Why 2025 Is a Pivotal Year for Hazardous Liquid Transport

The year 2025 marks a turning point for industries reliant on transporting hazardous liquids due to several key developments:

1. Stringent Environmental Regulations: Governments worldwide are introducing tighter rules to curb environmental damage caused by hazardous material spills and mishandling. Non-compliance could result in hefty fines and reputational damage.

2. Sustainability Goals: Companies are under pressure to align with global decarbonisation targets, prompting the adoption of cleaner and more sustainable transport solutions.

3. Technological Advancements: Innovations in container design, sensor technology, and real-time monitoring are transforming how hazardous liquids are stored and transported, improving both safety and efficiency.

4. Market Growth: As industries like chemicals, mining, and energy recover and expand, the volume of hazardous liquids requiring transportation is set to rise, increasing the urgency for effective risk management strategies.

Understanding these developments can help businesses proactively adapt their operations and stay ahead in a competitive landscape.

Key Risks in Transporting Hazardous Liquids

Handling hazardous liquids comes with several inherent risks, including:

●      Spillage and Leakage: Even minor leaks can cause significant environmental damage and health hazards.

●      Chemical Reactivity: Certain liquids react dangerously when exposed to air, moisture, or incompatible materials.

●      Cross-Contamination: Improper cleaning of containers can lead to dangerous chemical interactions.

●      Environmental Impact: Accidents involving hazardous liquids can lead to contamination of soil, water, and ecosystems.

These risks underline the importance of robust storage and transportation systems designed to minimise hazards.

Best Practices for Hazardous Liquid Transport

To mitigate risks effectively, businesses must adhere to the following practices:

1. Regular Maintenance and Inspection

Ensure all equipment, including intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), chemical rinse bins, and spill containment bunds, is in good condition, free from cracks, corrosion, or other damage. Regular maintenance helps prevent leaks, spills, and cross-contamination, ensuring the safe transport of hazardous liquids.

2. Use of High-Quality Containers and Tools

The right equipment plays a vital role in ensuring the safe transport of hazardous liquids. IBCs and spill containment bunds are among the most commonly used tools, helping reduce the likelihood of accidents and ensuring compliance with safety standards. A chemical rinse bin is another essential piece of equipment, designed to ensure thorough cleaning of storage containers. Rinse bins prevent cross-contamination and maintain the integrity of transported liquids, allowing containers to be reused safely without posing risks to subsequent loads.

3. Employee Training

Equip workers with knowledge about handling hazardous liquids, emergency response protocols, and the proper use of transport equipment. Well-trained employees are better prepared to handle risks and ensure compliance with safety practices.

4. Adherence to Regulations

Stay updated on local and international regulations governing the transportation of hazardous materials. Regulatory compliance not only minimises legal risks but also ensures that safety standards are met during transport.

5. Spill Response Plans

Develop and implement response strategies to minimise damage in the event of a spill or accident. This includes having containment equipment and trained personnel ready to manage emergencies effectively.

By integrating the use of advanced equipment like chemical rinse bins and ensuring a robust safety strategy, businesses can greatly reduce the risks associated with hazardous liquid transportation while maintaining operational efficiency and compliance.

Safety First in Hazardous Liquid Transport

Managing the risks of transporting hazardous liquids in 2025 requires a combination of advanced equipment, strict adherence to safety protocols, and proactive planning. Tools like IBCs, spill containment bunds, and chemical rinse bins are invaluable for ensuring the safe and efficient handling of these materials. By embracing innovation and prioritising safety, businesses can not only comply with regulations but also contribute to a safer and more sustainable future.

This blog post explores practical techniques that you can use to uncover new opportunities. These strategies provide a comprehensive roadmap to drive success in an ever-changing business landscape.

1. Leveraging Market Research to Identify Gaps

Market research is an indispensable tool for identifying gaps in an evolving marketplace. By analyzing target demographics and industry trends, businesses can uncover unmet customer needs and align their strategies to fill those voids. 

Statista reports that the global market research industry was valued at 84.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2023 — recording the highest market size. Businesses that integrate comprehensive research into their decision-making processes are more likely to experience sustained growth.

Moreover, a study published in ScienceDirect highlights that research and development (R&D) spending is essential for companies to remain competitive. R&D also plays a crucial role in driving the growth of entire economies. The study finds that most R&D activities are funded by the companies themselves. However, government bodies and higher education institutions also play a significant role in supporting R&D.

This makes understanding customer preferences, behavioral patterns, and emerging market demands even more important. 

2. Analyzing Trends to Anticipate Future Opportunities

Trend analysis is essential for businesses aiming to stay competitive. Today, businesses should know how to anticipate emerging opportunities and align their strategies accordingly. 

Understanding trends helps companies stay relevant by predicting what consumers will value in the near future. For instance, Business News Daily highlights that global online searches for sustainable goods have risen 71% over the last five years. Consumers in both developed and emerging economies are increasingly prioritizing sustainability and expect businesses to protect the environment.

Aligning business strategies with trends requires flexibility and a proactive mindset. Companies that adopt agile strategies, allowing them to pivot in response to evolving demands, often outperform those with rigid plans. 

For example, businesses that embraced hybrid work solutions experienced higher employee satisfaction rates. Forbes highlights research that indicates remote employees are often more efficient in their tasks. A mid-size IT services company observed a 20% increase in productivity among its remote employees.

Investing in trend analysis enables businesses to foresee shifts before they disrupt markets. This forward-thinking approach allows companies to innovate, capture new audiences, and maintain a competitive edge in their respective industries.

3. Utilizing Networking and Events to Stay Ahead

Networking is an indispensable tool for staying competitive and discovering untapped opportunities. Engaging with industry professionals allows businesses to exchange ideas, learn from peers, and identify potential growth avenues. 

As industries rebound from the pandemic, professional networking events and trade shows have seen a notable increase in attendance. According to The Business Research Company, the event industry will likely grow from $1227.3 billion in 2024 to $1354.92 billion in 2025. 

Events foster collaboration, spark innovation, and create environments where businesses can gain invaluable insights into emerging market needs. These events and trade shows provide a unique opportunity to meet potential partners, observe competitor innovations, and showcase products.

Investing in world-class trade show displays ensures businesses stand out among exhibitors, making their offerings memorable to attendees. These displays attract potential clients and also demonstrate professionalism and commitment to innovation. 

Classic Exhibits says successful trade shows need pre-show planning and promotion, staff training, and post-show follow-up. Define your goals for the show and determine your key message and the problem you solve for a successful display. 

4. Competitive Benchmarking for Identifying Market Gaps

Competitive benchmarking involves evaluating the performance, strengths, and weaknesses of competitors to identify market gaps. It enables businesses to gain a clearer understanding of industry standards and uncover areas where they can outperform competitors. 

Companies leveraging benchmarking as part of their strategy can achieve improvement in market positioning and customer acquisition. This process is particularly valuable in dynamic sectors such as e-commerce and SaaS, where competition is fierce, and innovation drives growth. 

To conduct competitive benchmarking effectively, businesses must follow a structured approach that combines research, analysis, and actionable insights. This process ensures long-term growth and relevance in competitive industries.

5. Harnessing Customer Feedback for Innovation

Customer feedback is an essential driver of innovation, offering insights into unmet needs, emerging trends, and areas for improvement. According to a study in Springer, businesses need to understand their customers to create successful new products and services. Many CEOs recognize this but struggle to effectively use customer insights. 

Around 61% of new product launches fail within two years due to a lack of customer understanding. To harness customer feedback effectively, businesses must adopt structured collection methods that ensure comprehensive insights.

For instance, by actively listening to the Voice of the Customer (VoC), businesses can align their offerings more closely with customer expectations. An example of VoC driving innovation is Amazon's continuous enhancement of its logistics network. Amazon streamlined its operations by addressing delivery delays and packaging concerns by customers. This resulted in an improvement in delivery times globally. 

