Business Analyst Community & Resources | Modern Analyst

Business Analysis in the Age of AI

Pulkit Singhal — Fri, 01 May 2026 19:24:00 GMT

Business analysis work has become faster and more efficient over the past few years. Requirements are documented more quickly, discussions are summarized sooner, and solution options are produced earlier in the delivery cycle than ever before. Yet many Agile and product teams are discovering an unexpected truth: as delivery accelerates, the importance of human judgment increases rather than diminishes.

The central question facing business analysts today is no longer whether tools and automation belong in analysis work, but where judgment must take precedence. That distinction matters because the most serious failures in delivery rarely come from obvious mistakes. They emerge from reasonable decisions that appear correct at the time and gradually move teams off course.

Where Acceleration Helps and Where It Falls Short

Modern analysis practices are excellent at speeding up work that is inherently mechanical:

Converting discussions into draft requirements
Identifying patterns across large volumes of data
Refining user story language
Summarizing customer or stakeholder feedback

When used well, this removes low‑value effort from the analyst’s workload. When relied upon uncritically, it creates the illusion of progress.

The challenge is not poor quality output. The real risk lies in outputs that are clear, structured, and confident enough to pass surface review, while subtly reinforcing incorrect assumptions. This is where judgment becomes decisive.

Judgment Gap #1: Determining Whether a Requirement Is Worth Building

Clear and complete requirements do not guarantee meaningful outcomes.

In day‑to‑day delivery, analysts encounter familiar patterns:

A requirement addresses a visible symptom rather than the underlying problem
Stakeholders agree on wording but diverge on expected results
A feature meets acceptance criteria yet produces no behavioral change

Experienced analysts pause to ask questions that artifacts alone cannot answer:

What decision or behavior is supposed to change as a result of this work?
If this is delivered perfectly and nothing improves, what are we missing?

Strong analysis is not just about expressing requirements well, but about challenging their intent.

Judgment Gap #2: Interpreting Context That Never Appears in Documentation

Business environments contain layers of context that rarely make it into requirements or datasets:

Organizational dynamics and power structures
Regulatory concerns driving risk‑averse behavior
Legacy failures that shape stakeholder trust
Competing incentives across teams

Analysts recognize these signals not because they are documented, but because they have seen the downstream effects:

Solutions that are functionally correct but poorly adopted
Processes that are bypassed in practice
Reports and dashboards that exist but are ignored

Judgment here is not guesswork. It is pattern recognition developed through exposure to real consequences.

Judgment Gap #3: Recognizing When Clarity Creates False Confidence

Early clarity is often welcomed as momentum. Detailed backlogs, well‑defined flows, and polished models can make teams feel aligned and confident.

Seasoned analysts remain cautious.

They ask whether clarity is reducing uncertainty—or simply hiding it:

Are assumptions being locked in too early?
What would invalidate this design once it is tested?
Are open questions being resolved, or quietly deferred?

Sometimes the most responsible decision is to leave things deliberately unresolved, even when tools and processes encourage premature finalization.

What This Means for Business Analysts

As delivery mechanics become faster, the value of business analysis shifts away from producing artifacts and toward exercising judgment:

Framing the right problems
Interpreting conflicting signals
Evaluating consequences under uncertainty
Challenging assumptions before they harden

These capabilities are not procedural skills. They are developed through experience, reflection, and exposure to real outcomes especially failure.

Closing Thoughts

Modern tools and practices have made business analysis more efficient, but efficiency does not replace responsibility. The most effective analysts are not those who produce the most artifacts in the shortest time. They are the ones who know when clarity is helpful, when it is premature, and when the best contribution is to pause and ask a different question altogether.

That work remains deeply human and central to successful delivery.

Reinventing the Annual Member Survey: A Business Analyst’s Role in Delivering Actionable Insights

Pulkit Singhal — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 02:38:00 GMT

In a competitive and rapidly evolving financial landscape, understanding member needs is vital to maintaining strong relationships and delivering meaningful value. Yet for many institutions, especially those with legacy processes, collecting structured member feedback can be surprisingly underdeveloped. This was the case at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBank Chicago), where — despite its extensive engagement with member institutions — the Bank had never before conducted a structured, enterprise-wide Annual Member Survey.

Recognizing the need for a formalized feedback mechanism, the Bank launched an initiative to design and implement its first-ever Annual Member Survey, leveraging Salesforce as the foundational platform. As the Lead Business Analyst, I was responsible for envisioning, architecting, and orchestrating this new capability from the ground up.

This initiative ultimately became a defining example of how strategic business analysis can create net-new organizational capability, not just improve existing processes.

The Challenge: Creating a Strategic Feedback Framework from Scratch

Unlike most process-automation projects, this effort did not begin with an existing workflow to analyze or improve. Instead, the Bank faced a unique challenge:

No prior survey process existed
No historical data or response structures were available to benchmark against
No distribution, tracking, or reporting mechanisms had been established
No governance model existed for how results should be consumed
Stakeholders possessed varying assumptions about what the new survey should accomplish

This meant the project required not only systems expertise but also conceptual design, stakeholder alignment, and strategic framing.

My Role as Lead BA: Designing a New Enterprise Capability

The absence of an existing process meant that Business Analysis would shape the entire direction of the initiative. My responsibilities included defining the business problem, creating the process architecture, establishing data structures, and ensuring Salesforce could support a sustainable and scalable survey model.

1. Establishing the Vision and Framing the Purpose

Through interviews and collaborative workshops with Member Strategy, Sales, Analytics, and Leadership teams, I led discussions to answer foundational questions:

What insights should the Bank gather annually?
How should “member satisfaction” be defined in measurable terms?
What KPIs would create genuine value for leadership?
How should results be tied back to member institutions in Salesforce?

This work produced the Bank’s first Survey Vision and Strategy Framework, guiding all subsequent design decisions.

2. Building the End‑to‑End Survey Workflow in Salesforce

Because no prior workflow existed, I architected a brand‑new process designed around clarity, automation, and scalability:

Designed the survey creation and distribution model
Built logic for survey-to-member linking
Defined the response-collection data structure
Modeled the end‑to‑end visibility lifecycle, including assignment, participation, reminders, and results
Ensured dashboards would give leadership real-time insights

The process not only captured survey responses but also embedded insights directly into the Bank’s member management ecosystem.

3. Translating Ambiguity Into Clear, Actionable Requirements

Given the lack of precedent, requirements had to be derived through deep analysis rather than comparison. I authored:

Detailed user stories
Acceptance criteria
Process maps
Data models
Reporting definitions

This documentation became the foundational blueprint for developers, testers, and end-users — eliminating ambiguity and creating shared understanding.

4. Leading UAT and Validating a New Capability

Because the Bank had never conducted a survey like this, UAT required additional rigor:

I designed test scripts covering every stage of the survey lifecycle
Trained business stakeholders on how to test a process that was entirely new
Triaged defects and clarified user expectations
Ensured the system was intuitive and future-proofed

Through this, the Bank gained confidence not just in the technology, but in the process itself.

5. Supporting Rollout, Adoption, and Governance

Beyond system delivery, I worked closely with:

Member Strategy teams to formalize interpretation of results
Analytics teams to align on scoring and reporting methodologies
Change management teams to ensure smooth onboarding
Salesforce admins to embed long‑term maintainability

This ensured the survey became an annual, repeatable, institution-wide capability—not a one‑off project.

Conclusion: This project shows that Business Analysts are not just process improvers—they are capability creators.By clarifying needs, defining strategy, architecting processes, aligning teams, and ensuring quality, the BA function enabled FHLBank Chicago to establish a powerful new insight mechanism that will shape strategy for years to come.

The Annual Member Survey is now more than a project deliverable.
It is a permanent intelligence asset for the Bank — built on a foundation of Business Analysis leadership.

When Should an Analyst Suggest Using Queues in Integrations?

Andrii Siryi — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:43:00 GMT

One of the most underrated skills for a business or system analyst in integration projects is knowing when to recommend a message queue — tools like RabbitMQ, Kafka, or Azure Service Bus.

Let’s be honest: not every integration needs one. But when it does, queues can save your system from chaos.

What Queues Actually Solve

Message queues are not just “another tech buzzword.”
They handle asynchronous communication — meaning systems don’t have to wait for each other to respond.

Example:
Instead of sending an invoice from System A and waiting for System B to confirm,
System A drops the invoice into a queue.
System B picks it up when it’s ready.

Benefits:

Smooth data flow even if one system is slow or offline
Built-in retry and error handling
Better scalability — handle thousands of messages per second
Natural decoupling between systems (less spaghetti logic)

When Analysts Should Recommend Queues
You don’t need a queue for every integration. But consider it when you see these signs:

High volume of transactions — more than a few thousand per hour.
Unstable or external systems — APIs that sometimes fail or have latency issues.
Different processing speeds — one system sends faster than another can receive.
Business-critical data — where you can’t risk data loss or duplication.
Complex workflows — where multiple consumers (systems) need the same event.

When Not to Use Queues

For real-time user interactions (e.g., “show me the balance now”) — queues add delay.
For simple 1:1 synchronous API calls — direct REST is cleaner and faster.
When the team can’t support monitoring (queues need visibility and alerts).

As an analyst, you don’t have to design Kafka topics or RabbitMQ exchanges.
But you should recognize the moment when a queue turns from “technical detail” into a business enabler — ensuring reliability, scalability, and peace of mind for everyone involved.

For Business/System Analysts who work with ERP integrations.

Andrii Siryi — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:42:00 GMT

When designing ERP integrations (for AR/AP document flows), Business/System Analysts often face a range of “gotcha” questions — technical, architectural, and sometimes unexpected.
Here are some of the real-world questions I ask clients during the API and ERP connector discovery phase:

What’s the minimum required ERP version to support all AR/AP endpoints?
Could upgrading the ERP version change the API behavior (fields, formats)?
Are there any heavy or slow API methods under load? Recommended workarounds?
Does the ERP provider charge for API calls, or is usage unlimited?
Can we get a list of possible API error codes?
Any record count limits per request? (e.g., max 1000 records in GET)
What type of authentication is used — Basic Auth, OAuth2, or token-based?
What’s the average response time of the API?
Are there any debug/logging tools if something goes wrong with the call?
Any breaking changes in recent patches that could affect us?
Does the API support batch insert/update or only record-by-record?
In what format are dates returned? Full datetime or date-only?
How are balances returned (positive/negative for credit memos)?
Can documents be posted without updating the "last modified" date?
Can an account include multiple subsidiaries? How to filter by them in the API?
Are any API methods planned for deprecation? What will replace them?
Are some API endpoints available only with paid ERP modules or add-ons?
Are some fields or features hidden unless specific ERP configuration settings are enabled?
Does the ERP API return full relational data (e.g., linked documents, GL splits), or do we need extra queries?
How can we detect deleted records if the API doesn’t expose a deleted flag or status?

