Business Analyst Community & Resources | Modern Analyst

10 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Starting Out As A BA

Howard Podeswa — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 05:32:00 GMT

I am no longer a Webinar virgin. Thanks to the good folks at the IIBA, this week I had my first Webinar experience as an interviewee as part of the IIBA’s ‘ABC’ (Authors, Books and Conversations) series. The host, Julian Sammy, was brilliant in being able to pick out the questions that would be the most difficult for me to answer. (I hear that’s what makes him a great BA, too.) Of course, afterwards, I was regretting not being able to do a ‘do-over’ – until I remembered that I could – sort of – thanks to my MA blog.

Julian’s toughest questions were about the 3-way connection I saw between psychology, business analysis and art; I’ll leave that for later. But there was a BA question that I didn’t have a ready answer for, “What are the most important things you wish you had known when you were starting out as a BA?” Maybe it’s because it’s been so long since I have been in that position. But the memories have begun to come back.

So, for Julian - and anyone else who might be interested: here, then, after some thought, is what I wished someone had told me when I was starting out:
1. See every BA engagement as an opportunity to learn about other people - and not just to learn about another system: I thought my success or failure as a BA would be all about my analysis skills. I have since found out it hinges more on my ability to connect with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures.

2. Turn off the inner monologue while listening to other people. (See #1 above).

3. Find out, from day 1, who will have ultimate signing authority – then meet that person as soon as possible: I’ve had bad shocks early in my career when I found out that the one person I really needed to convince was the one person I didn’t know about - until it was too late. I now do everything in my power to bring that person into the process ASAP.

4. Don’t go off for too long on your own: In my earlier days, I would do a big round of interviews and then go off for a long period to produce a big ‘tome’ of documentation. I found out soon enough that it’s too much for stakeholders to absorb at once and it’s too easy to propagate mistakes – like too much or the wrong kind of documentation. Now I provide feedback frequently to stakeholders.

5. The only way to get a good user interface is through many iterations of prototyping and user testing – because most people don’t know what they want till they see it. The focus of the BA in this case is to find out what the flow of the interface should be from the user’s perspective (the ‘Basic Flow’ – in use-case parlance), as well as the alternative scenarios that need to be addressed, while the designer works to realize these flows in the prototypes.

6. Test assumptions as early as possible in order to mitigate risk – especially if this is something you (or your organization) is doing for the first time: I’ve personally worked on 2 major projects where untested assumptions about new technology resulted in long delays and lots of rework once they were found to be untrue - and I have direct knowledge of many more projects that have suffered the same fate. By testing assumptions early I am now able to reduce the impact of unexpected problems.

7. Budget your time wisely: In the early days, I blew too much analysis time on small parts of the business area. I am much more careful now in planning and budgeting my time. I’ve learned to work top-down; in the beginning, I concentrate on the big picture and work my down into the weeds as the project progresses.

8. There is almost always a hidden agenda: For any non-trivial project, there is bound to be some aspect of office politics that can make or break the project. In many cases I have ended up being an unwitting pawn in someone else’s power play. In one case, for example, there were warring departments, each of which had already made up its mind about the preferred solution; the hidden agenda of the project champion who brought me onboard was to get an ‘unbiased expert’ to recommend his preference.

9. Don’t solutionize the requirements: The requirements as written, should make sense regardless of the technology solution. Otherwise, they will not be reusable should the preferred solution change – leading to lost time and effort.

10. The clients already know the answer: This is the secret lesson of consulting that I learned at the hands of a colleague (Brian Lyons) – and I’ve found it to be true more often than not. In many cases (such as process improvement projects), the clients know what’s wrong and what they need to do about it - and are really looking to the BA to confirm what they already know, or to help them formulate their thoughts. Yet another reason why it’s more important to listen than to talk.

And what about that question about psychology, business analysis and art (all of which are interests of mine)? The flippant answer is to say that these interests co-exist but they don’t necessarily connect. By maybe they do. I have an endless curiosity about people and how they live their lives – and it is a curiosity that the BA profession has helped me satisfy. As well, I have always been interested in the structure of thought – a theme that underlies both cognitive psychology as well as structural analysis. My art similarly has two recurring themes - often concerned either with the psychology of an interaction (see this series based on my experiences in South Africa) or with the way the mind organizes information (see this link for work based on organizing visual bytes of information).

So maybe there is some connecting thread to it after all.

- Howard Podeswa

6 Traits Of A Great Business Analyst (And How To Interview For Them)

Jarett Hailes — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 02:16:00 GMT

Whether or not you have ever been a Business Analyst yourself, if you work with enough Business Analysts over time you learn what sort of characteristics make a BA successful. Regardless of the Business Analyst’s skills, experience, domain knowledge or certifications, there are inherent traits that will more often than not help a person succeed in accomplishing business analysis tasks.

Over the years I’ve come to recognize most, if not all, of these traits in individuals whom I and many others have recognized as great Business Analysts. These traits are valuable because they help one thrive in a role that often comes with no authority (but lots of responsibility), can have constantly shifting demands and priorities, a lot of environmental ambiguity, and yet is one that plays a key role in the success or failure of projects, initiatives, and even overall organizational performance.