FAQs

Who is involved in identifying business opportunities?

Identifying business opportunities involves entrepreneurs, business analysts, marketers, product managers, and executives. These stakeholders assess market trends, customer needs, competitive landscapes, and emerging technologies. Collaboration among teams ensures strategic insights, helping businesses innovate, address gaps, and align offerings with demand for growth and profitability.

How do you identify business opportunities using SWOT analysis?

SWOT analysis identifies business opportunities by evaluating strengths to leverage, weaknesses to address, opportunities in market trends or gaps, and external threats to mitigate. By aligning strengths with opportunities and minimizing weaknesses, businesses can uncover areas for growth, innovation, and competitive advantage.

How to seize a business opportunity?

To seize a business opportunity, act quickly with a clear strategy, leveraging your strengths and resources. Conduct thorough market research, validate the opportunity, and create a solid plan. Engage stakeholders, secure the necessary funding, and execute decisively while adapting to challenges to maximize success.

Implementing the strategies discussed—setting clear goals, engaging actively, and following up consistently—enables businesses to harness the full potential of networking. By prioritizing these practices, companies can not only discover new opportunities but also solidify their position as leaders in their industries.

The Art Of Communication: More Than Just Reports

First and foremost, the ability to communicate effectively is your Excalibur in the world of business analysis. It’s not just about articulating thoughts but also about being a bridge between the information and the business. You’re the translator of complex jargon into the common tongue, ensuring clarity is achieved in every meeting, email, and report. Remember, while it could be tempting to produce really extensive, detailed reports, something any BA is proud of, the objective is to enable change through your insights. 

Analytical Acumen: Seeing The Forest And The Trees

As a BA, your analytical skills can be compared to a finely-tuned compass, guiding stakeholders through the forest of data. It’s not just about crunching numbers; it’s about unearthing stories hidden within them. Possessing a Sherlock Holmes-like knack for deducing patterns, trends, and anomalies makes you indispensable in a world drowning in data but starved for insights. Your challenge is to see both the fine details hidden in the data and the big picture of where, why, and how this data is useful to the organization. This ability to see the granular and the bird’s eye view is a skill that is extremely valuable in the boardroom, so if you have this competency, then you might well be up for a ride up the corporate ladder. 

Tech-Savviness: Riding The Digital Wave

Let’s face it, we’re in the digital age, and you need to surf this wave like a pro. Whether it’s navigating SQL databases (if you have a technical background) or charting the territories of CRM systems, your technical prowess ensures you’re not left adrift in the ever-evolving digital landscape. The rise of technology tools in the BA space has contributed to amazing levels of efficiency, where the technology can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you when it comes to running models, formulae, and crunching numbers. As mentioned before, your focus will increasingly be an interpretation of what this all means. 

Project Management: Keeping Your Eye On All The Balls

If you’re a BA wearing multiple hats, for example, a project manager hat, think of yourself as a juggler, where the balls are project elements, and you need to keep them all in the air. Managing timelines, resources, and expectations requires precision and a cool head. As a BA, your ability to oversee projects from inception to completion is not just impressive; it’s critical. Your ability to remain organized in this space is vital. From scoping projects right through to finalizing reports, it should all be very well organized. While specialist BAs are not expected to be project managers, the description of what a BA is expected to do in some organisations may extend to project management.

Resourcefulness: Being The Problem-Solver

Resourcefulness is your secret weapon, often unsheathed in times of crisis. It’s about being a problem solver in the corporate world. Whether it’s finding novel solutions to budget constraints or brainstorming ways to overcome data limitations, your ingenuity is pivotal. It goes without saying that your role as BA is way more than running analysis workshops and communicating the findings. Your role is fundamentally to understand challenges, and for that, you should be well-connected, well-read, and well-researched, whether you’re reading an HBR study or blitzing through a BuildOps blog. The better informed you are, the better you’ll be able to do your job.

Emotional Intelligence: The Heart Of Team Dynamics

Your emotional intelligence (EQ) is the glue that holds the team together. Although many BAs would love being an only child, the reality is that you often form part of a team. It’s about empathy, understanding, and managing not just your emotions but also those around you. A BA with high EQ is like a seasoned diplomat, navigating the treacherous waters of office politics and team dynamics with grace and tact. Remember, sometimes, the heartbeat of a project lies in understanding the heartbeats of its team members.

Adaptability: Expect Change

The only constant in business is change, and your ability to adapt is your competitive advantage. Whether it’s shifting market trends, evolving project scopes, or new technology, your flexibility ensures you’re always ahead of the game. It’s about being comfortable with uncertainty, like a sailor who trusts their ability to navigate through uncharted waters. Where you can, try to predict change. Yes, we know it’s really challenging, but through visualizing and predicting change, you’ll be primed when the time comes to pivot and go again. 

Stakeholder Management: The Balancing Act

Managing stakeholders is very much like walking a tightrope, where balance is key. You must align diverse interests, expectations, and personalities, ensuring everyone is onboard and engaged. It’s a delicate process, where one misstep can lead to a loss of trust or support. As a BA, your ability to walk this tightrope with confidence and skill is crucial in steering projects to success.

Continuous Learning: The Eternal Student

The realm of business analysis is ever-evolving, and your thirst for knowledge should be insatiable. Whether it’s new methodologies, emerging technologies, or evolving best practices, being a lifelong learner keeps you relevant and sharp. Think of yourself as an eternal student, where every project is a new classroom, and every challenge is a lesson. Whether you take on further formal learning like CFA certification to better understand the financial landscape or more informal learning through a mentoring program, your challenge is staying relevant and effective. 

Strategic Thinking: Playing Chess, Not Checkers

Strategic thinking is about seeing the big picture and understanding how each move impacts the endgame. As a BA, you’re not just playing checkers, where moves are reactive; you’re playing chess, where every decision is part of a larger strategy. It’s about aligning tactical details with overarching business goals, ensuring every analysis, report, and recommendation moves the needle toward success. Remember the analogy of seeing the trees and the forest? Do your contributions lead to a competitive advantage in the marketplace?

In conclusion, being a Business Analyst is not just a job; it’s a journey of continuous growth and diverse challenges. Each competency discussed here is an important piece of the BA puzzle. Embrace these skills, refine them, and watch as they transform not just your career but the businesses you touch.

1. Set Goals With Your Data

Before you use data to make decisions, it's essential to clearly define what you're trying to achieve from an analytical standpoint. Setting clear goals will help ensure you stay on track as you work through the analysis process. For example, if your goal is to reduce costs by 10%, you'll need to focus on finding areas where cost savings can be made.

One of the main challenges of utilizing data and analytics to improve business processes is ensuring that the data used for decision-making is accurate, up-to-date, and relevant. If not, any decisions based on it may be misinformed and lead to suboptimal results.

2. Set Up Automated Systems

With automated systems in place, collecting the data needed for analysis will be much easier. This could be as simple as setting up an automatic process for tracking customer feedback or as complex as creating a system that tracks all of your business operations from beginning to end. Automation makes it easier for you to track performance over time so that any changes can be quickly identified and addressed.

3. Collect Relevant Data

Once you've identified your goals, it's time to start collecting data to help inform decision-making. This could involve analyzing customer feedback surveys or tracking website usage metrics such as pageviews or time spent on a page. Make sure the data you collect is relevant and up-to-date so that it provides an accurate reflection of current performance levels.

4. Analyze the Data

After collecting the necessary data, it's time to start analyzing it to gain insights into how well your business processes perform relative to your goals. This may require using tools such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets for fundamental statistical analysis or more advanced tools such as Tableau for visualizing complex datasets.

5. Identify Areas of Improvement

Once the data has been analyzed, identify areas where improvement is needed for processes to become more efficient or cost-effective. This could include streamlining specific tasks or finding new ways of utilizing existing resources more effectively.

