The Top Ten Skills of Business Analysts

7/29/2019 The Top Ten Skills of Business Analysts

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The Top Ten Skills

your Mother forgot to tellyou that you needed to be a

Business Analyst

A founding member of the


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Who is Kathleen Barret?

Senior Business1

Consultant,Requirements

Management /Business AnalysisCentre of CompetencyLead,BMO Financial Group

President,2

International Institute ofBusiness Analysis (IIBA)


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Who is BMO FinancialGroup?

Founded in 1817 as Canadas first chartered bank, BMOFinancial Group is one the largest financialservices providers in North America Assets $256 billion

Employees 34,000 Information Technology 3,500

Services include: BMO Bank of Montreal - Personal & Commercial Banking (Canadian)

BMO Nesbitt Burns - Investment & W ealth Management (Canadian)

Harris Bank Financial Services (Mid-W est US)

Harris Nesbitt Investment Bank (US)


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Introduction

So you want to be a Business Analyst


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What is a Business Analyst

Business Analysts are responsible for identifying the business needs oftheir clients and stakeholders to help determine solutions tobusinessproblems.

The Business Analyst is responsible for requirements development andrequirements management. Specifically, the Business Analyst elicits,

analyzes, validates and documents business, organizational and/oroperational requirements. Solutions are not predetermined by theBusiness Analyst, but are driven solely by the requirements of thebusiness. Solutions often include a systems development component,but may also consist of process improvement or organizational change.

The Business Analyst is a key facilitator within an organization, acting asa bridge between the client, stakeholders and the solution team.

Business analysis is distinct from financial analysis, project management,quality assurance, organizational development, testing, training anddocumentation development. However, depending on an organization,an individual Business Analyst may perform some or all of these relatedfunctions.


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The 10 Skills

Analyst

Facilitator

Negotiator

Artist / Architect

Planner

Communicator

Diplomat

Expert / Consultant

StrategistRevolutionary

Describe each roleIdentify the skill or

activity required

Provide an example of thetype of training available tosupport its development


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The Analyst

Help determine

solutions to

business problems

The ultimateproblem solver


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The Analyst

Analytical & Systems Thinking

Understand & make judgments about a situation bybreaking it apart into smaller pieces or by tracingthe implications of a situation in a step-by-step way Organize the problem, opportunity or situation in a

systematic way

Set priorities Identify causal or If-Then relationships Synthesize the component parts in the context of a whole system


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Training

Problem Solving & Decision Making

Provide participants with the skills and toolsthey need to determine root issues and plan for

success Identify and find solutions to problems

Apply creative thinking skills, resulting in improved solutions

Apply decision-making methodology

Anticipate & plan for problems before they occur

Use a process tool to analyze situations, separateconcerns, establish priorities & initiate appropriate action


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The Facilitator

Key facilitator withinan organization

Elicits requirements

Ensures positive,continuousdiscussion& progress


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The Facilitator

Facilitation / Requirements Elicitation

Facilitation

Create a positive and constructive group environment Maintain the group focus Lead the discussion toward stated goals

Elicitation

Use questioning techniques and other tools to discoverprocess and data from a group of users or stakeholders


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Training

Facilitating Client Requirements

Provide the methodology and skills needed todiscover client requirements in a meetingenvironment Elicit business & system requirements from stakeholders

using a variety of meeting management techniques bases onthe types of meeting (e.g., modeling, kick-off, status, etc.)

Use group management methods to ensure anproductive requirements gathering session


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The Negotiator

Act as a bridgebetween the client,stakeholders &solution team

Maintain balancebetween potentiallyconflicting needs ofvarious

stakeholders


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The Negotiator

Consensus & Agreement Building

Help others reach agreement around a project or a setof ideas

Take on contentious issues or entrenched intereststo bring about a beneficial resolution Negotiation: Ensuring win-win solutions when two parties

start from different positions

Consensus and Agreement Building: W orkingtogether, assisting others, to reach a common

understanding and commitment Conflict Management: Bringing disagreements into the open

to help diffuse them


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Training

Power Communications

Communicate effectively with team members,manage client expectations to reach consensus & toensure successful project outcomes Utilize influence and communication skills to manage client and

peer relationships

Manage difficult conversations & more effectively deal with conflict

Practice negotiation skills that result in consensus with your clientand stakeholders

Handle objections effectively

Understand Emotional Intelligence and how it applies toself management and effective communication


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The Artist / Architect

Solutions often includea systemsdevelopmentcomponent but may

also consist ofprocess improvementor organizationalchange

The BA contributes tothe successfulsolution of theproblem


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The Artist / Architect

Modeling

Data Modeling

Develop an accurate representation of the businessinformation needs

Process Modeling Develop an accurate representation of the business

processes

Functional / User-Centered Design

Demonstrate and apply knowledge of usability factorsand techniques

Profile targeted user groups to understand who will beusing the product


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Training

Business Process Modeling

Describe the various methods of modelingbusiness processes

Create business process models based on case

study examples

Analyze the process models for gaps,process improvements, and strategicsignificance