These traits are not meant to determine whether a person is a competent Business Analyst. Competency in business analysis tasks is something that typically is tied to the ability for an individual to perform BA tasks at a certain level of complexity and autonomy. Usually Business Analysts improve their competency over time with experience and ongoing professional learning. That said I find these traits can partially predict a person’s inherent ability to rapidly improve their competency in business analysis through on-the-job and classroom training and experience.

The neat thing about these traits is that you can structure interview questions and scenarios to actually try and bring these traits to the surface. If you look for these traits while you’re interviewing you will definitely have a leg up in determining if the candidate will be able to work well as a BA in your organization. While you will still want to assess the BA based on their skills, experience, etc., I would highly recommend looking into setting up scenarios during your hiring process that will help you establish whether these traits are inherent in the individual or not. I’ve put some suggestions on how to search for these traits during interviews below.

1. They are engaging

Business Analysts need to do something that is inherently tricky; convince people to commit their time and effort to working on activities that often aren’t their top priority. Rarely does a BA have the project with stakeholders who can commit their full time to requirement elicitation and validation, or have an unlimited amount of time to follow the schedules and priorities of their stakeholders and have requirements gathered when it suits them. Business Analysts often learn how to cajole, coerce, beg and otherwise convince stakeholders to help them accomplish their tasks, but the process is a whole lot easier if the Business Analyst is engaging. A great Business Analyst makes you want to work with them, even if you’re the Director of Sales and they need you to help define performance metrics for the CRM database upgrade.

A Business Analyst that can communicate the value of a project with passion and dedication will inherently pull people in without needing to list off the million reasons you need to be involved. Instead, you’ll want to be involved (or at the very least be willing to be involved more than you otherwise would). Having an engaging Business Analyst can bring everyone to the table and help groups focus on achieving meaningful results in a short amount of time.

How to interview for this trait: Look for the most boring looking project or accomplishment on the candidate’s resume and ask them to describe to them how they were able to perform . Ask them a similar question for what looks to be an interesting or exciting project. Listen to how they deliver their responses. If you feel like you want to hear more from the candidate regardless of the project being discussed, then there’s a good chance that the BA knows how to be engaging regardless of the environment.

You can also ask them about how they’ve dealt with situations where stakeholders were not committing sufficient time/effort to accomplishing tasks and how they overcame it. If the first thing out of their mouth was “I talked to the Project Manager” then you probably have someone who does not believe they can inherently engage stakeholders.

2. They aren’t easily ruffled by conflict

Business Analysts are often faced with unruly or disagreeing stakeholders, unrealistic timelines and potential or actual shifts in scope. Sometimes all their hard work that has been put into gathering, validating and presenting requirements turns out to be completely useless as soon as the sponsor sees the report and says “but I thought we were supposed to build X. That’s what I really need, regardless of what the charter says”. Top that off with trying to get stakeholders to return your calls and e-mails, evaluate the relevancy of 200 business rules in the current software, and fighting with the new requirements management tool and it’s a surprise there aren’t more Business Analysts with frayed nerves.

Like Project Managers, I’ve found that great Business Analysts cannot be easily perturbed. They realize that most of their environment is out of their control, and even though they can often be held accountable for things beyond their scope they take as much as possible in stride. Business Analysts have to be able to handle constantly changing goals, priorities and whims of many stakeholders. While they shouldn’t be simply trying to accommodate everyone without question, they need to realize that it’s all part of the process and that inevitably there will be delays or issues that will impact deliverables and timelines.

How to interview for this trait: It is one thing to say “tell me a time when…,” it’s quite another to actually see someone’s reaction when faced with a situation. After a candidate has responded to a behaviour-based question, one of the interviewers can pretend to become rather rigid and start making assertions that the Business Analyst did not do the correct thing (e.g. “I don’t think you should ever contact the sponsor directly, you should always go through the Project Manager”). Have the interviewer continue to insist on their point as the candidate tries to explain their reasoning or position. Don’t get into any unprofessional conversations such as name calling, but be stubborn. If there’s a hint of a defensive response, then that’s a bad sign. If they take it in stride and are able to accept the interviewer’s opinion, then this is a very good indicator. Business Analysts should expect everyone to have an opinion different from them and know when to move the subject along and acknowledge the person’s point of view.

While I don’t think this technique is suitable for every interview process, I think it can yield insightful responses in many circumstances.

3. They are multi-disciplined

A lot of Business Analysts have expertise and experience in IT and their domain. While this could be considered multi-disciplined I am looking for individuals who have experience in performing tasks in completely unrelated fields across multiple industries. I find that Business Analysts are able to more easily relate to capture information, interact with stakeholders and identify opportunities if they’ve worked in many industries, either as a BA or in an operational role. Great Business Analysts can leverage their knowledge of several disciplines to take techniques and information and apply it to their current project or duties. I find Business Analysts who have been in several industries to be more versatile and less susceptible to believing that certain analysis tools, techniques or work products are what are needed for any and every situation. Business Analysts with an academic background that crosses several disciplines (for example, a degree in Sociology but a Master’s or Doctorate in Math) also demonstrates a multi-disciplined mindset and experience.

A great Business Analyst realizes that all their activities and methods need to be adapted to the specific environment and situation at hand. Multi-disciplined Business Analysts can often find innovative ways to deliver value to their projects and organizations with their wide range of knowledge.