6. Test & Refine

After identifying areas of improvement, try out different solutions and monitor their effectiveness over time to refine them further until they reach their maximum potential impact on the business' performance metrics, such as efficiency or cost savings. It's also essential not just to focus on short-term gains and consider long-term implications when deciding which solutions should be implemented permanently within the organization's operations structure.

7. Implement Changes

Once the optimal solution is identified, roll out those changes across all relevant departments for them to take effect across the entire organization quickly and efficiently without disrupting existing operations excessively during the implementation stage itself.

8. Monitor Performance

Regularly monitor performance metrics such as efficiency levels or cost savings achieved through these changes to ensure they remain effective over time, and identify any potential improvements that may need addressing in future updates/iterations of these processes themselves down the line, if necessary.

9. Leverage Technology

Various technologies available can help streamline the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to make more informed decisions about improving business processes. Automation tools like Zapier are great for automating tedious tasks like filling out forms or generating reports. At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) technology like IBM Watson can be used for more complex tasks such as predictive analytics or natural language processing (NLP).

10. Communicate Findings

Communicating findings clearly across all departments within an organization is critical. Everyone should understand why certain decisions were made based on the collected information so that they can adjust their behavior accordingly. Additionally, having open conversations around these topics helps everyone become more aware of potential issues before they arise, which allows teams to react quickly if something goes wrong.

11. Adjust Strategies

Don't be afraid to adjust strategies based on new findings uncovered by using data and analytics. Companies must remain agile to pivot quickly when needed while also staying one step ahead of competitors who may have similar strategies in place. As mentioned earlier, monitoring performance over time will help guide decisions here.

Conclusion:

Mark Stiffler understands that using data and analytics is essential for optimizing business processes, increasing efficiency, and driving organizational growth. By following these eleven tips—setting goals with your data; setting up an automated system, collecting relevant data; analyzing the data; identifying areas of improvement; testing and refining; implementing changes; monitoring performance; leveraging technology; communicating findings; and adjusting strategies—you'll be better equipped to use data effectively to improve your business processes going forward.

1. Ensure your requirements are clear and devoid of ambiguities: Documented requirements will guide the vendors in determining their suitability to respond and should as much as possible, reflect what is to be achieved during implementation. A well-defined set of requirements can act as the rudder needed to guide the responses that flow through in the right direction.

2. Use a comprehensive template: Having a template (e.g Request for proposal (RFP) template) that has been successfully used before will ensure you don’t leave out important bits of information and save time as you go. This is particularly important if this is the first time you’re issuing an RFP within a new industry or organisation. In the absence of an organisational template, there are sites that offer free RFP templates.

3. Specify ahead how you want responses to be provided: In the absence of clear directions to the supplier on how information should be provided, you will need to spend a significant amount of time sorting through feedback from vendors provided in alternative formats.

4. Prioritise your requirements: Communicate any requirements that are absolute must-haves so that vendors can prepare to share their responses based on this.

5. Define the evaluation criteria: Evaluation criteria should be identified as early as possible so that all the information needed to assess vendors is requested upfront.

6. Make time for Q & A sessions: It is likely that respondents will have questions while reading through your requirements. Provide your contact information so that you can sort through the responses that come through and provide feedback.

Business process modeling notation, or BPMN, is how BPM professionals communicate the design of a specific process, be it simple or exceedingly complex. Various steps in any process may come up. Notation helps a business process management (BPM) professional identify these at a glance and describe what needs to be done at any given point during the process based on element types.

Why Is It Important?

BPMN is a standardized language and diagramming notation, supported by a vast majority of software used for process planning and execution. Beyond that, it’s a quick and unified way of describing any business process since the elements in place are universal even when used in various industries, with different tasks and inputs associated with each process. More than anything, though, BPMN is a language that enables any process to be explicitly and precisely described in any setting and allows for easy implementation when used in information technology.

Notation Elements

While there are variations of each of these elements, their main uses are identified below. Keep in mind that this is a breakdown of the most-used elements in BPMN, and not all of the elements available.

Events

A circle, commonly at the beginning and end of a process, but also possible elsewhere. Capable of coming in various places, events are milestones in a process or actions outside of process control. Catching events are events where the process acquires a specific material or directive to act on in a later task — in other words, events that possess a particular input. Throwing events, in contrast, are events that include and produce an output that may or may not exit the process.

Start Event

The start event is the initial place for input in a process: it’s always a catching event, and it always sets a process in motion afterward. Starting events can often include an incoming order request or the arrival of a customer in a store.

Intermediate Event

An intermediate event is less common but can be used when marking a particular milestone in a process. With intermediate events, one common reason for its use is to measure a particular performance metric, such as quickness in producing a product. Intermediate events are mostly throwing events, and some relatable instances include finishing a product or service before delivery to the customer. 

End Event

An end event marks the end of a process, and just like a throwing event, it always results in a final output. It’s with the end event that the process is finished, and it’s where the customer experience usually terminates, as the customer’s request is entirely satisfied through this event’s completion.

Activities / Tasks

An activity/task is represented by a rounded rectangle trapped within the process flow arrow. In contrast to events, most of which are outside the process and direct action and control, activities are places wherein the process itself (or a micro-process within it) performs a function that progresses the workload of the process. Any activity eventually results in a change, and in most cases, those changes come from tasks or activities that perform a function on the workload. Whether it’s recording data, writing an article, programming a bot, or capping a bottle, there’s something that gets repeatedly completed at this part of the process with various workloads as the process continues with order after order, workload after workload. Activities, and tasks, in particular, are at the heart of every process, and without them, the process wouldn’t exist because processes are all about change.

Decision Points

A diamond that will always produce more than one arrow toward its end is called a decision point.

Decision points are the places in a process where more than one outcome is possible. While not every decision point does, most help to decide the outcome of a process, and in some cases, they are even the final step in the process before the end event and the output that’s delivered. In many cases, these outcomes are mutually exclusive, meaning you only get one outcome or the other. But that’s not always the case. Some decisions can also allow for parallel or mutually inclusive outcomes, and when these are noted, it’s best to pay attention.

Other Important Elements

There are other elements to keep in mind that don’t always get shown but are always present. One is the arrow between elements, known as the process flow. This is the indicator of the direction in a business process, and it’s most commonly (and most successfully) modeled from left to right in English-speaking notations. On the other hand, the workload is the order, the product, the service, an imaginary item along the conveyor belt that eventually becomes the output. As for input and output, the former goes into the process, such as materials or an order request; the latter comes out of the process, usually as a finished product or completed service.

Want to learn more about BPMN? Explore this BPMN diagram tutorial. 

If so, you may be worried about what could go wrong and the challenges that possibly lie ahead. You've probably heard about the many unsuccessful stories, and you're right to be concerned.

Boston Consulting Group conducted a digital transformation study in 2020 to determine why such projects are missing the mark. It came to light that 7 in every ten digital transformation projects do not live up to expectations for various reasons. 

These could include:

• unclear goals,

• doing too much too fast, and

• lack of experienced professionals, among others.

Experience may be the best teacher, but in this case, it's preferable to learn from someone else's. Mistakes mean costly financial consequences for your business.

In this article, we'll be discussing three reasons why most digital transformation initiatives continue to fail so you can be aware of the red flags and avoid them altogether.

Let's get started.

1. Lack Of Expert Assistance

How hard can digital transformation be?

"I can probably do it on my own, and my staff can adequately fill the roles that the project requires." This is the kind of thinking that leads down the road to disaster.

The lone wolf mentality is among the leading causes of digital transformation failures.

If your digital transformation team is inexperienced, your business will have to deal with impossible goals and bad strategies stemming from a flawed planning process. 

In addition to that, risk assessment will not be carried out properly, and you won't know what pitfalls lie ahead until you're already knee-deep in the problem.  

