Business Analyst Blog with tips, techniques and resources for every BA.
Data and analytics can provide invaluable insights into how your business is performing. Experts like Mark Stiffler say that leveraging data and analytics can uncover new growth opportunities, strengthen existing processes, and increase your overall efficiency. In this blog post, we'll discuss eleven tips you can use to leverage data and analytics to improve your business processes.
Read MoreMost software development and process improvement projects involve introducing new ways of working as part of implementation. Creating a procedure document 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.
Read MoreWhile there’s nothing like having some experience under your belt, Business Process Management (BPM) certifications can aid analysts in some key ways: they serve as concrete evidence of business process management knowledge; offer the opportunity to learn new concepts /best practices; and benefit from the experience of trainers/mentors.
Read MoreIf you’re a business analyst involved in a BPM project, use these free courses to get up to speed on BPM concepts:
Read MoreProcesses should be designed with the customer in mind. Business Analysts involved in process improvement projects usually have to focus on the “moments of truth” by analyzing all the points in the process where there’s interaction with the customer. Designing processes with the customer in mind means focusing on the touch points with the customer. Guest Post By Daphne Lefran
Read MoreTo get an understanding of what Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is, it is certainly helpful to look at it from the angle of what it is not.
Read MoreWhat Are Process Reference Models?
It’s easier to describe them by saying what they are not:
They are NOT a step-by-step set of instructions that dictate how your processes should work. They only serve as a guide for making process decisions and will need to be modified to suit the requirements of your business
Read More“We started the project 3 months ago but it never really went anywhere”
“We just don’t have the resource to do it”
“SMT couldn’t see the point in making the changes we suggested”
Sound familiar? Guest Post By Hannah Lincoln, ITAS
Read MoreBPO and BPR are two separate approaches to achieving process improvement and they need to be understood within the context of improving business processes in order to identify which approach is best for your business.
Read MoreOur team recently completed a project that involved documenting As-is processes. The objective was to create a central repository of processes to guide process improvement discussions. Though businesses embark on process mapping exercises for different reasons, the benefits are worthwhile, if successfully completed. To achieve success with building your process repository, there are some key success factors you should be aware of:
Read MoreBusiness Process Modelling is a technique, one that comes with standards that are understandable to stakeholders if presented in the right form but this is not always the case. The problem with drawing process models is that they can quickly become unwieldy over time, hard to maintain and difficult to understand, thereby defeating their main purpose which is to convey meaning.
Read MoreFor organisations just delving into BPM and new BPM teams, one of the first steps is usually to design a strategy of how business processes will be managed. This strategy provides a road map for launching and implementing business process improvement projects.
Read MoreNo matter which approach you adopt, process selection should be guided by this basic principle: Only about 20% of organisational processes have the potential to deliver unique competitive advantage (Pareto’s Principle). If you can identify these processes, half the battle is won.
Read MoreCompanies undertake process improvement efforts for numerous reasons. If a company is vying to attract investors for example, it must have its ducks in a row. Process information flying around in memos and emails can easily lead to chaos and a general lack of understanding of how things are supposed to work. To work effectively, employees should have a complete view of the effects of their actions and inactions on process outcomes.
Read MoreProcesses where input have to be received from preceding steps are extremely prone to bottlenecks. Bottlenecks can cost the company time, money and valuable customers. Customers will switch to faster competitors if they do not get their products on time. If tasks sit for days in a person's inbox waiting for attention or engineers are constantly waiting to receive product specifications, improvement efforts and projects will suffer.
Read MoreOne common area of confusion when mapping business processes is the difference between a process and a procedure. The 2 words, process and procedure, are often used together in different contexts. Though similar, they differ in the level of information they convey.
Read MoreBPM is a combination of practices centred on driving organizational value through a process-improvement culture. It can be as simple as defining unclear processes, continually looking for areas of improvement and making changes, or as complex as a complete business process re-engineering venture. Whatever your approach is, there are certainly many benefits to be had.
Read MoreProcesses should continue to be monitored, measured, updated and improved long after they've been automated. Business Process Management is not a one-off initiative but a mindset that should be nurtured within the organization. Knowing what can go wrong on your BPM journey will help you manage any accompanying risks and opportunities.
Read MoreDefining (and documenting) a process is one of the first steps to understanding how it works. Process improvement starts first with understanding how the process works, so whether you’re interviewing process participants or observing a process, here are 10 process components that will help you arrive at a high-level description of the process.
Read MoreThis article discusses 6 warning signs your processes may be in need of attention. Look out for these signs and work towards eliminating them.
Read MoreThis business analyst blog contains practical insights into business analysis, software testing and business process management. I will be sharing business analyst tips, CBAP Certification tips, lessons learnt and insights into all the things I've learnt during my BA career.