These questions aren't just technical — they help avoid costly mistakes, failed syncs, or misunderstood logic.

Field Mapping vs. Canonical Data Model — Which One Wins in Integrations?

Andrii Siryi — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:39:00 GMT

When building integrations between systems, one of the first architectural choices you’ll face is how to align data between them.
Two main approaches dominate this conversation: direct field mapping and the canonical data model.
Let’s break them down.

Field Mapping: Simple but Fragile

Field mapping means you connect each field from System A directly to a matching field in System B.
It’s fast to implement and easy to visualize:

Example:
“CustomerName” → “ClientFullName”
“InvoiceDate” → “BillingDate”

Pros:

Quick setup for simple integrations
Easier to debug and understand
Great for 1-to-1 integrations

Cons:

Every new system adds complexity — you end up maintaining dozens of mappings
Any field name or format change breaks the flow
Hard to scale beyond a few connections

This approach is fine for small, stable environments — like syncing data between CRM and ERP once a day.

Canonical Data Model: Structured and Scalable

A canonical model introduces a shared, unified data layer — a kind of “translation dictionary” for your enterprise.
Instead of connecting systems directly, each system maps to the canonical schema.

Example:
System A → Canonical Model → System B
“CustomerName” → “Customer.FullName” → “ClientFullName”

Pros:

Greatly simplifies multi-system integrations
Reduces maintenance costs over time
Makes it easier to add or replace systems

Cons:

Requires more design work upfront
May be overkill for small projects
Needs governance and version control

This approach shines in large ecosystems — where data flows across multiple ERPs, CRMs, or custom apps.

So… Which One to Choose?

If you’re connecting two systems and don’t expect frequent schema changes — use field mapping.
But if your integration landscape is growing and you want to reduce long-term pain — invest in a canonical model early.

Think of field mapping as a shortcut, and the canonical model as a foundation.

YAML-Based Story Mapping

Andrii Siryi — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:37:00 GMT

System Analysts who work with integration processes should formulate user stories in a way that diverges from the traditional structure. This is primarily due to the need for a more technical and structured description, which allows for the inclusion of integration-specific details.

The user story might need to specify exactly what kind of data should be retrieved via an API, from which system, using what HTTP method, and so on.
Additionally, such user stories can incorporate validation requirements.
For instance, before sending the data to an external system through an API, certain transformations or formatting might be required.

As a result, the structure of a user story in this context tends to differ significantly.

Here’s an example of how a story might look:

story_map:
epic: "Invoice Integration"

user_stories:

id: US001
title: "Obtain AR invoice"
as_a: "Application X"
i_want: "obtain AR invoices from ERP {{X}} via API"
so_that: "I can handle this invoice and send to the client"
source_system: "ERP {{X}}"
target_system: "Application X"
direction: "pull"
api_call:
method: "GET"
endpoint: "/api/invoices"
auth_required: true
id: US002
title: "Validate data"
as_a: "Application X"
i_want: "validate the fields of the received invoice"
so_that: "I don't sync the invoice with errors"
validation:
invoice_number: "required"
invoice_id: "required"
invoice_total_amount: "should be > 0"
invoice_status: "should be 'posted'"
id: US003
title: "Push invoice payment"
as_a: "Application X"
i_want: "push the invoice payment created in Application X to the ERP"
so_that: "the payment is approved in the ERP and synchronized back"
source_system: "Application X"
target_system: "ERP {{X}}"
direction: "push"
api_call:
method: "POST"
endpoint: "/api/payments"
auth_required: true

BPO Explained: A Smart Guide for Today’s Leaders

Lenny Steinman — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 11:09:00 GMT

Now, I know, I don’t know what kind of new intro BPO may require, but at least I can promise you upfront that I have something different to say about Business Process Outsourcing or simply BPO.

What is it? This hasn't been a call center job or a sales job as we all think. It is a mammoth profile, and firms are grappling to get the crème de la crème of the industry under their shelter.

Delegating the non-core tasks to an expert third party, businesses began streamlining their process, shaving cash flow off, and honing their concentration on measured growth. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is no longer just customer service and data entry — it is the gateway to other functions.

If you are a leader (yes, a leader or aspiring to be one or believe you are a leader, at least in your head) and want to know about the other side of the BPO, read the full blog. And this should definitely assist you in taking the so-called calculated decisions and may even grow your business.

And there’s a line for each of these men, “If you are an overseer of a wisdom of your benefit, take a read.” And it applies to you for this blog, too. So let’s read out together.

Strategic Advantages of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)

Cost Cutting

The primary motivation behind Companies opting for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is the potential cost savings. The constant pressure for cost reduction induces enterprises in this quest to sustain their capabilities with the least possible cost without having an impact on quality. In such a problematic situation, BPO becomes a feasible and economical way to tackle such issues. Companies can utilize the following cost benefits through several outsourced functions:

Economies of scale: BPO providers can be highly scaled due to the many clients they serve, allowing them to operate on a large scale using one set of assets, thus substantially lowering the cost per unit of service. As a result, businesses can benefit from these lower rates, lower than if they were to have them done in-house.
On the other hand, it eliminates overhead cost: When there is outsourcing, it cuts down on the overhead costs that are required for the infrastructure and office space that are needed to carry out the in-house activities. Overhead costs would cover things such as salaries, benefits and equipment.
Shared services model: Most of the BPO providers work on a shared services model where the resources like technology platforms, etc. That’s again hundreds of times cheaper. Through such a model, companies access the latest utilities that would otherwise cost them sizeable initial outlays to purchase.

Real Examples:

General Motors (GM): GM outsourced its IT services to HP, and in the process, learned it could reduce its IT operating costs up to 50%, saving billions.
British Airways: It outsourced its call center services to India and achieved a 30% cut in operational costs in the first year.

Quantitative Data:

BPO helps companies enjoy cost savings of 20-40% according to studies. A report indicated that cost savings were the primary driver for 59% of business outsourcing.

Increased Efficiency

In the current rapidly evolving business landscape, efficiency is of utmost significance. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) helps in systematizing the processes with less turnaround time and improved service standards, which again helps in better functioning overall. Here are some of the main advancements for enhanced efficiency:

Standardized processes: BPO service providers have significant experience establishing standardized processes that improve predictability. This experience enables the company to remove inefficiencies and redundancies in its workflows.
Automation and technology: The top BPO companies utilize the latest technology like AI and ML to automate routine jobs. Such practices not only save costs on errors, but also accelerate the processing. As a result, they provide identical quality outputs in a shorter period without reduction in quality.
Shorter turnaround time — BPO service providers will enable companies to deliver the services faster. We know that most of the BPO service providers work 24/7. This guarantees that tasks get completed even after business hours and that there is as little downtime as possible. This, in turn, enables smooth and efficient service delivery.

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO): For Better Efficiency

Benchmarking Data:

Customer Service: The average first-call resolution rate improves by 30-50% in firms that outsource customer service, Contact Babel’s benchmarking report finds.
IT Support: Leveraging BPO for IT support services results in resolution times that are 20-30% shorter than those of in-house services, according to Gartner research.

Metrics:

First step, define the KPIs:

Turnaround Time: BPO solutions can reduce the turnaround time by 40% for business processes such as claims processing.
Error Rates: Companies obtain a reduction in their error rates by around 20% via BPO since the tasks are delegated to specialized teams.

In other words, BPO is a way to facilitate operations and help business organizations use their internal resources more efficiently. You can trust the results & get them fast.

Scalability

Scalability – This is another Great advantage of Business Process outsourcing (BPO) Demand tends to be dynamic in most industries and therefore, businessesOften need to discover this pattern. This may mean that the need to quickly scale business activities up or down leaves them scrambling to find an opportunity to improve service delivery.

The benefit of flexibility when capturing changing demand: If you have sudden peak demand one month and nothing the next, BPO can be the solution to flex to meet that demand. In industries with seasonal spikes where growth needs to be fast, this is especially pertinent.
Scales for Fast Growth or Contraction: While in-house operations take time to recruit or lay off personnel, a BPO provider can instantly adapt to your needs. It then assists companies in expanding or contracting their services without disrupting day-to-day operations.

Scenario Analysis:

One of the best examples of BPO is the e-commerce boom, where companies such as the e-commerce giant Amazon have adopted BPO to sustain its operations during peak seasons like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, where they significantly scale their operations of customer services & supply chain with their partners without going through the tedious process of hiring permanent resources.

Cost-Benefit Analysis:

In-House Operations vs BPO: Scaling in-house would mean newer technology and training, and possibly infrastructure, which you may not be able to afford, while data entry BPO providers ensure a pay-as-you-go model, removing overhead costs associated with in-house operations and also providing flexibility during peak demand.

Here are some of the advantages that BPO provides for scalability, which help a business remain agile and responsive to market changes and to stay competitive in an ever-changing marketplace.

Access to Experts

Access to unique skills and knowledge. One of the most important benefits of outsourcing is access to special skills and expertise. This is a gap that most organizations invariably have to bridge by bringing in an expert with the necessary domain expertise. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) providers have all this expertise and the graph of a success ratio over the years of working, commonly referred to as EXPERIENCE.. It can provide you with the following benefits:

Skilled expertise & information: BPO service suppliers use gurus as top-quality professionals to deliver the services. Hence, they wouldn't get a generic output for IT, human resources or marketing-related services.
Industry-specific knowledge: Because BPO providers focus on specific industries, they generally understand the nuances of that particular industry and can tailor services to fit. For example, a healthcare service provider can outsource its billing process to a company that knows quite a bit about healthcare regulations to avoid errors and to keep its bills compliant with healthcare regulations.

Skill Gaps:

Businesses are facing a significant shortage in fields like data analytics, cybersecurity, and cloud computing, where demand is many times more than the availability of skilled resources.