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Training

User Centered Design

Define user-centered design

Explain the eight steps to web-design & the rulesfor good design

Define effective web navigation and page layout

Describe web accessibility

List the key elements of usability testing


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Training

Data Modeling

Describe data modeling & when to use it

Identify different data modeling deliverables & howthey fit into the process

Define high-level data definition & detaildata specification


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The Planner

Or RequirementsManager

The BA is the projectmanager of the

requirementsactivities

The BA needs to plan &manage his/heractivities to ensure

a successfuloutcome within theidentified projectconstraints


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The Planner

Requirements Planning & Management

Assure the clients requirements for products orsystems are accurately identified, captured, andtracked throughout the project life cycle

Planning Define, organize and schedule requirements

management activities in a way that is consistent with theorganizations culture and standards

Manage

Execute planned requirements management activitieswhile remaining flexible to changing requirements andproject deadlines


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Training

Project Management Fundamentals

Define requirements scope & objectives

Describe tasks & activities required to meetthe objectives

Estimate resources required to complete tasks

Schedule tasks & activities

Monitor & modify plan as required


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The Communicator

Or Translator

The BA draws out theneeds of the variousstakeholders,

captures them in theform of a document &feeds it back forvalidation &agreement


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The Communicator

Verbal & Written Communications

Verbal communication

Use discussion, conversations and interviews tofurther understanding

Speak clearly Actively listen

Written communication

Create clear, complete and useable documentation to supportthe requirements management process and to report findings

toother stakeholders


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Training

A few courses contribute to the development ofthis role

Writing Effective Use Cases Describe the process, methods, steps & questions to use

when employing a Use-Case driven approach to gatheringand defining requirements

Writing Detail Requirements Specifications Describe how to decompose the features & functions from

the High Level Requirements Document into a Detailed

Requirements Specification


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The Diplomat

Combination of otherroles

Facilitator

Negotiator

PlannerArtist / Architect

The BA ensures theclient is satisfiedwith the solution


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The Diplomat

Client Relationship Management

Establish & maintain a positive working relationshipwith the client

Consider or anticipate the needs of the client throughoutthe requirements process

Have insight and appreciation of client needs, priorities, goals &competitive advantage


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Training

A synthesis of the training provided for the otherroles contributes to the development of this skill



Project Management

Modeling

This role develops with maturity


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The Expert / Consultant

To help determinesolutions tobusiness problems

The BA needs to

understand the:Business

Industry

Competition


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The Expert / Consultant

Professional Knowledge

Understand key business fundamentals, industry levers& the drivers of the financial health and viability

Demonstrate working knowledge of the

business/organization & of software andapplication development best practices


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Training

This role develops with experience, maturity & anincreased understanding of the industry

Formalized training would be industry specific


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The Strategist

Think outside of thebox

See both the forest &the trees


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The Strategist

Strategic Business Planning

Develop, link and communicate long-range visions,goals or plans to support achievement of business goals

Translate visions & strategies into tactical plans

Align Current Actions with organizations strategic goals Think in future-oriented terms Understand external impact on internal strategy Plan actions to fit strategy & handle external events


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Training

As with the Consultant or Expert role, theStrategist develops with experience, maturity &an increased understanding of the industry


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Revolutionary

By contributing to asolution, the BAintroduces change

The BA helps

manage the impact ofthe change


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The Revolutionary

Organizational Change Management

Discover & define areas for change

Conduct impact analyses

Actively champion the cause for change


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Training


Provides an understanding of organizationalchange management within system project lifecycleby

Building an understanding of the change process Examining the factors critical to successful implementation

of the change

Identifying historical barriers that may impact this change Identifying the resistance to change & determine the causes

of the resistance

Developing an effective strategy to deal with resistance


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The BMO Financial Group


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The BMO Financial Group

Curriculum

Orientation to RequirementsManagement

Specifying Client Requirements

Eliciting Client Requirements (web-based)


Data Gathering Techniques (web-based)


Problem Solving and Decision Making

Understanding Information Security

Detailed Requirements Specification

Data Modeling

Process Modeling

User Centered Design (web-based)

Writing Effective Use Cases


Level 1

Class room SimulationProcess Assessment

Level 2Knowledge Assessment

Level 3

SimulationAccreditation


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So remember what your


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So remember what your

Mother said

AnalystFacilitator

Negotiator

Artist / Architect

PlannerCommunicator

Diplomat

Expert / Consultant

Strategist

Revolutionary

The Top Ten Skills of Business Analysts

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