Just don't be *that* business analyst!
I was on the phone recently with a lady who leads a team of developers for a company in eastern Europe.
I was thrilled to learn that as a technical team leader she subscribes to my content, and this got me thinking.
I am not a technical specialist so why would she be interested in my ideas about business analysis?
Well, I am going to give you some good reasons why.
During the course of our conversation it became apparent that my newfound associate is experiencing two significant issues when working with a number of business analysts in her organisation.
Her questions to me were:
1. How can I better work with business analysts so that I am involved in estimating timeframes for product development in the earlier stages of the lifecycle?
The issue here is that work is often estimated without consultation with the technical teams, and promises are made to business stakeholders that are potentially unrealistic.
This carries risk for the technical team and the organisation if the timeframes are impractical or not well managed, especially if all dependencies (technical or otherwise) have not been well thought out.
2. How can I better work with business analysts so that I can understand the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of the requirements, and therefore effectively contribute to how the solution is designed and developed?
Some business analysts dictate exactly how the solution should be built and do not consult with the technical team to understand the technical limitations and dependencies.
Further, due to their understanding of the technology, technical consultants can beneficially contribute to the design in ways not yet considered.
Can you see the risks here?
As a business analyst, would you want to absorb so much risk by not consulting appropriately with some of your most important stakeholders?
Really! If this is how we operate as business analysts, we need to change our thinking.
Another key factor that gives further context to my associate's questions is that the organisation has been transitioning in recent years from a traditional waterfall model to agile methodology.
In my view, what is occurring is a change management issue that can be dealt with at an individual one-on-one level but must also be addressed at the organisational level.
There is a lot say about change management, and if you want to read more on steps to lead change, my friend and colleague Michelle Kandiliotis wrote a very useful article here.
What I want to impress upon you here is two things.
Firstly, irrespective of methodology or framework you work within, don’t be so arrogant that you refuse to broaden your communications to include the people that are also one of your greatest assets, and potentially your greatest allies.
This was a pertinent reminder for me too.
These people – the technical specialists – can contribute immeasurably to the success of your work.
Consider this statement: success is about creating value.
How do we create value?
We do this by setting aside our egos and risky and outmoded ways of doing things and focusing on the end game.
And we bring along whoever we need to produce results in, hopefully, an open and professional manner.
The success of projects is ultimately dependent on the people and if we don’t have the buy-in of the relevant people, then the project is entirely at risk.
The final point I would like to make is this.
I have a huge respect for my European associate, who has had the foresight to take steps to understand how business analysts think and operate, so that she could improve her work.
We should do the same.
After all, it is our jobs as business analysts to get on the ‘same side of the table’ of our business stakeholders so we can understand their business and their issues, so that we can be fully aligned with their requirements.
We should extend this concept further, and take steps to break down the 'them-and-us' barriers wherever they exist.
But whatever you do… just don’t be that business analyst!
Please…
by Alexandra Cordes.
Over the last twenty years Alexandra Cordes has developed her career in consulting and contracting in organisations across a diverse range of business domains. Alexandra believes that business analysis must be based on delivering the best possible outcomes, and that results must be highly attuned to the unique nature of each business problem and be correctly aligned with business strategy. She is also a Business Analyst Career Coach and writes articles on business analysis topics at The Business Analyst’s Toolkit.