Mark Jenkins and I had the opportunity to chat a few months back while he was Manager, Business Analysis at Websense. He has since taken on a new role on the other side of the country as Associate Director, Business Analysis at KPMG. We initiated a conversation as the result of a Twitter stream [follow Mark on Twitter] about learning and social networks as part of the business analyst’s professional development, but it quickly became clear to me that Mark had a lot more to share. Mark had great ideas to share about building a mature business analysis practice and elevating the role of the business analyst within an organization.

Laura: We started this conversation because you tweeted about a “learning network” and how you encouraged your BAs to be building one. Can you explain to me what you meant by that?

Mark: I learned the term “learning network” from my girlfriend’s educational technology professor who called it a “PLN – Personal Learning Network”. Essentially it means that you build a network of resources and people and bring their ideas into your organization. When I took on the management role in my BA group, I challenged them to first look and see what was out there. I challenged them to bring new ideas to the table about how we could improve our BA practice. There is so much business analysis knowledge available. There was really no need to start from scratch.

Laura: That makes good sense. I was recently speaking with a BA team lead Kym Byron and she made a parallel comment. She said that if a BA does not experience what the role is like outside their organization, their perspective of the role can become very limited. The learning network seems to be a good force to counteract that.

Mark: Exactly.

Laura: Tell me a bit more about your team.

Mark: In addition to project work, business analysts on my team have a business relationship management role. This means that 25% of their time is spent managing IT relationships within a department. They work with business stakeholders from a department on project proposals, business processes, and ideas related to technology. When we can, we assign BAs to the projects for that department, but this is not always possible.

As a BA moving from department to department on different project assignments, one of the challenges I faced was getting back up to speed on an aspect of the business domain. By maintaining continuity and developing an ongoing, consultative relationship the BA stays abreast of what’s going on in a department in the absence of active project work with that department. In my experience, it also allows the BA to move beyond being regarded solely in a project sense and more as a consultant or advisor. It also really helps maintain a solid relationship between the business domains. With a team of BAs acting as a “corporate CIA”, colleagues can alert their designated department of potential downstream impacts from the actions taken within another department.

Laura: That sounds like a great role for your business analysts. How did you justify the resource commitment to your management?

Mark: It was actually fairly easy to justify. The project managers used to have the role, but they were more focused on activities they could manage. So it was easy to bring this responsibility within the BA group. Stakeholders truly value the relationship and my manager gets good feedback from people at his level as well. This justifies the commitment long-term.

Laura: What other improvements did you make within your BA practice?

Mark: The first thing we did was build a requirements process. In the past, each BA tended to do things their own way, with an inconsistent approach and documentation formats.  Stakeholders, as a result, were seeing different documents at different times and the requirements process was taking longer than it needed to. To help resolve this, we focused on building requirements, process, and planning templates that supported our standardized process.

Another challenge we had was giving management and stakeholders input in the early part of the requirements process. In the past, analysts would go into a hole for a month or more and emerge with a requirements document. IT management was not getting feedback and the business users were missing the big picture. So we began to separate requirements and analysis. After 2-3 weeks of discovery, the BA would present the project findings to the larger group, often in the form of high level business requirements and process flows. This happened before the detailed requirements were written. This allowed stakeholders across the organization to redirect the project if necessary and provided a good turning point for the project manager to get involved and start actively managing the project execution.

Laura: It sounds like your team is in a great place. I am sure they will miss you. Good luck in your next venture. Thank you very much for your time today.

Mark: Thanks Laura, I really enjoyed talking with you. One of the things I love most about the BA community is the willingness to share ideas and work together to improve what we do. I think this is a really exciting time to be a BA!

Related posts:

1. Starting a Requirements Engineering Community of Practice: Interview with Anthony Oden, Business Systems Analyst at Dell Editor’s Note: A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity...
2. Building a better business analysis practice John Davis writes: We’ve been looking at IAG’s BA Benchmark...
3. Building a transition plan to onboard a new business analyst hire Nothing is worse than starting a new job with a...

Dear Diary: After immersing myself in multiple methods to try to absorb the BABOK content, I am only a few weeks away from sitting for the exam. As I continue to struggle to acquire all the content that I think I will need to know. I’ve definitely learned some lessons about what to do and what not to do to get it.