Expertise:

Outsourcing companies have teams of qualified personnel with niche experience; this allows your business to implement top-of-the-line tech solutions based on expert knowledge in that particular sector, without the expense of hiring and training.

Professionals outsource these activities as it helps the businesses concentrate on the activities related to their core business, while the rest of the functions are performed by the professional most relevant to that industry.

Focus on core competencies.

There is a very good reason why the availability of the opportunity to focus on core competencies is of vital importance to expanding businesses. Business Process Outsourcing allows firms to outsource activities that are not part of their core, non-strategic processes and invest a more significant number of resources in essential, strategic pursuits:

Strategic Fit BPO: It liberates internal resources caught up working inwards to allows focus on the core business goals Instead of completing administrative missions, companies could now head towards product development, selling, and connecting with customers.
Innovation and growth: An enterprise can devote more time to innovations, research, and expansion by freeing up non-core tasks. This generally results in a long-range expansion within market-successful enterprises.

Return on Investment (ROI):

According to a survey, outsourcing non-core functions and focusing on core competencies helped companies achieve an average 20% increase in profitability by allocating more resources to core activities.

Market Share:

By outsourcing back-office functions like HR and finance, firms focused more on their core competencies (product innovation and marketing), which contributed to a gain in their global market share in athletic wear.

Put simply, a BPO allows Businesses to focus on what they are best at while leading in the market with Innovation.

Deriving BPO: Key Factors for Implementation

Vendor Selection

It is very important to select something. The same applies to BPO. Choosing the right provider will be a significant first step in forming a profitable partnership. The not-so-fit provider will surely make you see numbers that did not even please your eyes for a small percentage. So, these are the considerations for selecting a BPO provider:

Whether to get a provider with experience, industry-specific knowledge, and service scalability. The selection of a vendor is based on a selection criterion, such as reputation, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
Evaluating & due diligence process: A business should evaluate its business process outsourcing (BPO) provider extremely well before making a decision.

How to Check or Evaluate BPO Providers: [Checklist]

Experience in your industry
Ltd.G Sec, IOCL, as per IS Tote Bag, and Existing Fatigue.
tech; the (tech and infrastructure) capabilities
Protocols for data security and privacy
Examples of work, including client references and case histories

Contract negotiations

A solid contract is needed to achieve a successful BPO agreement. It should also clearly outline expectations, deliverables, and performance standards:
Gratifying terms and conditions: The contract should contain definitive details like service level agreements, timelines, and penalties for breach.
SLAs: An SLA is an agreement that defines the service levels on which the BPO service provider is supposed to deliver.
Pricing models: Based on your business needs and the type of work that you have outsourced, you can select from various price models like, cost-plus, transaction-based, or results-based.

Sample Contract Clauses:

Service Level Agreements (SLAs): Define clear metrics such as response times, accuracy rates, and uptime.
Exit Clauses: Specify the circumstances in which the contract can be terminated or revisited.

Negotiation Tips:

Make flexibility a priority in your contracts, which includes scaling services.
Add a performance-based payment model to align provider incentives with business outcomes.

Data Security and Privacy

Data security is a major concern for the bulk of the companies outsourcing their sensitive operations. BPO firms need to comply with regulations strictly and implement their strong safety measures:

Regulation because Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) providers need to comply with the industry with regulatory conditions such as data protection in the region of Europe (GDPR) and HIPAA in the USA.
Data Protection Assurance: BPO service providers are expected to have proper security protocols in place, such as encryption, firewalls or data anonymization, to safeguard sensitive information.

Compliance Regulations:

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): For businesses operating in the EU.
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): For U.S. healthcare-related data

Security Measures:

Data Transfers End-to-End Encryption
Enforce MFA for users accessing critical systems.

Cultural Fit

The cultural alignment of your company with the business process outsourcing (BPO) provider is indeed what can lead you to a harmonious relationship:

Common values and ethics in the workplace: Values and ethics in business can be commonplace, enabling cooperation to work smoothly or a good overall outcome.

Effective communication and updates lead to a synergy in which problems are identified before they ever reach crisis levels.

Cultural Assessment Tools:

Hold cultural compatibility surveys and focus groups to explore the possible fit between your company and the work culture of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) provider.

Change Management

There are types of services that implement BPO that can lead to drastic organisational changes, and with that comes the need to manage the process.

Prepare the workers for the change: The company will begin communicating with them about possible outsourcing and reassuring them to ease their minds.

A change-management plan would water down most of the issues at stake. So, this plan would ensure that those employees who are to be outsourced are provided with the training and the support they need now. Besides, these enable them to adjust to the transitions seamlessly.

Change Management Frameworks:

Kotter’s 8-Step Process of change management that begins with Creating a Sense of Urgency and ends with Anchoring new approaches in the culture of the organization.
ADKAR Model for helping individuals adapt to change.

Best Practices:

Engage key stakeholders from the beginning to ensure buy-in.
Provide sufficient training for employees who will be impacted by outsourcing. Better-trained employees will offer less resistance and increase successful adoption rates.

Conclusion

It’s time to hang up now. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is a great strategic advantage for businesses, offering several money-making opportunities. The foundation of BPO titles (or cross-service agreements — or whatever you call it in your organization) is homework that has to be performed before the handshake ceremony. If you do it right, BPO can unlock a new world of effectiveness, opportunity, and prosperity for businesses in established and developing markets alike.

Maximizing Business Analyst Productivity: Essential Tools and Strategies

lhytonwatts — Sat, 09 Sep 2023 12:06:00 GMT

In the dynamic landscape of business analysis, staying ahead of the curve is imperative for success. The role of a business analyst is pivotal in driving organizational growth and efficiency. To excel in this domain, one must harness the power of cutting-edge tools and adopt strategic approaches that streamline operations and enhance decision-making. In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the essential business analyst tools and strategies that are crucial for achieving optimal productivity.

The Power of Data Analytics: Excel as a Foundation

Excel: A Versatile Powerhouse

Microsoft Excel stands as a cornerstone tool for every proficient business analyst. Its versatility in handling data, creating insightful visualizations, and performing complex calculations is unmatched. Leveraging Excel allows analysts to organize, manipulate, and analyze data with precision, providing a solid foundation for informed decision-making.

Power BI: Unleashing the Potential of Data Visualization

In the realm of data-driven insights, Power BI emerges as a game-changer. This powerful tool empowers business analysts to transform raw data into visually appealing and interactive reports. The intuitive interface and seamless integration with various data sources make Power BI an indispensable asset for generating actionable insights.

Process Optimization: Lean Six Sigma Methodology

Lean Six Sigma: Driving Efficiency and Quality

Efficiency and quality are paramount in any business operation. Lean Six Sigma, a data-driven methodology, combines the principles of Lean (minimizing waste) and Six Sigma (minimizing defects) to optimize processes. Business analysts well-versed in Lean Six Sigma can identify bottlenecks, streamline workflows, and enhance overall operational excellence.

Process Mapping Tools: Illuminating Workflow Dynamics

Tools like Lucidchart and Microsoft Visio play a pivotal role in process optimization. These diagramming tools enable business analysts to visually represent workflows, identify pain points, and propose streamlined solutions. By providing a clear visual narrative, process mapping tools facilitate effective communication and collaboration among cross-functional teams.

Stakeholder Engagement: Effective Communication Platforms

Microsoft Teams: Fostering Collaboration and Communication

In today's interconnected business environment, seamless communication is non-negotiable. Microsoft Teams serves as a robust platform for real-time collaboration, enabling business analysts to engage with stakeholders, conduct meetings, and share insights effortlessly. Its integration with other Microsoft applications ensures a seamless workflow.

Zoom: Bridging Geographic Boundaries

For global enterprises, bridging geographical gaps is essential for effective stakeholder engagement. Zoom emerges as a go-to solution for hosting virtual meetings, webinars, and workshops. Its user-friendly interface and reliable video conferencing capabilities make it an invaluable tool for connecting with stakeholders worldwide.

Continuous Learning and Professional Development

Udemy and Coursera: Enriching Skillsets

The field of business analysis is constantly evolving, demanding a commitment to continuous learning. Platforms like Udemy and Coursera offer a plethora of courses and certifications tailored to enhance the skillsets of business analysts. From advanced data analytics to project management, these platforms provide opportunities for professional growth.

Conclusion: Empowering Business Analysts for Success

In the competitive landscape of business analysis, proficiency in utilizing the right tools and implementing effective strategies is paramount. Excel and Power BI lay the foundation for robust data analysis, while Lean Six Sigma drives process optimization. Engaging stakeholders through platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom ensures effective communication. Continuous learning through platforms like Udemy and Coursera empowers business analysts to stay ahead of industry trends.

Business analysis in offshore development model

Vikie Davie — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 15:00:00 GMT

Offshore development has become an increasingly popular model for businesses looking to expand their reach and reduce costs. With this model, businesses can hire a team of developers located in a different country or continent, often in regions where labor is cheaper.

However, managing an offshore development team can be challenging, especially when it comes to ensuring that the team is meeting business requirements and producing quality work. This is where business analysis comes in.

Business analysis is the process of identifying business needs, gathering and analyzing requirements, and proposing solutions to meet those needs. In an offshore development model, a business analyst plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between the client and the development team.

Here are some key ways in which business analysis can help ensure the success of an offshore development project:

Understanding Business Requirements

A business analyst works closely with the client to understand their business requirements and translate them into technical requirements that the offshore development team can understand. This helps to ensure that the development team is building the right product, and that the client's business needs are being met.

Communication

Communication is key when working with an offshore development team. A business analyst can act as a liaison between the client and the development team, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and that any issues are addressed in a timely manner. The business analyst can also help to establish clear communication channels and protocols to ensure that everyone is aware of project updates and timelines.

Risk Management

Managing risk is an important part of any project, but it is particularly important in an offshore development model. A business analyst can help to identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them. This can help to ensure that the project stays on track and that any issues are resolved quickly and efficiently.

Quality Assurance

Ensuring that the final product meets the client's quality standards is critical to the success of an offshore development project. A business analyst can work with the development team to establish quality standards and processes, and to conduct regular testing and quality assurance checks to ensure that the final product meets those standards.

In conclusion, business analysis plays a critical role in the success of an offshore development project. By working closely with the client and the development team, a business analyst can help to ensure that the project stays on track, meets the client's business requirements, and produces a quality product. With the right approach and the right team in place, an offshore development project can be a highly effective way to expand your business and reduce costs.

