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So How’s That Working for You?

Written by Mark A. Monteleone on . Posted in Articles.

Often while teaching business analysis, students ask me, “Why should our business adapt any of these business analysis techniques?  We don’t use these techniques because they take too much time.”  My initial response is always, “So how is that working for you?”  This open question requires not only an elaboration, but some thought and not just a quick response.  It is also an effective question that allows me to start a dialogue with the student rather than a discussion defending the use of business analysis techniques. 

The word dialogue in Greek means to “talk through” as opposed to the word discussion which is derived from the Latin root meaning “dash to pieces” (1)

As the students ponder, I follow-up with some more focused questions to “pull” information from the student rather than immediately “push” my opinion onto the student.  “How are your projects performing today?  Are your expectations being met?”  These questions, of course, assume that they are tracking projects via measurements.  And by measurements I am not just talking about being on schedule, within budget, and delivering the stated scope.  I’m including the delivery of the benefits and/or compliance issues as stated in the project business case (discretionary and nondiscretionary projects). 

Often, project benefits are not realized until after project closure; therefore, they need to be tracked at the enterprise level. 

Continuing with the follow-up questions, “Does your business actually audit the business results?  Or does your firm declare victory upon the completion of a project and then move its attention to the next endeavor without any reconciliation of the business needs actually being met?”  Unfortunately, many firms only measure the project level “triple constraint” (time, cost, scope) while the tracking of the business results at the enterprise level goes unrecognized and unrecorded.

Success is not gained from the project execution, but in the business result it provides. 

Using active listening, I gain a better understanding of the students’ experiences.   Typically responses to my initial question are the following:

  • “Our project performance is good; our projects generally come in on time, within budget and deliver the committed scope” or
  • “Not so good. We have experienced some challenges in maintaining project scope along with unclear business results.”

With the former response, I advise the students if they feel project results cannot be improved then don’t change.  Of course, in reality there is always room for improvement; it’s just a matter of cost vs. benefits.  Along with this, I recommend that students consider benchmarking their results with other firms in their industry to ensure they are not missing an opportunity.  Competitors may have found ways of achieving better results, not only lowering cost, but gaining new revenue and deteriorating your firm’s market share.

Those who do not monitor their competitors soon find themselves working for them.

With the latter response, I advise the students that business analysis techniques lower the risk of maintaining project scope and ensuring business results.  These techniques are best practices and as best practices, they are proven to be effective and efficient in analyzing business requirements and process improvements.  Some of these are: 

  • Using the diagnostic approach
  • Modeling the current (AS-IS) and desired (TO-BE)
  • Determining root cause of problems
  • Measuring performance via metrics
  • Involving users
  • Building a business case
  • Defining and validating requirements iteratively
  • Tracing requirements back to the business need

I suggest to the students that they have before them the opportunity to help explain to their firm how business analysis techniques at both the project and enterprise level can improve their business results.   Their first step is to list the threats and opportunities for their business.  They can then gain support by developing stories that predict both positive and negative results for their firm.

Business analysis techniques lower the risk of maintaining project scope and ensure business results.

This means, of course, that their firm must change their current posture and adopt business analysis techniques at both the project and enterprise level.  Unfortunately, history shows that human beings typically are not motivated to change until they reach a cusp of a crisis.  Hollywood portrayed this behavior recently in a dialogue between an outer-space alien and an earth scientist on changing the nature of human beings to save the environment of their planet (2).   In this context, the key is for the firm to change prior to the demise of the business.

For change to happen, a sense of urgency needs to be established.

So in conclusion, “How is that working for you?”  If your answer is “not so good,” then you have an opportunity to take the Kotter’s first step in changing the organization – state a sense of urgency (3).  Start a dialogue on addressing the business threats and loss opportunities of not achieving business results (i.e., a business case).  After you have established the urgency (As-Is model), establish a team, define a vision (To-Be model), and conduct a gap analysis on how to make the transition using those business analysis techniques.  Yes, business analysis techniques do take time, but in reality they are time savers and saviors of the business.

Pay me now during the project or pay me much more later during the business.   