When I set out to begin my studies for the CBAP exam, I decided that an immersion into everything that is and was BABOK would be a good course to take in knowledge acquisition. That undertaking has taught me some lessons that I didn’t expect in my educational travels. The immersion that I experienced took several forms that all provided a method of getting BABOK-related content and experiencing it, as opposed to swallowing and regurgitating.

CBAP Study Group Facilitation

I’d heard that joining one of these groups was extremely beneficial to the study process and really helped  in understanding the material. However, when I went to go find one, there were none to be had locally. I looked online and had the same result, so I ended up starting one myself online. I’ve always believed that teaching is one of the best ways to learn about something, and this appeared to fit the mold. At present, I’m about to finish facilitation of the second group of fellow BABOK students. One thing that I can honestly say is that facilitation of a group and being a member in a group are two completely different worlds. As a facilitator, there is a tremendous amount of coordination and preparation with the student body that a student alone does not need to deal with. All that takes away from the content absorption time that helps a student understand the material.

While the facilitation of the groups has not achieved the purpose of learning, it has been rewarding in other ways. I also believe, based on student comments, that there was value to those that were purely participants. I felt that the sessions should be interactive and insightful, so did not provide lecture. We each produced short presentations about BABOK content and then collaboratively discussed the content while inserting life experiences. This type of discussion allowed members to obtain context of what some of the lessons were about in the BABOK and make better sense of them.

Overall Impression: Lots of work with little payoff as a facilitator. Perceived medium level of work and payoff for participant.

Business Analyst Individual and Group Mentoring

Using mentoring to again teach the teachings as a way to prepare for the CBAP exam has had similar results as the facilitation of the CBAP Study Group….for many of the same reasons. Depending on the level of the mentee’s business acumen and skills, the mentor could again focus on some of the basics in the teachings delivered to the student, but that is highly dependent on the student’s previous experience and is by no means a sure thing that the mentor can rely on.

Conversely, I have reached out to acquire a mentor for myself in the study process, and I would recommend this to other students preparing to sit for the exam as well for a couple of reasons. First, the student needs to be held accountable, and there are many distractions that prevent us from holding ourselves accountable. The other reason is that the mentor may typically perform planning and coordination duties for the student, which allows the student purely on the task at hand: learning. One other potential reason is dependent on the type of mentor. I chose one that had taken the exam and passed already. This has been a great help with regard to expectation setting and resolving any fears of the unknown or test anxiety.

Overall Impression: Lots of work with little payoff as a mentor. Position yourself as a student, not a teacher, when studying for an exam and reach out for guidance and accountability.

Flashcard Creation and Use

As part of my grand idea to immerse myself in content, I figured that since I was reading the BABOK, I would go ahead and write about it as well. The creation of the flashcards was extremely time-consuming, but also forced me to go through the material line by line and read everything very thoroughly. Additionally, I now have a study resource that can be reused repetitively.

Overall Impression: Lots of work with lots of payoff. Flashcards are an excellent resource and worth taking the time to develop and/or use.

Reading and Active Memorization with Available Resources

Just like in our younger years, there is no substitution for hitting the books, so to speak. Students preparing for the exam must remember,  as I had to remind myself, that the exam is based on the content defined and contained in the BABOK. It is NOT based on the way one has been performing a particular task over the last 10 years. Hence, there is a fair degree of retraining and memorization that must take place in order to pass the test and allow the IIBA to evaluate how well each student knows the content.

Rereading the entire BABOK multiple times is something that I would suggest, as well as manually copying the input/output diagrams and erasing the labels in them to quiz oneself.  Additional attention to detail regarding the referenced resources, the IIBA Handbook should also be acknowledged.

Overall Impression: This is the single most valuable method to learning the material, no matter how one learns. It is especially effective when combined with other methods that allow students to learn through doing, seeing and hearing, etc.

Conclusion

While each method provides some value to the student, be careful to find those that work for you best. Don’t take on too much in order to attain the benefit of the learning method that you like. For instance, it is probably better to seek out a presentation versus building your own, just so you can go through some slides. Combine several learning activities that allow absorption of material via different human senses and do NOT be afraid to reach out for help.

What methods have you used to absorb the BABOK? What did you find to be the pros and cons of the different ways to learn the material?

