Mastering Business Analysis

In this episode, Gojko Adzic speaks with us about how to deliver solutions that the business truly needs to achieve their goals and avoid creating shelfware. He’ll also introduce us to a tool that he uses called Impact Mapping. Gojko Adzic is a software delivery consultant who works with organizations to improve the quality of their software products and processes. Gojko is also an award winning author and wrote several books including Fifty Quick Ideas to Improve your User Stories, Impact Mapping, Specification by Example, and Bridging the Communication Gap.   After listening to this episode, you will understand: How to focus on creating an impact for your organization instead of just creating software How to use impact mapping The different applications for impact maps (there are more than I thought) What to do when you receive a requirement that’s actually a solution http://traffic.libsyn.com/masteringbusinessanalysis/MBA_025.mp3 Show Notes Business representatives like to propose solutions without having the technical expertise and software development teams propose solutions often without fully understanding the business need. Sometimes Business Analysts introduce a third solution. The answer is for Product Owners and Business Analysts to become influential in building a bridge between the business users and technology teams to make sure we build the right solution. However, we must first understand the problem we are trying to solve. What is the business need and goal? Focus on creating impacts and not software. These are impact in terms of the way people work, the way people interact with our business, and the way people live. Jeff Patton made a statement recently that most people in the software field think their job is to deliver software, but it’s not. Their job is to change the world. Focus on outcomes, not outputs. Try to figure out what the change in the world outside us is that we’re trying make happen with our software and then build a plan to shape that instead of just building software.   Impact Mapping An Impact Map is a visualization of the business goals, the impacts on customers that we want to create to achieve the business goals, and potential scope to deliver the business goal. The format is similar with a mind map. Impact Mapping helps start creating several levels of value where lower level outcomes get connected to higher level outcomes. By creating a visual tying the outcomes and levels of value together, it can help us choose the right path to have the most meaningful impact to the organization. Impact Mapping helps create a roadmap to ensure the team is aligned and heading in the right direction to achieve the organization’s goal. But that’s just the beginning. Some organizations have found different uses for Impact Mapping. To explore the uses for impact mapping, think of a two-by-two matrix where one axis is ability to decide on investments and the other is the risk of making a wrong product management decision. Where the ability to make investment decisions is high and the risk of making wrong decisions is low (perhaps because we can test and adjust), people most often use Impact Mapping as living roadmaps. In cases such as banks and insurance companies where there are many stakeholders and many want different things, the risk of making the wrong product management decision is low because the markets are relatively stable, people use impact maps to outline the options and get stakeholders to visualize what they want and make good decisions. The risk of a wrong product decision is high, such as companies that build physical products, medical devices, or innovative products, they use impact mapping to generate a conversation on discovering a product. There’s a lot of money of the table and it’s easy to make decisions, but the risk of making a product decision is huge. These organizations use impact mapping to define where they want to do customer research to discover the right product and possibly create multiple products at the same time.   How to Create an Impact Map To create an impact map, you most often start with the business goal (why are we doing this). The next level is customers or actors. On the third level, you connect the changes or the impacts on those customer segments that could potentially lead to achieving the business goal. The fourth level is typically the software solutions (epic level user stories or high level use cases). The other option is to start with the deliverables and work your way backwards. This is sometimes useful for organizations with large backlogs to help them make connections and prioritize.   When do we use impact maps? On a new initiative in which the business goal is well defined, we would start an impact map at the beginning of the effort and review/revise it at the end of each milestone. This allows for the team to focus and ensure you continue to work on the right t

In this episode, we’re joined by Heather Mylan-Mains. Heather is going to share with us how to motivate and inspire as a leader based on her presentation entitled “BA Jedi Master Leadership Academy – Learn How to Lead with the BA Force”. Heather Mylan-Mains is a consultant, deputy VP Chapters IIBA® and an instructor for B2T Training. Through her extensive experience, she has been able to participate in many roles in projects and there is no part of the RACI matrix she has not been responsible for! The force is strong with this one . . .   After listening to this episode, you will understand: How Business Analysts can lead like a Jedi How to expand your network and build relationships How to avoid becoming an energy vampire What to do to prepare for your next encounter to start off on the right foot Show Notes As a Business Analyst, you have to meet new people and establish relationships quickly, especially if you’re in a consulting role. Luke Skywalker’s journey to becoming a Jedi Knight is similar to the Business Analyst journey into leadership.   Networking Networking is not a natural skill. It must be practiced. As Business Analysts, the information we know is important, but knowing the people with the right information is more important. Building and nurturing relationships builds trust. In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker starts out his adventure by meeting one person (or android in this case) – C3PO and expands his network from there and moves him to an entirely new career as a Jedi. The introduction is just the beginning of networking. You must also know what value you can bring to the team and then deliver on that value. Take time to build relationships.   Relationship building Invest time to build relationships, learn about other people, and create a reciprocal relationships. Make sure you’re not always asking them for something, be willing to share information as well. Have an open dialogue and remain transparent about your actions. Be clear in the “what’s in it for them” message. You must be willing to give up some of your time. Meet with people outside of the project environment – at lunch, for a quick coffee, or for a walk.   Are you willing to help solve the problem? Don’t be the “it’s not my job” type of person. Be involved in identifying and solving problems in your organization. [Think of when Luke, Leah, Han, and Chewy were trapped in the trash compactor. Each took action to solve the problem and see what would work] Often as Business Analysts, we don’t have the answers to form a solution. To find a solution, it may require involving others in your network or experimenting to see what works. As a leader, you must be willing to be the person that starts the conversation.   