Tag: Skills

7 Approaches that Business Analysts Should Use to Get Out and Network

Written by Richard Lannon on June 20, 2017. Posted in Articles.

I received a phone call from a peer in another company, asking me if I had ever written anything on how to network.

She mentioned that she had reviewed my blog and couldn’t find anything thing on the topic. They were particularly interested in the idea of business analysts networking and going to events. The sun was out, spring was in the air, and they liked golf—great reasons for getting out of the office.
Their interest got me thinking about the importance of getting out of the office and building a network.

Go with a Purpose

It never made sense to me to go anywhere without having a purpose for being there. As a professional, I have to go to networking events. Because I build a career in the consulting profession, networking has been somewhat mandatory. Honestly, for the majority of these events, I would have rather been somewhere else. That is where purpose comes in. Now when I attend events, I set a goal (nothing big) and focus on how I can help someone else. Try creating a purpose beyond just meeting people, collecting cards and speaking.

Managing Time

I am terrible at setting time aside to attend events. If I don’t mark my calendar with vacation time, long weekends and events, chances are I will forget them. I will work. It is the way I am wired. So I had to learn the skill of looking at my calendar annually and setting time aside at the beginning of the year when I am not available to work. A business associate and friend who’d noticed that I never put time aside, challenged me to book events so I wouldn’t have to be in the office all the time. It’s hard to avoid distractions, but unless you plan your time for when you are going to attend events, there is a good chance you won’t go to them. So set the time aside now.

All by Yourself

We tend to go to professional events with the same people. Your friend at work is going, so you attend also. During the evening or day, you hang out with the same people. Why not go alone? You can add a purpose. For example, maybe you want to meet someone; a decision maker, recruiter or vendor so you can have a private or personal conversation. If someone in your network introduces you to that person, seek that person out and have a conversation without peers around you. More importantly, set yourself up, so you are not always with the same people. Expand your network and make new friends.

Become Part of a New Team

I try to do this when I am going to a professional event. In the introduction, I stated that my peer mentioned attending an Association golf event. This would be a great opportunity to meet new people. I once did this and ended up on a team with two CEOs and a CFO from three different companies. We all had a great time. Throughout my career, they have helped me to connect with a lot of other people. Maybe golf is not your thing. That is fine. There are lots of ways you can become part of a new team. Just be willing to step out there and make it happen.

Be Informed Through Research

If you’re attending an event where you are meeting people, you have a limited amount of time to make an impact. It is important that you be informed about an event before you attend it. This includes checking out the host’s background, the sponsors, the types of people attending the event and determining who you want to meet. Get the information you need from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the professional association’s website. For example, I am a music buff; I play the guitar, and I listen to rock stations on Spotify. There was a CEO I wanted to meet. I noted on Facebook that he played guitar for fun and loved to jam with other musicians. So I decided to meet him and talk to him about music. We had a great discussion and created a relationship. You don’t have to research business-only things. Your research should be about finding and sharing common interests. I guess that’s another lesson learned.

Dress for Success

Can’t say I have always liked that term as it means different things to different people. Clothing is such a personal thing. In the context here, I think it has to do with knowing the event and dressing accordingly. I often contact an event’s coordinators and ask what the appropriate attire is for the event. Some events are formal, while others are downright casual. I have done a lot of work in the ICT industry (information, communications, and technology) where the standard of the organizations is a T-shirt, a pair of blue jeans and no shoes. I have to admit I feel at home in these organizations. Periodically I have to wear a suit and play the part. Still, you can find a signature piece to wear; something that creates conversation. Try a unique, colored shirt, or a hat or pin. I am a man of many hats; from baseball caps to fedoras with different styles for different seasons. I initially wanted protection from the sun, but as things progressed, I started to wear different styles. Interestingly enough, they have become conversation starters. I think you can dress for your success and be unique at the same time.

Have Your Coordinates Ready

Years ago (and maybe today) they are teaching to always bring business cards with you to events to give out to people. In my mind, this is very traditional and is important for a certain generation. Now we have so many options when it comes to sharing our coordinates as a means to connect with people. Still, it is important to pre-plan how you are going to share your information with your new friends. First, consider business cards since they still have a place at networking events. Second, if your company is no longer providing business cards, consider having something unique to hand out. If can be small. For example, I am an author, so I carry bookmarks with me that have the 10 Steps of Strategic Planning written on them. You could easily have something like that for your business; a small keepsake to hand out when you need to provide your coordinates to someone. Third, chances are you have your smartphone. Don’t be afraid to get someone’s email or cell number and text them your coordinates. It is the easiest way to connect with people. Follow up quickly and share information.