How to interview for this trait: Few people stay in the same field for their entire career, so ask the candidate to discuss a time when they’ve applied knowledge from a job in one field and used it in another field (even if it’s what they learned flipping burgers before heading into investment banking). If the candidate has always been in the same field but has an education in a field that is more or less unrelated to business analysis (Arts, Chemistry, Real Estate, etc.), ask them how they feel that education can help them in a specific BA situation (e.g. “What did you learn with your that would help you be able to ensure that you have a complete set of requirements?”).

4. They are inquisitive

I’ve never met a great Business Analyst that didn’t ask more questions than they answered over the course of a project. Great Business Analysts realize that they are merely a conduit of information and are always asking as many stakeholders as needed to help elicit, refine, validate and implement requirements. A Business Analyst should always be thinking “What, why, how, where, when, who” when they’re communicating with stakeholders and analyzing solutions.

Often Business Analysts won’t get the real information they need the first time around. Whether it’s determining the root cause of a problem, identifying the core need, or ensuring that all the bases are covered when reviewing a potential solution, great Business Analysts realize that while they’ll probably never have a complete set of information they can ask timely and relevant questions to get as much information as possible so effective decisions can be made.

How to interview for this trait: Tell the candidate a little about the project or operational role they will be performing, but keep it high level. If they don’t ask any follow up questions, that’s a major red flag. The more questions and follow ups they ask that are pertinent and relevant, the more likely they are naturally inquisitive and know how to search for important details and considerations. (Note: if they start asking questions like “what’s my vacation pay” and “what are the benefits of the company” before asking for a lot of details about the role, you’re probably looking at the wrong person for your job).

5. They think (and action) strategically

Business Analysts need to always be asking questions about the value of their work. Work that doesn’t relate to the strategic goals of the organization doesn’t just have little value, it’s really fake work. Great Business Analysts understand why what they’re doing has value and can articulate that to stakeholders. In addition, they are always looking for ways to uncover value for the organization by thinking about the organization’s strategic goals. This may lead the BA to recommend the merger of two overlapping projects or highlight the opportunity for process re-engineering that will reduce costs. Great Business Analysts show their companies that they are not simply the “IT guys who don’t just talk tech,” but are people who understand the needs and goals of the organization and can find ways to help them realize their objectives more efficiently.

Great Business Analysts also know how to action on strategic thinking. Rarely will the Business Analyst have the authority to act on an opportunity themselves, but they are willing to develop compelling arguments for superiors to take action. Doing so may place them at a slightly higher level of risk (since they may be going against popular or conventional thinking), but they also do this altruistically for the greater good of the company. I’m not advocating that Business Analysts should be mavericks, but they should know how to communicate the value (or lack of value) in recommendations to superiors.

How to interview for this trait: Give the candidate a scenario for a proposed project. Ask them if they believe the project is a good one to undertake given your company’s goals (assuming the BA could have found these goals on your website or in provided materials prior to the interview). Good candidates for any position should review those goals prior to going to a job interview, and a great Business Analyst should know how to measure a project against those goals.

Also ask the candidate if they’ve ever been on a project where they didn’t think the project was that valuable to the company. Start off by asking them something about the project (how was it run, how did they know it wasn’t valuable, etc.). After they’ve done describing the project, ask them what they did to let others know that the project wasn’t valuable. If they didn’t do anything or very little, then this makes me question whether they can really action on strategic thinking.

6. They care about the details

Most of the above traits are things you want to see in other roles, particularly business leaders and salespeople. One of the things in my mind that sets the Business Analyst role apart from some of these other roles is the need for attention to detail. You can’t be an Analyst without being a little bit anal J Great Business Analysts know the importance of having precise and clear details documented and communicated properly, and are adept at managing large amounts of detailed information.

This also means that a Business Analyst must be able to scale their message and thought processes. A great Business Analyst can give a compelling presentation to executives on the value of a project and then turn around and discuss with a Quality Assurance member why a change to requirement R-1938 impacts test cases T-321 and 329. Without proper attention to detail the Business Analyst can’t ensure that the actual solutions developed or procured will meet the needs of the customer, or even that those needs are sufficiently articulated to be able to adopt solutions.

How to interview for this trait: The best indicator of this trait is to review work products that were exclusively developed by the candidate, although this is often difficult to acquire. Instead you can get the candidate to play the equivalent of Where’s Waldo. Ask the candidate to review a sample deliverable and point out potential issues in the content (e.g. imprecise/ambiguous verbiage in requirements, lack of traceability, etc.). Make sure you give them sufficient time to review the document; this is typically a good activity for a 2^nd or 3^rd interview. The more issues that the candidate uncovers the better (bonus points if they spot stuff you didn’t even intend to be an issue).

I would also evaluate how detailed the candidate’s questions are when asking about the job, the work environment, etc. Again great Business Analysts want as much information as possible, particularly when they’re looking to commit to a position that will take up the majority of their waking hours.

Finding Great Business Analysts

Finding great Business Analysts can take time and effort; hopefully these traits will help you identify individuals with the potential to be great BAs even if they’re in different roles or don’t have the experience yet.

What are some traits of great Business Analysts that you have worked with?