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

Mr. Monteleone holds a B.S. in physics and an M.S. in computing science from Texas A&M University.  He is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP®) by the Project Management Institute (PMI®), a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®) by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA®), a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) and Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) by the Scrum Alliance, and certified in BPMN by BPMessentials.  He holds an Advanced Master’s Certificate in Project Management (GWCPM®) and a Business Analyst Certification (GWCBA®) from George Washington University School of Business.  Mark is the President of Monteleone Consulting, LLC and can be contacted via e-mail – [email protected].

References

(1) Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius by Michael Michalko, 2001
(2) The Day the Earth Stood Still, 20th Century Studio, 2009
(3) Leading Change by John P. Kotter, 1996

How Much Rework Do You Have?

Written by Tony Higgins on . Posted in Articles. 1 Comment on How Much Rework Do You Have?

As a requirements solution vendor we talk with people every day about their requirements issues, assist them to understand the root causes, and help them articulate a business case for investing in a solution. For most companies, the biggest single inefficiency in their software development efforts is the amount of rework that’s done due to inadequate requirements.  (The reasons as to why the requirements are inadequate are many and beyond this post but stay tuned for a new paper on the topic that goes into more depth).

When we ask people how much rework they have done on their software projects, the answer varies consistently between 5% and 25%.  I find this fascinating since industry statistics show the average rework rate to be considerably higher (Forrester: 30%; voke: 40%).  Why do people regularly report lower rework rates?  Here are some reasons based on these conversations:

Vocabulary

On many projects, rework is simply known by a different name.  In many cases it appears as contingency or padding in other line items within the budgeting process.  In others a large amount of rework is pushed in to maintenance, and in extreme cases a new project may even be positioned.

Awareness

We have had countless conversations where people were simply unaware that rework happened. One reason is related to the vocabulary mentioned above where the rework may be disguised and dispersed under different budget items hiding the true nature of this expenditure as rework.

Scope

It seems that most people only consider the rework that takes place in the development aspect of a project. The total cost of rework depends on many factors including your development process and where you may be in the development cycle, but should  include all impacted areas as well, such as: planning & estimating; all forms of testing (unit test, integration testing, regression testing, etc.); product documentation; user support; services and training; etc.  When all these are factored in, the true magnitude of rework becomes much clearer.

Denial

Rework implies that something was done wrong, requiring work to be repeated.  Nobody likes to be associated with this and for many it is difficult to come to terms with the amount of rework that actually takes place on the average software project.  While initial discussion may start with the claim of minimal rework, after a little inquiry the rate tends to creep up.  I recall one time in particular where the initial rate of 7% rework ended up being 35% after our conversation.

Combinations of the above

Various combinations of the above may be at work, each contributing to the low rework numbers that people report, and may actually believe, on a regular basis.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more reasons and would love to hear any you’re aware of. As people realize the true magnitude of rework on software projects, it quickly becomes a prime target for improvement initiatives.

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

Tony Higgins is Vice-Presidentof Product Marketing for Blueprint, the leading provider of requirements definition solutions for the business analyst. Named a “Cool Vendor” in Application Development by leading analyst firm Gartner, and the winner of the Jolt Excellence Award in Design and Modeling, Blueprint aligns business and IT teams by delivering the industry’s leading requirements suite designed specifically for the business analyst.

Top Ten Presentation Tips

Written by Greta Blash on . Posted in Articles. 1 Comment on Top Ten Presentation Tips

Maybe you have not just become the King of England, as depicted in the highly nominated file “The King’s Speech”, but to some being asked to make a presentation evokes the same results.

Most people are never asked to be a presenter so now you have an invitation to become a member of a very exclusive group – those who have heard the flattering words, “We would like you to make a presentation for us.”

But are you one of those people who are more afraid of giving a speech than dying?

According to the Book of Lists by David Wallenchinsky, Irving Wallace and Ann Wallace, the fear of public speaking is the most common fear, surpassing the fear of flying, snakes, spiders, heights, and even death.

As frequent presenters who have overcome our fear of speaking, we have compiled our Top Ten Tips for helping overcome fears and helping you make an effective presentation based on tips from some of the best orators of the past, as well as our personal experiences.