Remove Roadblocks As a leader, you should be instrumental in removing roadblocks for the team and let the team go on to glory. This also helps build great relationships. Have the foresight to identify risks and obstacles, even if it means having a difficult conversation with someone.   Develop Positive Relationships – Avoid the Dark Side Understand and nurture positive relationships in which you’re both getting something out of the relationship. However, you must also end some relationships that are toxic or not creating a positive environment. Don’t be an energy vampire. Keep things positive. Instead of stating what can’t be done, think about ways we can do something.   How to Motivate and Inspire Be a mentor and be willing to be mentored. To be a leader, you must also learn to delegate. Let someone else shine and give them opportunities to learn on their own.   Use the BA Force Being able to meet people and draw them in right away is a key leadership skill. This leads to inspiring others to take action. Having a quick introduction is a great way to help people feel confident in your abilities. Be good at introducing yourself. As Business Analysts, we often rely on other people sharing information. Creating an environment in which those people know, like, and trust you is key to information sharing and collaboration.   Recommended Next Steps: One thing you can do today and see positive results right away is to create an “elevator introduction”. Within three minutes, be able to share three things about yourself and have three things to ask someone else. Develop and practice this script and customize it for different contexts such as attending a conference, at a school event, or at a new company.   What’s Your Take? Do you think the BA journey to leadership is similar to a Jedi’s journey? Perhaps you think it’s more like Indiana Jones’ journey. Any other analogies for a journey to leadership? Please leave your comments below.   Links mentioned in this episode Link to Heather’s presentation: http://www.buildingbusinesscapab

In this episode, we’re joined by Jeffrey Davidson. Jeffrey will help us to better understand how to get better at user stories and how behavior driven development (BDD) helps create a shared understanding. We also discuss how to create the nirvana state of living requirements.   Jeffrey Davidson is the past president of the IIBA Dallas chapter and is an agile coach and trainer. Jeffrey is a frequent speaker at industry conferences where he discusses writing better user stories and other topics related to improving project and team performance. After listening to this episode, you will understand: The three Cs of user stories How to use acceptance criteria to specify details in a user story The benefits of using behavior driven development How the Three Amigos technique can uncover missed requirements How BDD will make auditors love you Show Notes What is a User Story? A user story is a tool to help you to organize your work. It’s a means to help you understand and make sure you’re getting the right stuff done.   The Three Cs A user story has three components – a card, a conversation, and a confirmation (based on the work of Ron Jeffries). The card is in reference to the small index card on which user stories were originally written. User stories should be brief with just enough to know the intent. Conversation means that it’s a reminder that we need to have a conversation or a reminder of a conversation we’ve already had. The confirmation is the acceptance criteria and helps you to understand when you’re done with the story. A user story is not the requirement. It’s a statement about the intent, the functionality, and why it’s important. If there are what can be referred to as requirements in a user story, they’re the acceptance criteria.   What is Acceptance Criteria? Acceptance criteria are the conditions that must be true for the story to be done. Acceptance criteria and the conversation we should be having about what functionality we’re delivering is best done through forms of a captured conversation. “Acceptance criteria is really your proof of understanding.”   That’s where Behavior Driven Development (BDD) comes in At its heart, BDD is about understanding. BDD is somewhat like a modified version of a use case. Is should be from a user role perspective based on the goal they’re trying to achieve. BDD states the interaction and behaviors of the user and the system. Start with a given context and articulate the expected response when they perform a specific action. The format includes context, action, and response. Given . . . (a particular role in a context) When . . . (they perform a specific action) Then . . . (the expected response of the system) As a species, humans communicate best in two ways – stories and pictures. The given, when, then structure creates a framework for a story that is understood by the entire team as well as end users. The benefits of using behavior driven development are that the statements are in an easy to understand language and they do not specify the design. Using BDD increases knowledge of the business domain and allows you to create better solutions for your users. Additionally, by automating the testing you can achieve the nirvana state of living requirements.   Recommended Next Steps If you’re new the industry, review some of the information about behavior driven development. If you’re experienced, get together with two other people on your team (Three Amigos) and discuss how the system should interact with a specific role given a context.     Links mentioned in this episode Jeffrey’s blog: http://goodrequirements.com/ More about BDD: http://goodrequirements.com/bdd/ Follow Jeffrey Davidson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffreygoodreq Jeff Patton interview: http://masteringbusinessanalysis.com/episode-016-user-story-mapping-with-jeff-patton/   Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.   The post MBA023: Using Behavior Driven Development for Better User Stories – Interview with Jeffrey Davidson appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, we’re joined by Chris Matts. Chris will introduce us to the Cynefin framework and how he uses it to understand where to focus business analysis activities and where the focus should be more product management driven. Chris also discusses Real Options, which is a decision-making process for managing uncertainty and risk that he developed. Chris Matts is a program manager, business analyst, agile coach, and author. Chris is known for delivering business value while managing project risk. Chris developed Real Options and worked with Dan North to develop the “GIVEN-WHEN-THEN” template for Behavior Driven Development when BDD was just starting to be used. After listening to this episode, you will understand: The difference between product ownership and business analysis What the Cynefin framework is and how you can use it to determine where to focus your energy When you should get out of the way and let developers handle the project How to bring new business analysts up to speed quickly Understand how to use Real Options to reduce risk and make better decisions Key Takeaways What’s the difference between product ownership and business analysis? Business analysis is a toolkit and product management is a toolkit. The confusion is with the job title. If you can access your end customers and understand their processes, you’re performing business analysis work. Product management is more about the market and understanding customer needs. The Cynefin Framework The Cynefin framework is made up of five domains. The Knowable space consists of the Obvious domain and the Complicated domain. The Unknowable (Emergent) space consists of the Complex and Chaos domains. In the center is the Unknown domain. 