http://www.net2van.com/2013/09/slides-and-video-metrics-that-matter-with-chris-geoghegan/
Chris has bad news. Most of the time you spend looking at your analytics is probably in vain. There is too much data that tells you too little information. You thought analytics was all about using information to make better decisions, but it isn’t working. How do you go beyond just giving yourself a nice pat on the back with how many visitors you got last month?
Showing posts with label business analyst. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business analyst. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Why Business Analysts Are Difficult People
http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/why-business-analysts-are-difficult-people/?utm_source=Bridging+the+Gap+eNewsletter&utm_campaign=d22915894f-Newsletter_Bonus_July_5_20127_3_2012&utm_medium=email
Part of becoming a great BA is getting our stakeholders to do difficult things, love us for it, and want to work with us again.
But getting to this point means that you take the difficult road not the easy one.
Part of becoming a great BA is getting our stakeholders to do difficult things, love us for it, and want to work with us again.
But getting to this point means that you take the difficult road not the easy one.
- Instead of letting our stakeholders put everything they want into the requirements spec, we lead them through a prioritization process and help them see how prioritization helped them get more of the right stuff done (instead of just less stuff done).
- Instead of allowing conflicting stakeholders to duke it out and asking for their decision to document in the spec, we jump in and help them work through the issue and come to a shared solution. In the process, we help elevate everyone’s understanding of the issue and of each other.
- Instead of allowing a passive sign-off and waiting for the inevitable changes to come later in the process, we force true understanding and surface as many issues as possible as early as possible. We play the bad guy so IT or QA or the technical writer doesn’t have to.
For the right professionals, becoming a BA is a career-changing experience. In fact, for some, it’s a life-changing experience.
It’s difficult to be difficult and do difficult work. But it’s also immensely rewarding. In the words of one of my most trusted mentors, “if it were easy, anyone could do it.”
It’s difficult to be difficult and do difficult work. But it’s also immensely rewarding. In the words of one of my most trusted mentors, “if it were easy, anyone could do it.”
Friday, June 22, 2012
Business analyst 101
http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/how-to-become-a-business-analyst-when-you-have-an-it-background/
http://businessanalystmentor.com/2009/06/12/becoming-a-business-analyst-assessing-your-competence-gap/
http://modernanalyst.com/Careers/InterviewQuestions/tabid/128/Default.aspx
http://harvard-business.alltop.com/
http://2wtx.com/business-analysis/books
https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=276598&c=ib&aff=80220
Join International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) ($125 USD (includes account activation fee)) http://www10.iiba.org/source/iiba_signup/GTM_Tier_Display.cfm?Section=Sign_up
http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/leveraging-your-expertise-to-become-a-business-analyst/
http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/become-a-ba-8-5-business-analyst-job-search-mistakes/
by Adriana Beal
Business analysts solve problems for organizations
Having solid technical skills can be a great starting point for someone looking to develop a career in business analysis. In Why do we see technical skills in business analyst jobs? Laura lists a good reason why many BA jobs ask for technical skills: BAs with technical knowledge are more likely to ask the right questions about technical implementation.
The biggest obstacle for IT professionals interested in developing a BA career is the lack of well-developed business skills. One might argue that “soft skills” (the ability to communicate with clarity, precision and eloquence, work well with other people building effective contacts and relationships across and outside the organization, and so on) are more important for a BA than being business-savvy. However, in my experience, software engineers who are passioned about business analysis already value and develop their soft skills, so it’s typically not the main competence gap they face when they try to switch to a BA position.
Understanding things like revenue streams and profit centers, on the other hand, may require a mode of thinking that is relatively unfamiliar to many technical people. Often, IT professionals are more skilled at writing elegant code, and producing software rich and features and functions, than at helping stakeholders determine the right set of project requirements capable of balancing the needs of the company, the market, and the users.
http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/help-a-ba-can-i-make-the-transition-from-sales-to-business-analysis/
Most of my roles have been fairly technical. So I’ll let the readers here chime in with some ideas for you there.
