Business Analyst Blog with tips, techniques and resources for every BA.
A number of themes stood out in ESI’s Top 10 Business Analysis Trends for 2015, a report prepared annually by ESI executives & subject matter experts.
This post discusses the BA trends in the ESI report in the form of “themes” and suggests ways Business Analysts can prepare themselves to take up the evolving BA role in 2015 and beyond.
Read MoreA Business Analyst is expected to methodically juggle multiple activities and refine his analysis skills simultaneously.
To help you understand more about the spheres into which the job of a business analyst can expand, I have divided them along the following verticals and also explained the typical responsibilities to be carried out in each vertical. Guest Post By Robin, The Business Analyst Job Description.
Read MoreLooking for free Business Analyst eBooks?
This post is a growing collection of free resources you can download for your reference and personal library.
Read MoreThe courses listed here provide the knowledge needed to recommend effective business solutions, manage stakeholder relationships, cope with stress on the job and assume leadership positions.
Read MoreDealing with difficult stakeholders is in fact, no different from dealing with difficult people. This article sheds light on 5 major tactics you can employ to ensure you get a stakeholder to cooperate or at least, prevent him or her from derailing your project completely.
Read MoreBusiness Analysis is the culmination and interplay of diverse skills. This article covers 3 essential skills every business analyst should have.
Read MoreA Business Analyst can be compared to a Swiss army knife. Do you know what brought the Swiss army knife to life and subsequently to market?
Its innovative nature.
Read MoreThe quote by William Shatner certainly underscores the importance of the interview as a fact-finding technique. While interviews provide analysts the opportunity to learn about stakeholders’ needs, stakeholders in the process of being interviewed, also start to unravel the intricacies of what they want – their elusive requirements.
Read MoreEmotional Intelligence is about identifying and understanding other people's emotions with the objective of channelling these emotions towards a positive outcome. A person with a high emotional intelligence is able to decipher his emotions as well as that of others to help him form healthy working relationships.
Read MoreThe case of a guide dog leading its blind master is a popular analogy here – A dog with intelligent disobedience will disobey an instruction that puts his master in danger, even if the instruction is from the master.
Read MoreThere's no easier time to feel uncomfortable than at the start of a project in a new domain. Yes, the journey ahead may seem challenging and interesting, but anxiety quickly builds up when you think of how little you know and how much groundwork there is to be done before you can add value to the project.
Read MoreCommunication, simple as it sounds in theory, can be quite complex in practice. In addition to knowing when to communicate is the additional challenge of knowing how to communicate. Writing and speaking are two essential forms of communication and the underlying rules and styles should be mastered. Understanding this will ensure that communication with stakeholders is effective enough to save you from potentially embarrassing situations - Guest Post By Rhys Bates.
Read MoreOne question that has been on my mind is whether analysts are better off attached to business units or the IT unit. While there are many benefits to working closely with the IT unit, it is pretty clear that business analysts who spend most of their time in IT would not have many opportunities to get a full grasp of how the business works.
Read MoreThis post is based on Daniel Pink’s bestseller, “A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future”, which contains interesting insights on how to achieve professional and personal success. According to Pink, we are living in a new age termed the conceptual age, where those who think differently (right-brain thinkers) will be valued above others. He describes the conceptual age as one in which innovators, big-picture thinkers, artists, empathizers, pattern recognizers and “meaning makers” will be the lead agents in society.
Read MoreOne of the 48 Laws of Power, as stated by Robert Greene, an American Author, is to always know who you're dealing with. You cannot assume that different people will react the same way to your strategy or plans. That's why it's important to gather as much information about a person that either support or contradict your beliefs about them when dealing with them.
Read MoreIn a quest to prevent solving the wrong problem, numerous techniques like the cause and effect diagram and 5 Whys have been introduced. One problem solving tool that shouldn’t go without a mention is the PIECES framework. What makes it so unique is that it can be applied to analysis at multiple levels to deliver different results, depending on how you apply it.
Read MoreThe BA and PM roles are complementary and support each other. To hire one without the other introduces the risk of losing the benefits that come with having these two specialists support each other to deliver a solution of the right quality, at the right time and within the available budget.
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Business Analysts are communicators and facilitators brought on projects to elicit requirements by sifting through masses of information and relating these requirements to the technical team. This role is extremely vital but comes with unique difficulties that every BA should know about and endeavour to rise above. Being aware of the pitfalls that come with the profession will prepare you to tackle them if and when they arise.
Read MoreLogical fallacies can be described as mistakes or errors in reasoning. Recognizing logical fallacies in yourself and others will help to sharpen your critical thinking skills. Practise identifying these logical fallacies in everyday situations.
Read MoreOne day after a lecture, I walked up to my Professor, Dr. Tony Cornford to autograph a copy of his book which I had just purchased. He signed on it and here are his words: “Don’t believe everything.” I didn’t really think much of it until I stumbled on the book again after 3 years. And then it struck me.
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.