Final thoughts

Personally, just like a lot of people, I struggle with going to networking events. So I had to create a process around attending events; setting the time aside, going with purpose and being prepared. Sitting in your office all the time is not good for your long-term career and business. You have to get out and meet new people to share information with, get new ideas and have fun. I think the truth is that people want the same things from networking that you want: enjoyment, meaningful conversation and to create relationships. All you have to do is pick your events and go do it. Good luck.
Remember, do your best, invest in the success of others and make your journey count.

Richard.

Survival Guide: Bouncing Back and Forth Between Agile AND Waterfall

Written by Angela Wick on June 8, 2017. Posted in Articles.

Are you bouncing back and forth between agile and waterfall? It’s quite common these days for Business Analysts to grapple with both agile and traditional approaches to requirements and development work.

This can be frustrating, and Business Analysts may feel like a ping pong ball, getting smacked back and forth between two different worlds.

Assuming this scenario is not going to change, Business Analysts need to find a way to reduce their frustration level and think about their work a little differently. It’s time to change up the game!

Have you ever heard a coach tell an athlete, “Be the ball.” I never understood this advice, but it doesn’t work for Business Analysts in our Agile/Waterfall ping-pong scenario. So, let’s change perspectives. Instead of getting smacked around by multiple methodologies, Business Analysts can take charge of their methodologies. It just takes a shift in thinking, like this:

Now the Business Analysts are in the power position, taking charge of how to approach each incoming ping pong ball. Some might require finesse, some might require backspin, some might require a long volley, and we might even duck and let some fly right past us.

It’s the same for Business Analysts moving between agile and traditional projects—they modify their approach to match the work that is flying at them. The best way to survive and do consistently excellent requirements work is to consider what stays the same and what’s different.

To explore the similarities and differences, let’s see what happens when an agile ping pong ball and a waterfall ping pong ball collide. Hello, ping pong Venn diagram!

Let’s start with what’s different—team structures and team operations/procedures. In most cases, the structure of a traditional team looks a lot different than an agile team. A traditional team might have a defined hierarchy, where an agile structure might be flat, with several self-organized teams with loosely defined roles. The way the teams operate could be quite different too including the way the team collaborates, the timing and sequence of tasks, the process for reporting and measuring progress, etc.
BAs need to learn to roll with these differences, but luckily these differences don’t impact core Business Analysis work. It turns out the things that remain the same, in the center of our ping pong Venn, are the most important components of good requirements regardless of methodology. If Business Analysts focus their energy on these three areas, it will reduce the frustration of bouncing between Agile and traditional approaches.

Focus on the Customer

Both approaches demand we look at requirements from a customer point of view. The customer point of view carries most requirements and rarely fails us as a place to start requirements conversations. In both agile and traditional approaches, BAs are called to expand the definition of customer to include everyone who uses the solution internally and externally. BAs are also called to find innovative ways to identify and meet each customer’s rapidly changing needs.

Cultivate Conversations

Successful BAs in both agile and traditional environments use powerful conversations as the focus of their requirements process. Even in traditional/waterfall approaches, conversations are critical to getting to well-written requirements.

Powerful conversations take place with individuals or in groups and require a variety of elicitation techniques including brainstorming, games, models and visuals. Powerful conversations should be layered with whitespace—this means giving stakeholders time to process their thoughts internally before large group discussions.

Whether you are using an agile or traditional approach, cultivating conversations means dialog comes before requirements documentation. BAs let go of the temptation to hold a meeting to “review” a document or items in a tool before the team has a powerful and meaningful dialog. BAs who focus on conversations know that dialog before documentation speeds up the requirements process for both agile and traditional projects.

Avoid the HOW

Digging into the technical details, before the team understands customer needs, damages agile and traditional projects. So, let go of technical details. The BA role helps the technical team understand the needs and even collaborates on possible designs to meet the needs, but BAs should avoid the urge to tell the technical team exactly how to develop the solution.

Many BAs have knowledge of the technical details but realize this knowledge becomes outdated quickly. It can be tough to let go of knowledge, but remember, technical knowledge is not what makes BAs successful. Instead, focus on the user, goals, data, rules, and business process all with an eye on the future state. Don’t let your knowledge of the current or past keep you stuck there.