Jarett Hailes
Larimar Consulting Inc.
http://www.larimarconsulting.com

Intermediate Business Analyst Certification Brings Hope for the Junior Business Analyst: CCBA

Chris Adams — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 23:52:00 GMT

The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) has recently announced a new intermediate business analyst certification called the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA). The CCBA is being offered by the IIBA as an intermediate business analyst certification for a more junior business analyst who may not meet the more stringent requirements associated with the CBAP.

Timelines for the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA)

A junior business analyst will be able to apply to take the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA) starting in late 2010. Then in early 2011, a junior business analyst will be able to sit for the exam.

The IIBAs Vision for the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA)

For some time now the business analysis community has been voicing the need for an intermediate business analyst certification. In response, the IIBA has developed the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA). The IIBA views the CCBA as a stepping stone to the CBAP designation. The CCBA provides recognition for individuals who have business analysis experience and can demonstrate a clear proficiency in business analysis, but don't yet meet the requirements for the more rigorous CBAP designation.

Since the Certification of Competency is Business Analysis (CCBA) is truly intended to be a stepping stone for a junior business analyst to the CBAP designation, the CCBA designation expires after five years. The IIBA anticipates that the CCBA recipient will want to obtain their CBAP designation before the CCBA expires. If this doesn’t happen the recipient of the CCBA does have the opportunity to rewrite the CCBA exam.

Benefits of the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA)

The Certification of Competency in Business Analysis can provide a number of benefits to a junior business analyst.

The CCBA designation acknowledges a junior business analyst who has invested in his/her BA career and has obtained a certain level of proficiency in business analysis.
An intermediate business analyst certification like the CCBA can increase the market opportunities available to the junior business analyst.
Preparing for the CCBA can improve overall knowledge and performance as a junior business analyst.

Employers also can benefits from having a junior business analyst receive the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis designation.

Demonstrates within your organization that your team values industry standards and professional certifications.
Provides advancement and recognition opportunities for your staff throughout the rest of the organization.
The CCBA demonstrates to your customers, competitors, and suppliers that you have qualified staff working on your projects.

Application Requirements for the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA)

While the IIBA has made the requirements for this intermediate business analyst certification easier to obtain for the junior business analyst, there are still some sizable hurdles to overcome. Each of the following application requirements for the Certification must be met at the time of applying to be approved to sit for the exam.

Minimum 3750 hours of BA work in the last seven years, which is about 2 years of experience doing business analysis work. So this aligns well with the junior business analyst role.
Minimum 900 hours in 2 of the 6 knowledge areas or 500 hours in 4 of the 6 knowledge areas.
Minimum 21 hours of professional development (see the list of IIBA endorsed education providers)
Minimum high school education or equivalent
Two references from
- a career manager
- a client, or
- a CBAP recipient
Signed Code of Conduct

While the application won’t be available until the end of 2010, it probably wouldn’t hurt to know what the CBAP application looks like as they will probably be very similar.

How the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA) Breaks Down

Since both the junior business analyst and senior business analyst roles tend to perform the same tasks (the difference is typically in the level of complexity of their work), the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA) exam questions break down similarly across the 6 BABOK knowledge areas (v2.0).

Business Analysis Planning & Monitoring	20%
Elicitation	13.33%
Requirements Management and Communication	16%
Enterprise Analysis	15.33%
Requirements Analysis	19.33%
Solution Assessment & Validation	16%

How much does the Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA) cost?

If you’re planning to sit for the CCBA, be prepared to spend a little bit of money. The application fee alone is $125 USD. Then the exam fee is another $325 USD for IIBA members and $450 USD for non-members.

The annual membership fee for The IIBA is $95 USD. Since members save $125 USD on their exam fees the choice is clear, become a member for $95 USD and save money.

Business Analysis Conference Europe 2010

Adrian M. — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 06:36:00 GMT

The Business Analysis Conference Europe 2010 is building on its highly successful inaugural conference with more workshops and a third track – Business Agility and Business Analysis. It brings together business analysis specialists from across Europe and beyond, providing a platform for promoting the BA profession and opportunities for BAs’ professional development.

The conference runs from 28th to 30th September 2010.

This year we have partnered with the IIBA UK to run an online pre Conference series. Conference speakers will be providing articles to give a real insight into the benefits of attending the Business Analysis Conference in Europe.

One of the keynote speakers, John Seddon, has contributed a piece on the Systems approach to the design and management of service organisations.
The Telegraph described John as a 'reluctant management guru', a description John accepts as his interest is in changing management thinking.

(John Seddon’s key note Conference contribution is described here)

Ellen Gottesdiener and Allan Kelly who are recognized experts on Agile, will share their views on business analysis and Agile from both sides of the pond.

(Ellen Gottesdiener’s Conference contribution is described here)
(Allan Kelly’s Conference contribution is described here)

Joe Da Silva is an experienced business analyst for Skandia who will explore the diverse roles a business analyst can play. (His conference presentation explores his experience in Enterprise Analysis when his organisation recognized the benefits of using internal business analysts instead of expensive, external consultants).

(Joe Da Silva’s Conference contribution is described here)

These are just a few of the articles that are planned and there may be a webinar in the last couple of weeks prior to the conference.

Business analysis is now the central discipline for defining creative and agile options for business change and ensuring that solutions meet business needs. The Business Analysis Conference 2010 will provide an interactive forum where business analysts can learn and debate the essential competencies needed to rise to the challenges faced by their organisations today and in the future.