1) Obvious: In the Obvious domain, you can get out of the way and let the developers handle it. We can’t add much value through analysis and may even be slowing things down. 2) Complicated: It’s knowable in that you can speak with customers and users to understand what they want, but we need to do some analysis to understand the real needs. The Complicated space is the realm of the business analyst. You’ll often find business analysts working in environments such as enterprise software where you have a very complicated domain inside the organization where you need to make a lot of changes. 3) Complex: Can’t know what the outcome will be, so we need to run some experiments where it’s safe to fail. This is usually the realm of the product manager. They run experiments and look at the data to drive decisions. This is a situation in which you have a large number of customers, potentially with different needs and you can’t possibly talk to all of them. 4) Chaos: You think you’re in the Obvious domain and suddenly the world has shifted beneath your feet and you fall into a chaotic space where you don’t have a good idea of what’s happening. It’s a transient area in which you just need to act. You may run a few experiments just to see what happens, rather than having enough information to make a hypothesis. 5) Unknown: In this area, you really don’t know where you are. You don’t have enough information to know which domain you’re in at the moment. To take advantage of the Cynefin framework and ensure you know where to focus your efforts, explain the Cynefin concept to a group of people and together they try to determine which domain each project is in. Through a group conversation of differing viewpoints, you may uncover things others haven’t considered.   Real Options Waterfall projects have increasing risk because you are investing more capital as time goes on and you don’t know the result until the end of the project. Real Options is an approach for better risk management and decision making. The three things to keep in mind about options: Options have value Options expire Never commit early unless you know why. Don’t commit early unless you know why. If you can resolve the uncertainty, then you can commit. The difference between Real Options and procrastination is the understanding that options expire. We can’t leave a decision for the point after which the option expires. Think in terms of options instead of commitments. To understand when your options are expiring, start with your goal and work backwards. Focus on outcomes and business value as expressed by metrics rather than focusing on outputs and deliverables. Bonus Tip: To bring new people up to speed quickly, try pairing. Paired analysis (similar to an apprenticeship) will help bring a more junior person up to speed quickly by pairing with a more experienced Business Analyst. Once the pair is through the higher risk portions of the project, the newer analyst can take over.   Links mentioned in this episode 7 information smells of domain modelling: http://www.infoq.com/articles/seven-modelling-smells Chris’ Book “Committmen

“Let’s get rid of Business Analysts and ScrumMasters.” In this episode, we’re joined by John Sextro. John recently gave a provocative lightening talk at a conference about removing Business Analysts and ScrumMasters from agile teams. We’ll discuss what this would mean for the BA role. John Sextro has been in the software industry for 21 years and coaches agile teams. John is also the host of This Agile Life – a podcast that has a group of developers and agile coaches discuss real world issues they’re seeing in agile software development. He is a frequent speaker at agile conferences. After listening to this episode, you will understand: Why John made the provocative statement about getting rid of Business Analysts The value that ScrumMasters and Business Analysts bring to agile teams What it would mean to the organization to be able to move Business Analysts and ScrumMasters off agile teams How to allow teams to use a whole team approach for Business Analysis activities What the Business Analyst can do for the organization if moved out of an agile team Key Takeaways Are Business Analysts and ScrumMasters mostly overhead to the company? The skills are sometimes seen as something anyone on the team can have and do. When you have a highly efficient and effective team, then may be able to move away from having a dedicated Business Analyst or ScrumMaster. The ScrumMaster may shift from having one team to having two or three teams as the teams mature. Business Analysts may be moved off agile teams to other roles.   What does an agile Business Analyst do? Talk to users and stakeholders to discover what is currently done and what needs to change Understand how people use the system and what their goals are when they interact with the system. Help transition that information to the team, usually in user stories Ensure that the team is focused on value and delivering the most valuable thing Help the Product Owner prioritize the backlog Bridge the gap between business and technology Business Analysts help teams avoid the mistake of working on lower priority items by helping them to understand priorities and the value of their backlog items. Once teams are mature, they may begin shifting the need for a dedicated Business Analyst and adopt a whole team approach. This means that the team takes the tasks and responsibilities of the Business Analyst and spreads them throughout the team so that everyone is capable of speaking with users, writing user stories, understanding value, etc.   Why would an organization want to move Business Analysts off of agile teams? Perhaps it would be more efficient for developers to speak directly with business representatives instead of going through someone like a Business Analyst. Have developers and the Product Owner work directly with users without working to translate those interactions and collaboration into documentation. This would remove some cost overhead for operating the team. The organization can also add more developers to the team based on the openings created by removing the ScrumMaster and Business Analyst to increase throughput. Business Analysts may be able to move to a higher role on the organization such as at a PMO level to provide value for more strategic or enterprise initiatives while still being available to coach and support teams when needed. Bonus Tip: For effective stand-up meetings, focus on the value you delivered and not the tasks in which you’ve participated. Use the same approach for your meetings. Make sure there’s an agenda for any meeting to which you’re invited. Also, find out why you’re invited and the value you’re expected to bring to the meeting.   Links mentioned in this episode This Agile Life Podcast: http://www.thisagilelife.com/ This Agile Life – Episode 73: In a World Without business Analysts: http://www.thisagilelife.com/73/ Effective Stand-up Meetings: http://www.thisagilelife.com/66/ Follow John Sextro on Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnsextro Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.   