Don't follow in the footsteps of bad examples by overestimating your staff members' skill sets and talent. New technologies, especially those that incorporate artificial intelligence, require specialized help for successful implementation into your business.

You need to choose competent technology partners to execute the project and train your staff to be tech-savvy concerning the new systems.

Of course, there are several things you’ll need to consider when selecting your digital transformation agency of choice. Some of those considerations include:

• The budget available to you

• The portfolio of the agency

• Workflow compatibility

Another essential thing to keep in mind is that the success of your project also depends on leadership and whether you have competent people at the top of the hierarchy.

For example, do you have a CIO or Chief Information Officer position at your company?

If not, it’s time to reconsider your structure. A CIO brings technological relevance to the table and can steer digital transformation projects or make the change easier for your business and employees.

With ever-expanding technologies and new digital platforms becoming more sophisticated by the day, a CIO offers your business the opportunity to keep up in a constantly changing world of technology. So, be sure to get someone qualified in that capacity for your business.

2. Obscure Or Undefined Goals

Digital transformation has become somewhat of a bandwagon if you want your business to look fantastic and in keeping with the times.

But if that’s your only motivation for the project, it’s likely doomed before it starts.

A digital transformation project without clear goals or key performance indicators is like catching the wrong bus. You aren’t quite sure where you’re going, whether you’re on the right track, and if you should be on that bus in the first place.

According to a PMI report, 37% of projects fail because of unset or unclear goals. That means approximately 4 in every ten digital transformation projects don’t pull through because of plans, resulting in a lot of wasted time and resources.

So, the first step of setting up your digital transformation campaign to be successful is to define your business’ project goals and how these will profit your establishment.

For example, say you’d like to get an eCommerce WordPress website, separate from your current website, as part of the digitalization process to reach a broader market. You want to create a digital store where your clients can shop for items without coming to the store.

The goal here would be to increase lead generation. Perhaps, instead of having 100 clients coming into the store, you’d want your products to be seen by ten times that number in one day.  

In this case, there is a clear KPI or metric for success, and you know what your project is setting out to do for you, which is a much more efficient way to approach digital transformation.

You can measure the number of click-throughs your products are getting by using web analytics tools like Bitly, for example, to determine if the website is generating the right buzz.

Of course, it’s always important to be realistic with your expectations, which is why you should get professional help for your project. Overambitious goals are another reason why some digital transformation projects fail.

3. Doing Too Much, Too Fast.

Another reason why digital transformation fails is an undefined scope.

If your project is trying to implement all sorts of digital initiatives at the same time, you’re likely spreading resources too thin and also rushing through essential processes.

What’s more, juggling multiple digital transformation projects means not having enough time to gauge the success of a system before moving on to another or scaling it up.

Consequently, if one of your technological renovations is based upon success, there’s an expensive chain reaction of failure when the first element doesn’t hold up as expected.  

For example, say you want to create a database that eases the availability of client information across your various organizational branches. However, after putting infrastructure for this database, you realize you need to improve your data collection methods.

You consider intelligent document processing software now. However, you realize the technology requires some overhaul to the data input mechanisms of the system you just spent so much to implement.

And why did you or your team miss this error in judgment?

Maybe because you were also working on your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system on the side, you didn’t properly think through the first idea.

In line with a famous Steve Jobs quote, think big, but start small. Hence, you want to create a scope and implement digital transformation in phases.

For instance, you could split the project into customer service, data handling, and operational efficiency.

Now take each digital transformation category and focus on that, according to a pre-designed timeline, while also leaving enough window after the project to measure ROI.

Let’s consider customer service as an example. 

You’ll start with a plan outlining your customer service goals, and your team of digital transformers will offer options.

Objectives could be creating more customer feedback channels or reducing communication turnaround time.

Your team may suggest language analytics tools or an AI-powered optical character recognition platform, among other solutions. Once you have all the cards on the table, you can weigh the benefits of implementing one option over the other and find the best way forward.

Conclusion

What part of digital transformation turns out to be most challenging for you? After what you know now, will you be implementing a digital transformation project at your company?

If not, you should. Digital transformation offers many benefits for your business. 

It allows you to improve your customer experience, cut down on costs, and can give you a competitive advantage, a much better way to run your business today.

However, this type of project introduces its fair share of challenges.

While beneficial, it’s essential to be wary of the pitfalls of digital transformation, which include overreaching scope, wrong goals, and inexperienced personnel.

As always, thorough planning is key to the success of your digital implementation process. You’ll also need to set out clear and realistic goals in addition to recruiting an experienced digital transformation agency.

To bridge communication gaps, understand why establishing a good rapport is vital. Then, apply these methods to building relationships with your most important stakeholders.

Why establishing a good rapport is essential. 

In business analysis work, stakeholders of all kinds get caught in the fray. They have to balance their duties with contributing valuable insights to your project, and it’s your job as a business analyst to make this easier. Without a good rapport, your efforts will suffer. 

Each stakeholder has their goals and agendas. While sometimes these goals overlap, you have to coordinate your messaging as a business analyst to make the insights and recommendations you generate applicable to all parties. This can present many difficulties as the range of stakeholders invested in any business can be broad.

Typically, the stakeholders you’ll communicate with include:

● Customers

● Employees

● Investors

● Suppliers

● Trade associations, to mention a few

Your customers will be most interested in the highest quality products or services for the lowest cost, while your investors will want to see your revenues increase. Coordinating stakeholders to accommodate these interests requires effective communication. For example, you’ll need strong communication and presentation skills to explain to customers why prices might rise or convince investors that new software platforms are worth the overhead. 

Methods for building good relationships with critical stakeholders

Human beings are complex, and communication can be difficult at best. To solidify a consistent strategy for communicating coherent messages, you have to first start by understanding your stakeholders and moving forward with carefully coordinated narratives. Data and storytelling have to coexist for any successful approach.

Build good relationships with analytical and empathic methods of communication. By following these strategies, you can better establish a rapport with each stakeholder in your business to get your points across: 

1. Map your stakeholders — The whole process begins with understanding your stakeholders and what matters to them. One of the best ways to do this is to put together a stakeholder map. This is a process that involves either manually mapping or using a software application to construct a visual of all interested parties, ranging from your C-suite executives to your customer base. 

With a map laid out of stakeholder needs and relationships, you are better positioned to communicate and elicit information. From there, you would know which relationships should be cultivated first, which personalities need a specific approach, and how you can best establish a rapport.

2. Further your business and communication education — Applying clear and compelling business communication to the often-complex nature of analysis can be a challenge. The more education on your side regarding business and communication, the better you’ll be prepared to establish great relationships.

A Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) degree is one way to cultivate the transferrable skills you’ll need to make this easy, from analytical reasoning to emotional intelligence. Additionally, any further training you take on will assist in your efforts.

3. Establish communication best practices — Some stakeholders can be notoriously difficult to get information out of. That’s why it’s especially vital to practice effective communication skills during all your elicitation sessions. Start with active, encouraging listening that encourages communication. Focus on body language, encouraging words, reflection, and paraphrasing, which shows your stakeholders that you are just as invested as they are.

Then, ensure that all your communication efforts are applicable and time-saving. Forming a narrative out of your insights will help in this regard. By relaying an immediate need, challenge, and avenue for overcoming problems, all framed in a human context, you improve your chances of being heard and understood. 

Cultivating great business relationships

As a business analyst, you might be more focused on the data than the direct interpersonal communication of business insights. However, you need to establish a great rapport with your stakeholders to be effective at your job. 

Start by mapping out the people and departments you need to communicate with. What are their goals and challenges? Then apply empathetic frameworks for showcasing your insights, and always be prepared to listen and engage actively. 

Though it’s hard to gauge in data form, communication is a critical success factor that will determine the impact of your analysis. Focus on stakeholder rapport for more significant results. 

This phenomenon is a form of information overload — when the group starts to overanalyze data and overthink solutions to their problem. In the uncertainty, you end up not deciding at all, and that inaction can lead to unintended negative consequences. 