Within your career history lie valuable experiences and transferable skills. Are you emphasizing your most relevant qualifications? Have you fully mined your past to demonstrate your potential to succeed in the future? Does your resume communicate how perfectly well-qualified you are for the positions to which you apply?
Your resume can indirectly sell the following message: “I’m a great business analyst and I just applied for the perfect position. You should contact me because I can help you solve this problem you are having.” That’s positioning.
1) listening 2) asking right questions at right time 3) documenting the outcomes 4) identifying the challenges 5) reporting them to the proper channel at proper time 6) identifying opportunities and resources to make them successful and recommending them to management.
Books:
http://businessanalystmentor.com/2009/06/12/becoming-a-business-analyst-assessing-your-competence-gap/
http://modernanalyst.com/Careers/InterviewQuestions/tabid/128/Default.aspx
http://harvard-business.alltop.com/
http://2wtx.com/business-analysis/books
https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=276598&c=ib&aff=80220
Join International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) ($125 USD (includes account activation fee)) http://www10.iiba.org/source/iiba_signup/GTM_Tier_Display.cfm?Section=Sign_up
http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/leveraging-your-expertise-to-become-a-business-analyst/
http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/become-a-ba-8-5-business-analyst-job-search-mistakes/
by Adriana Beal
Business analysts solve problems for organizations
Having solid technical skills can be a great starting point for someone looking to develop a career in business analysis. In Why do we see technical skills in business analyst jobs? Laura lists a good reason why many BA jobs ask for technical skills: BAs with technical knowledge are more likely to ask the right questions about technical implementation.
The biggest obstacle for IT professionals interested in developing a BA career is the lack of well-developed business skills. One might argue that “soft skills” (the ability to communicate with clarity, precision and eloquence, work well with other people building effective contacts and relationships across and outside the organization, and so on) are more important for a BA than being business-savvy. However, in my experience, software engineers who are passioned about business analysis already value and develop their soft skills, so it’s typically not the main competence gap they face when they try to switch to a BA position.
Understanding things like revenue streams and profit centers, on the other hand, may require a mode of thinking that is relatively unfamiliar to many technical people. Often, IT professionals are more skilled at writing elegant code, and producing software rich and features and functions, than at helping stakeholders determine the right set of project requirements capable of balancing the needs of the company, the market, and the users.
http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/help-a-ba-can-i-make-the-transition-from-sales-to-business-analysis/
Most of my roles have been fairly technical. So I’ll let the readers here chime in with some ideas for you there.
- technical writing
- interviewing stakeholders
- between business and development
- product and stakeholder knowledge
- know the products
- Industry experience
- Functional / domain experience
- Application expertise
- Organization expertise
- "We all have something unique to offer. What’s your point of differentiation?" http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/how-industry-expertise-can-impact-your-business-analyst-job-search/
- Most BAs do not qualify for the vast majority of BA jobs.
- Business analysts exist to support organizations.
Within your career history lie valuable experiences and transferable skills. Are you emphasizing your most relevant qualifications? Have you fully mined your past to demonstrate your potential to succeed in the future? Does your resume communicate how perfectly well-qualified you are for the positions to which you apply?
Your resume can indirectly sell the following message: “I’m a great business analyst and I just applied for the perfect position. You should contact me because I can help you solve this problem you are having.” That’s positioning.
1) listening 2) asking right questions at right time 3) documenting the outcomes 4) identifying the challenges 5) reporting them to the proper channel at proper time 6) identifying opportunities and resources to make them successful and recommending them to management.
Books:
- The Software Requirements Memory Jogger (Goal Q P C Inc)
- The Memory Jogger II (Goal Q P C Inc)
- Blueprint for success as a New Business Analyst
- How to Start a Business Analyst Career: A guidebook to help you explore the business analyst profession and find entry-level business analyst jobs
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