Soft Skills

Here we are, the end of another year, and the question I ask always is, what have we learned?

If we are not learning something, be it from a success or a failure, or something in-between, then how can we move forward?

Information security is something that needs to continuously improve and refine itself, otherwise it will fall behind the curve of those that choose a different avenue to your beloved data store.

A tool that information security practitioners often use, especially after a security incident like a virus outbreak or full out attack, is holding a “Lessons Learned” meeting.

The core concept is to be able to take something away for the incident, no matter how big or small, so that the next encounter of a similar kind does not have the same result as the first.

In this article, I describe one very effective collaborative technique -- the Wall of Wonder (WoW) -- that helps software teams produce the kind of detailed, sharply defined requirements that effectively guide development. As an "emergent" deliverable, requirements evolve through exploration and examination using representative forms such as low-fidelity models and prototypes. A collaborative approach allows business and IT specialists to explore their requirements through these means, while accommodating the necessary fluidity of the requirements process.

A question was asked in the Modern Analyst forums. I paraphrase:

"How does a BA do their work in an Agile project? Can you give some practical examples?"

I've thought quite a bit about this topic and have experience with BAs on agile developments as a project manager and business analyst.

As a project manager I get frustrated by (but understand) the analyst’s need to move through the sensible steps of understanding the problem domain, documenting it, socialising it and then briefing the solutions team.  Many BAs struggle with breaking away from that paradigm, but to work in an agile style you have to get comfortable with the concept of 'just good enough.'

As an analyst practitioner I took it upon myself to act as a proxy for the product owner – which in a corporate environment came with the challenges of multiple stakeholders, the fact that you are not the product owner and thus don't really have the final say, and a number of other challenges that typically stump people trying to move to agile.

My circumstances were unique in some ways. I had worked in the organisation for some time and had established good relationships with all the key stakeholders. They really did trust me with their requirements because, over time, I had learnt (and shown I had earned) their business.

I also maintained high bandwidth communications with the stakeholders throughout the project and kept them informed of what was happening and how the system was shaping up in the context of their business needs. And expectations were managed.

And, lastly, at the end of the development phase of the project we kicked back into formal gated style UAT and release management.

I think the things I articulated there are useful guidelines for any BA or Project Manager on any project, but these dimensions enabled an agile approach in a waterfall type environment. I put myself forward as the product owner and acted as a proxy for the business stakeholders.

Will it work for you?

It depends on where you are working and your relationship with your client groups. A while ago I put this question of the readers of my blog: "Can the BA act as a proxy for the client?"  I got a resounding no from people that I respect and so I'll re-state that my circumstances above are probably the exception to the rule.

What I have learnt is that the BA can be a very useful person, and even play a crucial role, on an agile project.

Before I go on to speak about that I need to qualify what an agile project is: Originally when people talked about agile software development they were talking about precisely that: software development. The project community has always had a problem separating out the project lifecycle from the software development cycle. If you don't know the difference between these two concepts you need to go find out. Here is one explanation.

So anyway, projects run many software development activities and naturally the processes and methods bleed into one another. And agile development was soon mixed into the concept of agile projects. And that's fine, but it presents a set of challenges for organisations wanting to transition from one way of doing things to another.

Have you ever learnt to juggle? I did. Hours of practicing in front of my bed so I didn't have to bend down to pick up the balls all the time. But I practiced with three balls and if I try to juggle four or five it's just too hard. I could set aside the time and practice until I get it right, but really, I am satisfied with three. It works for me, so why sweat the effort?

Same goes for shifting project methods. Sure your project office is sick of spending months and millions of dollars on wasted projects, but the various other participants in the project aren't feeling the same pain.

And smart, talented business analysts are one of those groups that aren't feeling the pain. Really, in my experience, excellent business analysts are often enough of a catalyst to break the cycle of project failures. Good requirements management, stakeholder engagement and change management really will get you there, even in the most formal waterfall environments. So why do they have to shift their whole way of doing things? They have achieved mastery of their profession, and now you want them to throw all that away and start again?

Well, yes. An agile approach in an agile environment is so much easier for everyone on the project.

Unfortunately an agile approach in a non agile environment struggles. And that environment is basically the stakeholders, the project team and the organisation's bureaucracy. So you end up using hybrid methods like agile in the developer space but more structured at the top end of the project.

The antipathy business analysts often feel towards agile methods isn't helped by the caustic tone of the agile gurus who advocate direct interface between the customer and the development team. Several of them publicly disparage business analysts and actively promote their removal from the process.

I think the key to getting master business analysts to work on agile projects effectively is helping them find a pain point they want to address, and finding a valuable place in the project for them.

