Mark Barnett
Business Analysis Thought Leader
Business Analysis for the 21st century
This is the first in a series of five blogs covering the same number of tips for success as a Business Analyst (BA). The primary audience would be the leader of a BA team, though BA’s and those looking to hire BA’s should also have an interest in what will be shared in this series.
And with that, I’ll pose the following question to Business Analysts, or anyone who’s done those tasks usually seen as within the bailiwick of a BAs...
Why is it that everyone in your organization doesn’t immediately recognize all the great value a Business Analyst can bring?
After all, what could be bad about using a disciplined approach to define the real, underlying needs of your company and identifying solutions that deliver value to stakeholders? Nothing, right?
Well, the reason they may not recognize the value might be staring you in the mirror! Here are some proven tips that will help ensure you are positioned to move from the promise of potential value to the delivery of real value.
Who Should Read This Article?
This article is written mainly for those who recently joined, or are soon to join, a new company, and will be responsible for building a new or taking over an existing Business Analysis (BA) discipline. If you are in the latter position of taking over an existing discipline, the advice given here will be most helpful if the existing BA discipline is still struggling for acceptance or recognition.
Alternatively, if you are the hiring manager for a BA or BA team leader, this article might provide some helpful insights for selecting the right candidate, and laying the groundwork to make the BA discipline successful in your organization.
I’m not ignoring those who already work for a company and are moving into a BA or BA manager role. I believe some of this may be helpful to you as well. However my assumption is that, as someone who already knows the culture and many of the people in the organization, you will be in a better position to avoid some of the problematic behaviors I’ve seen from BAs in multiple situations and companies, as described below.
The Business Analyst’s Dilemma
Business Analysis is an area that has, in recent years, become recognized as a valid career path. This is in large part due to the efforts of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), which has provided strong leadership in this area since 2003. That’s great! But… what is Business Analysis anyway? And who is a Business Analyst? And where does the Business Analyst handoff work to others? These are not simple questions to answer. And if you think they are, that might be part of the problem!
As to the question, “What is Business Analysis?” the IIBA defines it as “…the practice of enabling change in an organizational context, by defining needs and recommending solutions that deliver value to stakeholders.”1 That’s not bad… though it certainly can be broadly interpreted!
I completely agree that the things a Business Analyst does can bring great value and insight to an organization. And if those things have never been done, or at least never been done well, the results for the organization can be stellar – even game changing!
So where’s the dilemma? In my experience.....
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