10 Reasons Why You Should Consider an ITIL Certification

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 10:29:00 GMT

Different procedures are utilized for legitimate administration of IT administrations, yet ITIL is viewed as the best arrangement of practices for even administration of IT administrations. ITIL is the contraction for Information Technology Infrastructure Library.

In easier words, ITIL is many rules and arrangements for the effective administration of IT-related administrations. ITIL is presently viewed as the current best quality level for representatives as individual huge Multi-National Companies (MNC's) like Walt Disney, IBM, Microsoft, and others. These organizations have embraced the ITIL structure and have detailed their hierarchical exhibition increment quickly. With the usage of legitimate administration apparatuses and arrangements, ITIL gives an amicable agreement in the middle of the Information Technology and Business Activities.

Reasons why you should consider an ITIL Certification

Increment in pay:

After you start your vocation as an IT proficient with an ITIL certification, you are enrolled among the most exceptionally qualified experts who are needed by the organizations. Organizations look for different people who can contain a range of abilities that can enable their organization to develop. Along these lines, these people are paid in six figures.

Valuable range of abilities:

The ITIL certification has ended up being advantageous to both the organizations and experts working in them. This system gives them the information about the different parts of the IT division also gives them the correct information and essential instruments for IT administration the executives (ITSM).

Unique with his capacities:

An IT proficient ITIL certification empowers himself with information and experience that any standard IT Professional would not be furnished. This certification is considered as the best quality level in the IT segment. While it likewise brings a sparkle of information and experience to your CV.

Well prepared to deal with difficulties:

With appropriate information on the IT structure, every expert with an ITIL certification follows the most recent IT division patterns and set them up likewise. In addition to that, their insight and range of abilities, these experts can work without much stretch tackle difficulties.

Allows to be adaptable:

The ITIL certifications are expected to absorb information for the expert, and he needs to gain consistently from the changing and developing area. There the experts need to think of original plans to handle the obstacles ahead and thrive in their profession.

Globally acknowledged:

As we entered the advanced, every IT organization confronted issues concerning its administration system. To take care of this issue, organizations to achieve legitimate administration and deliver these administrative necessities to different experts with ITIL certification to help oversee ITSM embraced the ITIL system.

Helps in picking up information and validity:

This expanded certification assists with building your resolve and trust in the IT segment. This permits the ensured proficient at learning and picking up information about its different parts of administration the executives. With this certification, it empowers specific ranges of abilities, which can assist in hazard appraisal and appropriate administration of IT administrations. Because of these particular reasons, the ITIL experts are viewed as learned and sound in this field of work.

Better quantifiable profit:

These experts are a simple decision to make while recruiting them. The organizations look to discover experts who are the best venture to their organization. This will permit the organizations under with them as their workers. Because of this explanation, the certification is viewed as a superior rate of profitability. The association will pay in mass all together for their administrations, subsequently making them one of the most generously compensated employments in the IT part.

Proper Use of administrative apparatus:

ITIL utilizes the best possible administration apparatuses to build up a quick authority over the compelling and effective administration of assets. This aide in decreasing expenses and spares time. With appropriate Use of ITIL structure, the experts will, in general, investigate and plan everything before thinking about any tasks; because of this explanation, they have a more prominent comprehension of the expenses and resources in the IT.

Hazard assessment:

With legitimate arranging and utilization of present-day the ITIL structure's board instruments, the experts have a more prominent possibility in hazard evaluation and administration interruption. As all associations rely upon buyers to achieve achievement, ITIL gives the system to comprehend the necessities and prerequisites of the client and act appropriately to offer quicker assistance conveyance and accomplish legitimate consumer loyalty.

As the advanced world is extending, so is the need for qualified and educated experts with appropriate certification and experience. So this is the ideal chance to get your ITIL certification.

The Value Chain of Digital Business

Digital Business Analysis — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 06:35:00 GMT

Nowadays, companies like Audi and HSBC, use IT systems in everything they do. Does that make them to be IT companies rather than banks? Most would probably agree that HSBC is a bank, just as Audi is a car manufacturer. But what about digital banks such as Chime or companies offering digital products? In digital companies, most of the employees work with developing software. Are they not, therefore, IT companies? No, they are not but their primary activity is software development.

Porter, in introducing his famous value chain model, divided the activities of a company in primary and support activities. The primary activities are those that are of utmost importance in adding value and giving the company a competitive advantage. Support activities, on the other hand, are those that support the primary activities to make them more efficient.

In Porter’s Value Chain, the primary activities consist of inbound logistics (managing inbound input from suppliers), operations (the processes that convert the input to products), outbound logistics (getting the products to the customers), marketing and sales (selling the products), and service (management of post-sell activities). Porter’s value chain has a heavy emphasis on movement of products. In the value chain, technology, including software and software development, is a supporting activity.

The software development process of digital companies has moved from being a support activity to become a primary activity. The software development process has become so permeated the value chain that they are inseparable. Just as a car manufacturer seeks to continuously improve their manufacturing processes, digital companies must continuously improve their software development processes. Failing to do so, can result in lagging in an ever-competitive business environment and that threaten their very existence.

How does the value chain of a digital company look like? Digital companies do not have raw materials and components to be managed with inbound logistics. Rather, they have to consider what product feature to develop or what improvement opportunity to realize. Such decisions are taken based on, for instance, data on user behavior, competitor’s offerings, and trends. The inbound logistics of all these ideas are managed as a strategic portfolio, involving strategic business analysis. When decision has been taken to realize an idea, traditional business analysis commences. The business analysis serves to provide sufficient basis, based on for instance, feasibility and financial viability, to take a decision. If a positive decision is taken, the feature becomes an item for the software development process. With the new feature in production, data is gathered and used as input for product service such as bug fixes and minor improvements. Marketing and sales remain the same for the digital as in the original value chain.

The Value Chain for Digital Companies

In light of this context and value chain, two observations can be made.

Many software development processes begin when the IT team has been given a set of user stories to develop. Although analysis is part of the value chain, it is treated as a separate function. One way this is expressed, is that most developers use Jira for tracking issues whereas the business analyst do not. If one seeks to improve the value chain – the process beginning with an idea until the final output is evaluated – one must collect data and track all parts. Otherwise, the improvements will be confined to just one part of the value chain. No matter how efficient that part is, the end result still suffers.

Some digital companies apply agile methodology but only for their software development. When the agile methodology is confined to the IT department, the organizational structure of the company holds the benefits of agile hostage. Digital companies need agility across all parts of their value chains. By restricting agile methods to pure software development, the benefits of agile business analysis are restricted.

In short, by re-thinking the value chain of digital companies, opportunities for data-driven improvement of idea-to-service process, resulting in better agility and efficiencies.

Fredrik Milani
Lecturer of Information Systems
University of Tartu

fredrik.milani@ut.ee

see-https://babook.cs.ut.ee/

CEO and 160 employees skydive to launch a new corporate name in the sky!

BPM_online — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 16:06:00 GMT

Bpm'online, a global business software company leading in the space of low-code, process automation, and CRM, will be soon announcing their new company name. The new name will be launched in the sky via a breathtaking skydiving performance involving 160 bpm’online employees, including the CEO. The new name of bpm’online is to be formally announced on October 30th of this year during their renaming event, with the spectacular skydiving stunt, which highlights the importance and enthusiasm the company devotes to this occasion

Bpm’online is holding a large renaming event on October 30th. Registration for the event is open to anyone interested, and can be attended online. The renaming celebration event will display the launching of bpm’online’s new name in the sky with captivating skydiving footage.

“We wanted our renaming announcement to be truly one of a kind. While brainstorming for a creative way to reveal our new name, we came up with the idea of launching it in the sky. The whole team loved the idea so much that we accepted it immediately,” CEO and managing partner at bpm’online, Katherine Kostereva states. “We were expecting a couple of employees to want to skydive, but were happily surprised to find out that over 160 of our own staff were eager to participate. I was so inspired that I joined in too!”

Over 160 bpm’online employees from multiple countries volunteered to help launch the name by jumping out of a plane and taking the new name into the sky with them. For the majority of the team, including the CEO, this is their first skydiving experience ever. Professional skydivers will join them for the big day, while the rest of the company is enthusiastic to celebrate.

What is pega BPM?

mahesh reddy — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 07:48:00 GMT

BPM or Business Process Management helps in managing workflows and processes in an organization. It generally includes steps like analysis, design, modelling, execution, monitoring and optimization.

Pega is a business process management tool that simplifies operational processes and provides end to end solutions. It integrates with the CRM software of the organization to make the business journey smooth.
The biggest advantage of Pega BPM is that you don’t have to put a new system in place for it. It is basically developed on Java using OOP and Java concepts. It is mostly used by organizations in the finance and banking sector.

How is Indian BPM market growing?

NASSCOM, the supreme body of information technology, says that Indian BPM is growing at the rate of 8-9% yearly. NASSCOM believes that Indian BPM market is expected to be a 54 billion dollar industry by the end of 2025. In the last five years, this sector has grown by 1.7 times. Though America and Europe are the main powerhouses in BPM, organizations are expanding in the Asia-Pacific region as well.

Due to low operating cost in India, the country has 37.6% share in BPM offshoring market. Cities such as Jaipur, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Kochi are setting the benchmarks in providing exceptional services. These cities still have to overcome challenges such as the lack of skilled professionals, training costs and the paucity of soft skills. But according to the CEO of WNS and chairman of NASSCOM BPM Council, Mr Keshav Murugesh, India is ready to meet the projected 11-12% growth rate in BPM sector in spite of the challenges.

How is Pega BPM leading the market?

In today’s world, Pega BPM is the ideal platform for businesses looking to improve the operational efficiency. This tool comes under a niche category due to the licensing cost and the requirement of certified developers and designers to create an application in Pega.

The tool thrives for customer centricity and focuses only on the needs of the organization. Leading organizations of the world use Pega BPM to improve customer experience and upgrade the efficiency of their operations. Mostly, this product has been used for CRM solutions and platform support. Despite that, Pega BPM is popular among top organizations due to its flexibility to support various aspects of business requirements.

Pega certified developers in demand

According to a survey, the demand for Pega-certified developers is expected to rise by 200%. It is true that certified Pega resources make more money than average Java developers. Currently, Pega-certified developers are in huge demand with better billing rates. For certified developers, it’s an open market of opportunities. If you want to be an expert in a niche skill like Pega, you need to know that Pega BPM is growing exponentially right now. It is the right time to grasp the workings of this by joining with the best Pega online training with leading software providers.