The first point probably comes with either maturity – it's not all about them – or with a series of failed projects (naturally not their fault.). The second point – the BA's role – that was your original question, and it doesn't have anything to do with choices of models.
I think the role of the BA on an agile project is two-fold. Your number one role and priority is to facilitate clear requirements. It isn't to document them and it isn't to elicit them. It's to facilitate their clear transmission to the development team.

In some cases this simply means scheduling and booking meeting rooms, while in other cases it requires the BA's professional questioning and modelling skills to draw out an idea and ensure it is elaborated sufficiently for the developers to understand the full dimensions and context of the requirement.

Developers should, ideally, be in the workshops where requirements are teased out, so documentation is a secondary aspect to this work. It is about facilitating communication.

It's also about making sure the client is fully considering other stakeholders. Enterprise scale projects often have many stakeholders, and in less mature organisations the product owner or project sponsor isn't always considering the needs of his or her peers. The BA can help with that.

So, you see my idea of the role of a BA on an agile project is quite different from the traditional and industry view of what a BA does. It becomes much more people focused and much more about understanding the drivers, values and context of the business requirements than the details of the requirements themselves.

I believe these are key success factors that all excellent BAs apply in their job no matter what the project methodology.

I hope this is useful for you. And I am glad to be corrected by people who know better:" Agile Experts, what say you?"

Author: Craig Brown

Not many people-including business analysts themselves-are able to agree upon a standard job description, typical skill sets, proper training methods or a well-defined career path for the business analyst position. Yet almost everyone who's ever toiled away on an 18-month software development project can agree on the importance of the business analyst role to project success.

So while everyone agrees that good business analysts are extremely valuable, and that cultivating business analyst talent is essential for effective IT operations, a new Forrester Research report says that businesses need to do more. To really take advantage of everything that business analysts have to offer, there needs to be an answer to a career conundrum that many business analysts face: What's next?

In the June 2008 report, "The Business-Oriented Business Analyst," Forrester's Andy Salunga offers several potential paths to future business leadership for business-oriented business analysts.

First it needs to be noted that Forrester categorizes business analysts (BAs) into three roles: business-oriented BAs, who focus on a particular function, such as HR, finance or supply chain; IT-oriented BAs, who report into IT; and business technology BAs, who possess a blend of broad business experience and operational know-how as well as a high degree of tech know-how. However, the analysis and discussion of business analyst career path seems just as applicable to all other BAs and those who are interested in becoming one.

Author: Thomas Wailgum , CIO

A lot of IT folks and or BA’s believe that if you create the requirements without the business, and then review the requirements with the business for confirmation, you can save a lot of time.

After all, creating requirements collaboratively just takes too long, and the business doesn't know what they want, anyways. In addition, we (IT or BA) know the system better than the business, so it just makes sense for us to create the requirements, and then let the business say yes or no.

Let’s see this concept in practice in the “Requirements for My New Car”: a fable.

Author: James Shoemaker

My friends and colleagues often ask me how I am able to produce so much in so little time.  Although I am flattered by such compliments, it's really not much of a secret which I attribute to the following areas (in no particular order):...

Author: Tim Bryce

In today's market the customer should always come first. This has been the bread and butter of many industries throughout the ages. A satisfied customer is one who will keep coming back. The customer is the one who helps the bottom line. This is true in the field of business analysis. It is the customer's needs which the business analyst is fulfilling. The business analyst should help to strengthen customer relations. Time put into this is time well spent. Finding the customer to be unhappy is never a good thing. Ask any good business manager what their number one priority is and they will answer customer relations. Sometimes it does not always show.

Author: Tony de Bree

Small business owners may not think they need a business analyst. Small businesses are sometimes caught up in trying to survive and overlook a key element in their success. The business analyst can actually come in and determine what the small business owner can do to expand his or her business. The small business owner can benefit just as much from a business analyst as a large corporation. There may be times when the business analyst sees the big picture when the small business owner can only see the bottom line. The new small business may not feel the added expense of a business analyst is worth justifying. In fact this is just the case.

Author: Tony de Bree

Sometimes the business analyst can be so caught up in a project he or she forgets tried and true methods do not always work. The analysis team is trying to get done what the customer has scoped out and sets up a plan of action. The plan of action requires certain fundamentals. There are times when these rudimentary ideas just do not work for the client. The client can not understand why these steps may be so important. This is when the business analyst needs to step back and ask the same questions as the client. It is all in communication.

Author: Tony de Bree

It does not matter what project you are going to undertake. It is not important what industry you are going to be assessing. What is important is you know what you are going to do. You must as questions. You must find what it is the client wants. Presented is a list of obvious questions every good business analyst should know the answer to when starting a project.

Author: Tony de Bree