The post MBA021: Is the Business Analyst Role Just Overhead? Interview with John Sextro appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, David Mantica, President of ASPE-SDLC, shares his views on the value of professional certifications – both to the individual and to the organization. David Mantica is president of the American Society of Professional Education Inc. (ASPE-SDLC) and has two decades of experience as a business leader in the training industry. David has participated in numerous certification committees and supported the work of certifying bodies including the Scrum Alliance, PMI, IIBA, and others. He speaks at numerous IIBA and PMI chapter meetings, and several conferences and Career Fairs. After listening to this episode, you will understand: The value of professional certifications to you and to your organization The differences between the three major Business Analysis certifications The benefits of joining a professional organization What NOT to put on your resume Next steps if you are interested in earning a certification Key Takeaways Certifications can help standardize a position and allows hiring professionals to get a higher level of comfort in hiring someone who can continue to grow in that position. You have a standard way of speaking, doing practices, and a standard skill set. Employers are looking for master level capabilities. The first step is having a certain level of professional experience – whether through being a subject matter expert in a certain domain or a higher level of education and experience so you can synthesize the information in a complex environment. Once you have that first level of experience, that’s when certifications become more important to take your next steps. Benefits to you: A certification provides a level of credibility that a resume can’t give. People with certifications earn more money even when holding everything else equal because you can quality and quantify your experience. You get a level of professional recognition and connect with an association to grow and learn. Benefit to the hiring organization: The continuing education requirements needed to maintain your certification means that certification holders must continue to learn and grow in their profession. Common Language: The software development lifecycle is so complex by itself that having a language issue and differences in common terms makes it even more difficult to work. The certification standardizes the language so that professionals can talk the same talk and avoid confusion simply because of different meaning in the same terms. Hiring: Certifications give hiring companies a confidence level that people have a set level of experience. Productivity: The hiring organization will also get increased productivity, less rework, and move value out of deliverables because the certification holder brings knowledge and experience. Your next steps for certification: Review the requirements for each certification and determine if you meet those requirements. If you do not meet the requirements, begin tracking your experience so that you will more easily be able to complete the application in the future. You can also join professional associations before you take the exam to get the benefit of learning and growing with others. If you do meet the requirements, you can begin filling out the application and preparing for the exam. Links mentioned in this episode ASPE website: http://www.aspe-sdlc.com/ Acclaim tool: https://www.youracclaim.com/ International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA): http://www.iiba.org/ Project Management Institute (PMI): http://www.pmi.org/ 2010 BA Salary Survey 2009 BA Salary Survey Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.   The post MBA020: The Value of Certifications – Interview with David Mantica appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, leadership speaker and Start With Why facilitator Stephen Shedletzky helps us understand how to apply the Start With Why concept to our role to help our organizations work on the right things and deliver value to customers. He’ll also share his thoughts on how to inspire others to take action. After listening to this episode, you will understand: Why starting with ‘why’ is critical to your organization How to apply the Start With Why approach to your projects How to inspire others to take action How the 12th step of Alcoholics Anonymous can help you. Stephen Shedletzky helps leaders and their teams accomplish remarkable things. Inspired by–and in partnership with–Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” movement, Stephen speaks, leads workshops, consults, and coaches organizations to help them discover and articulate their driving purpose and, in doing so, become more sustainable and successful than ever.   Key Takeaways How can we apply the principles of Start With Why to our projects? When you ask questions that begin with “why”, it becomes trigger an emotional response and people may become defensive. You can ask any “why” question in a way that is more open ended that begins with “what” or “how”. Instead of asking ‘Why do you want the button there?’ ask ‘What’s the importance of putting the button there?’. Now you can get to the root cause (why) and allows us to recommend different alternatives or approaches. Before you can begin using the Start With Why concepts in your one life, first you must get clear on what’s important to you. Get clear on your values and beliefs and why. What impact do you want to have on others? Use ‘Start With Why’ to network and build your influence Once you are clear on your ‘Why’, you can attract people who also believe in having the same impact or who are inspired by the contribution and impact that you intent do make on others and the world around you. Together you can accomplish more. When you know your ‘Why’ and start with why and we are consistent with how we bring that ‘Why’ to life through our words and actions, we can more easily find those with a similar purpose and build relationships. We can come together in ways that inspire us and have a greater impact on your organization and the world. It can inspire others to take action. “Relationship is the foundation of accomplishment” – Peter Docker Anytime we can increase the depth and breadth of our relationships, we can accomplish more. You can apply these principles by creating a genuine, inspiring vision on our projects of what we’re trying to achieve and why. Create a sense of purpose that aligns to other people’s values. Share your story of how your project or initiative inspires you. “Progress is made when people come together around a common cause and contribute their gifts toward accomplishing it.” What can you do today to get positive results? Trust is the human currency. It takes time to build and an instant to break. We develop trust when we feel that someone else has our best interest in mind – that they are there to serve us instead of their own self-service. So what can we do to increase trust? Show up to serve. If you want to feel more engaged in the projects that you’re working on, figure out how you can help the people around you feel more engaged. In turn, you will feel more engaged. Above all, don’t forget to show up to commit and serve others. Links mentioned in this episode Start With Why website Stephen’s website InspirAction: http://inspiraction.ca/ Follow Stephen Shedletzky on Twitter: Follow Stephen Get the first chapter of Steven’s book ‘Blind Spots: Solving hidden business problems‘ for free and find out how to make genuine connections on purpose by starting with why. Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week. The post MBA019: Why Start with Why? Interview with Stephen Shedletzky appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

