The Community Blog for Business Analysts

Principle #4 - Pick the right project(s) for the business. At any one time, the IT department of an average company is running multiple projects. How did they get started? How were they even defined as a project that needed to be carried out? No one may actually know. In more chaotic environments, projects can start as a seed of an idea, pic...

Principle #3: Use Architecture to describe the business, before and after projects. “Architecture” is becoming a more widely used term associated with Information Technology. The number of adjectives applied to the term seems endless: “Technical Architecture”, “Systems Architecture”, “Business Systems Arch...

Principle #2: Projects change the business, so know the overall business first A never-ending discussion in IT circles is about how much IT staff need to know about the business that the information systems are supporting. It is high-lighted by every want-ad for an IT job that says previous experience in the employer’s industry is mandatory. Is d...

Let’s look briefly at what each principle means or implies; which will serve as introductions to subsequent posts that will cover the principles in more detail. #1. There is always more work to be done than people to do it. Bordering on glibness, this principle summarizes the reality of virtually all organizations and activities, not just Informa...

Like you, I have read my fair share of IT books and blogs, and each author has to decide how to best present what they are trying to communicate. One way is to describe the problems/opportunities of interest to the reader, then document the new approach or method that solves the problems, etc.; the reverse is to document the new approach/method fir...

The premise of these blog entries is that the situation described in the previous post can change, but it is usually slow-going; or worse, there can be an immediate channge when your department is outsourced; it happens. In the meantime, what can be done to be “successful” in your average IT department in your average company? What has to be do...

Day 1: I have recently made a major career change, moving from what I would now call a client company to a consulting company. It's an exciting change, but I don't expect to write about my new experiences at this time. However, I had also been spending some time writing an extended piece about my experiences over the years working ...

This blog has been started because, like anyone who writes a bit for a living, I thought I had a book to write...so I did. This blog also hi-lights the arrival of lulu.com, a website that will publish your book with the 'tarnish' of a vanity presss. So, check both out at http://www.lulu.com/content/2088656 . The book is "Cascade - Better practice...

Believe it or not I have been asked the question below in an interview for a SR BA position BA Job Interview Questions in the real world What program languages do you know? Have you ever configured an SQL Server? How fast can you get requirements? We need the BA to review code and then document it can you do that? If...

There are several studies out there that identify why projects go wrong and what you have to have in place to make sure they have a chance. Naturally the readers of Modern Analyst (and BetterProjects.net) are aware of the importance of good requirements management, a theme which permeates the list below, culled from a range of PM literature[1]....