Read more about the Business Analysis Conference Europe 2010 here.

IMPORTANT DISCOUNTS:
There is a 10% discount available to IIBA members and 15% available to members of the UK Chapter. There is also a discount of up to 25% for group bookings.

Modern Analyst members and Business Analyst Mentor (www.bamentor.com) readers qualify for a 10% discount (Note: this cannot be combined with any other discounts).

The 8 key responsibilities for Business Analysts on software projects

Adrian M. — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:24:00 GMT

I stumbled upon a great blog post by Jerry Nixon, Principal Architect for NixonCorp, which covers from a developer's perspective eight reasons why Business Analysts bring value to a project through what they do:

Extract
Anticipate
Constrain
Organize
Translate
Safeguard
Simplify
Verify

Read Jerry's post for the details.

- Adrian
Adrian Marchis
Publishing Editor, ModernAnalyst.com

I want to be a Business Analyst… Raise me, mentor me, and set me free!

Adrian M. — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:05:00 GMT

“Once upon a time, young people learned a trade through years of apprenticeship.”

Have you noticed an interesting dilemma faced by those wanting to enter the business analysis profession?

There don’t seem to be any “Junior Business Analyst” jobs. Most hiring organizations are looking for practitioners with prior business analysis experience.

Imagine wanting to begin a career as a driver and being told “You can’t drive the car until you know how to drive a car.”

And when you ask for advice on how to learn to drive a car you get answers such as:

“Here’s a list of good books about driving cars.”
“Talk to other drivers about their experience and how they got started.”
“Try first a related career such as car washing, car repair, etc.”
“Subscriber to Car and Driver magazine.”
Etc.

Sounds silly?

Well –that seems to be how we treat newcomers to our profession:

Managers want to hire the experienced Business Analysts for their projects but they don’t seem to want to grow BAs, and
Experienced practitioners want to work with and learn from other experienced BAs but they don’t want mentor junior ones.

Is business analysis a really a profession? Are we there yet?

I’m not so sure!

In most mature professions you will find that, in addition to the educational requirements which may exist, there is always a “practical” component to the path to getting started as a newbie:

Carpenters, auto mechanics, and plumbers have apprentices who are taught the trade.

Medical school graduates go through lengthy residency and fellowship programs where they gain real experience.

Law enforcement academy graduates are generally assigned to a training officer with whom they will spend months, if not years, on the street learning the realities of the profession.

If you want to learn to drive a car you are allowed to get behind the wheel and learn to drive even before you master the skill enough to pass the driver’s test.

That’s what we need in our profession!

We need managers, practitioners, visionaries, and leaders who are willing to hire newbies and help them start their careers as business analysts.

If you’re a newbie I bet you would love to find an organization who is willing to hire you right out of school/training, get you started as a business analyst, mentor you, and the launch you into a successful business analysis career! Wouldn’t you?

Helpful resources:
In this month’s issue of the Modern Analyst eJournal, you’ll find some great thought leadership on the value of and establishing Business Analysis Communities of Practice (BA COP) or Business Analysis Centers of Excellence (BA COE) which can act as the starting point of BA apprenticeship and mentoring programs.

Also in this issue you’ll find insightful articles on the Business Analyst Career Progression and the Potholes of Office Politics that new BAs may be faced with.

And in the spirit of providing you with a solid technical background, we continue our SOA series with an introduction of More Confusing SOA Terms.

- Adrian

Adrian Marchis
Editor, ModernAnalyst.com

Computer Systems Analyst: Career that Pays Well Even in a Recession

Adrian M. — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 07:14:00 GMT

In a recent Yahoo! Hot Jobs article, Grace Chen identifies 5 Careers that Pay Well Even in a Recession:

Engineer
Accountant
Marketing and Sales Manager
Registered Nurse
Computer Systems Analyst

According to the article - nearly 150,000 new jobs for computer systems analysts are expected to be created between 2006 and 2016.

This is yet another piece of good news for our profession.

For more details on the Systems Analyst vs. Business Analyst see:

Business Analyst Roles AKA “In Search of the Business Analysis Holy Grail”

- Adrian

Why I Do This

Howard Podeswa — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:12:00 GMT

I was at a talk yesterday by American artist Lawrence Weiner. He spent half the time saying there was nothing he had to say about his art; the next half saying it. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Something he had to say really stuck with me: that art is all about creating a logical structure for viewing the world. It helped me understand why I make my living doing two things that seem so disparate: visual art (painting) and Business Analysis. There are many things I love about BA but the part I have the most passion for is visual modeling. Perhaps it’s because of what Weiner pointed out: like art, it’s about creating a logical structure that communicates a way of seeing the world (or a part of it). The types of models I am most interested in are referred to as logical models: the name itself gives away the connection to Weiner’s art objects.

I have never been much interested in the physical world – the world of gadgets and mechanical things; it’s always been the logical structures that underlie the real world (RW) that most interest me. What I love about logical visual modeling is that it strips away those pesky physical details to focus on logical structures. It turns out that this is a great boon to the BA. If we focus on physical details there is very little common language between a business person and a software developer. But if we talk model-talk (for example, using a visual language like the UML), well then we can have a nice discussion: we get each other.