What makes a great leader? In this episode, Scott Stribrny begins to answer this question by presenting a business analyst relevant five-rule framework to apply in real life. Scott will discuss principles that guide effective leaders and will explore the short-term orientation of leadership with examples for day-to-day action as well as the long-term orientation of leadership. By listening to this episode, you will understand why a great business analyst must also be a strategist, an executor, a talent manager, and a human capital developer. As business analysts aspire to reach more senior levels in the organization, they must become proficient in all of these areas as well as invest in their own personal proficiency. After listening to this episode, you will understand: How a Business Analyst can step into a leadership role How to use the five-rule framework to guide behavior and decision making Why investing in yourself is critical What you can do today to advance your leadership skills   Key Takeaways Leadership is not a role or title. It’s a behavior. There are rules for leadership that help to improve the business outcomes as a result of systematic, principle based leadership.   Five key rules that guide behavior and decision making To be an effective leader, you must be 1) a strategist, 2) an executor, 3) a talent manager, 4) human capital developer, and 5) you must invest in your own personal proficiency. Leaders help shape the future by acting as a strategist. They get things done that result in favorable business outcomes by executing those strategies. Leaders also know that it’s about people – they engage today’s talent and build the next generation by developing human capital that will serve the future of the enterprise. All of these are tied together by investing in your own development.   Become a human capital developer: At the individual level and in the short term, help to strengthen others by pairing with them. This could be another business analyst, a Product Owner, developers, or others within your organization. In the longer term, develop human capital for the future. Determine what kind of skills development and mentoring opportunities are available to your peers to help them and the organization grow. Start locally with your network and then expand organizationally with your peers so that they can do the same and spread excellence. Remember that to be a human capital developer, you must first be proficient in your own skills before people will follow you. Build on local successes to develop your credibility. As you gain more credibility, you can find opportunities to extend the perception of your leadership capabilities to others based on local successes.   Let’s get tactical . . . To become a leader, have a leadership model or some kind of guiding principle. Each day, ask yourself “How am I going to be a strategist or execute that will add value to my organization? How am I going to develop human capital?” Don’t forget to invest in and develop yourself. In addition to training, self-study, and similar activities, you should spend time in self-reflection. At mid-day or at the end of the day, reflect back on what took place that day and think about what you are going to do differently tomorrow. Seek out feedback to get to the reality of the situation. Effective leadership has everything to do with what we can do with and through other people. In agile transitions, leadership is a shift from command and control to more of a commitment based style. Create a safe environment to build team relationships. That forms the basis for knowledge transfer and collaborative relationships. Continue to develop your ability to practice clear thinking and embrace the reality of the situation. Rise above the details.   What you can do today to improve your leadership skills Self-reflect and assess your own leadership proficiency according to the five-rule framework. Pick one thing to upon which to focus to become more effective and take action. Links mentioned in this episode Group Atlantic website: Group Atlantic Send an email to [email protected] to get Scott’s three article series on leadership Connect with Scott Stribrny on LinkedIn: Scott Stribrny on LinkedIn Follow Scott on Twitter: Follow Scott on Twitter Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.   The post MBA018: Step Up to Leadership with the Five-Rule Framework – Interview with Scott Stribrny appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, David Barrett speaks with us about what I feel is the most important skill for a Business analyst . . . communication. David is the National Program Director for the Centers of Excellence in Project Management and Business Analysis at the Schulich School of Business and is one of the founders of the International Institute for Business Analysis. David will help us to understand the three phases of communication and how to become a great communicator. Listen for some practical, actionable advice on improving your communications skills. After listening to this episode, you will understand: Why communication and presentation skills are critical to your success The three phases of communication and how to use them to improve your communication skills How to scale your communication Why making use of common BA tools will help your communication Key Takeaways Business Analysts need strong communication skills. Presentation skills are critically important to get your point across, influencing and negotiating skills are needed to drive decisions, and we need to engage with different people (and deal with difficult people). All of these areas are part of the Business Analyst role and are critical to your success. To scale your communication to a wider, more diverse audience, first you must understand what your audience needs. Be briefer than otherwise to start. Assume the audience doesn’t want it all. Communicate the bottom line up front with additional information afterwards. Put the request and executive summary up front. This provides context for your audience. The three phases of communicating are: Being prepared, delivering well, and follow up afterwards Preparing – doing your homework and knowing your audience Delivering well – making sure the message is understandable Follow up – getting feedback and using feedback to adapt and improve Business Analysts should make better use of communications plans along with their stakeholder analysis. One of the biggest benefits a Business Analyst can bring is to ensure we build it right the first time. Tips to improve your communication: Find a Toastmasters group and practice to improve your verbal communication skills. For writing, get someone to review your work and provide feedback. Use their feedback to make sure your message is clear and meets the audience’s needs. Use spell check but by all means, but you must proofread. Communicate the bottom line in the beginning to provide context and then include additional relevant detail. Understand the technology that can help us communicate. The one thing you can do today to improve your communication right away: Find a coach or mentor. Seek out other people to coach you, help you, and advise you. Never go it alone. Links mentioned in this episode David Barrett’s website: http://davidbarrett.ca/ Toastmasters website: http://www.toastmasters.org/ Leadership Perspectives LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Leadership-Perspectives-7443903/about David’s LinkedIn profile: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/davidbarrettca Follow David Barrett on Twitter: http://twitter.com/dbarrett1 David’s You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/dbarrett5895   Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.   