Your team will need to stay wary of this potential hindrance and develop countermeasures to it if it's an error that you're prone to committing. The following tips will guide recognizing analysis paralysis, along with ideas for limiting its negative potential.

Understanding How Analysis Paralysis Works

The science behind analysis paralysis is interesting and provides insights that will help you recognize when it occurs within your work team. 

First, you need to understand that most people make decisions in one of two ways. We either select the most immediate option that addresses most of our needs, or we seek out alternatives to maximize the potency of our solution. 

That second course of action, attempting to seek out a more significant number of alternatives and more data to reach the optimal conclusion, often results in two unintended effects:

• Choice Overload: The more information you have, the harder it becomes to process it all. Even when you have specialized technology on your side, the human brain is capable of only so much, and so the abundance of data becomes your undoing. You might not even be able to theorize potential solutions because you can't sort through the tsunami of details you've assembled.

• The Paradox of Choice: By increasing the number of potential solutions you have to a problem, you might think you're working your way toward better results, but that is not always the case. Too many choices can also lead to too much pressure in making a final decision. When the stress of making the right call becomes too great for you to handle, you freeze in the face of your options, leaving important projects in limbo.

These are common obstacles faced by many business analysts, including analysis paralysis, which can put a drag on your team. You'll be unable to proceed with essential tasks, and on the whole, analysis paralysis saps the team's mental energy and creativity. Thankfully, there are clear paths to avoiding these outcomes, which we'll cover next.

Combating Analysis Paralysis

So, as a team, how can you avoid this pitfall? One of the most profound changes you'll be able to make is to start tackling your problems with an iterative mindset. If you're not yet familiar with this approach, the basic concept goes something like this:

• Your team's instinct is to try to devise the perfect solution to a challenge or an ideal product to sell to customers right from the get-go.

• You understand that this is counterproductive, as it may result in no solution at all due to information overload and analysis paralysis.

• So, instead of focusing on getting things perfect, you start by reaching a "good enough" solution to begin with, then use feedback and new data to shift your approach over time with subsequent iterations.

• That "good enough" solution may be imperfect, but it's something you can accomplish quickly to avoid getting stuck (in software development, this is often referred to as a minimum viable product).

Additional techniques that will help nip analysis paralysis in the bud include:

• Setting deadlines for making important decisions: If the team decides collectively that certain decisions have to be made at a certain point in time, it will be easier to hold the group accountable for creating and sticking to a solution. If need be, appoint someone close to the team as the judge who can hear out potential options and impartially reach a conclusion that you'll all agree to follow.

• Limit your information: Regardless of the topic, there exists a nearly limitless amount of data you can collect and then attempt to analyze. However, resist the temptation and instead cap the amount of information you're using to decide so that you don't become overwhelmed.

• Remember your goals: In some cases, paralysis can come from the fact that your team has lost sight of its end goals. Be sure you keep in mind what a solution is supposed to achieve so that you don't get lost in the weeds chasing after the wrong things.

Finally, if you're wondering how wrinkles like remote work factor into dealing with analysis paralysis, know that while they make things more challenging, it's still a surmountable obstacle. Introducing new organizational approaches to your strategic planning, for instance, can help keep the team on the same page and keep things running smoothly via telepresence.

In Conclusion

Analysis paralysis occurs when your team becomes overwhelmed by data and alternatives, preventing you from making decisions and stopping your progress cold. It's a primary cause of delays on working projects and draining normally productive teams of their mental strength, but it is avoidable.

Keep analysis paralysis from delaying your team by restricting the amount of data you use in decision-making, setting strict deadlines for completion, keeping sight of your goals, and learning to use an iterative approach to solving your problems. 

A sales team for example, may identify critical success factors such as closer customer relationships, increased number of sales partners and increased motivation within the team.

How to define 'CSFs'?

CSFs are the brainchild of D. Ronald Daniel, who described the concept in a Harvard Business Review article entitled 'Management Information Crisis' all the way back in 1961. They can be differentiated from other measurements of success, such as Key Performance Indicators (KPI), and are key areas, rather than metrics, that are seen as critical to an organisation enjoying success in its market. The nature of CSFs means that they should be constantly scrutinised by management.

CSF types

Now, let's take a look at the four different types of CSFs, as described by John F. Rockart, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, who developed the ideas of Daniel:

1. Industry Factors – These will vary depending on the specific sector a company inhabits. Businesses will need to define the key actions that need to be carried out in response to these factors, to remain competitive. 

2. Environmental Factors - These external factors have the ability to influence the direction of a business and range from competitors, the general business climate and advances in technology.

3. Strategic Factors - These stem from the competitive advantage a company has already identified in a particular market and can range from being able to provide a product or service in large quantity to having expertise in certain areas. 

4. Temporal Factors – These come from short-term developments within an organisation, such as internal changes or problems that arise, and can be considered a normal part of business growth.

Click here to access John F. Rockart's research paper on critical success factors.

The tool can also be used by teachers and trainers to facilitate analysis of educational content, delivery modes and growth opportunities both within and outside educational/ training organisations. 

Survey Anyplace offers a free introductory trial.

3. Vonto

Vonto offers simplified analysis of a range of data in one report. Vonto integrates with a number of existing apps such as Google Analytics, Xero and Facebook, which can help to build a holistic view of a company or division. The ability of Vonto to combine a number of data sources into one report means managers and analysts can readily see trends, leading indicators and anomalies. 

Vonto was created by CommBank and is available for free.

4. Survey Monkey

A global leader in survey design and reporting, Survey Monkey has come a long way in the 20 years since it was launched. Survey Monkey's customisable templates can be used for creating surveys for both internal and external customers. Insights from surveys can reduce both employee and customer churn; highlight proof points for marketing campaigns and product development; and assist in the recruitment and development of talent. 

Survey Monkey's basic plan is free. Other survey tools you can explore for free are Google Forms, Typeform and FreeOnlineSurveys.

Which other tools would you recommend?

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Business Analysts working in startup environments or in the strategy function of businesses will often be faced with situations where they are required to define the value proposition of products or service, in collaboration with business owners. Business owners looking to define their business model will also need to consider what their value proposition is in order to grow their customer base.

A business or idea can’t just be different or unique for the sake of it. The value proposition defines the “reason-for-being”, that is, why it exists. Businesses have heard this call over and over again but some still struggle to grasp it or clearly define it.

The value proposition is the reason why customers turn to one company over another, and can be viewed as the collective attribute(s) or a bundle of services/products that satisfy the unique needs of the specific customer segment a business serves.

What Is A Value Proposition?

A value proposition represents what a customer is willing to exchange for having their needs met - BABOK® Guide

A value proposition may be tangible or quantitative, in the sense that a business could be helping their customers save time, save money or increase revenue. It can also be intangible or qualitative, that is, the business may be delivering superior customer experience or delivering a flawless product design – attributes that solve key customer problems.

This post highlights key steps to identifying a unique value proposition. So, if you’re a BA looking to define the value proposition of a business, here are some tips for getting started.

1. Understand the target audience's pain points

Contrary to what some may think, it doesn't start with identifying the solution. Rather it begins with having clarity of the problem the target audience is looking to solve. Keep in mind that this isn't always as obvious as you may think it is. For this reason, you need to understand customers. Learning how to get more customers involves delving into who they are, and understanding their motivations. We are always looking for a product or service to bring meaning to our lives, to fill a gap. Therefore, figuring out the need or pain point can provide a shortcut to better understanding. Once you have clarity on what your customers actually want, it will become easier to identify their views on what they are looking to accomplish by using a specific product/service, and identify ways of delivering the service or product in a manner that resonates perfectly with the target audience. This will be the business’ “reason-for-being” in the eyes of its target audience. 