Growth of Pega ecosystem in India

Though the Indian Business Process Management (BPM) is still growing and diversifying, the country is adding more customers and is able to deliver upon their needs. Clients from all across the globe are expecting financial outcomes along with specialized talent and innovative techniques. Pega BPM has changed several priorities in an organization making them more outcome-driven than before.

Pega BPM and Indian BPM industry are growing consistently. They are looking forward to broadening the developer community in the country. Hyderabad is the largest IT hub of the country and is home to the regional headquarters of Pega Systems in India. Today, pega training is encouraging more developers in India to become certified Pega developers.

Interesting numbers from Indian BPM industry

Indian BPM players have transformed their approach to providing high-quality solutions. Instead of execution, they are focusing on meeting customer and offering value addition. The statistics from the BPM industry is mind blowing. Over 60% recruitment has been done in India from tier 2 and tier 3 cities. India is the fastest growing knowledge service hub in the world. It has evolved amazingly in the last five years. BFSI and telecom sectors were serviced by Indian BPM industry in the last fiscal year.

The revenue has reached an all-time high of USD 26 billion with a growth of 12% in last five years. Over 40% employees in the BPM industry are females. Needless to say that India is the largest market of CIS services which has grown aggressively in the past few years. There is a collective effort from the big BPM companies to focus on high-end technology and analytics.

Leader in the industry

The US, UK and Germany are leading countries in the BPM industry right now. But India is widely considered as the key region to focus upon and will continue to be so in the future. Several Indian companies are providing high-end services to international clients. The industry is growing at a very fast pace even though it is facing certain barriers and challenges.

The Indian BPM industry has traveled a long way in the last ten years and will be the leader in this space soon. The shift is transforming from BPO industry to BPM industry. The industry is also shifting gears from a steady movement in early 2000 to more technology-enabled platforms in 2016. It is true that several countries are offering different delivery models to their clients but India will continue to remain ahead of the stiff competition by providing more domain-centric solutions.

The Importance of Operational Decisions

Arash — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 07:35:00 GMT

It may sound routine, but the importance of operational decisions cannot be underestimated. After all, not a day goes by without even the smallest business making dozens, if not hundreds of operational decisions that may affect the bottom line. Elevate these to large scale companies and we are talking thousands, if not millions of actions that impact day-to-day business operations.

So what do we mean by ‘operational decisions’? The dictionary tells us that a decision is a ‘conclusion or resolution reached after consideration’. It is defined as ‘the action or process of deciding something or of resolving a question’.

From this straightforward definition, we might construe that an operational decision must have an outcome based on a procedure that is designed to resolve an everyday or, in most cases, an ‘unexceptional’ occurrence. This can be called the ‘decision logic’.

It is important to point out, however, that there are differences between operational decisions and those that may be viewed as strategic to the business. Operational decisions are often highly structured, repetitive and routine. In other words, you can model them once and then reuse them ad infinitum for hundreds or thousands of every day transactions. For example, an operational decision may consider compliance with state regulations, or the possibility of a fraudulent transaction, or a calculation of taxation, or an exception to a claims process.

This is precisely why operational decisions are very often excellent candidates for automation.

To demonstrate, an operational decision structure typically looks something like this:

Operational Decision structure. It includes the “decision logic”, input data and the conclusion.

The judgement or action to be taken in each case could involve a list, a simple value, a calculation, a configuration, a price, a guideline, and several other routine outcomes. For example, it could be a list of available options for treatment of a patient, or the best prices for upselling and product bundling, or a billing calculation for a customer, or specific procedures and guidelines, and so on.

The bottom line is that all operational decisions require an input in order to describe parameters, situations and cases. The decision logic is then executed and a result is produced.

The critical piece here is a combination of effectiveness and efficiency, especially when businesses today are challenged by rapid change and competitive pressure. Yet it is a fact that in many cases, the actual logic behind an operational decision is not at all transparent to the organization. That may be because it is buried in legacy processes and applications or embedded in the minds of subject matter experts who will inevitably move on to other pursuits in a matter of time.

The Importance of Automating Operational Decisions

All too often companies use traditional approaches in an attempt to harness operational decisions. This might involve building applications using code and low-code platforms, iBPMS and other technologies. The problem, of course, is that the operational decision becomes ‘set in stone’, as it is buried in some hard-coded application that is difficult to change. As an interim solution when change request delays occur, some may try to compensate by resorting to Excel and other spreadsheet solutions. Other business-oriented solutions like Business Rules Management Systems (BRMS), Business Process Management (BPM) and Decision Management Systems (DMS) may also come into play as companies seek to memorialise their operational decision-making processes.

The problem with these types of traditional approaches is that when these are challenged by the necessary frequency of high volume changes inherent in operational decision-making, they must be managed independently. This in turn means that decision management becomes a maintenance nightmare. In short, the organisation simply cannot keep pace with the rate of essential change to operational decisions. It is simply not enough to change one line of code or one business rule here and there while other necessary changes stay in queue until such time as someone has time to explore the deep, dark recesses of traditional systems and figure out what to do. This approach inevitably leads to less effective results.

Obviously, there is an essential need to balance the control between IT and the business by using a solution that meets the need for effective and efficient operational decision-making. That’s where FlexRule comes in. Read more about our ground-breaking solutions at www.flexrule.com.

The Case Against Process Mapping and Why You Should Do Process Discovery Instead

Simona from Minit — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 08:44:00 GMT

Process mapping vs. process discovery is akin to perceived reality vs. reality; the former rooted in subjectivity, the latter rooted in verifiable data. Elements of process mapping creep into process discovery, restricting an absolute dichotomy between the two. However, the critical differentiator between mapping and discovery lies in the distinction between fact and fiction. Process discovery is primarily concerned with concrete, verifiable data (event logs, digital footprints), while process mapping relies on subjective first-hand remembered events.

Let us first review the core definitions of process mapping and process discovery before moving to the case against process mapping in favor of process discovery.

Key Differences Between Process Mappingig and Process Discovery

Process mapping is the human-side of establishing an ‘as-is-process.’ It’s concerned with measuring and comparing a defined objective against an organization's larger vision to ensure process are aligned with a company’s core competencies, capabilities, and overarching values. While the end game aims for process improvement, a significant element of subjectivity and unintentional validation techniques are laced within manual process mapping. Perceived reality is flawed regardless of intentions.

Automated process discovery, on the other hand, is exclusively concerned with verifiable data logs, providing an accurate picture of how processes are performed, rather than the idealized model of how they should be performed, or how employees think they are performed. Additionally, process discovery takes the white space between information systems and seemingly unrelated events and builds bridges with data rather than assumptions. Anomalies and outliers are accurately weighted without being unfairly amplified or ignored

Process Mapping	Process Discovery
Manual	Automated
Subjective	Objective
Remembered events	Verifiable event logs
Human validation	Data-driven
Limited scalability	Full scalability
Process details must be known by employees	No employee knowledge of process details needed
Slow, drawn-out	Fast, continuous
Too much or too little detail	Exact reality
White space between IT systems and processes unknown	White space between IT systems and processes bridged
Outliers ignored	Outliers appropriately weighted

Process Discovery vs Process Mapping — Why Discovery is Best

The case for process discovery is strong, particularly when midsize and enterprise level companies are looking to initiate Business Process Improvements (BPI). From knowledge gaps bridged to socio-cultural subjectivity eliminated, here are the top reasons to choose process discovery over process mapping.

1. You don’t know what you don’t know (white space)

White space is the unseen area between various systems, departments, and functions at the edges of a process. One of the most significant challenges in manual process mapping is effectively extracting information from employees involved in a process. Piecing together “remembered activities” to create a process map will inevitably be riddled with knowledge gaps, employee validation, and human subjectivity. In other words, you don’t know what you don’t know, and “unseen” events will not be included in the map.

Process discovery captures all the nuances of a process, including statistical information, process exceptions, unusual transactions, deviations, potential process risks, bottlenecks, and variants. Process discovery bridges the gaps between the individual process steps across multiple ERP and IT systems. Automated process discovery delivers a detailed process map rich with data and flexible for interactive analysis.

2. Map unstructured data from process unknown to employees

Concerning white space and knowledge gaps, some processes, and steps in a process are entirely unknown to employees and, therefore, must rely on digital event logs to create a picture of a process. Consider a global supply chain operating on Just-In-Time manufacturing principles. This fast-moving, lean approach to production relies on multiple actions triggered by a single event. Building on verifiable, time-stamped data logs from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of tiny events is something humans simply cannot map. Process discovery systems, like Minit, take this unstructured data and automatically create a process model to enable in-depth analysis. Minit technology is able to take various data inputs from scratch and deliver pattern recognition. This enables companies to discover processes without prior process knowledge or specifying an existing model.

3. Eliminate socio-cultural behavior from analysis

Humans make decisions based on emotions. It’s a fact wired into our neurological pathways. This doesn’t mean we are illogical, far from it. It means we gather information, process this information from our lens of reality, and then use the frontal lobe of our brain to make a decision — the area responsible for emotional expression, problem-solving, memory, language, and judgment.

Without intent for sabotage, humans will deliver a subjective view of reality, as well as use unintentional validation techniques. It’s not lying; it’s how we communicate as humans. Automated process discovery reads between the lines of data logs, not words, eliminating the presence of socio-cultural behavior from a process analysis. Additionally, what manual process mapping may express as statistical noise, process discovery can appropriately highlight as inefficiencies in business processes.

4. Focus on accuracy and speed

Have you ever seen a whiteboard overloaded with sticky notes — diamonds, arrows, mini-sticky notes upon larger sticky notes? An array of orange, pink, blue and green activities? This is process mapping. Process mapping can, and should, be accompanied by technology like Microsoft Visio and purpose-built process mapping tools, but keep in mind that these tools help you take sticky notes off a white board and build sticky notes on a computer screen. Your big win here is that a humid day won’t wipe progress off the board. This approach is still relying on human inputs, not data inputs, bringing accuracy level to a low.