I’ve always been attracted to pursuits where you can get complex results but you only have to remember a few basic elements. Maybe it’s because I’ve always had a lousy memory. As a developer, I was a retro fan of Assembler. I’ve never lost my fascination for how its small set of basic instructions could be used to construct the most complex systems. As a BA, I feel the same about the UML diagrams – especially class diagrams. Give me a few basic concepts modeling elements (generalization, association, ...) and I can model the most complex business system. How cool is that?

Howard Podeswa
His most recent book, The Business Analyst's Handbook may be purchased on amazon.ca, and amazon.com.

Could the Recession be Good News for Business Analysts?

Adrian M. — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 05:56:00 GMT

Most of us would agree that recessions are not a good thing – especially the one we are in right now.

But for those daring enough, tough times have can be moments of opportunity.

Many famous companies - such as GE, CNN, HP, Microsoft, Hyatt, FedEx, etc. - started during times of shaky economic conditions.

How did this happen?

They were started by people who recognized a market need and who worked diligently to fill that need. This is the key to starting and building thriving enterprises.

You may not be starting the next Microsoft but there are great opportunities for you, the business analyst, in these tough economic times.

Let’s take a look…

[1] In a down economy businesses tend to refocus on the bottom line: increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and identifying opportunities within the realm of their core competencies. Businesses are now ready to (perhaps forced to) slow down and take a closer look at their Business Architecture as well as employ Enterprise Analysis techniques in order to identify new opportunities.

Who is going to help these organizations with these tasks?

You got it!

It’s YOU, the business analyst…

[2] Many companies, for good or bad reasons, attempt to cut costs by outsourcing and off-shoring new system implementations and software development activities. To enable this, they must employ consultants or employees who understand the business needs/goals and interface with the outsourced providers.

Who do you think is best suited for this task?

You got it again!

It’s YOU, the business analyst…

[3] Have you heard of TARP, Stimulus, or Bailout?

Well – billions of dollars have been set aside to help banks, mortgage, and insurance companies. Attached to these dollars come many new rules, regulations, and conditions. The recipients and hopeful recipients of this money are busy trying to understand and implement the impact of these new rules into their business models, processes, and systems.

Who can benefit from this additional work?

Yep… the Business Systems Analyst, the Process Analyst, the Systems Analyst!

[4] Have you seen the various other changes being proposed though either specific plans or the new proposed budget for rest of 2009:

Numerous tax code changes – do you think the IRS, tax software companies, tax accountants, investment firms, etc. will have to change their models and business software? You bet they will!
Money to Modernize Air Traffic Control Systems – they’ll need top notch systems analysts. Are you one?
Enhance security at Major Ports – this will include many technology projects especially related to security. This might be a good niche for technical Bas who don’t mind learning a thing or two from a Security Analyst.
Align our Education with 21^st Century economic demands – this means science and technology… The might need folks who not only understand technology, know how technology can solve problems, but who can also communicate, teach, and mentor… Many business analysts are great at this!!!
Computerize America’s Health Records & Change the health care system. Do you have healthcare vertical domain knowledge? If you don’t get some, ‘cause this industry could potentially see some of the more drastic changes requiring new processes and business systems. By the way – we have a related free webinar coming: “Visualizing an Electronic Record System: A Case Study for BAs”
Developing and Disseminating Info on Effective Medical Interventions – $1.1 billion dollars have been slated for researching this data. Do you foresee the need for new systems based on solid Enterprise and Data Architecture? I do.
Etc., etc., etc.

It is up to you to identify these opportunities and niches which fit your skills and interests.

By the way – did you notice this month’s eJournal topic: Enterprise Business Analysis & Architecture!

This is the time to look at the big picture and identify trends which could either help or hurt you or your organization.

You mission, should you choose to accept it, is to identify these trends and changes and act appropriately.

This is NOT Mission Impossible… Enterprise Business Analysis is the discipline which will help you do just that.

Any thoughts of what opportunities might be there for you?

Would love to hear your ideas!

- Adrian

Adrian Marchis

Publishing Editor

ModernAnalyst.com

Which Business Analysts are in demand: The Reality!

Adrian M. — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:01:00 GMT

I've heard and read many opinions painting the role of the business analysts as being (or needing to be) purely business oriented. The argument is "let the technical team deal with the technical details."

The practice however, the business analyst is confronted by the technical aspects of the solution on virtually every project. These days - it is a rarity, if at all, to find a business project or initiative which does not involve some level of system support.

A recent article in the discussing the state of the Australian job markets commented on the fact that:

"The roles in demand this year will include project managers, architects and business analysts with technical skills."

That has been my observation as well... at least in the USA.

There seem to be very few Business Analyst job postings out there which do not include some level of demand for some technical skills.

Would love you hear your thoughts and comments!

- Adrian

The Business Analyst will probably go down...

Adrian M. — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:01:00 GMT

The Business Analyst will probably go down as one of the more important players to help us get out of these terrible economic times.

Now is more important than ever for organizations to improve their processes and squeeze every last bit of productivity out of their business operations. Unfortunately, not all companies will survive - as they try to go at it without thorough business analysis.

Recently I've heard a business executive say something like "last time we've done this type of endeavor things went really bad so this time I'm giving you guys more time". This sounds like a line straight out of a Dilbert cartoon.

Does more time really guarantee success?

Of course not!