Related posts:

1. Diary of a CBAP-Seeker: Facilitating study groups to explore the BABOK Dear Diary: After the CBAP class I took, my instructor,...
2. Diary of a CBAP Seeker: Making sense of the BABOK Dear Diary: The application is now finished and after having...
3. Diary of a CBAP-seeker: taking stock of my business analyst experience Dear Diary: “I’ve been an analyst for a long time...

Reader question:

If the Product Manager and the development team are located in two different states, where should the BA reside?  I am in a very tough position right with hiring a BA and my development team is in another state. Where should the BA reside to best help the team? Should they be with me as the Product Manager or with the developers?

Laura’s answer:

This is a tough one. Underlying your question is the recognition that the BA is right in the middle, bridging between you as the product manager and the development team. I assume this person would be communicating with both locations about equally.

As I am sure you appreciate by working with a remote development team, communicating about requirements over the phone and internet is a real challenge. Because no matter where you place your BA they will have a key set of stakeholders in a remote location, they will need to be able to communicate effectively via phone and email. And you’ll want to budget for some travel, especially early on, as the business analyst takes time to build relationships with those in the remote location.

In terms of making a decision, I would start by first evaluating who is stronger at communicating over the phone and email. You or your development team? Who is most likely to benefit by having the BA at their side? Who is most likely to participate in a white board brainstorming session? Would your developers be more likely to be distracted by having a BA in their location or would they be more likely to ask follow-up questions?

Alternatively, consider your viewpoint as the product manager. Do you anticipate bringing the BA into other business discussions? Are these in your location? Would having the BA in your location then help them maintain a broader perspective of the business? Would having the BA in a remote location place more of a burden on you in terms of communicating new requirements and perspectives of other stakeholders?

Another way to go is to recruit for the position in both locations until you find the best candidate.

What does everyone else think?

Related posts:

1. Akk! The developers won’t use my requirements specs! Ask not what your developers can do for you, ask...
2. Job post trends: use of business analyst, product owner, and project manager as a position title With the job market still in churn and available candidates...
3. A project manager’s view into the business analyst role [guest post] [book excerpt] Laura’s note: Have you ever wondered exactly how a project...

The best business analysts are open-minded. They let you help them get better.

Editor’s Note: Before the holidays I had the opportunity to sit down with fellow-IIBA-Denver board member, Kym Byron and talk about her role and her career advice for other BAs. It’s always amazing to me how you can collaborate with someone and not really understand what it is they do! I learned a lot about Kym, how business analysis is structured in her organization, her role as a business analyst team lead, how IIBA volunteering contributes to her professional development, and how companies are using IIBA and the CBAP as part of their sales and marketing strategy.

Enjoy!

Laura: Thanks for taking the time to meet with me today Kym. Can you tell me a bit about your current role?

Kym: I am the team lead of a product specialist group, reporting to the VP of Product Development. There are 9 business analysts on my team. In our organization, the business analyst works hand-in-hand with a requirements analyst. The BA is responsible for requirements elicitation, client communication, requirements validation, maintaining a demo environment, and supporting the sales staff with detailed product knowledge. The requirements analyst is responsible for all the requirements documentation. The BA often partners with a client-side BA on a project. For example, the client-side BA might do a gap analysis against their existing system and the BA on our team would support them with detailed information about our product and the conversion.

Laura: In your role as team lead, what contributions do you make?

Kym: I am both an individual contributor working on specific projects and the team lead. As team lead, I’ve implemented many new practices based on the BABOK. One of the key new practices was requirements reviews. Everyone participates in the review process, including myself. Work product across the group was inconsistent and taking the time to review requirements improves the consistency of our deliverables.

Laura: And you have your CBAP too, can you tell me about how that has helped you in this position?

Kym: I introduced the CBAP to my organization. We are a Microsoft shop and there was an existing company program offering incentives and bonuses for relevant certifications, including the PMP and various technical certifications. As a result of introducing the CBAP, I received a bonus.

My company uses IIBA and the CBAP as selling points to prospective clients. Since our product specialist group is a client-facing team involved in conversion and customization projects, they sell the fact that our business analysts are there to help you through your migration to the new system and are up-to-date on the latest professional standards.

Laura: What was it like preparing for the CBAP?

Kym: Well, I had been doing business analysis for 7 years and never had any formal requirements training. As I prepared for the CBAP I learned that I was mostly doing things right. I think there is a balance to be struck between learning from experience and learning through formal training. If you only learn from experience and don’t switch companies or learn how other organizations are doing things, you can have a very limited perspective on the business analyst role. Preparing for the CBAP helped broaden my perspective.