In terms of speed, calculate the total human hours needed for individual staff interviews, facilitated discovery workshops, analysis of existing documentation and direct work observation. Then compare this to process mining software that plugs in, transforms unstructured data into meaningful maps, and delivers a flexible, in-depth process analysis based on hard data. This is an essential part of understanding the real cost of going through a BPI transformation.

5. Unlimited scalability

Last but not least, a massive benefit of automated process discovery over manual process mapping is scalability. Once systems are connected and process mining software established, a process can be endlessly reanalyzed with little to no additional effort. As subtle changes in the process are made during the discovery period, technology will capture this immediately and include it in data mapping. Businesses need to optimize business processes continuously, and scalability is a big part of making this financially feasible.

See Process Discovery Technology in Action

Minit software analyzes concrete data from various systems to discover how business processes flow in reality. Our platform automatically recreates process maps from traces of user actions (electronic footprints) left within applications. It provides an accurate picture of how users — employees, suppliers, customers, etc. — are performing their duties or actions rather than the idealized model of what they are supposed to be doing.

We’d love to show you the power of Minit and how it can help deliver an effective BPI transformation at your organization. Get in touch with our team to learn more and request a trial of Minit.

How Business Architecture can help Project Managers to be successful.

EA Learning — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 03:27:00 GMT

One of my favourite questions to ask candidates when I was in the executive recruitment game was “In your experience what makes a successful (insert name of role I was recruiting for)”.

It was a great catch-all question as the answers provided gave a very good indication of where the candidate sat on the professional continuum for the role in terms of experience, knowledge and competence. It also served as a good way to educate the recruiter on the varied aspects of the role. One of the key insights that I discovered through this practice was how much different professions have evolved over time. No more so than the role of Project Manager.

The Project Management profession is in growth mode. Research by the Project Management Institute (PMI) indicates that the number of roles globally will grow by 33% in the next 10 years with forecasts that there will be 88 million people working in a Project Management related role by 2027. In the research the head of the PMI in China, Bob Chen described the evolving role of Project Management in the following terms:

“As the business environment today is becoming increasingly complex and fast-changing, it has brought higher requirements to project managers. Project managers today should not only have a firm grasp of basic project management knowledge but also possess strong leadership, including skills in conflicts resolution, negotiation, stakeholder management as well as capabilities in strategic and business management,”

Breaking this down further Moira Alexander in CIO Magazine identified six key traits that differentiated good projects managers from the rest of the pack.

Be a strategic business partner – be able to clearly evidence how your project is contributing to the organisations strategic goals.
Encourage and recognise valuable contributions – leverage the benefits of collaboration
Respect and motivate stakeholders – this particularly important when dealing with project sponsors and business stakeholders.
Be fully invested in success – own the project outcome.
Stress integrity and accountability
Work in the grey – effectively deal with the ambiguity and complexity that is the modern business environment.

Historically it used to be that you were either a technical e.g. Information Technology (IT) Project Manager or a Business Project Manager. The traditional IT Project Manager was responsible for the delivery, planning, organizing and delegating responsibility for the completion of specific information technology outcomes. In contrast, the Business Project Manager delivered operating model projects with little or no technology. Where there were technology changes they ensured that IT systems met the business requirements of users/ stakeholders and the system and operating model changes were successfully adopted to achieve business benefits.

While these are very simplistic definitions it clearly evidences that there were distinctly different skillsets required to deliver on each of these roles. Technical Project Managers came from technical backgrounds such as development, infrastructure, or engineering and they had strong technical knowledge of how a system or product should be built. The Business Project Manager would most likely came from a functional role within the business from areas such as marketing, operations or finance. Each type of project manager’s knowledge was informed by their business experience, training and development. They would often cross-skill on projects and may have developed broader professional knowledge through additional studies such as an MBA, but fundamentally they were a product of their functional experience. Over the last 20 years these two distinct project management professions have been slowly morphing into what we know today we know as a Project Manager.

I believe too often project managers have been forced to work with unnecessary ambiguity and complexity. This is due to the inability to clearly align their project outcomes to the strategic objectives of the organisation. This is something that you don’t develop through either business functional or technical experience and is an attribute that both Moira Alexander and Bob Chen clearly see as a key competency to being a successful project manager. It is interesting to note that they believe the key to successful project management is to not only have the ability to align your project with strategic outcomes but also to be able to communicate effectively to your stakeholders how you are supporting them to deliver strategic outcomes! This is supported by PMI research that has shown that one of the key contributors to project success rates is the level of engagement of executive sponsors. If Project Managers can effectively engage and motivate these stakeholders their ability to succeed will be greater.

Formal Project Management development pathways such as Prince 2 and Project Managers Body of Knowledge (PMBOK ) provide excellent methods to execute a project while bodies of knowledge such as Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (Babok ) provide excellent insights and tools to assist with requirements gathering. But to link project outputs to strategic objectives I think that we need to draw on the skills and knowledge of a different profession, Business Architecture.

Business Architecture, through the technique of Capability Based Management, allows a Project Manager through business-led collaboration to translate the organisations strategic objectives to project level outcomes. This is done by defining the Business Model and Value Streams required to deliver those objectives and then further breaking these down into the different capabilities (people, process, technology and data) that the outcomes of the project will enhance or establish. The artefacts and tools used to do this can be used to provide a level of traceability that the Project Manager can use to show how their business case clearly aligns what is proposed at the project level to what is important to executive stakeholders. In addition, it can support the motivation of project teams as individual team members can see how their contribution adds value to the bigger picture.

Business Architecture assists project managers and their collaborative teams to be fully invested in success and accountable (owning the project outcomes). When a project output can be traced to the establishment of or improvement in a capability (s) that has a demonstrable impact on a value stream then this will motivate business stakeholders. The tools of Business Architecture such as the Business Motivation Model, Business Model Canvas, Value Stream Maps and Capability Maturity Roadmaps are excellent ways of communicating complex project activities to executive stakeholders.

These techniques, tools and artefacts are equally effective at providing a supporting framework for project team members as they can align their value-adding activities to specific areas of capability improvement. I believe that having access to these types of frameworks will become increasingly important to Project Managers as the adoption of Agile practices increase. One of the core principles of Agile is to be continuously delivering value. In many organisations what constitutes value can be quite subjective when looked at from a Project versus Business perspective. Having a defined business architecture allows Agile Project Teams to map the outcomes of their iterations to capabilities and value streams and consequently strategic objectives. Through this mechanism, Agile Project Teams can clearly communicate to their stakeholders how their activities are adding value.

I started this piece by asking the question what makes a successful project manager. The answer, while somewhat self-evident, is someone who delivers the outcomes the organisation wants/ needs. It is how these outcomes are defined that has had the most impact on the development of the project management profession. Historically success used to be delivery of projects on time, on budget and meeting quality requirements within the defined scope. Now the requirement is to deliver demonstrable business outcomes. This has thrown up new challenges for Project Managers as they need to be able to provide their business stakeholders, particularly executives, with the confidence that they not only understand what business outcomes need to be achieved but also communicate how they are going to deliver these outcomes. This ability to link business strategy to project execution is one of the greatest benefits of Business Architecture and I believe that Project Managers who can draw on these techniques, tools and methods will position themselves as a strategic business partner over the next ten years and at the same time have a rewarding and fulfilling career.

To find out more about the EA Learning Business Architecture training courses please fill out the below form or click here to view our course range.

Business Transformation, the importance of understanding your current state.

EA Learning — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 00:39:00 GMT

I recently walked into a large shopping centre on a mission to buy a christening present for a friends son. I was very clear on what I wanted I just needed to find it… I was on my lunch break so I need to get the job done as I had a meeting that I needed to attend back in the office straight after lunch!

I am not a frequent shopper and to be honest I find the crowds and the volume of options at shopping centre’s both distracting and stressful. After walking in from the street the first thing I did was look for a map to show me where I needed to go. I quickly found the map and the section that I needed which was on the 4th floor. There was a big red arrow on the map saying You Are Here. The problem was I wasn’t a 100% sure where You Are Here was, in relation to where I wanted to get to on the 4th floor!

I knew that I had to get to the fourth floor, but was I on the ground floor or the first floor, and where were the escalators and elevators that I needed to find? When I looked at the map again it dawned on me that I wasn’t even sure as which way I was facing. Given that was time constrained my anxiety and I needed to get this job done my anxiety levels started to rise. Should I Just start walking to where I think the escalators and/ or elevators were, or should I take a couple of minutes to orientate myself?

I did a quick environmental scan and identified a couple of the nearby shops which allowed me to determine which floor I was on. I then found the entrance that I had come in from on the map which allowed me to orientate myself. The easiest option was to take the escalator, as they were closest. I had a clear map in my head of where I was, where I needed to go, how I was going to get there and what I was going to do when I arrived. My anxiety levels immediately decreased as I felt confident that I would be able to get the job done and be back in the office before my next meeting.

The key piece of information that facilitated the whole thing was I knew where I was starting from. To use Business Architecture parlance, I understood my current state!

Whenever you are setting off on a journey be it a trip to the shops, an overseas holiday, a journey of personal discovery or a process to Transform an organisation one of the key determinants of success is knowing where you are starting from. While it sounds simple in practice it is one of the most difficult tasks in the Business Transformation process.

When you speak with stakeholders within an organisation undergoing Transformation about the current organisational state you will often get as many views as there are business functions within the organisation. Often to the point that there is often not even agreement on what Business Model the organisation utilises or even what business they are in.

The interesting paradigm is that while most people can’t agree on where they are, there is often clear agreement on where they want to be! In most cases, the board has set a clear strategy which has been codified into the annual business plan and presented to management. The goals and objectives detailed in the business plan are aspirational, without a detailed understanding by the executive of what the organisations' current capabilities are, and it is the role of management to figure out how to deliver them.

Management identifies initiatives required to achieve the business plan, goals and objectives and allocates budgets. The initiatives are usually developed based on functional responsibilities and often in isolation to the rest of the business. Management then starts executing on the Transformation initiatives, and this where the wheels often fall off the Transformation process.

The main reason for this is that there is no clear plan or blueprint to define the organisations' current state to connect the business plan to the Programme of Transformation initiatives. There is no Business Architecture to clearly direct people on their journey, and in many cases, people aren’t 100% sure what specifically needs to change. They just know that there are goals set out for them in the business plan and they need to meet them.

What ensues is a lot of activity and consumption of resources without many tangible outcomes.