2. Study the competition

It's interesting to note that not every business pays attention to its competition. Caught up in the 'uniqueness' of their idea, they are led to believe their solution is better or different. It's good to have this confidence, but it's erroneous to think others may not have something similar or more effective. Hence, it's always wise to study the competition and rank where a product or service stands against competition. Business analysts should spend some time studying the level of competition posed by other products or services, and define ways to stay ahead of the game.

3. Validate the value proposition

The ultimate measure of uniqueness can't be found in the boardroom. It's in the hearts and minds of the target audience. Do not be afraid to take it out to them to research the appeal, relevance and uniqueness of the value proposition. They may embrace, reject or trigger the need to change portions of it. Where possible, do not allow poor sales figures to tell you you've got it wrong.

Are you looking to create a business model canvas?

As with most artefacts these days, you don’t need to start from scratch. There are a number of tools you can employ to brainstorm the details of your business model and present it in a professional format. The following tools have been provided as an initial starting point.

Canvanizer

Strategyzer

Miro

BMCanvas

Conceptboard

Vizzlo

VisualParadigm

CNVS

Do you know of any other tools that should be on this list?

Companies - startups in particular, have to keep up with innovation and need to spend their time wisely. Business plans tend to take time, significant effort and resources to prepare. The Business Model Canvas is the lighter and more agile version of a business plan that can help businesses define what they are about. It is suitable for both new and existing businesses.

Business theorist Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur in 2004, introduced a technique known as the Business Model Canvas. A business model comprises 9 building blocks and shows how an organization creates and delivers value to its customers. It provides a blueprint for implementing a business strategy but usually does not include strategic details or approaches. It can also be used as a lens to examine the current state of any business. For example, you may be able to identify how much time and resources a company devotes to each of these building blocks. Here are some Business Model Canvas examples.

As part of building your business model canvas, it’s important to ask the right questions. This article provides a checklist of questions to ask when developing your business model.

1. Customer Relationships

This building block defines who your target customer is and how they are acquired and retained.

Key Questions

1.     Who are our target customers?

2.     Which additional stakeholder groups do we generate value for? 

3.     How do we acquire these customers?

4.     How do we keep the customers we have?

5.     How do we increase the number of customers we have?

2. Customer Segments

Customer segments provide a means of grouping customers with common needs and attributes, so that their needs can be efficiently addressed. Segments can be defined based on:

• Needs per segment

• Profitability between segments – Customers may be grouped based on the amount of revenue they bring in

• Formation of customer relationships – For example, Online Vs Walk-in customers

• Device Type

• Geographical location

• Gender

• Sex

Key Questions

1. Have we segmented our customer base? 

2. What are the key segments we should be looking at?

3. What business relationship are we looking to form with each segment? 

3. Value Proposition

This represents what the customer is willing to pay for to fulfill a specific need.

Key Questions

• What problem are we trying to help our customers solve?

• What needs do our customers have?

• What products and services should we offer to our customers per segment?

• What value do we deliver to our customers that would make them come to us?

• What value do we provide that distinguishes us from our competitors?

4. Distribution Channel

Distribution channels refer to how a business reaches its customers to deliver services or products to them.

Key Questions

• How do we reach our customers and what are the alternatives?

• Are these channels in line with what our customers need? 

  • How would customers like to be reached?

5. Key Resources

These are the assets needed to execute a business model. They may be physical, financial (line of credit) or human.

Key Questions

• What resources are needed for us to deliver on our value proposition?

• How can we best allocate resources in an efficient manner?

6. Key Activities

This is a combination of value-add (activities customers will pay for), non-value-add activities, and activities performed to meet regulatory needs, which the customer is usually not willing to pay for.

Key Questions

• What activities do we need to undertake to deliver value to our customers?

• What activities are we able to carry out with the resources we have?

• What additional activities should we be carrying out and do we have the right resources in place?

7. Key Partnerships 

Partners are required for a business to be able to perform its activities. This type of relationship can evolve into a merger/acquisition. Partnerships are particularly useful in saving costs, reducing risk and helping businesses gain access to the capabilities/resources they lack internally. 

Key Questions

• Who are our important partners and why are they important to us?

• Who are our important suppliers and why are they important to us?

• What activities are our partners good at?

• What do our partners expect to get out of their engagement with us?

8. Cost Structure

It's important to understand where funds are being devoted, how costs can be reduced and the different types of costs affecting the business.

Key Questions

• What are the key costs for us?

• What are the financial risks we face and how do we mitigate these risks?

9. Revenue Streams 

These define the ways in which revenue comes into an enterprise in exchange for the realization of a value proposition. Examples include:

• Licensing/subscription

• Transaction/usage fees

• Sales

• Lending, renting or leasing

Key Questions

• What are our sources of revenue?

• What is the customer willing to pay us for?

• What can we do to increase our revenue?

• How do our customers pay and how do we want them to pay in the future?

• How much does each stream of revenue contribute to our turnover?

If you need a starting point, explore business model canvas powerpoint templates that can help you hit the ground running.

Please share your experience with using the Business Model Canvas.

According to a study conducted by IBM in 2012, companies that perform well tend to innovate their business models quite frequently, compared to underperformers. Innovation is essential to remaining competitive if a business is to stay afloat and remain relevant. History provides examples of companies that have lost out by missing out on opportunities to innovate – Think Motorola, Nokia, Lehman Brothers, Kodak, American Airlines – the list goes on. Failing to adjust one’s business model to suit the ever-dynamic business environment can threaten and diminish the longevity of any business. On the other hand, companies that dare to break the moulds of traditional business practices via innovative business models continue to enjoy significant benefits today. Here are some examples:

• Amazon is the largest bookseller in the world today without a brick and mortar store; 

• Apple is the largest music retailer that distributes music without the need for CDs

• Netflix reinvented the video rental industry by renting out DVDs via email and eventually providing an online streaming service

• Zopa became the first social lending platform 

It pays to learn from history – the losses and successes of other business.

So, what exactly is a business model and what should you know about innovating your business model?

According to the book, The Business Model Navigator: 55 Models That Will Revolutionise Your Business, there are four dimensions every business model should have:

Customer (Who) – Your business model should clearly identify who your customers are and which customers you won’t focus on as part of running your business. Customers lie at the heart of every business model and you should be clear on who your business is delivering value to.

Value Proposition (What) – This refers to the offerings (product and services) you provide and how they are relevant to meeting the needs of your target customers.

Value Chain (How) – This refers to the combination of processes, activities, resources and capabilities that are needed to deliver value to your customers.

Profit Mechanism (Why) – This defines why your business generates profit and what makes your business idea viable. 

In summary, a business model defines who your customers are, what you offer them, how you offer your products or services as well as what makes your business profitable. The business model canvas is a technique for describing how a business creates and delivers value to its customers. According to the BABOk Guide, it comprises the following building bocks:

• Partnerships

• Activities

• Resources

• Value Proposition

• Customer Relationships

• Channels

• Customer Segments

• Cost Structure and 

• Revenue Stream

Why is defining your business model important?

• It serves as a blueprint for implementing business strategy

• It can be used as a lens for viewing and understanding the current state of your business

• It can be used for mapping programs, projects and initiatives to the direction of your business

Here are some tips for defining a business model that works:

1. Dare to be different – Doing exactly what your competitors are doing is not enough to differentiate your business. For example, Car2Go revolutionised the car rental industry through its innovative car sharing concept. Successful companies like Apple and Google have succeeded by breaking through the dominant industry logic. Think beyond the current logic of your industry  - Embrace new ideas by avoiding orthodoxies. Humans tend to get stuck in existing patterns of thought and this can block new ideas and our ability to embrace them.

2. Apply technology wisely. Technology on its own, is not what leads to innovation but its skilful and creative application to one’s business model.

3. Learn from others- Great ideas are not always novel – Significant innovation efforts have been achieved by applying ideas or practices that already exist.