Last night I saw all over the news how both Republicans and Democrats battle for the details of the stimulus bill with some saying that getting the bill approved in a timely manner is more important than arguing over the details. Really?

Does spending lots of money (hundreds of billions in this case) guarantee success?

Does acting fast really ensure the desired outcome?

Of course not!

Then what?

Good, solid, and creative Business Analysis!

Our business organizations and our government must make decisions (paralysis is not an option) but they must make the right decisions. Business analysis is the process for analyzing an organization’s problems for the purpose of arriving at effective solutions and effective decisions.

In this month’s eJournal you will:

learn how to use decision management to improve business analysis,
find out how to develop an eye for waste by looking at seven wastes of software development,
discover how to apply creativity in your day to day job, and
hear how to use process mapping to tap into new markets..

And when you’re tired of worrying about your projects – take time off and enjoy some BA Humor.

- Adrian

Adrian Marchis
Editor, ModernAnalyst.com

Possess a Clear Understanding of Business Analysis

Adrian M. — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 07:47:00 GMT

As a programmer who moved into business analysis I got most of my business analysis skills the old fashioned way:

through trial and error,
working on many projects,
stealing from those who succeeded,
learning gotchas from those who failed,
etc.

It was rare when I stumbled upon an experienced consultant who was willing to mentor and who was able to explain the details of the craft.

Chances are, if you want to become a valued business analyst, you will also have to learn the old fashioned way. But, lucky you, there are many resources popping up geared specifically towards business analysts - including books such as:

Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis by Barbara A. Carkenord
Getting It Right: Business Requirement Analysis Tools and Techniques by Kathleen B. Hass, Don Wessels, and Kevin Brennan
Professionalizing Business Analysis: Breaking the Cycle of Challenged Projects by Kathleen B. Hass
The Business Analyst's Handbook by Howard Podeswa

I must admit that I'm guilty!

I didn't rush out the door to buy any of these books. I guess I'm still stuck in my old habits of learning by doing.

Having said that, I was lucky enough to get my hand on a copy of Barbara's book Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis (thanks to J.Ross Publishing).

I just got through reading the first chapter and...

... I'm impressed (so far)!

The first chapter, Possess a Clear Understanding of Business Analysis, provides a great overview and introduction to our profession.

Through logical explanations and 'case in point' examples, Barbara takes the reader through the basics of understanding the roots, role, and future of the business analyst.

She talks about a number of things such as:

What is Business Analysis? - she mentions:

"Identification of business problems and opportunities"
"Elicitation of needs and constraints from stakeholders"
"Analysis of stakeholder needs to define requirements for a solution"
"Assessment and validation of potential and actual solutions"
"Management of the product or requirements scope"

The Role of the Business Analyst - with good insights into:

Business Analyst traits
History of Business Analysis - I particularly liked this section because it clearly spoke from Barbara's experience on real projects in real organizations.
Where do BAs come from (IT vs. Business)
Where business analysts report

Who Makes a Great Business Analysts - includes:

A list of "the BA must..."
A Business Analyst Suitability Questionnaire
Career progression for the business analyst

Key Business Analysis Concepts - such as:

What is a Requirement?
What is a Project?
What is a Product?
What is a Solution?
What is a Deliverable?

This section also makes a good case for "Why Document Requirements?" which is nice to see in the midst of all the hype about Agile and "documentation is bad" rhetoric. I've worked on enough large scale projects which would have not survived without documentation.

(If you're wondering: I prefer "just enough" documentation!)

So far, the book has proved to be a good an easy read. I'll keep you posted on my thoughts as I progress further in the book.

- Adrian

Demand for Business Analysis skills is still strong

Adrian M. — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 07:03:00 GMT

"The 2009 Benchmark of Salaries and Employment Trends in IT survey from the National Computing Centre says one-third of respondents have experienced a shortage of candidates with certain key skills.

According to the survey, 33.7 percent of organisations highlight problems recruiting or retaining people with Oracle, SAP, .NET, web development, business analysis and network support skills."

- from ZDNet.co.uk

Despite the current economic downturn, finding skilled business analysts is not easy.

My guess is that there are many newcomers to our profession who are trying to get started in a hurry but how don't yet have much experience or formal training. The good and experienced BAs probably already have jobs and are staying put until the economic conditions improve.

For those of you who are new/aspiring analysts - this is a great time to take some time off (if you don't have a job anyway) and get a formal degree or training in business analysis.

- Adrian

What will you do to increase your value as a Business Analyst?

Adrian M. — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 07:52:00 GMT

I’ve had the chance to interview numerous candidates for business analyst positions and there is one question I like to ask every one of them:

“What do you do to increase your skills and value as a Business Analyst?”

Obviously, I’m not looking to get a specific answer as each business analyst has different background and different goals.

What I’m looking for are those analysts who have a passion for their career and who are constantly seeking to improve their skills and the value they bring to the project or organization.

Sadly, very few candidates answer this question to my liking. Most folks out there expect somebody else to take care of them: my co-worker is supposed to mentor me, the boss is supposed to train me, the project manager needs to give me clear instructions, the recruiter should revise my resume, etc…

You don’t want to be one of them… that’s not a trait of a business analyst!

So what should you, the Business Analyst, do in 2009 to improve your value and skills?