In most cases, Transformation teams are clear on the Target Operating Model (TOM) that they want to achieve but they are not able to clearly define their current operating model and consequently, do not know what the most efficient and effective way is to achieve the TOM. Every year in Australia millions of dollars are spent on Business Transformation initiatives that do not deliver any demonstrable business improvement and one of the fundamental reasons for this is that organisations set off on their transformation journeys without a sufficient understanding of where they currently are.

A quick postscript to my shopping journey. I made it to the 4th floor without too many distractions. When I got there I couldn’t find what I was looking for, but luckily as I was in the right area for Christening presents I found an alternative that was better and returned to the office in time for my next meeting. If only all journeys were so simple.

If you are interested in our Business Transformation training, please contact us for more information on how we can assist. Click here to view our course range and to send through an enquire or email info@ealearning.com

Written by Scott Comte, General Manager EA Learning

What is Pega Process Managment?

SarikaA — Mon, 29 May 2017 08:50:00 GMT

Pega systems(Software Company) is the leading provider of business process management (BPM) and customer relationship management (CRM) software solutions. Pega systems motto is “Build For Change” and their goal is to “eliminate software coding” and “automate manual work”.

Pega systems has been at the forefront of rules-based business automation systems since the early 1980s, a natural outgrowth of our founder’s pioneering work in computerized chess play. In recent years, as more and more businesses have concluded that business process management suites are a “must-have” technology, our BPM business has grown at twice the rate of the overall BPM market. At the same time, major analysts like Forrester and Gartner have consistently rated Pega systems as the leader in the dynamic BPM sector.

Pegasystems knows that what it all comes down to is delivering real-world business benefits, efficiently and quickly:

More so than any other process management suite, Pega BPM puts business users in control of process design and creation, while automating most of the code development and minimizing reliance on technologists.

Pega BPM patented inheritance technology enables a multi-layered process model in which a base of enterprise-wide rules and procedures are dynamically merged with an overlay of context-specific refinements suitable to particular regions, product lines, channels, or customers. This model enables you to capture in your BPM services a real-world reflecting mix of the universal and the particular.

To speed your time-to-benefits, Pega BPM offers a full range of industry-specific solution frameworks, based on best practices in financial services, insurance, health care, telecommunications, government, and others. For business process outsourcers, we also offer tailored BPO software and BPO solutions.

The perfect platform for enterprise-scale business performance management or business process integration initiatives as well as for more narrowly targeted pilot programs, the Pega business process management suite empowers business users, accommodates real-world variety, and pays rapid dividends.

End-to-End Business Process Management Services

Pegasystems delivers expert business process management services to support all phases and facets of your BPM project:

-Design review — Pegasystems’ business process management services team can help you get your BPM project off on the right foot with a thorough review of your application design. Working side-by-side with your project team and leveraging best-practice design principles, Pega BPM services staff will provide valuable feedback on both your design and your design process.

-Usability review — No matter how well-designed an application is internally, and no matter how powerful the underlying business process management system, the application won’t live up to its potential if your user interfaces are not meeting the needs of end users. The Pega business process management services team will review your UIs from the user perspective and help you identify ways to improve the user experience and increase user productivity.

-Transition readiness — Before you launch, Pega business process management services professionals will help you test your application, tune it, and prepare it for deployment. We’ll also work with you to assess your organization’s readiness to utilize the application.

-Performance check-up — Once your BPM application has been up and running for six months to a year, Pega professional services can evaluate your application’s performance to see whether you’re getting your maximum possible return. Detailed analysis and feedback from Pega business process management services -personnel can help you to fine tune your application and to optimize future applications as well.

-BPM methodology coaching — Pegasystems veteran BPM experts can coach your team on all the nuances of implementing an iterative and agile BPM methodology that best leverages the robust capabilities of your Pega BPM platform.

-Centers of excellence creation — Many leading companies are creating BPM-focused Centers of Excellence to drive BPM implementations across the enterprise. Pega professional services can help you with all aspects of launching a BPM Center of Excellence, including strategy development, infrastructure creation, and building of a BPM knowledge base.

10 TIPS FOR A BA TO WORK EFFECTIVELY WITH A PROJECT MANAGER

Chileshe Mulenga CBAP PMP — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 17:44:00 GMT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Business Analyst and Project Manager are team players on a project. As is common the Business Analyst and Project Manager sometimes have conflicting approaches during a project.

Having frequently taken up dual roles of a project manager and Business analyst during the course of my career, I have gained some insight on the dos and don’ts for a business analyst to work effectively with a Project Manager

The following are the 10 recommended Tips:

TIP 1 – Collaborative Stakeholder Analysis

Key to your success as a Business Analyst on any project is identifying your key stakeholders and having a good understanding of their interests and levels of influence. From my experience this is a task best done in collaboration with your Project Manager to ensure you speak the same language when it comes to managing your stakeholders. Imagine a situation where you haven’t captured the requirements a highly influential stakeholder already identified by your Project Manager. This could in turn result in unwanted reworks on the project, increased costs and project delays.

TIP 2 – Synchronization of your Business Analysis Plan with the Project Schedule

It is good to ensure that the activity dates of your Business Analysis Plan are incorporated or synchronized with the Project Manager’s Project Schedule. Nothing is worse than discovering that the period of time the project manager has allocated for your Business Analysis Activities is insufficient.

TIP 3 – Usually not all requirements can be captured up front.

Many Business Analysts discover that as much as the intention may be to capture all requirements up front before the execution phase, there are actually few cases where this is possible. During execution it is common that stakeholders bring up forgotten requirements. The good news is that usually the Project Manager will define the Acceptance criteria with the client. The acceptance criteria is an agreement of what the product or service should constitute for it to be accepted by the client. The Acceptance criteria are usually part of the signed off project charter. Other Project Managers may use the agile approach where prioritized requirements are implemented in phases. In summary A BA must accept the fact that in most cases not all requirements will be captured up front.

TIP 4 – Non Functional Requirements vs. Project Scope

As Business Analysts we also capture non-functional requirements i.e. the expected efficiency level of a system. It is good to liaise with your Project Manager on what is out of scope for the Project. It is common that non-functional requirements requested by stakeholders are sometimes not feasible due to budget and time constraints. In summary you need to be on the same page with your project manager on what is out of scope. This is to avoid complicating the management of your stakeholder expectations

TIP 5 – Help to minimize Scope Creep

As business analysts we know that stakeholders may request additional requirements during the course of the project. As Business analysts a new requirement is accepted or rejected depending on whether it can be directly linked to the Business Need. However Business Analysts need to remember that project manager aims to minimize new additions to the project scope (Scope Creep) that will require the adjustment of the Project budget and Schedule. In most cases stakeholders are not willing to incur the increased cost or time required for inclusion of new requirements.

TIP 6 – All changes to requirements undergo impact analysis

Whilst carrying out the Requirements Management & Communications process the business analyst must ensure that changes to requirements go through the Impact Analysis process managed by the Project Manager. This is to ensure that the Impact that a change in requirement will have on the Project Schedule, Project Cost or product quality is assessed before the requirement change is formally approved.

TIP 7 – Collaborative Prioritization of Requirements

Prioritization of requirements is a standard task that we carry out as Business Analysts under Requirements Analysis. However it is common to reach a road block where stakeholders wish to classify all their requirements as high priority. This is usually due to the fear that non high priority requirements will be excluded in the project scope. With this in minded it is recommend that prioritization of requirements is done with the involvement of the project manager to assist in management of your stakeholders.

TIP 8 – Synchronize the list of prioritized requirements with the vendor selection criteria

Selection of vendors is procurement management task that critically requires the input of the Business Analyst. Selection of vendors is usually based on each vendor being evaluated against the vendor selection criteria defined by the project manager. It is crucial that Business Analyst ensures that the vendor selection criteria is synchronized with the list prioritized requirements.

TIP 9 – Transition Requirements can sometimes be implemented as post GO LIVE tasks

Business analysts also capture transition requirements i.e. the required training of users. For a Business Analyst a project is complete when all the categories of requirements i.e. transition requirements have been implemented. However what is sometimes experienced is the Project Manager wishes to separate the implementation of transition requirements from the Project Scope and treat transition requirements as post GO Live tasks. This is usually the case when Project has a non-negotiable constraint on the GO Live Date.

TIP 10 –Factor in Project Manager’s constraints and assumptions when the defining the solution scope.

The Business Analysts defines the solution scope under the process of enterprise analysis. It is critical that the Business Analysts gains the input of the project manager on constraints and assumptions before defining the solution scope.

CONCLUSION

To work effectively with Project Manager a Business Analyst has to be able to understand aspects of stakeholder analysis , Project Schedule , Project Scope , Managing scope change , vendor selection criteria and project constraints from the eyes of a project manager.

Business Process Mapping a Practical Approach

arun charles — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 04:37:00 GMT

Most important part of any system analysis is to understand the existing system . In order to understand the existing system usually reading the existing documentation of the system helps , but if a chance permits before getting requirements from the business stakeholder or product owner ( in case of agile) . Identifying the current business process and thereby understanding the system intervention is key to better analysis.

One of the tools used in this process is using the business process mapping exercise.

This involves drawing a simple flowchart of each and every step of the current process in a more understandable format.

It’s a good practice to revise and review the business process map which was created several times to find any of the missed process or correct any of the processes documented incorrectly. This process provides the Business Analyst better understanding of the existing system.

Some of the organization uses the business process maps as the first step to gather new requirements which documents the change in the process which latter drill to down to the business requirement documents.

Simple example of business process mapping

Let’s take an example of simple order fulfillment process such as above.

Where the swim lanes represent customer, order processing system operations, delivery department, there might be number of process hidden in each step for which information has to be gathered from the stakeholders, clue is to make the process as simple and granular as possible adding comments where possible in order to define or explain the process to the team members which might include the IT team. QA teams,

Operations or the actual end users of the application or processes.

Numbering the process also makes the reader or reviewer of the business process go through process in sequence.

Once the current process is finalized , it’s a good practice to identify the changes are new requirements of the new process , this can follow the actual process of elicitation of requirements example like Requirement gathering workshops , Focus groups , Job Shadowing .

In each of the elicitation process the current business process map which depicts the current process can be baseline on which we build the new business requirement or process.

Since the stakeholders or business sponsors whoever provides the requirement can compare and visualize the change in the process and therefore better articulate the requirement and it also helps business analysts to document the requirements the process more accurately .

