July 2008 - Modern Analyst e-Journal - The Business Analysis & Systems Analysis Magazine

Modern Analyst e-Journal: July 2008

 
Modern Analyst Journal

EDITOR'S NOTE
Big-picture thinking!
Having recently returned from the WCBA conference, one of the main trends that stood out was the demand for business analysts who grasp the strategic goals of their organization and whose every task is geared towards helping the organization achieve the defined business strategy.  This is the thread that runs through this month's eJournal:
- realize that big-picture thinking is one of the Eight Competencies a Business Analyst Needs to Know as outlined by Glenn Brûlé,
- find how security starts with the business in Stewart's Security Lifecycle column, and
- learn from Robin Grace to align IT to business strategy by tracing every line of code back to the corporate strategic goals

Happy reading!
- Adrian
Adrian Marchis, Publishing Editor


FEATURED ARTICLES
Eight Competencies a Business Analyst Needs to Know
by Glenn Brûlé, Director of Client Solutions for ESI International
Every year, organizations around the world face startlingly high project failure rates. Some research has shown that less than 30 percent of software projects are completed on time and on budget—and barely 50 percent end up meeting their proposed functionality. If you’re a big league baseball player, failing five to seven times out of ten will get you an endorsement deal and a spot in the Hall of Fame. But, for the rest of us, these types of failure rates represent billions in cost overruns and project waste.
Read more...

The Security Lifecycle
by Stewart Allen, Information Security Consultant
In my last column I introduced you to the role of a typical security analyst, and explained that security is a part of the business lifecycle. In this column, I will dive into that concept, and I will highlight some of the areas a security analyst might play in determining the risk to an asset throughout its life span.
Read more...

Tracing Corporate Strategy to a Line of Code
by Robin Grace, Principal Consultant BA Practice for IndigoCube
One of the issues high on the agenda of many CIOs is to align IT efforts with the company’s strategic goals. But how you do trace a line of code back to the strategic goal that caused it to be written? If we’re able to do this then, and only then, can it be said that IT is aligned with the business strategy.
Read more...

ANALYST DIARY
Data Architect: Loretta Mahon Smith, CDMP, CBIP
Company: T. Rowe Price
Title: Data Architect
What advice would you like to pass on to junior Business Analysts?
My strongest piece of advice is to never stop learning and always make the time to share what you’ve learned with others. A second, almost as important, piece of advice is to learn the skill of facilitation along with your other technical skills. Time is the most precious resource most IT professionals have.
Read more...

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JULY 2008 

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