Number 10: Determine the Type of Presentation

“A speech is an instrument which the speaker uses to get certain things done. He can’t build a bridge with a speech. But by a speech he can enlist the support and cooperation that will enable him to get the bridge built. Support, consent, cooperation, willingness, consensus, agreement, acceptance, understanding-these terms indicate real things that can be said to be true of groups after speeches have been made to them”

– Wilbur S Howell of Princeton University in “The Speaker’s Abstract: A Guide for Public Speaking (published in 1950).

The first consideration is determining the type of presentation that you will be presenting. This decision is usually dependent on the size of the audience, the venue and the expected outcome as a result of the presentation.

The first involves presenting to a small group within a meeting-like environment. In this instance the speaker or presenter has more personal contact with the group and is able to deliver a more interactive presentation. With this size group it is possible to elicit feedback and participation. These types of presentations usually are more of a persuasive nature and have an expectancy of a decision being reached at the conclusion of the session. This is a very typical presentation method for a project manager to deliver status or progress reports, project gate results or updates to steering committees and/or upper management.

At times a project manager may be requested to deliver a more structured, informational presentation to a large, mostly anonymous audience. Rather than being in proximity with the attendees, the presenter is elevated to a stage, often with bright lights which prevent any eye contact with the audience.

With the advent of technology, either small or large presentations may now be supported through virtual meetings or webinars. In these instances the same content may be presented but the audience may be scattered across the globe. Not only is personal interaction constrained, but in many cases, the actual size or composure of the audience is unknown.

Number 9: Know your audience

“There are apathetic, sleeping audiences that must be awakened; there are hostile audiences that must be defied and conquered; there are alienated or sullen audiences that must be won back; there are frightened audiences that must be calmed. There are loyal, affectionate audiences that must be further inspired. There are cool, skeptical audiences that must be coolly convinced. There are heterogeneous audiences that must be molded into some kind of unity.”

– Houston Peterson, author, A Treasury of the World’s Great Speeches

Audiences are made up of people and therefore come in many varieties. You must be able to determine the type of audience and then identify the best strategy for being able to relate to them most effectively.

Some questions to help analyze the audience are:

  • What are the demographics of the group (age, gender, economic status, education level, etc.)?
  • Why is the audience attending? (Be able to answer the question “What is in it for me? )
  • If this is an internal organizational presentation, where am I organizationally relative to the other attendees?
  • Who are the key decision makers in the audience?

There is no such thing as an unimportant audience. These people have taken time out of their life to come see you. You owe them the best that you have in you.

Number 8: Understand the logistics of your presentation

“Paying attention to simple little things that most people neglect makes a few people rich”
– Henry Ford

Hopefully the logistics of the presentation has been handled by someone else. As part of the planning, the time, date, location, room setup, and equipment required have been discussed, approved and in place prior to the event.

Even with the best planning, as Murphy reminds us “if something can do wrong, it will.”

The first concern is to arrive at the location in plenty of time to make sure that indeed everything is in place and working properly. With today’s transportation problems, whether arriving from a distance or just traveling locally, it is better to have time to spare than be running into the venue at the last moment.

When audio-visual equipment is going to be used, a test run is imperative. You want to remember to check the electrical connections, lighting, sound, and room temperature before the attendees start assembling.

Number 7: Determine the appropriate delivery method

“Speech preparation may be defined as the process of making decisions beforehand upon the content, the organization, the wording, and the delivery of a speech.”

The determination of which delivery method is most appropriate is based on the type of presentation, the knowledge of the audience and the logistics of where the presentation is to be held.

For large audiences and informative presentations a more formal presentation can be utilized. These presentations may be based on a previously submitted white paper and are scripted with carefully chosen visuals to illustrate key points. (More on visuals later).

For the smaller, more informal presentations, a more interactive speaking style may be more appropriate. These may still utilize visuals, but may incorporate more than one method (including slides, flipcharts, etc.). Because of the interactive nature of these presentations, less detailed notes supporting the content are often more appropriate.

