How Do Business Analysts Fit Into Agile Projects?

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How Do Business Analysts Fit Into Agile Projects?

Though the Agile Methodology is used heavily in software development domains, it has since spread into different sectors. With Agile comes a growing emphasis on equipping the development team, e.g. your software developers, content writers, engineers, designers, etc. with the information, tools, and direction they need to produce a tangible output within a fixed period of time, that is, sprints of typically 2 weeks. Guest Post By Greg Kellner

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4 Basic Tips For Writing A Better Business Case

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4 Basic Tips For Writing A Better Business Case

Business Analysts are often required to write business cases to justify whether or not a concept/product is viable. Business cases can be of varying lengths and structure. Taking on such a task can seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are four basic but easily forgotten tips that will make the process easier, and result in a winning business case.

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8 Tips For Implementing A Successful Business Intelligence Strategy

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8 Tips For Implementing A Successful Business Intelligence Strategy

In order to keep your business competitive, drive growth, ensure continuous improvement and enhance profits, a Business Intelligence (BI) strategy is essential. But a BI strategy is not just about technology or choosing the right platform. Like any part of your business, BI requires strategy, planning, buy-in, execution and continuous review. In this blog post, we will look at the key steps to implementing a business intelligence strategy.

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5 Simple Ways BAs Can Avoid Repeating Mistakes From Past Projects

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5 Simple Ways BAs Can Avoid Repeating Mistakes From Past Projects

Once you embark on a new business analyst job or project, chances are that you will try to avoid past mistakes and look for ways in which you can deliver better results. 

A lot can be said for this motivation. The beginning of a project is usually an opportunity for a fresh start. Regardless of how advanced your business analysis skills are, or how mature your processes are, there is always room to do better. Guest post by Jason Hartman.

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How to Get Stakeholders to Open Up During Elicitation Sessions

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How to Get Stakeholders to Open Up During Elicitation Sessions

If you’ve worked as a Business Analyst for a while, you’ve probably encountered stakeholders who appear quite economical with information. You know there’s more to the issue than they’re letting on. The key question is, how can you get stakeholders to open up when conducting elicitation events like interviews or workshop sessions? 

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What Business Analysts Can Learn From Technical Writers

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What Business Analysts Can Learn From Technical Writers

Most of my time, especially at the tail end of software development projects, is spent preparing user guides for end users. I try to be creative by including screenshots and business process models so that readers can completely understand what the automated processes are about, and how the supporting business applications work. As a BA, you may find yourself in a situation where you need to prepare user guides for end users. 

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The Business Analyst’s Transferrable Skills

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The Business Analyst’s Transferrable Skills

Transferrable skills are a core set of skills and abilities, which can be applied to other jobs and industries. Though most examples you will see are related to soft skills like communication, listening, leadership, etc, transferrable skills extend beyond these and it’s extremely important to identify them when thinking of a career change or advancement.

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How Business Analysts Can Avoid Confirmation Bias

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How Business Analysts Can Avoid Confirmation Bias

When we have a strong belief about something or a bias towards a particular opinion, we consciously or unconsciously seek out evidence that validates what we already believe. When we come across contrary evidence, our default behaviour is to ignore it, diminish it or in some cases, conclude that it’s wrong prematurely without exploring its merits.

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Business Analysts & The Anchor Effect

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Business Analysts & The Anchor Effect

Imagine a component in your car requires a fix. You approach your mechanic and he gives you a quote. This quote (assuming you’ve never had to pay for this part before and you have no prior knowledge of how much it costs) becomes the reference point from which you begin negotiation. This reference point is called an anchor and its effects can be seen in everyday situations.

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What BAs Should Know About Feedback Analysis

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What BAs Should Know About Feedback Analysis

I particularly find the concept of feedback analysis quite versatile because it can be applied to one’s professional development as well as the concept of implementing business projects successfully over time. Feedback analysis can give insight into your performance, whether as an individual or as a team.

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A Business Analyst's Guide To Managing Change Requests

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A Business Analyst's Guide To Managing Change Requests

It’s common knowledge that people tend to resist change as much as they can. However, without change, there can’t be progress and BAs would certainly not have that much to do. When working on large projects, change requests from stakeholders are to be expected. Successful project managers and analysts know how to manage them without bringing the project to a standstill.

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