The truth is that BAs need to be versatile to survive! They need to be able to handle a wide variety of ping pong balls. This is not a new expectation. Successful BAs have always been able to operate in diverse environments. No teams or organizations work the same. Global teams, virtual teams, agile teams, hybrid teams, vendor teams and even internal teams choose different approaches to project work. Successful BAs stay focused on customers and conversations regardless of the methodology their team uses to deliver solutions.

Please leave your comments below.

9 Actions to Build Your Self-Confidence

Written by Neal Whitten,PMP on May 11, 2017. Posted in Articles.

Almost everyone suffers from low self-confidence at some time; while many people struggle with self-confidence issues regularly.

Low self-confidence will hold you back from achieving your potential. It can cause you to miss out on many opportunities and leave you with a less happy, satisfying and fulfilling life.

The good news? You can learn to become and remain self-confident. I will reveal 9 actions that can help build your self-confidence. The more you build your self-confidence, the more success you likely will achieve which, in turn, increases your self-confidence even more. Mastering self-confidence can change the rest of your life.

Let’s look at these 9 actions that can help you build your self-confidence.

1. Prepare and Practice

Do your homework. Your self-confidence will receive a huge boost when you have appropriately prepared yourself for some event. For example, if you have a presentation to make, thoughtfully developing the presentation and then sufficiently practicing your delivery and responses to imagined questions can make you both look and feel self-confident. Do not underestimate the power of preparation in giving you the self-confidence that you seek. Preparation and practice are one of the most important actions you can take to raise your level of self-confidence.

2. Express Yourself through Body Language

Your posture and the manner you engage with others can send a strong message that says you are engaged, ready for action and committed to this exchange or event. For example, sit upright with chin up. If standing, stand upright with shoulders back. With people from most cultures, give direct eye contact. Move your head, body, and arms when in discussion or listening one-on-one. Use open gestures and lean forward for emphasis. Don’t cower or withdraw into a fetal position. Shake hands firmly—avoid a limp handshake. Be generous with your smile.

3. Speak with a Deliberate Voice

Do not use a weak, unsure or timid voice. Don’t mumble. Speak with a strong, resolute and passionate voice. Speak slow enough to ensure you are not only heard but also understood. Engage others in conversation and participate in meetings and get-togethers.

4. Promote Positive Self-Talk; Eliminate Negative Self-Talk

You become what you think about all day long. You are listening to yourself; programming yourself. Give yourself respect and positive thoughts. Through your thoughts and actions, you create a self-fulfilling prophecy. The self-talk can come from your inner thoughts, your actual words, notes, and messages to yourself and any other form of self-communication. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Be honest and truthful, but also cut yourself some slack. We are all works in progress with plenty of room for improvement.

5. Do Not Be Controlled by What Others Think About You

It is far less important what others think about you than what you think about yourself. Listen to what people say. If there is a lesson to be learned, then do so and move on. If there is no lesson, then move on. If you give more weight to what others think about you than what you think about yourself, then you are giving control of yourself to others. Don’t give that power away. Interestingly, as an instructor who has a wealth of classroom and mentoring experience, occasionally—but only temporarily—even I slip and begin to focus more on the one negative class evaluation than the 29 positive evaluations. Never allow your source of self-confidence to come from someone else.

6. Listen to Your Own Advice

You have great self-confidence advice to give to a close friend or family member; how about applying that advice to yourself? For example, I expect that you have heard most, if not all, of the advice given in this article—although you may not have heard it packaged and presented in this way. However, it becomes more a matter of accepting and applying that advice and recognizing that it can apply as much to you as it does to others. So the next time you are experiencing low self-confidence, ask yourself what advice would you give a friend who is experiencing the same thing you are; then seriously consider following that advice.

7. Be a Good Actor

Once you know how you wish to be, then act on that image. The notion of acting may sound insincere, but it is not. This is how behavior is changed: through repetitive acting. In effect, you are faking self-confidence in the beginning, and eventually, you will feel more comfortable with your behaviors and become that person. As the saying goes: You fake it til’ you make it.

8. Avoid Being Around People Who Are Toxic to You

People who put you down, are constantly critical of you and overall behave destructively towards you can cause self-doubt and pull you down. This situation not only adds no value to your life, but it can also take away from you developing into the best version of you.

9. Do Something Risky

Step out of your comfort zone and take on something you typically would avoid. When you do, you will experience an inner excitement that has likely eluded you. Afterward, examine your actions and look for any lessons. You will be proud of yourself. Now do it again …and again.