Number 6: Organize the content of the presentation

“A speech has two parts. You must state your case and then prove it.”
– Aristotle

The first step, and probably the most important step, is to know the purpose and understand what you want to accomplish with this presentation. Once you have clearly defined the objective, then you can begin to do your research, make an outline or mind map, prepare any graphics and write your words.

Even though Aristotle was speaking about persuasive speeches having two parts, he later went on to say that most speeches have four parts:

  • Introduction – or “tell ‘me what you are going to tell ’em”
  • Statement – or “tell ’em”
  • Argument – or “tell ’em some more”
  • Epilogue – or “tell ’em what you told ’em”

This structure has withstood the test of time and can be helpful with the organization of the content of the presentation.

Churchill once said that a speech is like a symphony. It may have three movements but must have one dominant melody. Once the melody (or objective) has been finalized, it is time to “chunk” the middle.

There may be some psychological reason as to why series of threes are best remembered, but whatever the reason, but it probably best to limit your key points to three.

Above all it is important to remember that every part of the presentation concerns the audience. Never give a generic presentation. Personalize it, relate it to the news of the day.

Every presentation starts with an issue of concern to the audience and ends with “a call to action” or next steps towards resolution of the issue. From start to finish the presenter is guiding the audience through the presentation of ideas, data, and plans using the specific language of the audience. The best presentations are those in which the audience believes that the speaker is truly addressing their needs and issues.

Number 5: Determine the balance between pictures or words

“You’ve got to see it to believe it”
– Anonymous

Geri E. H. McArdle, PhD, author of Delivering Effective Training Sessions, notes that adding visuals such as graphs, charts, maps, or photos to a presentation increases the amount of retained information by as much as 55 percent. Using these percentages, people attending a presentation with visuals will remember about 65 percent of the content after three days, compared to about 10 percent who only listened to the presentation. Since many of today’s presentations are done virtually or electronically, the delivery mechanism must consist of both audio and visual components.

A study done by the Wharton School of Business showed that the use of visuals reduced meeting times by as much as 28 percent. This study also recognized the decrease in the time needed for participants to reach decisions and consensus through the use of visuals. Other results of using visuals as part of the presentation have shown an increase in the credibility and professionalism of the presenters over those who only spoke.

Even though visuals have a positive influence, a poorly developed visual can negate the results rapidly. Some basic pointers include:

  • Limit one basic idea per slide
  • Verify the text is readable
  • Be consistent with the look and feel of the text and the background (and ensure that the choice is appropriate to the logistics of the presentation)
  • Choose appropriate colors for the message and the audience
  • Combine visuals with text (remember “a picture is worth a thousand words”)
  • If you need to refer continuously to some information during your presentation, place it on a flip-chart, whiteboard or a paper handout. This will significantly help your audience to remember or recall the information without going back to the original slide and allow you to continue with your presentation.

Number 4: Elicit feedback from key stakeholders

“When there are two people in a business who always agree, one of them is unnecessary”
– William Wrigley, Jr

There are a number of points at which reviews must be incorporated into the preparation of the presentation.

After being asked to present, time should be allotted to discuss the expectations of the requester(s). This input will help guide the development of the purpose and objectives of the material. It will also reassure the requester that their needs will be met.

In order to make sure that you can connect with your audience you need to put yourself in their shoes. This may involve observing the activities in the work environment, or speaking with a few representative audience members. These activities will increase the credibility of the presentation and ensure that it is timely and addresses the current needs of the audience.

After you have completed your first version it is time to review the content with the subject matter experts. This will ensure that not only is the material accurate but also that it is understandable.

Number 3: Practice your delivery

“You ain’t heard nothing yet”
– Al Jolson

Some tricks to help ensure a smooth delivery through the use of a “dry run”:

  • Vocalize the speech aloud, making note of natural pauses
  • Rehearse in front of team members, preferably in a location similar to the final venue
  • Review the timing
  • Refine the materials, including both visuals and content, where necessary
  • Verify the required setup, including lighting and sound levels
  • Review personal presentation and voice tonality
  • Practice, practice, practice

Number 2: Make yourself “presentable”

“No one is more confusing than the person who gives good advice while setting a bad example”
– Anonymous

There are two main aspects that the presenter needs to consider on a personal level. One is appearance and the other is voice. Ignoring these items can distract and ruin an otherwise outstanding presentation.