4. Develop a culture and processes that support innovation - Business model innovation tends to be incremental, requiring persistence, and happening over the course of time. For example, Netflix started off by mailing DVDs to customers and then steadily evolved into an online movie streaming service.

5. Embrace new ideas - Innovation is not limited to creative geniuses or individual geniuses; teams can come together to form innovative products. The need for change can also come from anywhere in the organization and this is not limited to large R&D firms or departments. 

The new normal of online working is bound to introduce new habits and learning opportunities for business analysts looking to navigate the tides of the post-pandemic workplace. From running physical workshops with a room filled with eager participants to managing virtual workshops where participants are in different geographical locations with some participants perhaps preferring to hide behind their screens. How are BAs expected to operate in this new age?

This post discusses a number of tips that BAs should be aware of when planning for, running or facilitating virtual workshops. 

Choose the right application(s) – Depending on the activities you have scheduled for the day, select the suite of applications that allows you to achieve the level of engagement that is needed for the day. Participants should be focused on the activities in front of them and not the technology being used to deliver the objectives of each activity. Applications like Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Zoom are particularly useful for sharing screens and chatting with participants in parallel. Interested in sharing screen mockups, process models or user story maps? Miro is an example of a tool that provides whiteboard functionality which participants can access. If you would like participants to share their opinions on a subject, you could also design an online poll they can participate in.

Communicate the workshop objectives and agenda upfront – Just as you would in a physical workshop setting, providing some introduction upfront on the flow of activities before the event would help to set participants’ expectations so that they know what to expect and can prepare to contribute on the day.

Conduct trial runs - Once you have determined what your workshop objectives are, practise the activities planned for the day, make adjustments as needed and fine-tune your approach until it works. You may work with your team mates or colleagues to simulate the experience prior to the day and make improvements as needed.

Set expectations and ground rules around how the workshop session will flow. For example, how are participants expected to indicate that they have something to contribute? What happens when a participant wants to ask questions? Do they use the chat engine to get their questions across? Highlighting the ground rules before the start of the session can help encourage the desired behaviour and limit distractions on the day.

Run a fully virtual workshop - If one person is only available remotely, it might be better to have all the participants attend remotely otherwise, there could be imbalances – real or imagined. With that being said, you may find yourself needing to run a workshop with some participants on ground while others are attending virtually. In this case, you’ll need to go the extra mile to ensure online participants feel included or involved as well.

Have you run a virtual workshop session before? What other tips do you think should be on this list?

Business cases are often required to justify the need to launch new products/services, initiate projects or invest funds in business initiatives. While some companies identify business benefits with the sole intention of getting business cases approved, mature companies tend to devote their resources to tracking and measuring realised business benefits after projects have been concluded. The nature of the benefits identified in your business case can certainly make a difference to whether it is approved or not. It is important to understand the nature of benefits that need to be identified in your business case and whether or not the benefits you have identified are enough to secure funding approval.

When identifying benefits particularly for the purpose of calculating Return on Investment (ROI), keep in mind that calculating ROI for a single project can be tricky as some process metrics or financial gains tend to be influenced by process changes, software implementation and other projects happening in parallel.

So, if you’re a BA charged with preparing a business case or identifying benefits for one, here are some key facts to be aware of:

1. Benefits tend to be phased in over a period of time. This implies that benefits can accrue from year-to-year and may not necessarily be one-off. This is particularly important to note when developing a cost-benefit analysis.

2. Identifying benefits is only the beginning. As part of project governance, it’s important to establish a benefits realization process or framework to measure results on an ongoing basis and identify when an intervention needs to be made.

3. Understand the current state and document current key performance indicators to ensure benefits can be measured after the project is implemented. This is particularly central to fostering continuous improvement. Source of data is important here and can have an impact on the overall accuracy of your results.

4. Business cases are not static and should be constantly assessed for relevance at specific milestones throughout the course of the project.

5. Document accountability for the benefits by identifying which business units or roles are responsible for ensuring those benefits are realized.

6. While benefits are commonly classified as tangible (hard benefits that are quantifiable in monetary terms, for example, a reduction in headcount) or intangible (soft benefits that cannot be directly converted to cash, such as greater customer satisfaction), intangible benefits can translate to tangible benefits over time. You will however, need to trace the "chain of consequences" of delivering the intangible benefit to arrive at the tangible benefit, for example, improved customer satisfaction can lead to improved customer retention, which has a quantifiable impact on the business such as a lesser amount of money allocated to attracting new customers.

Business cases are not static but assessed for relevance throughout the life of the projects they spin off. They require a supporting benefits realization model or framework to ensure benefits identified in the business case can be reaped and measured further down the track.

Most software development and process improvement projects involve introducing new ways of working as part of implementation. Creating a procedure document that users can follow thus becomes a key activity for business analysts that needs to be completed so that system users can perform their duties using the new system or process on day one. 

So, what exactly is a procedure and how is this different from a process?

A process in its simplest form, can be described as any activity or set of activities that employs the use of resources to convert inputs into outputs. A process indicates what needs to be done and why. It also tends to be high-level and contains steps which indicate what to do.

Procedures are not divorced from processes but are presented at a lower level of detail. They determine “how” process steps are carried out and represent instructions that can be used for training staff so that they know how key process steps are to be carried out and in what order.

Are you looking to create a procedure document? This article outlines quick tips you can explore below:

1. Use the appropriate template; review existing procedure documents as the company you are working for may already have organizational process assets relating to procedure documentation. This will help you understand what the standards and expectations are.

2. Employ the use of visual icons to point out critical information you would like the reader to pay attention to. For example, you may use icons to represent tips, important notes, warning messages, definitions, checklists, exceptions, and the like.

3. Use the active voice when documenting the steps to be carried out.

4. A procedure should be concise and contain only the information that is needed to carry out desired actions.

5. All acronyms should be clearly spelt out and technical terms defined to ensure the intended audience can understand its content without having to refer to another source or document for clarification.

6. Ensure the procedure document is structured and scannable so that users can focus on the parts of the document that are relevant to them.

7. Ensure the document is endorsed prior to publication. Key stakeholder groups should review and approve the procedure as a way of signing off on it.

8. Establish a procedure review cycle to ensure the document is updated as regularly as required.

9. Use a flow chart or business process model to indicate which steps each procedure links to as some users may want to navigate between process and procedure.

10. Provide standard attributes such as a brief description of the procedure document, intended audience, owners, review date, version number, and so on, so that anyone that picks up the document can understand its purpose.

A well-written business requirements document (BRD) forms the basis of successful projects and can be used to verify that all stakeholders are on the same page regarding what the solution looks like. Three words that are often misunderstood and therefore misused in requirement documents are shall, should and will. 

But first…

Why Do We Need A Business Requirements Document (BRD)? 

Fundamentally, a BRD details the problems a product or service is trying to solve. It logically lists a product’s requirements in relation to the customers’ needs. It directs the project and keeps everyone involved on the same page, right through its lifecycle. The BRD:

●      is simple and defines business needs in a clear and concise way.

●      is agreed on by the relevant stakeholders.

●      describes what to achieve rather than how to achieve it.

●      has a logical structure.

More specifically, our choice of language can ensure clarity and meaning throughout the BRD.

Shall

In spoken English, we use both shall and will (almost) interchangeably to talk about the future. “I shall go to bed early” has more or less the same meaning as, “I will go to bed early”. In a BRD however, there’s a distinction that needs to be respected for the sake of clarity.

In a BRD, shall - and its negative, shall not - are used to describe a requirement. A requirement described with “shall” tends to have a high priority, same as when you use the term, “must”. If it helps, think of Gandalf’s intensity when he says, “You shall not pass!” in Lord of The Rings. He means business and that's what the word brings to your BRD. 

Let’s look at some examples: ‘The website shall have a homepage that lists the purpose of the organization.’  This is verifiable (easy to check) and has to be satisfied for the project to go ahead. If the website doesn't have a homepage that lists the purpose of the organisation, associated test cases will fail.