Laura: I think this is a great point, working within a single organization without exposure to what’s going on outside your organization can definitely build a myopic view of the BA role. I’ve found that participating in the Denver IIBA chapter has also expanded my view of business analysis. Do you have that same experience?

Kym: I definitely feel that volunteering for IIBA supports my career because it is a way to stay in tune with trends and what other business analysts are doing. I have a much broader view of the profession and have established solid relationships in the Denver area. I encourage members of my team to watch IIBA webinars and will encourage them to attend our local meetings in 2010.

Laura: In your opinion, what separates an OK BA from a great one?

Kym: The best business analysts are open-minded. They let you help them get better.

Laura: Yes, I’d agree. And the best business analysts are always seeking ways to become better too. I can see your doing that through your professional development and contributions to the profession. Thanks for your time today Kym! Any parting advice?

Kym: And thank you for the opportunity. As parting advice, I’d suggest that you don’t discount any opportunities that come your way, whether it be a project, or event, or an introduction to a person. You never know what will come of it.

Related posts:

1. Exploring the CBAP (Certified Business Analyst Professional) designation This morning I had the great pleasure of speaking with...
2. IIBA Interactive Webinar: The BA Career Path – Becoming, Being and Building Editor’s Note: This IIBA(R) panel and webinar is open to...
3. Hiring a resume writer: Interview with Steven Gara, CBAP(R) It’s no secret that resume writing is difficult work. Hiring...

John Davis writes:

We’ve been looking at IAG’s BA Benchmark 2009 that deals with the impact of poor requirements practices on project and organisational success. Short of hiring a company such as IAG, how can we as BAs best help our organisation – or a client organisation for those of us in IT Services – develop more maturity in requirements definition and management?

Speaking from my experience working as a consultant for large organizations which frequently lack structure and discipline in requirements definition and management, making the case for a stronger business analysis practice is not as easy as one would expect. With the number of studies demonstrating how flawed requirements development processes generates all sorts of problems in software development projects (from scope creep to defects found at later stages compromising product quality and resulting in ballooning costs), it is somewhat surprising to see so many business leaders failing to recognize the value of consistently following a mature, disciplined business analysis process in their organizations.

One of the main reasons for this lack of understanding is that it’s not a simple task to connect improved process capability with better results in IT projects. Skepticism about the value of investing in process improvement remains not only for business analysis, but for other disciplines as well (software development, user experience, testing, etc.). Such resistance is understandable in light of the fact that many problems, from requirements volatility to implementation issues, can cause project failure even in organizations with excellent processes in place.

What can a BA do to help overcome the resistance to change? A conversation with senior management about current project issues is a good starting point. Is your company missing commitments? Suffering from late delivery of software products to the market? Experiencing last-minute crunches, or too much rework? By focusing on existing project shortcomings, and the range of expected results that can be achieved by following a better requirements process in terms of cost, schedule, functionality and product/service quality, it is possible to raise awareness, obtain the necessary support in the form of sponsorship, and secure the resources needed to start a process improvement effort.

Once the initial resistance is overcome, what should be done next? A good first step would be to get management and the BA group thinking of what needs to change. A reference guide such as the BABOK can be used to facilitate the process of answering the question: “What is the real situation here?”. In order to improve its requirements practices, organizations may need to work in several directions: processes, planning, training, technology, relationships and coordination with other disciplines, measurement. Disciplined change is important, as well as approaching the problem iteratively, like a series of projects that break the work down into smaller, more manageable pieces, so that inefficient or defect-prone BA activities are identified and replaced or revised in a consistent, effective manner.

There is a lot to be discussed about developing a true business analysis discipline and establishing an effective BA practice that supports the need for both stability and continued improvement. I hope to continue to develop this topic in future articles.

Have you been part of a project to develop more maturity in requirements definition and management in your organization or a client organization? Do leave a comment below so others can learn from your experience.

Related posts:

1. Building a mature business analyst practice: Interview with Mark Jenkins Mark Jenkins and I had the opportunity to chat a...
2. New webinar on maturing your organization’s business analysis capabilities. Managing Requirements Operational Excellence: A Framework for Accelerating Organizational Development This...
3. Building a transition plan to onboard a new business analyst hire Nothing is worse than starting a new job with a...