I have listed these 9 actions and their brief descriptions in a 1-page takeaway that you are free to download and make copies.

Often I am asked if I believe that people are typically born with low self-confidence, therefore, must learn self-confidence. My experience is the opposite. I observe that people are typically born with high self-confidence. Notice how small children are curious, nonjudgmental and seem to be game for almost anything. As they grow from childhood into their teens, that self-confidence can be shaken based on the behaviors of the people around them. For example, as a teen, if you frequently experience put-downs, harsh criticism and outright nasty and rude behaviors then your self-confidence could easily come into doubt.

6 Tenets of Self-Confidence

I would like to conclude this article with six tenets to keep in mind on the important subject of building your self-confidence.

Self-confidence can be learned, practiced and become a core part of whom you choose to be. This has to be encouraging to know if you harbor any doubts about your ability to be self-confident.
Self-confidence is largely about what you think about yourself along with your knowledge, skills, and experiences that you have worked hard to acquire. As you achieve more—and recognize yourself for those achievements—the more your self-confidence will grow.
Self-confident people tend to like themselves, believe in themselves, think positively about themselves, are optimists, seize upon the opportunity and live life to its fullest.
The self-confidence you project is seen through your words, actions, and demeanor. The more self-confident you are, the more people see you and accept you this way which serves further to reinforce your self-confidence.
Self-confident people are engaged in life and are always achieving things, big and small. These achievements build the foundation for their success. Low self-confident people avoid life’s opportunities, and therefore success becomes more elusive.
Lastly, self-confidence is an important asset to a happy, satisfying and fulfilling life; it helps you to get more out of your life. Self-confidence will help you better appreciate and savor the good times and help you deal with the challenges that will continuously come your way.

Now, go become your imagined self!

Top 5 Techniques in Business Analysis

Written by Bola Adesope, B.Sc, MCITP, CCNA, MCTS, PMP, ITIL, PRINCE2, BAP, SSYB, SFC, CSSBB, CBAP, MBA on May 10, 2017. Posted in Articles.

Having been involved in several Business Analysis engagements and assignments, I have discovered top 5 techniques that I find most useful for Business Analysis, and they are highlighted below.

One Caveat: I am more tilted towards Strategic Business Analysis.

1. SWOT Analysis

The SWOT Analysis, which stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threat is a very simple, yet powerful technique used by Business Analysts to analyze both internal and external organizations under analysis.

When using SWOT Analysis, the Business Analyst conducts, and thorough analysis of the internal (Strength and Weakness) and external (Threats and Opportunities) actors and factors at play in the space the organization operates in.

In using SWOT Analysis, the Business Analysis answers the following questions under each of the quadrants

Strengths: characteristics of the business or project that give it an advantage over others
Weaknesses: characteristics of the business that place the business or project at a disadvantage in relation to competitors or other projects
Opportunities: elements in the environment that the business or project could exploit to its advantage
Threats: elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business or project

Use: The SWOT Analysis is useful in understanding the position of the organization and helps to recommend the capabilities the organization needs to build or the feasibility of any initiative based on the result of the analysis.

2. MOST ANALYSIS

The MOST Analysis is a very simple and extremely powerful framework tool used by Business Analysts for analyzing and planning the details of what an organization does and initiatives the organization should be looking at doing and helps maintain strategic alignment. It can also be used to give the business or organization a fresh sense of purpose and capability.

The M.O.S.T. Analysis is a highly-structured method for providing targets to team members at every level of an organization. Working from the top down, it ensures that you retain focus on the goals which matter most to your organization

The MOST Analysis comprises of four elements:

Mission: Mission is the top-level, overall reason for being in business and defines outcomes the organization wants to accomplish. The more specific the business is when defining the mission, then the more success the business will have later on trying to define the remaining points within the tool.

Objective: The objectives are one step down from the mission. Think of these as a collection of individual goals that will add up to reaching the overall mission. Just like with the mission, objectives should be specific enough to guide decision making and planning for the future. With the mission in place, it should be relatively easy to develop a list of a few objectives. Objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely (S.M.A.R.T.). Otherwise, goal-creep will set in, and objectives will become fuzzy and difficult to implement.

Strategy: These are the things the organization or business will do to reach the objectives. What actions should be taken to accomplish the objectives, and in turn, the mission? Strategies offer a way to quickly review and group the tactics implemented on the ground floor, so they make sense as methods to achieve your objectives

Tactics: Tactics are the methods you will use to carry out your strategies. They should be simple and relatively discrete processes that can easily be understood and carried out even by people who do not have a high-level overview of the M.O.S.T. analysis.