Some hints for your appearance:

– Make sure that you are well-groomed, including the proverbial “shoes polished, suit pressed and clean fingernails”
– Dress appropriately, whether the attire is business or casual, but slightly more formal than the audience.
– The selection of the clothing should not be by chance. They should proclaim your professionalism.
– Adopt a style that suits you and that is consistent with the way the audience thinks you should dress.

There are a number of schools of thought regarding the colors that presenters should wear. The conservative view espoused by the editors of the Executive Guide to Successful Presentation suggests that grey and blue are the most appropriate suit colors for presenters while Dorothy Sarnoff of Speech Dynamics suggests that her clients wear standout colors. “When you are presenting why not be the center of attention? Have your color enter the room and claim attention with you.”

The quality of your voice is nearly as important as your message. If a voice is irritating, offensive, high-pitched, nasal, whining, or strongly accented in any way it will distract the audience from the key points of the presentation. A voice that is forced or too loud will sound strident, even aggressive. If a voice is too soft, the audience won’t get the point of the presentation because they may not even hear it.

Even though a voice coach is not a necessity, every speaker should spend time listening to their own voice. This may include recording your daily conversations and then playing those back at the end of the day. Many presenters have not heard their own voice, or not as the audience will.

John Connell, a voice-over actor heard on many commercials, says
“It all comes out in the voice. Joy, nervousness, anticipation, authority, boredom. The voice gives the audience its first real clue about you. Yet the voice is often neglected.”

There are several books on this subject, including Voice Power by Renee Grant-Williams that can provide assistance in this area.

Number 1: Showtime! Take a deep breath and smile

“Never bend you head. Always hold it high.
Look the world straight in the eye”
– Helen Keller

Here are some of our final tips to help you make a great first impression.

  • Release tension by loosening your muscles, especially your jaw and neck.
  • Breathe deeply but naturally. Don’t hyperventilate.
  • If you have butterflies in your stomach, have them fly in formation – (Author unknown)

Say some words out loud, such as “Let’s go” – to make sure that your voice is working. What you say should be enthusiastic and get your adrenalin going as well

  • Slowly, but confidently, walk up to the front of the room with your shoulders back and head up.
  • Stand tall.
  • Scan your audience, finding a few friendly faces and establish eye contact.
  • Smile.
  • Repeat your opening sentence to yourself. Each second you pause strengthens your opening words.
  • Channel your nervousness into enthusiasm and passion.
  • Go for it!!

Remember:

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Eighty percent of success is showing up!”
– Woody Allen

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

Steve and Greta Blash are frequent speakers world-wide at conferences and seminars. They have spoken on topics including business analysis, project management, business re-engineering/process improvement, sytems development, and business intelligence.

A version of this article was published in allPM.com newsletter in Feb 29, 2008 and presented at a PMI-SN chapter meeting in July 2008. 

How to Become a Hyper-Productive Business Analyst

Written by Jarett Hailes on . Posted in Articles.

BAtimes_March15_featureBeing a Business Analyst can often feel like being a rag-doll in the mouth of a large dog.  You often have a diverse group of stakeholders who all have different wants, availability, communication schedules, deadlines, priorities, documentation requirements and the like.  Meanwhile you are responsible for obtaining approved requirements from everyone in a seemingly unreasonable timeframe and can’t even get properly started because you keep getting called into meetings that have no bearing on your specific work.  Some days can feel like you’ve made little or no progress on any of your main deliverables, even if you’ve been ‘heads down’ all day.

Personal productivity is a critical factor that influences the overall performance of a Business Analyst.  Personal productivity is a concept that goes beyond the typical time management topics that concentrate more on the allocation and prioritization of activities.  To be productive, you need to maximize the results of your actions while minimizing the amount of effort that you need to spend in order to accomplish a task.  After all, most of us don’t want to work more in order to get more done; we need to learn how to get more done in less time.