Will

Although in everyday English, shall and will are largely interchangeable, in a BRD, you really need to take into consideration which one to use and what message it conveys.

Will is used as a declaration of purpose or when describing features or specifications.

Here’s an example: ‘The system will include features to help employees track their time,’ The system might be in existence now and its purpose (yet to be fulfilled) is to track employees’ time.

Should

Should, and should not, are used to communicate a goal, which is an objective for the design team, or whoever is responsible for the development of the product/service. 

Think of it as a feature you really want in your product; one that makes it more attractive to the customer and the design team needs to know about but is not a mandatory requirement (the project can still go ahead if it’s not fulfilled).

Your product’s goals often translate well over to marketing and can be expressed as its features. For example, ‘The hiking boot should be waterproof even in heavy rain’. 

Another way to look at should in the BRD context is to give the development team something to aim for. Take this example: “The system shall have a response time of less than or equal to 0.5 seconds”. You want a faster system, but it might not be possible, so instead, you could set the goal: ‘The system should have a response time of 0.25 seconds.’ By giving the development team a goal, it gives them something to aim for beyond the required speed. Even if they only hit 0.40 seconds, it’s still an improved performance.

How BRD Writers Can Avoid Common Language-Related Errors 

Clarity is key when writing a BRD. If you keep to these 3 guidelines at the minimum, you can avoid common language errors and you and your stakeholders will be on the same page.

1. Avoid using indirect terms like may and might, as they are less definitive/descriptive of the actual requirement when compared with shall, will and should.

2. State what you mean by shall, will and should clearly at the start of the document. To avoid ambiguity and excessive follow-up questions, state what they mean within the context of your BRD before you start documenting your requirements.

3. Ditch the jargon. BRDs can be complicated and detailed, so stick to straightforward language. Keep in mind also, it’s not just your development team who will use this document; business users also need to validate the content of the document. Remove any references to technical jargon but if technical terms are unavoidable, remember to include a reference list with definitions.

I hope this article has cleared up any questions you might have had about the language to use in your BRD. If you keep these tips in mind, you would be one step closer to a complete and accurate BRD, your final product and happy stakeholders.

I tend to describe the agile approach as a way of working; A targeted way of working that allows us to make changes, respond to customers’ needs and manage uncertainty with minimal delays, and without needing to wade through “red tape”. Agile manifesto encourages: 

- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

- Responding to change over following a plan

- Working software over full documentation

This does not however imply that the agile approach does not involve processes and tools, following a plan, documentation or contract negotiation - but it implies they are less valued in comparison to activities that encourage collaboration, frequent delivery of working software, interaction and responding to change. 

Moving from the traditional/waterfall approach to an agile approach certainly involves a mindset shift that may not always come naturally or even easily for Business Analysts. This mental shift comes with implicit obligations of adopting new ways of working.

The agile approach described in this article is based on “scrum”, the most widely-used framework aligned to agile. I’ll also add that this article has been written within the context of software development, where an actual working product is expected to be delivered at the end of each sprint, though the ideas may be applicable to other contexts.

This article serves as a guide on the key differences between what would be expected of a BA in an agile-driven environment compared to a traditional environment, especially for those BAs who have to make a “shift” abruptly or for new BAs just stepping into the agile mode of working.

This is the first of a series of articles on this subject.

From Direct Interaction With Multiple End Users To Product Owners.

With the traditional/waterfall methodology, BAs are expected and encouraged to interact with stakeholders from multiple domains. There’s no official “Business Analyst” role in the scrum guide however, as scrum identifies only the Product Owner, Scrum Master and the Development Team.

The Product Owner is the authoritative source of requirements. The scrum guide specifically refers to the Product Owner as “Responsible for the product backlog, its content, availability and ordering”. 

So, why on earth do we have or even need BAs on scrum teams? 

The reality is, it’s not always feasible for product owners to be available to specify or even provide information on every requirement across multiple user groups and product features; Neither can we expect them to know all the “specialist” needs of each user group, especially when the end product is expected to cater to a large and diverse user base. BAs may thus be needed on scrum teams to liaise with stakeholders other than the Product Owner (PO) to gain clarity on requirements which extend beyond the expertise or capacity of the PO to clarify. Where the PO is not available to follow up on the details of these “specialist needs”, the BA can always step in to facilitate this process or speed up the development of user stories, where it is not necessary to introduce another PO.

Also, the larger the scope of the development effort, the more the stakeholders that can potentially be affected and the more a BA may be needed to interact with stakeholders beyond the core development team.

There’s also the need to elicit non-functional requirements, transition requirements as well as the design of mock-ups that add clarity to user stories. Business Analysts do have a key role to play on scrum teams in support of Product Owner-type activities or standing in as proxy for the Product Owner.

From Requirements Specification Documents (RSDs) To Product Backlogs

RSDs have their merit in the traditional software development lifecycle. These often lengthy and detailed documents or descriptions provide an avenue for BAs to describe in detail what is required in terms of system functionality. Typically, the BA would elaborate on each requirement with input from relevant stakeholder groups, specify each requirement to as much detail as possible before handling this “deliverable” to the development team, all done within pre-defined project timelines. An RSD would typically contain a list of “System shall...” statements, specified to a level of clarity that is suitable for implementation.

In the scrum context however, user stories are defined via a collaborative process (refinement) that involves the product owner and the development team. User stories are expected to be defined by the Product Owner, with the BA (where there’s such a role). While the requirements in an RSD may be written in the form of “user stories”, all the user stories in the product backlog are not expected to be completely elaborated unlike in the RSD; elaboration is only required for the user stories that are needed for the next sprint, with most scrum teams having a two-week sprint cadence. The idea of defining every single detail upfront before development can begin flies in the face of the scrum framework.

From Status Updates To Daily Stand-ups

Typical waterfall approaches require the BA to provide updates on tasks accomplished either to the project manager or to management directly. This may be in the form of weekly or monthly status reports depending on the organisation.

While scrum in principle does not dabble into project management or governance activities, BAs in addition to any obligations they have under the project management umbrella may be required to participate in scrum ceremonies, one of which is daily stand-ups.

The purpose of daily stand-ups is essentially to provide feedback to the development team in this sample format:

- What was achieved yesterday

- What will be achieved today

- Blockers/Impediments

BAs who do not have any official roles defined in the scrum guide may struggle with the idea of participating in stand-ups as their tasks do not “always” contribute to the achievement of the sprint goal as defined at the beginning of the sprint.

Though project teams still operate within a project wrapper in terms of governance, funding and reporting; ceremonies that the team are expected to engage in typically include daily stand-ups, sprint planning, reviews and retrospectives, and BAs would need to be a part of this, in addition to other engagements.

From Tasks to Epics, Features, Stories and Sub-tasks

With the waterfall approach, requirements elicitation work such as interviews and workshops would be represented as a series of tasks or activities that BAs have to carry out with the aim of identifying requirements, as part of the project plan. 

With scrum however, these tasks are not just tasks on their own to be managed within the BA’s private to-do list, but tasks that need to be linked to an epic or contribute to the achievement of the sprint goal. Epics are large enough items of work that are too big to deliver value to the customers, which implies they are also less likely to be completed within a single sprint. The items that fall under an “epic" categorisation can thus be broken down into features/user stories as they near the top of the product backlog.

Having a clear idea of how each BA task contributes to the sprint goal or an epic can also help the BA in providing updates during stand-ups, for teams that choose to include them in stand-ups.

In summary, it’s not how a company chooses to implement agile or scrum that determines success but the ability to identify a way of working that offers the necessary balance between agility, and the rigour that is characteristic of waterfall approaches so that the benefits of both worlds can be achieved. This mindset shift is particularly important for business analysts as it involves embracing key principles of agile, which are different from conventional principles characteristic of traditional organizations.