Key point is to make the diagram look simple and readable as possible so all the stakeholders could understand without ambiguity , however in some cases it might not be possible to keep the flow simple.

Dealing with Difficult Stakeholders

sbowling999 — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 20:50:00 GMT

The question will undoubtedly arise during your tenure as a business analyst, ‘How do I manage a difficult stakeholder?’

I once encountered a stakeholder, a very highly respected mathematician, who had developed an application based on a mathematical model of his weather systems. The algorithm was amazing. The application sucked. It was my job to:

1. Ensure his model used enterprise data so it could be shared amongst other applications I was helping develop and,

2. To either refactor and debug his application or port his algorithm to a new User Interface so it was available to a larger user group.

Long story short, he hated me. More accurately maybe he hated the idea of me. So what did I do? I elicited his feedback every step of the way. I made him a full partner in the change experience. But I also put my foot down and let him know the change was going to happen. I recognized that he was heavily invested in the application he had grown from scratch. The larger community wasn’t aware of his accomplishment. So I suggested he demo his application to a larger group of users. He got the opportunity to share his vision with the enterprise. People were amazed at the model and he received his just credit and some back slaps. But during the course of the demo he was also slightly embarrassed because there were technical issues and bugs that were apparent (as I knew they would be) which motivated him to embrace the improvement process.

It also helped to understand what was important to him and his own analysis process. Because he was the logical type I crafted my analysis plan to rely more heavily on statistics and fact based decision making. After showing him the error logs for his tool as compared to other applications for example, we agreed together that reducing the instances of error and downtime needed to be our joint #1 priority before we exposed the application to a larger audience. Because I always kept him informed, treated him as my primary stakeholder and never pulled punches, he began to see me more as his partner who could help him through the change process and bring his model to a much larger audience. For that to happen, he had to let go of complete control and we eventually repackaged his model/algorithm into an entirely new UI consistent with our other enterprise applications. Looking back, the only thing I would have done differently is put my foot down on Day 1 instead of Week 3.

It’s also critically important to find out the concerns of your most difficult stakeholder. In another example, I had a difficult stakeholder group who were code enforcement inspectors. You know the guys who condemn houses? As a group they were refusing to use their 2 year old mobile application. Citizen complaints raged as their investigation backlog grew. When their contractor mistakenly demolished the wrong house, the Mayor’s office finally decided to hire me as a consultant to improve their systems and processes. The workers grumbled and pushed back on requests for changes. I decided to select the least tech savvy, most senior vocal influencer and rode with him for a solid week. Every morning at 6 a.m. we met the crew for coffee at McDonalds. I donned work boots and shadowed him as he walked around in dark condemned houses in the worst part of town. We met the guys for lunch at the 7-11, conversed and I truly began to understand their challenges and why they hated the old application. I also understood that the fear of using the technology was elevated due to a general lack of experience with web technology. At the end of the project this ‘difficult stakeholder’ helped me teach the training course and volunteered to be the ‘go to guy’ for all other inspectors! Listening and putting yourself in the stakeholders shoes really works.

So here are my steps to better stakeholder relationships.

Identify key stakeholders who can throw a wrench into your project’s success. Key stakeholders may be members of the executive or management team. They could just as frequently be informal team leaders or members who influence others. Ensure you are proactively nurturing those relationships.
View them and treat them with the importance a key stakeholder deserves. Nothing turns a stakeholder into hostile mode faster than getting a cold reception and the sense that his opinions are not valued.
Take the time to truly understand their perspective and concerns. Put yourself in their shoes. Not only will you be investing in the relationship but you will likely also learn important information that can help craft your analysis, deployment, training or support plans.
Ensure there are ample opportunities for your stakeholders to provide feedback in a setting that is most comfortable to them. Some people aren’t comfortable sharing in a group setting or JAD session.
Be sure to incorporate their feedback into the overall plans so their concerns are addressed.
Recognize that change doesn’t happen overnight. Employ an appropriate change management strategy.
Create opportunities for your difficult stakeholders to show leadership and excellence. Everyone wants to be recognized for their accomplishments.
Engage them to help win the buy-in of other team members who sit on the fence. Nothing ensures your project’s success like having the team leaders champion the change.

The success of a business analyst depends heavily on the relationships he builds along the way. Pay attention to the key stakeholders and remove this obstacle so you can get on with the business at hand.

A view of Business Architecture

Richard Skidmore — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 07:11:00 GMT

Just to pass some time recently, I was reading a dictionary (like you do) and I came across the following definitions of architecture:

The art and science of designing and superintending the erection of buildings and similar structures
A style of building or structure
Buildings or structures collectively
The structure or design of anything

So, I got to thinking about these, particularly the last one, and came to the following conclusion - you would not be a very good architect if you didn't understand how buildings are structured and how builders work.

So it seems sensible to conclude that you wouldn't be very useful as an architect in the world of:

data architecture, if you didn't understand data modelling and databases
applications architecture, if you didn't understand software construction and integration
infrastructure architecture, if you didn't understand technology and communications

Therefore, it must be a fundamental requirement for a Business Architect to understand business and the jigsaw of elements that need to fit together to make the entire picture. If I want to understand the business architecture, I need to appreciate the business motivations, business models and business capabilities, plus the people and processes that bind all these individual elements together to deliver value to customers and other stakeholders.

While any business architecture needs to be consistent with, and coordinated with, technical architectures, it is important to understand that it is a different type of architecture. It has clear requirements when it is being constructed. And, it requires a unique blend of skills and competencies to develop it. Business architecture is not just an afterthought of the technical and solution architecture world.

Many business analysts and business managers are becoming involved in business architecture. In developing their knowledge and skills, it is important that the focus is on business understanding if they are to understand the underlying concepts, interconnections and impacts needed for this rapidly expanding discipline to succeed.

In our current world, the pace of change in technology is significant. However, it is also true that with the advent of innovative ways of working, new ways of structuring organisations, streamlined processes and a work force with different motivations and aspirations, we need to consider the architectural considerations and aspirations of the business in addition to those related to the technology. This way, outcomes of real value can be achieved with minimum, or at the very least, controlled, impact to our organisations. It really is the only sustainable way forward.

More blogs can be found here...

Asking the Right questions-Process Discovery

Mike Cunningham — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 12:57:00 GMT

If you are an internal Business Analyst or consultant asking the right questions in a Discovery project is a critical skill. While it seems that a 10 or 20 year veteran seemingly gets those answers by some magical power, it’s really not that complicated. The experienced Business Analyst or Project Manager has been there many times before and knows how to build an good set of probing questions that will bring out the details.

For process discovery, you may already be a subject matter expert on the project, but often that’s not the case. In these situations creating a shopping list of items that will guide you to ask the right questions is very important. This list includes:

Identification of roles of those involved
Responsibilities for actions/tasks and decisions in the process
Outcomes and results from the processes in hand
Known problems with existing processes
Goals from management required from the Discovery project
The expertise level of the intended audience
Access to quality standards for the existing process
Clear separation of “current state” from “future state” questions
Identification of resources, guidelines and instruction locations and usage

This list can go on, but you get the idea. Unless you identify, who, what, how and when before you start the interview or information gathering process, you many need to re-interview staff because of your unpreparedness. Not a good idea. Plan your questions carefully, particularly when it comes to the interview stage of your Process Discovery project.

Original posted at Michael Cunningham's BPM Blog

Asking the Right questions-Process Discovery

Mike Cunningham — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:57:00 GMT

Identification of roles of those involved
Responsibilities for actions/tasks and decisions in the process
Outcomes and results from the processes in hand
Known problems with existing processes
Goals from management required from the Discovery project
The expertise level of the intended audience
Access to quality standards for the existing process
Clear separation of “current state” from “future state” questions
Identification of resources, guidelines and instruction locations and usage

Original posted at Michael Cunningham's BPM Blog

Business Process Analysis (BPA) for the Masses -- Is It Real?

Derek Weeks — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:55:00 GMT

This Summer, Gartner produced a research paper entitled "BPA for the Masses: Is it Real?". The paper discusses the increasing popularity of business process modeling tools that can be used by business people. Gartner's position is that the business people have the greatest understanding of their process and can now be equipped with tools that enable them to produce process models very quickly.

Rather than shutting the business users out of the process modeling exercise, they can now be engaged from the beginning. Gartner comments that involving business people in the process modeling exercise helped support the business analyst's efforts to help business and IT understand the process and its related analysis better.

I found the paper interesting and wanted to know if others agreed. Should we place a business process analysis (BPA) tool in the hands of a business user?

When I asked some of my industry peers, I received the following response from Dan Darnell at Waltman, Weinberg & Reis:

“I designed and taught BPMN training focused on our ‘business people’ at QualChoice a few years ago. In my experience, non-IT, non-Analyst folk adapted well and ‘got’ the concepts. I don't understand why it should be surprising or unusual for business-side people to understand and use BPMN or, in general, BPM.

The business side should, or MUST, be involved in the process modeling exercise. Their involvement provides great benefit, and they should be given tools to document their processes themselves. IT, PMO, or similar organizations should not set themselves up as the exclusive provider of formal modeling work - it is not in the company's best interest. My experience was that the business side can model their own processes, and with the proper tools, their work can be integrated into the corporate model.”

Would you agree? Does giving a BPA tool to a business person help you? What has been your experience?

Additionally, Gartner recommends that companies avoid an initial step of buying a BPM suite or an expensive BPA tool. As they see more and more adoption of business process modeling as a responsibility of the business unit or a business service group, they see more businesses investing in low-cost, business-oriented, more accessible modeling tools. They provide many tool examples, but say that Visio clearly dominates.

Would you or have you put Visio in the hands of your business users?

Gartner states, “There are two primary reasons why BPA for the masses will become "real." One is the superior results in achieving true business performance improvement, and the other is the much-broader potential audience that can enable fuller collaboration.”

Do you see BPA for the Masses becoming real in your organization? I believe it only makes sense. The businesses know their process best, but have difficultly describing it or reaching consensus on the details…we have all seen this in discovery exercises. But, I believe there is great value in having business people collaborate with business and process analysts in building the process model while using a common tool. Involving the business helps improve their understanding of the process, their awareness of its complexity and potential problems, and their motivation to improve the process moving forward.

I’d like to hear what you think after you read the paper. For a free copy of the Gartner paper, go to: http://www.global360.com/download/bpa-report/