The post MBA017: Does Your Communications Engine Need a Tune-Up? Interview with David Barrett appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode consultant, author, and agile thought leader Jeff Patton shows us how to use Story Maps to create a shared understanding of a feature and create thin slices that relate to the minimum viable product and additional releases. Jeff also shares his thoughts on the proper way to use User Stories and how to avoid some common pitfalls with User Story Mapping. After listening to this episode, you will understand: Why Jeff believes the word “requirements” means “shut up” What User Story Maps are and how they can create a shared understanding within your team How to use Story Maps to create slices of functionality and break a large effort into smaller pieces How to avoid the common pitfalls with User Story Mapping Why User Stories aren’t a different way of writing requirements Key Takeaways A User Story Map is a useful tool for the team to understand the big picture, giving them the ability to see the entire breadth of the system and the various users and uses. It arranges user stories into a holistic model to help understand the system functionality while allowing you to identify gaps and slice functionality into releases. Keep in mind that User Stories get their name from how they’re supposed to be used. They’re a different way of working, not a different way of writing requirements. Story mapping follows a narrative that supports slicing and trade-offs to get the most value for the money. Use the map to create a shared understanding. There’s never enough time and money to build everything that people ask, but if you’re paying attention, there’s generally enough time to make people happy. Focus on what people really need to be successful and build just that – not build what they say they need. It’s all about managing the time and resources we have and making as many people happy as we can. After you have made your initial story map and have been working on the project for a while, you can re-map the feature because often things may have changed or you may have learned something new. Avoid the common traps of story mapping: Making the maps too detailed (especially early on) Thinking in terms of features (Instead, think in terms of use and customer experience – the steps people take to achieve a goal) Mapping the whole product instead of only mapping the feature or capability you’re changing. Two things you can do today: Go to where your users are and talk to them Stop writing stories and start telling stories. Have conversations . . . get to the whiteboard and start drawing pictures. Click to view larger image   Links mentioned in this episode Jeff Patton’s book, User Story Mapping: http://www.amazon.com/User-Story-Mapping-Discover-Product/dp/1491904909 Jeff’s Website: http://jpattonassociates.com/ Story Mapping Quick Reference from Jeff Patton: http://jpattonassociates.com/story-mapping-quick-ref/ Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.   The post MBA016: User Story Mapping with Jeff Patton appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, Dr. Mark Burgess, creator of CFEngine, explains how he uses concepts from physics to explain how complex systems work. He uses his Promise Theory to not only develop better computer systems, but also to give us a better framework for individual and team interactions. After listening to this episode, you will understand: How we can use concepts from different disciplines and apply it to our work How an orchestra is like a highly distributed, cooperative system The two ways to successfully create scale How to use continuous delivery concepts to make sure they are aligned and on course Key Takeaways Physics is great at describing how stuff works. It shows how stable a system is (a question that computer science doesn’t answer). Mark showed us how to use other diciplines to get ideas and create new concepts as he did with Promise Theory. Scaling has 2 aspects: Can I cope with the load (can I produce results fast enough) and can I produce the right results? That’s what we’re trying to get at with Promise Theory. While originally applied for complex computer systems, Promise Theory can be applied to human interaction. Promises help us get away from commands and obligations. Obligations manifest themselves in teams, which are essentially distributed systems, by contradictions and unhealthy conflicts. With promises, the notion of contradiction goes away. It allows you to contextualize information and keep it local because that person is completely in control of what they’re promising. Obligations are in line with a command and control approach while promises promote a cooperative approach. There are two ways to scale teams (which are really highly distributed, cooperative systems): 1) Like an orchestra, with each independent agent working off the same sheet of music and with a light touch from a conductor to keep everyone in time, or 2) Act more like a jazz band and coordinate by listening and getting signals from one another. In a highly coupled system (or team), things (both good and bad) get transmitted very quickly. With weakly coupled systems, you can stop some of the bad things being transmitted as efficiently. Complexity Theory helps to understand the impacts of highly coupled systems. Links mentioned in this episode Mark Burgess’ website: http://markburgess.org/index.html Mark’s books and other publications: http://markburgess.org/writing.html More about Promise Theory and how it applies to complex systems and teams: http://markburgess.org/blog_devops.html Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.   The post MBA015: Promise Theory for Team Cooperation – Interview with Mark Burgess appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, David Mantica, President of ASPE, shares his views on the future of the business analyst role and how we can open up new opportunities for career growth and drive valuable change in our organizations. After listening to this episode, you will understand: How different organizations are structured to manage business analysis activities The trajectory of the Business Analyst role and why there’s now some confusion about the role The spectrum of business analysis and how to climb the value ladder to grow your career How to create new opportunities for yourself and help build the future of your organization Why being uncomfortable may be the best thing for your career Key Takeaways Career growth and new opportunities are often not planned for in your development path. It’s based on the skill and success of that individual, and when you climb the value ladder to bring more and more value to your organization, you may be given opportunities to have a seat at the table and shape the future of the organization. The work we’re doing as project professionals is a linchpin for competitive advantage and it enables the long term success of the organization. If you can build a group of analysts who rise above the end project work and note taking, you’ll build a group of management consultants who have domain knowledge and understand the operation of the organization and can therefore help plan the future of the organization. The opportunity to grow the Business Analyst role is moving out of the project world and into the world of defining where the company is going in terms of its systems, processes, and products. If you can show your value in being a business adviser (even on your current projects) and show the extent of what you can do, that may cause your organization to create a role in which you can add even more value and help shape the future of your company. As you move up and have the opportunity to set direction, the details become more ambiguous and we need to build top level skills – your ability to deal with conflict, ability to problem solve, ability to negotiate in a way that seeks balance, and strong presentation skills. If you have a great idea but can’t present it in a compelling way, no one will listen. The way to build those skills is by forcing yourself to get into situations that require you to develop your presentation skills or deal with conflict and negotiation. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations that will allow you to stretch and grow – even if you’re bad at it as first. Understand conflict and cognitive diversity and be able to embrace it in order to move forward. Take action and speak with your manager about stretch assignments. Of course, it’s always helpful to find a good mentor on the business side who can help you to understand the motivations of your customers. Links mentioned in this episode ASPE website: http://www.aspe-sdlc.com/ Free resources (webinars, templates, and more) from ASPE: http://www.aspe-sdlc.com/offers/ Toastmasters: http://www.toastmasters.org/ Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.     The post MBA014: The Future of Business Analysis – Interview with David Mantica appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, Nan Russell shares with us how to build trust and the effect increased trust (or the lack of trust) can have on your team and the organization. She’ll also help us to understand how the little things we do can hurt the bigger things we want to do and how to use behavioral integrity and elevated communication to grow trust. After listening to this episode, you will understand: How to use behavioral integrity and elevated communication to grow trust The impact trust or a lack of trust can have on your team Why trust is never earned How to be worthy of another person’s trust What you can do to expand trust across the organization Key Takeaways The lack of trust in an organization leads to increased bureaucracy and the hording of information. With trust, there’s less overhead and people are free to innovate and do more great work. Most people get it backwards when building trust and start with someone else. Start with yourself. Be worthy of another person’s trust. Building trust is a skill and you must make a conscious decision to create it. We can do this by: Having competence in our role. Competence is the first parameter people need to demonstrate. Create an alignment between your words and your actions. This means acting with behavioral integrity. Manage and clarify expectations so that there is a clear understanding as to what is expected. Use elevated communication by making a decision about whether the relationships matters more than any single outcome. This includes everything from thoughtful transparency to the understanding of self-behavior. Extend trust to others. Remember that trust is never earned, trust must always be given. Create a winning culture in your team or organization. It’s hard not to build trust when you show up as authentic people doing great work. Links mentioned in this episode Nan Russell’s Website – http://www.nanrussell.com/ Nan’s books: http://www.nanrussell.com/index.php/books/ Nan’s articles in Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/trust-the-new-workplace-currency Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.     The post MBA013: Trust is the New Workplace Currency – Interview with Nan Russell appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, Kent McDonald shares his thoughts on requirements analysis in an agile environment and will give you tips on how to make your agile projects more successful. After listening to this episode, you will understand: The role of the agile analyst and how it differs from analysis on traditional projects The mindset and underlying principles to be successful in an agile environment How to apply techniques usually not found in the Business Analyst toolbox to be more successful on agile projects Practices that you can use right away to get positive results Links mentioned in this episode Kent’s Website – Beyond Requirements: http://www.beyondrequirements.com/ Real Options (Chris Matts): http://www.infoq.com/articles/real-options-enhance-agility   Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.     The post MBA012: Beyond Requirements – Interview with Kent McDonald appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, we discuss practices from agile that you can implement in your traditional (waterfall) projects that will allow you to reduce risk, adapt to change, and accelerate project delivery. In this episode, you will understand: How to use some of the values, principles, and practices of agile to adapt to change and speed up the delivery of working software How agile practices reduce risk Techniques from agile that you can use right away and get positive results Links mentioned in this episode The Agile Manifesto: http://agilemanifesto.org/ The Scrum Guide: http://www.scrumguides.org/   Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.     The post MBA011: Make Your Waterfall Projects More Agile appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, we’re joined by Angela Wick of BA-Squared. Angela shares her tips and techniques for making virtual meetings more effective. You’ll learn the signs that people are multitasking and understand how to use virtual collaboration tools to keep people engaged and run a successful virtual meeting. In this episode, Angela shares with us: The biggest problem with virtual meetings (and how to address it) How to keep people engaged during the meeting Ways of using virtual collaboration tools to keep everyone focused on the meeting goal Her thoughts on what you can do today and get positive results from virtual meetings right away Links mentioned in this episode BA-Squared website: http://www.ba-squared.com Virtual collaboration resources: http://www.ba-squared.com/virtual-collaboration-resources Conference Call In Real Life (video below)   Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content every week. Do you have a suggestion for a future episode or a question you would like answered on the podcast? Use the widget on the side of the screen to leave a voice message or send an email to [email protected]   The post MBA010: Make Virtual Meetings More Effective – Interview with Angela Wick appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, we’re joined by Mary Gorman, co-author of Discover to Deliver. Mary will take us on a deep dive into a holistic framework to discover product requirements, the 7 Product Dimensions. She will also share with us models to use as you move through the 7 Product Dimensions that will allow you to discover requirements that may be missed using other methods. In this episode, Mary shares with us: How to use an Options Board to collaborate with product partners A holistic approach to exploring a product to discover requirements Models we can use to explore requirements and create a shared understanding Mary’s thoughts on what you can do today and get positive results right away Links mentioned in this episode The Discover to Deliver website: http://discovertodeliver.com/ Resources from the Discover to Deliver website: http://www.discovertodeliver.com/resource.php Discover to Deliver – Get the Book! Discover to Deliver – Agile Product Planning and Analysis Don’t forget – you can get a 20% discount on Mary and Ellen’s book by going to her website and using the coupon code MBAD2D   Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.     