Use: The MOST Analysis is used to ensure the BA recommends the solutions that the organization needs to meet its objectives and mission. It is also used for alignment.

3. PESTLE ANALYSIS

The awareness of the influence the environment has on the organization the Business Analyst is working with is a very important factor in any Business Analysis engagement. The PESTLE Analysis, which is also called PEST Analysis is a tool used to identify and analyze the key drivers of change in the strategic or business environment. The analysis looks at the drivers and factors in the following and how the happening in those areas influence the decisions and the type of recommendation the Business Analysts gives the organization

Political: What are the current happenings and factors in the political landscape of the environment the business operates and how can it affect or change our business.

Economic: What are the important economic factors such as inflation or meltdown is happening, has happened, or will happen in our business environment and what do they mean to our business

Social (or Socio-cultural): What cultural aspects are most important that we need to pay attention to

Technological: What are the trends and innovation in the technology space. What is the direction technology is going, and what impact will they have in our organization or business?

Legal: What are the regulations or legislations that directly impact our industry or environment and how do they affect our business

Environmental: What are the environmental considerations we need to make in our business and organization.

Use: The PESTLE Analysis is used to understand the factors and drivers within the environment the organization operates and how those factors will influence the narratives of the organization

4. BRAINSTORMING

Brainstorming in a group creativity technique that is used extensively by Business Analysts to generate ideas, identify root causes of problems, and solve complex business problems. Most of the other techniques such as Mind Mapping, Root Cause Analysis, SWOT, and PESTLE Analysis use Brainstorming and an underlying technique.

I particularly find this technique very useful in generating diverse ideas.

Use: This is used in problem-solving, fact finding and idea generation

5. MINDMAPPING

You want to be sure you have all the areas within the analysis covered, you want to certainly confirm you have considered the different and diverse components and elements under analysis, you do not want to miss anything out? Then you would need the MINDMAP technique.

The Business Analysis function has over the years been greatly helped by this special and often unrecognized technique, but I find it extremely helpful during my business analysis engagement

What are the techniques you find useful in Business Analysis engagement? Share in the comment sections

Strategy Spotlight: Roles, Responsibilities, and Skills – Project Managers and Business Analysts Meet Business Analysis

Written by Richard Lannon on May 2, 2017. Posted in Articles. 2 Comments on Strategy Spotlight: Roles, Responsibilities, and Skills – Project Managers and Business Analysts Meet Business Analysis

Project Managers and Business Analysts meets Business Analysis (clarify your perspective)

It still amazes me, after 14 years of speaking, teaching and writing about Business Analysis I still get this question: “What is the difference between a Business Analyst and a Project Manager?” I was teaching a Fundamentals of Business Analysis program for Project Managers when this question was raised. Since the program was focused more on Project Managers, we are using the Project Management Institutes (PMI), Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide as a reference.

Related Article: The Project Manager Vs. The Business Analyst

So here I am with 47 of my new closest best friends having a dialogue about the role and responsibility differences in these professions. The simple answer to this question is the Project Manager is responsible for the beginning, middle and end of a project with initiation, planning, execution and closure whereas the Business Analyst is concerned with the end product and business solution making sure the requirements are met for the key stakeholders.

Here’s the thing: the question being asked is about titles and positions but does not actually ask about roles and responsibilities. For example, as a Director of Operations, you would have the title and a position. In a traditional organization, you might even think you have some authority rights, which in today’s rapid business climate is a bit passé. As Director, you would take on certain roles and responsibilities beyond the position sitting on committees, running initiatives (projects) and even doing Business Analysis work. Maybe at a different level, but you would be.

In reality, Business Analysis can be performed by anyone tasked with understanding the business problem, business opportunity, potential business solutions, implementation of a potential business solution, and measuring project, program or strategic initiative results. So really, Business Analysis is done at all levels and across all departments (strategic, tactical and operational) within a specific context. It gets messy when you seek to place traditional structures around Business Analysis through titles and positions. Unfortunately, a lot of organizations have no choice but to put Business Analysis or at least the

Business Analyst in a box.