Over the past few years I have experimented with various actions to determine what things I can do within the Business Analyst role which can help to improve my productivity.  Over this time period I have worked with several clients in a wide variety of projects, ranging from strategic enterprise analysis and needs assessments to scrum-driven software development.  Through my experimentation I have found several principles that have had a dramatic impact on how much I can get done in a given timeframe, regardless of the work environment or constraints. 

Clear Your RAM

As human beings we have a limited amount of short-term memory available to us.  We use this memory to keep track of things that we sub-consciously understand we don’t need to know forever; stuff like taking out the trash on garbage day or even the deadline for our requirements document.  The more information we internalize and try to keep ‘top of mind’, the more difficult it is for us to focus on accomplishing a task or processing new information.  As Business Analysts we are often constantly bombarded with new information and must perform many thought-intensive tasks, so if we’re trying to keep track of numerous mental markers we’re bound to be less productive than we could be.

Clearing your equivalent of Random Access Memory allows you to not have that nagging feeling in the back of your head that you need to get something else done or may be forgetting something important while you’re working on a task.  In order to get to this state of mind you need to develop a process that allows you to immediately document thoughts that could be stored in short term memory and thus interfere with accomplishing your current task.  This documentation should be done in a format that will allow you to trust that you will be able to retrieve the information at the appropriate time.  For some people a simple to-do list tucked in their pocket or smartphone may be sufficient.  For others a more sophisticated system like David Allen’s Getting Things Done ensures there is a place for everything and everything is in its place. 

Whatever you do and whatever tool you use, you must feel comfortable letting go of non-pertinent thoughts so you can ensure that your mind is able to focus on the task at hand.  Learning simple techniques can help you clear your mind once you’re comfortable with your chosen documentation system. Things like brief meditation can possibly be used to help you remove those lingering thoughts before you begin working on what you need to.

Eliminate Distractions

How many of you think that you are a great multi-tasker?  In the truest sense of the term (i.e. doing two or more things simultaneously) you are actually pretty horrible.  Research demonstrates that humans cannot do more than one thing simultaneously, and when it comes to rapid switching back and forth between multiple actions, most of us can only really handle two tasks even somewhat decently.  In the golden age of social networks, instant messaging, pop-up notifications and the like, we are ever more prone to face multiple stimuli concurrently, all of which serve to distract us from accomplishing the task that we set out to do.  I find that when I remove as many distractions as possible during thought-intensive activities, such as requirements analysis, I am 3-4 times more productive than if I allow myself to even have the slightest possibility of being distracted. 

Here are some things you can do to eliminate distractions in your day to day life:

  • Close your e-mail and as well as setting you the phones to go to voicemail and/or putting them (since we all seem to now have more than one) on silent. The lure of virtual contact with people by responding quickly to e-mails is one of the greatest time wasting activities we face today. If you need to focus on getting something done, this is the one thing you can do to dramatically improve your productivity. While you’re at it, close all non-essential tabs on your browser and minimize other windows. If you are in an ‘always available’ environment, put on appropriate auto-responder or voicemail messages to explain your absence.
  • Find a ‘right noise’ place for you to get work done. Some people are hyper-productive only when it’s completely quiet in their surroundings. Others enjoy the white noise of a bustling coffee shop or open office work setting. Figure out which type of environment you thrive in and go there when it is time to get serious work done.

Outsource Your Work

No, I’m not talking about hiring a Virtual Assistant or two and then heading to Antigua for a couple of weeks, but where appropriate it makes a lot of sense to have your stakeholders do things that as Business Analysts we are used to do on their  behalf.  In many circumstances this will save you (and ironically enough, them as well) loads of time and allow you to focus on your “value-add” to the process.

For instance, I used to believe that in order to gather high quality requirements myself or another BA would need to run a requirements session or perform other elicitation activities and then document the results.  This involved a lot of preparation and execution on my behalf and in many cases resulted in having to perform redundant activities across multiple stakeholders and subsequently collating and aggregating the findings. 