Well, there isn’t only one answer – it’s ultimately up to you to decide – but here are some ideas:

Read a new book (here’s a new one: Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis)

Offer to mentor and coach a more junior business analyst on your project or in your organization.

Become actively involved in your profession. If you’re reading this then you already stumbled upon ModernAnalyst.com (which is awesome). Now consider contributing your experience, thoughts, and view though blogs, forum posts, or articles.

Attend a course, workshop, or event related to business analysis.

Learn a new tool or technique (see: Getting It Right: Business Requirement Analysis Tools and Techniques) and then create a presentation to teach others what you’ve learned.

Attend a local IIBA Chapter meeting (get a list here).

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

A Business Analyst in Obama's Administration?

Adrian M. — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:56:00 GMT

Recently, the media was buzzing with news that president-elect Obama named Nancy Killefer, a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, as the nation's CPO.

That is Chief Performance Officer.

According to the media "the newly created position aims to make government more efficient, effective and transparent".

I don't know what a CPO does but it surely sounds and smells, especially given Nancy's consulting background, like a business analysis position.

And if you're still wondering what in the world is a Chief Performance Officer then check out:

CPO Book: Chief Performance Officer

CPO Blog: Measuring What Matters, Managing What Can Be Measured

More References:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/07/news/economy/performance_officer/index.htm

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jan/07/obama-names-management-consultant/

A framework for defining competencies for business systems analysts

Adrian M. — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 02:48:00 GMT

If you are managing business or systems analysts, trying to identify the skills and competencies required of your analysts is not an easy task. The expectations placed upon the analyst vary widely from organization to organization. The variations are so drastic that the actual title doesn’t not say much about the type of work your analysts do.

I have interviewed business analysts who have only worked on the business side and were never involved in the creation or modification of a system. On the other hand, I have met business analysts whose only responsibility was to create functional specifications.

OK… so what does this mean?

First, let me say this: “It’s not what you’re called, it’s what you do!”

What this means is that you should not try to figure out the skills and competencies of an analyst by their title – you need to know exactly what types of tasks you are expecting your analysts to perform.

In order to do that I like to put some structure around this topic to help you discover the skills and competencies expected of your analysts.

Let’s try!

- The Analyst bridges the gap between business & technology.

- The analyst plays a number of roles.

- To perform each role, the analyst draws knowledge from a set of disciplines.

- Each discipline defines a set of activities which the analyst performs.

- Each activity takes inputs and produces outputs.

- Each activity requires a given set of competencies.

- These competencies may include analytical, business, and technical skills.

Simple Definitions:

Analyst = this refers to the person whose title is generally business analyst or systems analyst but may have titles as diverse as: IT Business Analyst, Requirements Engineer, Computer Analyst, Functional Analyst, etc.

Role = The role refers to the analysts’ expected function in a given project or team. It speaks to the behaviors, rights, and responsibilities that are expected from the analyst in a given context. This is where we often get in trouble as the role of the analysts changes from project to project and task to task. Many analysts have what is known as “role confusion” in the situations when he/she has trouble figuring out exactly the role(s) they are supposed to play.

Discipline = A discipline represents a branch of knowledge (part of a larger body of learning) which defines a set of activities to be performed as well as the competencies needed to perform the given activity. For example, “testing” is a discipline which defines a set of activities and competencies needed by a QA analyst while testing software,

Activity = An activity represents a task or effort that is expected to be performed by the analyst in the context of a given role. Each activity must be clearly defined as is usually represented as having: a purpose (why perform the activity), outcome (what are the results/artifacts of the activity), and a method (how to perform the activity).

Competency = In general, competency refers to one’s ability (qualification and capability) to perform a given activity. In the case of the analyst, this requires an appropriate mix of knowledge (theoretical understanding), skills (practiced ability) and attitudes (way of thinking and opinions).

At a high level, I like to categorize the competencies needed by business analysts and systems analysts as follows:

Analytical competencies – because first and foremost, the analyst is supposed to “analyze” – obvious but often overlooked by many organizations.
Business competencies – because the analyst is expected to understand and solve business problems.
Technical competencies - because, in many cases, business problems are solved using technical solutions (information systems).

Any thoughts? Would love to hear your feedback!

Systems Analyst in the list of Best Careers 2007

Adrian M. — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 02:03:00 GMT

The Systems Analyst role is and will continue to be one of the best careers for a long time.

In their “Best Careers 2007” report, US News and World Report lists 25 professions that will continue to grow in demand.

With the advent of outsourcing, it is not surprising that the software engineer or web developer professions are NOT on the list...

...however, systems analyst is.

One of the most interesting quotes form this report is that the systems analyst "is among the most offshore-resistant computer-related careers".

Another interesting observation is that the majority of the 25 careers are high-touch/social occupations. In the US, we continue to see a trend of increased demand for careers which requires social interaction skills. Business Systems Analyst is one of them.

A couple more items of from the report about the Systems Analyst:

Median pay: $70,438
Job Market outlook: A
Attainability: A
Quality of Life: B
Prestige: B

If you are contemplating starting your career as a systems analyst you might also find the following resources useful:

A Day in the Life of a Systems Analyst

Computer Systems Analyst profile (U.S. Department of Labor)

Systems Analyst Community

Systems Analyst Resources

Salary Info for Business Systems Analysts