The post MBA009: Exploring the 7 Product Dimensions for Better Requirements Discovery – Interview with Mary Gorman appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, Ellen Gottesdiener shares an effective approach to discovering product requirements. You will understand how to break out of being an order taker and become a product co-creator. Ellen’s holistic approach to requirements discovery includes a mindset shift that needs to take place to recast stakeholders as product partners, how to get everyone on the same page and focused on the most valuable, near term product options. You will find out how to create a structured conversation that will allow you to collaborate and decide what to work on first. In this episode, Ellen shares with us: How to better collaborate with customers and stakeholders An approach for understanding and developing a shared understanding of value How you can create planning horizons to focus discussions A holistic framework for discovering product requirements Links mentioned in this episode The Discover to Deliver website: http://discovertodeliver.com/ Article: It’s the Goal, Not the Role Resources from the Discover to Deliver website: http://www.discovertodeliver.com/resource.php Discover to Deliver – Get the Book! Discover to Deliver – Agile Product Planning and Analysis Don’t forget – you can get a 20% discount on Ellen and Mary’s book by going to her website and using the coupon code MBAD2D   Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.     The post MBA008: How to Discover Product Requirements – Interview with Ellen Gottesdiener appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

Want to be the go-to person on projects, in high demand and highly regarded? In this episode, you’ll discover how to do exactly that. Bob Prentiss is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Bob the BA, Inc. He’s a trainer, mentor, consultant, major nerd, and all around badass Business Analyst. Become a badass BA and take your Business Analysis skills to the next level. In this episode, Bob shares with us: Insights on what it takes to be successful as a Business Analyst in today’s world How to know when business analysis is being done well Stories and examples that illustrate what it means to be a badass The one thing you can do today and get positive results right away Links mentioned in this episode Bob’s website – Bob the BA: http://www.bobtheba.com Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week. The post MBA007: How to be a Badass Business Analyst – Interview with Bob Prentiss appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

Where do I go from here and what are the career opportunities for a Business Analyst? David DeWitt, President of the Chicagoland chapter of the IIBA and IT Leadership Practice Director at NueVista Group, discusses the Business Analyst career path.   In this episode, David shares with us: Career opportunities for a new Business Analyst Next career moves for an experienced BA Where to focus to really accelerate your career   Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.     The post MBA006: The Business Analyst Career Path – Interview with David DeWitt appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

Today, author and agile coach Len Lagestee helps us to discover how a Business Analyst can bring value to an agile team. Len also discusses where a BA fits on an agile team and how to become a catalyst for positive change.   In this episode, Len shares with us: What a Business Analyst can do for an agile team What roles does a BA play within an agile environment How to become a catalyst for positive change The one thing a Business Analyst can do to be a valuable team member Links and Resources Mentioned: Len’s website, Illustrated Agile Len’s book, Becoming a Catalyst Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.   The post MBA005: Interview with Len Lagestee – How can a BA deliver value to an Agile Team? appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, you’ll discover the super villains that destroy meeting efficiency and learn how to defeat them. We’ll share with you the tools you can use to hold effective meetings and deliver project results. Check the bottom of this post to get your free guide to master your meetings. During this episode, you will find out how to: Recognize the people that derail meetings and keep you from achieving your objectives Use tools and techniques to keep meetings on track and provide value Change your perspective about these meeting villains Change the meeting villains into meeting heroes Click the button to get your guide now. Get your free guide to defeat the meeting Super Villains. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//forms.aweber.com/form/01/568066101.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, "script", "aweber-wjs-qlb7d4j20"));     Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week.   The post MBA004: Defeat the Meeting Super Villians appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

In this episode, consultant and author Ken Howard shares with us how to discover the right method to work with and communicate requirements to project team members. He also dispels some myths about introverts and helps us to understand how introverts can benefit agile teams. In this episode, Ken shares with us: A method for discovering someone’s communication style How to adapt to another person’s communication style for better engagement What it means to be an introvert How introverts can succeed in an environment that values face-to-face interaction Links and Resources Mentioned: Ken’s website Agile Introvert Assessments and Presentations from Ken’s website The Introvert’s Survival Guide Ken’s book, Individuals and Interactions: An Agile Guide Myth: Being introverted means that you’re shy or anti-social. They don’t do well on agile teams. Fact: Introverts get more energy from working alone. They can work well with others even in large groups, and can deliver value for agile teams. Agile values face-to-face interaction for better collaboration. To work effectively, introverts may need time to themselves to recharge. This will also allow them to focus on their work and deliver value. Thank you for listening to the program To get more valuable content to enhance your skills and advance your career, you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, reviews on iTunes are highly appreciated! I read each review and it helps keep me motivated to continue to bring you valuable content each week. The post MBA003: How can introverts work well on agile teams – Interview with Ken Howard appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

Today’s episode is an interview with Roxanne Miller, consultant, speaker, and author. Roxanne shares with us a framework for holding effective stakeholder elicitation meetings and everything you ever wanted to know about non-functional requirements. In this episode, you’ll find out: How to hold effective stakeholder meetings How non-functional requirements differ from functional requirements The impact of missing a non-functional requirement Roxanne also provides her tip for instant results in communicating with stakeholders http://traffic.libsyn.com/masteringbusinessanalysis/MBA_002.mp3   Links and Resources Mentioned: Requirements Quest website Resources and Tools from Requirements Quest Roxanne Miller’s Book, The Quest for Software Requirements Get Roxanne Miller’s Book!         The post MBA002: How to Elicit Non-Functional Requirements – Interview with Roxanne Miller appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.

Today’s episode is a quick introduction to the podcast. I will share with you what this podcast is all about and why I created it.   Have a question about Business Analysis or a suggestion for an upcoming episode? Leave me a voice mail using the widget at the side of the screen or send an email to [email protected] Thank you for listening. You can also subscribe via iTunes and Stitcher Radio.   The post MBA001: Introduction to the Mastering Business Analysis Podcast appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.