With one client I decided to see how much of the requirements elicitation process I could outsource to the SMEs themselves.  I held one meeting with multiple stakeholder groups to set the scope of the activity they need to perform, give them examples of what types of results I was looking for and described what would happen in future sessions.  I then let the participants work in groups or individually on their own time to develop their own requirements and then send them to me.  I only needed to follow up with one group to clarify on what they had written, the rest were in a very solid format that I could easily transpose into our knowledge repository.  All told I performed my elicitation activities in about 15-25% of the time it would have taken for me to normally get the same results.

I’ve done similar outsourcing with requirements prioritization, requirements management, requirements verification and validation, solution validation, and solution performance assessment. In each case I was able to shave off at least half of the time it would have taken for me to perform the activities on my own.

Leverage Asynchronous Activities

With many interactive activities I think most of us are used to working in a synchronous manner; we have something we need to get done that requires the involvement of someone else so we schedule a meeting to discuss the item or plan to work on the task together.  While there are many times that a synchronous forum is appropriate and the best method to accomplish something (for example, arriving at a decision or recommendation), there are many things that can be as effectively accomplished in an asynchronous manner that allow us to maximize our productivity by minimizing the amount of time we need to be involved in certain aspects of the task at hand.

For example, I have minimized the amount of structured walkthrough sessions that I perform with my clients by leveraging online collaboration tools such as wikis or multi-user office applications (e.g. Google Docs/Office Live) to allow individuals to provide feedback on requirements documents.  Rather than having 5-15 people in a meeting room at the same time and wasting the bulk of the collective mindshare in the room by going over items one at a time I have found that I get higher quality responses and more in-depth and thoughtful revisions by allowing people to work on their reviews on their own time.  The bonus is that the review process is usually shorter as well; I set a relatively short time limit on the review process which gives the reviewers a sense of urgency and priority to the activity, as opposed to spending the better part of a day trying to fit a review session into everyone’s schedule three weeks out from today. 

For simple tasks that require input I have also found that polls with a comments feature to be a great way to arrive at a majority decision or response quickly.  The key with these methods is to have buy-in from the stakeholders who will be responsible for doing things on their own time.  Otherwise such techniques enable the stakeholder to ignore their duties or claim they weren’t properly informed or involved.

Focus on High Value Options

This one probably seems self-evident, but as a Business Analyst you need to focus on doing things that provide the best value to your stakeholders at a given point in time.  Sometimes what is laid out in the project plan, while logical, may not give you enough time to focus on the things that really matter to deliver the results that are really crucial to the success of the project.  Doing those status reports may seem like a big deal but if you miss your due date on your requirements document then it may be that your efforts were a little misplaced.

In my experience Pareto’s Law applies to most Business Analyst activities; stakeholders receive 80% of the benefits of project activities from 20% of the project’s efforts.  As a result I am always thinking about which activities offer the most bang for the client’s buck and prioritize my actions accordingly.  After completing high-value activities I meet with the stakeholders to reassess the other activities and see if they’re still worth pursuing, or if new high value efforts have been identified.

To help with this constant assessment and select which activity to do when I use a backlog-like list of outcomes and actions that could be worked on.  This allows me to review my top priority items at a glance and pick the one that best fits the time slot I currently have to work on something. Since I can only work on one thing at a time I constantly juggle what is at or near the top to ensure that both long and short term goals are being properly addressed. 

If I notice that some to do’s are constantly low on the list but my stakeholders have expectations for those things to be done, I work with them to clarify the value of these activities and determine if there are ways to either automate or outsource their performance if they are indeed valuable.  Otherwise I suggest they are added to the ‘if there’s time’ pile of activities that are worked on only if all activities relating to direct value outputs are completed.

Finding Your Productivity Sweet Spot

Becoming hyper-productive is highly dependent on each person; what makes you able to efficiently complete things could be completely different than someone else in the exact same situation.  The key to improving your personal productivity is to track your performance of activities and quickly perform a self-assessment when you’re doing tasks.  This doesn’t have to be onerous or documentation-heavy; just keep track of your time on a task and your thoughts about how productive you felt on the activity.  Jot down some pertinent environmental factors (noise level, distractions, stakeholder engagement, etc.).  Then once a week take a look at the tasks you’ve performed and see what worked well and why.

