Boxes, boxes and more boxes! After my recent move, I just might be an expert at parsing, purging and packing. Other than a ridiculous number of wine glasses (I could throw a SERIOUS party!), my new home has a lot less clutter.
Since moving is on my mind, I decided to give this month’s newsletter a moving theme. Analogies and metaphors are valuable tools that cement concepts in the minds of all learners. I use them to help clients and stakeholders link visual images to complex ideas. So, here are a few tips and reminders about moving and business analysis from the best of my BA blogs.
Find the Duct Tape.
Every homeowner knows the value of duct tape. It can fix almost any problem.
Organizations use duct tape too and BAs need to find it—they need to understand how and why it is being used. Organizational “duct tape” often includes system or process workarounds that are not well documented and introduce risk into business operations. For more about finding the duct tape and other ways to mitigate data management risks read: I Said My Name Is…
Ask Questions.
Moving gives homeowners an opportunity to renegotiate relationships with many vendors. Asking the right questions can save you thousands of dollars on your mortgage, insurance and utilities. We all dread the call to the cable/internet provider, but a few good questions reduced my monthly payment by more than $100.
As a BA, good questions are the key to our success, but are you asking the right questions? Here are six of my favorites. For details about each question read: Six Effective Elicitation Questions to Ask Your Stakeholders.
1. What are the biggest challenges in your role?
2. What does success look like?
3. Who do you think is impacted by the project and how?
4. What would happen if we don’t change the way things are done today?
5. What changes are happening in the organization that could impact the project?
6. How would you describe the project?
Get Help!
Whether you hire movers or bribe your friends and family with beer and pizza, moving requires lots of help. You need strong relationships with other people to help you achieve your goal.
The same is true for BAs. We depend on our connections with stakeholders. We need to understand how to engage and influence them. We need them to understand our value.
Read the 5-part “BA’s Best Friends” series to learn more about the BA’s relationship with the PM, the QA Lead, the Business Sponsor, the CIO and the Business Manager.
Embrace the Change.
Moving disrupts your routine, adds to your “to do” list, and inserts risk and uncertainty into your life. But what keeps you focused throughout the process?—the benefits of your new home!
Just like a real estate agent helps their client manage change, BAs are change agents for their stakeholders. They help their project teams focus on the value of the solution—the benefits of their new system, process or product. You can learn more about BAs as change agents in Top 10 Business Analysis Skills for 2013.
Keep the wine glasses!
I just can’t let them go, so let’s use the wine glasses as a reminder that we should always be ready to celebrate success.