Some time ago I was hired as a Program Consultant by a Director of Enterprise Services and the CIO of a large resource company to get ITSM on the strategic agenda of the organization. It meant as a Program Consultant I had to put on a senior Business Analysis hat and get three distinct organizations (utilities, gas, and oil) in two continents to agree ITSM was a good investment for everyone. This was a pure bottom-up initiative where Project Managers would not have been involved since the initiative was not yet approved and funded. The key stakeholders were middle and senior management. Therefore, there was nothing yet to implement. I truly love these kinds of initiatives. Discover if something is a good idea and then, maybe, we’ll bring in the Project Managers.

The program analysis required me to use the soft and hard skills of Business Analysis to determine if service management was a good idea. That meant an assessment and one-on-one interviews with key people to discover their challenges, get their thinking on potential solutions and what the benefits would be before even mentioning the potential solution domain, ITSM. It took 4 to 6 weeks to do.

I reported back to my Sponsor and CIO with a discussion and recommendation we engage key stakeholders from each organization to discuss their maturity levels, what they would like to achieve, the benefits and a develop a set of 6 key recommendations for the executive team. My sponsor approved the next phase of the initiative to work towards building consensus among the management team and the best course of action.

To make a long story short 6 to 8 months later, we got the initiative to the business case stage and presented a business case to the executives and board of directors for approval. From a business standpoint, it made sense to proceed with the initiatives since there was a huge opportunity to standardize and share support services across three distinct organizations. Upon approval, Project Management kicked in. The Project Managers prepared their plans for execution while intermediate to junior Business Analysts joined the team to further flesh out the detailed requirements. In this case, senior Business Analysts started the process, and other Business Analysts completed the process downstream.

In this scenario, for the initiative to get ITSM on the agenda of the organization, I was called a Program Lead and Consultant. The title relevancy allowed me to be categorized within an organization so I could carry out my sponsor’s mandate. From a role and responsibility skill set, I used Project Management and Business Analysis expertise needed to get the job done. For the phase one initiative, we had a project charter and Business Analysis charter blended. This set the boundaries for the evaluation work to be done.

We developed a requirements management plan and a communication plan to ensure we had a path to follow and a means to communicate what we were doing. There was a summary of findings and status meetings, financial evaluations, business case development, and not to mention the one-on-one meetings, interviews, and group facilitations sessions. If you love Business Analysis and Project Management blending at the senior levels, this was a consultant’s dream, a real enterprise initiative working at the senior management and executive levels.

Over the course of my career, I have been a senior consultant and senior Project Manager running small and large scale projects for organizations. The interesting thing is that I have always had to use the Business Analysis skill set in Project Management. I have also been a Business Analyst. In my junior years, I did small Project Management work to get things done.

The big change I have seen is really the change in titles. For me, Project Management has been reasonably stable since the mid 90’s. Business Analysis, on the other hand, has not. I recall a time when I was called a CSR (client service representative). I came to work one day, and I was told my title had been changed to Business Systems Analyst and Coordinator. My job didn’t change at all nor did my pay. Eventually, someone asked me what I did. I told them, and they said, “Oh you’re a Business Analyst.”

Business Analysis is all over an organization. It is not the rightful domain of any one department, group or individual. It is a role, a skill set, and crossing over boundaries to better understand the business need and to come up with creative strategic business solutions to challenging situations. This is a significant difference when it comes to Project Management work of getting it done. Organizations will find Business Analysis being used on agile teams, with process and systems analysts, product managers and owners, Project Managers, requirement managers and a whole host of other places.

I do believe in the importance of advancements in creativity and strategic Business Analysis thinking and abilities. Business intelligent and artificial intelligent will strip away the fibers of traditional thinking, titling and wage structures. Pure talented Business Analysts will rise to the top of a number of organizations where building business brainpower is rewarded. The professional who is willing to master the application of the Business Analysis skill set will rule the future business kingdom while everyone one else will still asking, what just happened. The Business Analyst will already know the answer.

Final Thought – It is not often I write this kind of article, walking the fine divide and complexities of the Business Analyst versus Project Manager’s work. When you are locked in a room with 47 people, and they are all asking the question regarding the difference between a Project Manager and a Business Analyst. What are you supposed to say? Really it comes down to the size of the organization and the many hats you wear. Maybe, the Project Manager asks, is it done yet, and the Business Analyst asks, what solution options are available. The reality is both title professions use the Business Analysis skill-set. You just need to choose which side fits you more naturally.

I suggest you dig deeper and look at the skill set you need to develop for success in your business, career, and life and you will see there is a bit of Business Analysis in all of us. Good Luck.

Remember; do your best, invest in the success of others, make your journey count, Richard.