Over time you can reap the benefits of increased productivity by examining how to reduce your effort on specific tasks and find ways to help you focus on doing one thing at a time. These efficiency gains should help you set greater goals for yourself and deliver greater value to your organization and stakeholders.

Don’t forget to leave your comments below.

Jarett Hailes is President of Larimar Consulting Inc. and a Certified Business Analysis Professional.  He has worked with large and small organizations as a Business Analyst, Project Manager and Management Consultant, and is also a Scrum Certified Product Owner and ScrumMaster.

How a Business Analyst Should Prioritize Knowledge Transfer

Written by Kupe Kupersmith on . Posted in Articles. 1 Comment on How a Business Analyst Should Prioritize Knowledge Transfer

Kupe_Blog_Feb1My friend and fellow author on BA Times, the Bad Ass BA, just wrote an article, The Bad Ass BA Observes the Hunt for the Right Business Analyst.  In the article she discusses different types of business analysis job requisitions that are currently on all the job boards.  One type that she highlighted got me thinking about an issue which companies deal with every day.  The type of job requisition she touched on was the “clone the 25-year veteran who just retired” job opening. This is where a hiring manager wants to have someone with the exact experience and knowledge of someone that has been working on the same application and with the same customers for years.

Why do some hiring managers need that?  They have relied on that one person to work on that application and with the customer base far too long.  Why do they do that?  A big reason is that the customer gets comfortable with a particular individual and they do not like change. So as long as the person they love does not want to pursue other opportunities they will stay there until they leave the company due to a staff reduction or reach retirement age. 

This particular post will not address the ways a BA manager can help spread the knowledge to avoid this situation.  An earlier blog post, The Sadness of the Silo’d BA, touched on this subject. This post will focus on what the new BA who is replacing the long established BA should focus on to be most effective. Until organizations start pairing BAs, BAs will be in silos and will continue to be the only ones with certain knowledge.  Coming onto a new project team, a Business Analyst needs to obtain as much information from the departing BA as possible. If you are the incoming BA there is so much information you need that it often feels like you are drinking from a fire hose. You have limited time with the outgoing BA, so you have to prioritize the topics you cover. 

Conventional wisdom may lead you to believe the main priority should be the application(s). That in fact should be the lowest priority.  Yes, you need to learn the features of the application and as much about the application as possible, especially if you are also responsible for production support.  But there are other team members that often have knowledge about the application.  QA Analysts and developers have in-depth knowledge of the application, so use them for support until you have had time to get caught up on the application. 

Your top priority should be focusing on the stakeholder(s) who may be most upset about a new BA coming onto the project.  Have the departing BA schedule time with those stakeholders to personally introduce you one-on-one.  It is in your best interest to make these stakeholders feel comfortable. Ask them what you can do to make the transition easiest on them.  The reality is that the departing BA is departing.  The stakeholder may be upset, but if you ask for their input on making the transition smooth you are taking the first step in winning them over. 

Next, get the departing BA to give you a brain dump on how all the stakeholders like to communicate.  Which ones like formal meetings and which ones prefer hallway conversations?  Get a list of those that like formal documentation and those that do not require formality. Understand what communication medium the stakeholders prefer; email, text, phone, face to face, etc.  What stakeholders are usually positive on projects, which ones bring conflict?  Are there stakeholders that don’t get along?  Are there stakeholders that dominate meetings?  I think you get the gist of where I am going.

The BA who is departing understands and subconsciously considers all these factors when interacting with each individual stakeholder.  That’s why they love him/her. Since it has become second nature for the departing BA, it may not be easy for them to think of the answers to your questions. 

The easier thing for the departing BA is to give you a demo of the application.  Fight the urge to allow that to happen unless you have the time – after the analysis of the stakeholder(s) has been completed. 

My one warning on the subject is to validate what you have been told.  We all have biases and the departing BA may bring theirs when answering these questions.  Take into consideration what you have been told – but make your own final judgment as you interact with these individuals.

All the best,

Kupe    

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