or team leadership will have been demonstrated as well as a high degree of technical versatility and broad industry knowledge. Will often manage major parts of projects and be responsible to the project manager or have project management responsibility for simple projects.

Key Indicators 

• 12-18 months experience as a task manager. 
• Recognized as a professional by their peers. 
• Is capable of successfully managing simple projects.
• Does not have direct management responsibility for staff.

Essential Characteristics 

• Takes responsibility either for substantial technical decision-making or for teams of staff. If the latter, demonstrates the basic qualities associated with team leadership and project management. 
• Is thoroughly familiar with the available tools, methods, procedures and/or equipment associated with specialization. Possesses adequate technical depth to make correct choices from alternatives in all areas. 
• Is able to apply selected tools and techniques in such a way as to meet set targets of cost, time, quality and performance. 
• Is able to communicate effectively, both formally and informally, with all those with whom working interfaces arise, whether they are colleagues, clients or customers. 
• Shows initiative and makes time available to ensure general competencies are up to date and in line with the development of the individual. 
• Possesses a clear understanding of the relationship of any specialized role to the context in which the work is carried out. More generally, this understanding applies to the employer’s business and the needs of those who will use the end product.

Senior Manager

This is the upper of two levels in the professional category. It will normally be achieved after 2-4 years experience as an associate manager and clear evidence is available of full competence in a specialized role. At this level, full technical accountability for work done and decisions made is expected. The ability to give technical or team leadership will have been demonstrated, as well as a high degree of technical versatility and broad industry knowledge. Will manage complex projects and often be responsible for managing the activities of associate managers who function as sub-project managers.

Key Indicators

• 2-4 years experience in an associate manager position. 
• Recognized as a professional by their peers. 
• Is capable of successfully managing complex projects. 
• Will often have direct management responsibility for project staff.

Essential Characteristics 

• Has demonstrated a basic understanding of the consulting role and has acted in such capacity as requested. 
• Demonstrates mastery of the qualities associated with team leadership and project management. 
• Is thoroughly familiar with the available tools, methods, procedures and/or equipment associated with specialization. Possesses adequate technical depth to make correct choices from alternatives in all these areas. 
• Is able to apply selected tools and techniques in such a way as to meet set targets of cost, time, quality and performance. 
• Is able to communicate effectively both formally and informally with all those with whom working interfaces arise whether they are colleagues, clients or customers. 
• Shows initiative and makes time available to ensure general competencies are up to date and in line with the development of the individual. 
• Possesses a clear understanding of the relationship of any specialized role to the context in which the work is carried out. More generally, this understanding applies to the employer’s business and the needs of those who will use the end product.

Program Manager

This position represents the level associated with the mature, relevantly experienced and fully capable professional. Such a person is fully accountable for work quality as a technical specialist. He/she possesses the background knowledge and experience to make informed and responsible decisions, which are both technically sound and take the needs of the organization fully into account. They will be expected to advise and coach professional level staff and are respected for their ability to do that.

Key Indicators 

• No or very limited consulting experience at entry. 
• Has previous experience offering informal advice and support to less qualified professionals. 
• Has some peer recognition in a defined area of expertise. 
• Usually works under the direction of a more senior consultant.

Essential Characteristics 

• Has defined responsibility for all technical decision-making within the scope of specialization. In so doing is expected to recognize and take appropriate action with respect to any safety-related applications within scope. 
• Shows mature qualities of leadership in meeting targets of time, cost, quality and performance within projects of substantial value to his/her employer. 
• Communicates effectively, both orally and in writing, with subordinates, colleagues, clients and customers at all levels of seniority. 
• Shows mature understanding of the relationship of his/her specialization and/or project responsibilities to the undertaking as a whole. Is able to propose solutions within the scope of his/her expertise. 
• Shows initiative and makes time available to ensure general competencies are kept up to date in line with industry developments.

Director

This is the most senior management level position in the BA/PM Position Family It is the level occupied by the most senior manager of a business function or unit in organizations where operating effectiveness (and possibly survival) is heavily dependent on the function or unit and where large numbers of practitioners are deployed. A wide and deep practical knowledge base is called for, accompanied by mature management qualities.

Key Indicators 

• Director of a critical business unit or function in a large organization. 
• Frequently will have visibility and direct contact at the board level. 
• Advises and leads the organization in strategic initiatives within their area of responsibility.

Essential Characteristics 

• Has defined responsibility and authority for decision-making or an advisory function having a direct bearing on the work of a business unit or major function. In carrying out these responsibilities, recognizes and ensures that all appropriate actions are taken with respect to any safety-related applications within scope. 
• Has a technical background of sufficient depth and breadth to be able to recognize and successfully exploit opportunities for effective development or usage of their area of expertise, and lead and manage fully experienced reporting managers. 
• Demonstrates a high level of presentation skills applicable to all levels of audience. 
• Plays a senior role in formulating strategy and policy. 
• Has specific management responsibility for a specialized activity, which normally includes full budgetary and policy implementation authority for a significant overall function, or a significant segment of a larger unit.

Putting It All Together

Obviously this is a work in progress. I have participated in the development of similar structures for the IT professional but not for the BA/PM professional (or PM/BA if you prefer). Much remains to be done. I welcome a partner from the BA side to work with me in this challenging and valuable pursuit. It is my hope that I have launched this effort in a direction that ultimately will make sense across the entire BA and PM professional landscape. I would certainly like to hear your thoughts on the BA/PM professional or PM/BA professional, if you prefer. I’m sure we could have a lively discussion. I promise to respond personally to every email and to incorporate your thoughts in succeeding articles. You may reach me directly at [email protected].

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Robert K. Wysocki, Ph.D., has over 40 years experience as a project management consultant and trainer, information systems manager, systems and management consultant, author, training developer and provider. He has written fourteen books on project management and information systems management. One of his books, Effective Project Management: Traditional, Adaptive, Extreme,3rd Edition, has been a best seller and is recommended by the Project Management Institute for the library of every project manager. He has over 30 publications in professional and trade journals and has made more than 100 presentations at professional and trade conferences and meetings. He has developed more than 20 project management courses and trained over 10,000 project managers.