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Entries for the 'Analytical and Problem Solving Skills' Category

» FEATURED: Systems Thinking: Understanding the Whole and Not Just the Parts

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Systems Thinking: Understanding the Whole and Not Just the Parts

I was very intrigued with this concept when I read it in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK). This concept is so powerful and if used more in organizations can produce remarkable events; however, I have found that Systems Thinking can only be utilized to its fullest potential if the culture of the organization allows for that. However, ...

» FEATURED: The Real Brains Behind Better Facilitation

(3494 Views) (11 Comments)

The Real Brains Behind Better Facilitation

Facilitation is one of the most critical soft skills of the business analyst, as well as one of the most difficult to master. Working with various stakeholders requires tremendous preparation, insight and finesse in addition to an understanding of key principles of the facilitation process.

» The Doctor/Patient Analogy for Problem Definition

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The Doctor/Patient Analogy for Problem Definition

Over the years I have noticed that we, as Americans, seem to possess a knack for attacking the wrong problems which I refer to as the “Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic” phenomenon. I see this not only in the corporate world, but in our private lives as well. Instead of addressing the correct problems, we tend to attack symptoms.

» FEATURED: Structuring AS-IS and TO-BE Process Improvement Discussions using the Fishbone Diagram

(10740 Views) (6 Comments)

Structuring AS-IS and TO-BE Process Improvement Discussions using the Fishbone Diagram

In a process improvement project, the analysis team needs to model and examine several aspects of the current (AS-IS) value chain under study. The purpose of the analysis is to create a visual diagram of the value chain along with its associated text and metrics and determine if there are possible areas of improvement (e.g., reductions in cost or t...

» True Systems Analysis?

(4387 Views) (16 Comments)

Regretably, many of today's Systems Analysts are still glorified programmers in sheep's clothing. I recently came across some job postings under the title, "Systems Analyst," and it occurred to me people still do not know what it means. In the postings I saw things like "seeking a Systems Analyst with 4 - 6 years experience... Candi...

» How to Interview Your Boss

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Ever had to interview your boss – or a divisional general manager – or the managing director of a key customer? What about a politician or a senior executive in a government department? All these scenarios can be nerve racking, yet they’re something a business analyst may be required to do on a regular basis.

» The Creative Business Analyst - Part 3, Making Better Decisions

(3835 Views) (1 Comments)

The Creative Business Analyst - Part 3, Making Better Decisions

In this final paper of the series we look at decision making techniques – how to select the best idea from the many we’ve come up with – and how to justify our recommendation to our client, manager and peers.

» FEATURED: Writing Flexible Requirements for Future Development

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For almost every analyst, the day comes when you write a set of requirements that causes engineers to bemoan a recent development project that they just coded. "If only we'd known that you wanted to build this, we would have made the last project more flexible. Now we've hardcoded in changes that will take days to rebuild."

» The Creative Business Analyst - Part 2, Generating Solution Ideas

(3944 Views) (5 Comments)

The Creative Business Analyst - Part 2, Generating Solution Ideas

A lot of people think that coming up with solutions to business problems is the hardest part about being a business analyst – particularly when working with a client who knows more about the business than you ever will. Don’t believe it, after all you’ve already made considerable progress in understanding the problem – and your understanding is bas...

» Golden Rules for Business Analysts

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Like all professions, business analysis has its golden rules – rules that are fundamental to the design of successful business systems. They might seem like common sense but it’s surprising how often we forget them and get ourselves into hot water.

» FEATURED: What happens to the role of the Business Analyst in an Agile Utopia?

(6378 Views) (8 Comments)

If Agile is to become the next zeitgeist for development, what will become of the traditional Business Analyst? We all know the traditional waterfall mantra: analyze, design, build then test... underpinned by the common belief that the more you analyze up front the more you save in maintenance later on. This has had a huge impact on the way we org...

» The Creative Business Analyst - Part 1

(3657 Views) (3 Comments)

Many of us are familiar with the process of business analysis – start by gathering requirements from stakeholders then turn them into a specification which developers can understand. These days however, we need to do more than just document the requirements. We need to work with stakeholders and business users to understand their systems and analy...

» Understanding Group Data Elements

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In the past I have discussed the need to manage data (and all information resources) as a valuable resource; something to be shared and reused in order to eliminate redundancy and promote system integration. Now, our attention turns to how data should be defined. Well defined data elements are needed in order to properly design the logi...

» Current Systems Analysis

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The subject of current systems analysis is usually greeted with dismay or disdain by systems departments. There are many reasons for this. In many installations, the support of current systems takes more than 85% of the systems department's time, and the departments are more than ready to get on with new systems development and bury the old, non-wo...

» System Design Backwards

(2462 Views) (0 Comments)

One of the biggest challenges in any system design effort is to produce a viable design that is well thought-out with all of the pieces and parts working harmoniously together. If something is forgotten, regardless of its seeming insignificance, it will undoubtedly cause costly problems later on. The task, therefore, is to produce a design that is ...

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Business Analyst Articles: Business Analysis & Systems Analysis

Entries for the 'Analytical and Problem Solving Skills' Category

Join the Premier Community for Business Analysts, Business Process Professionals, Systems Analysts, Data Analysts, and more…

Business Analyst Articles: Business Analysis & Systems Analysis

Entries for the 'Analytical and Problem Solving Skills' Category

Join the Premier Community for
Business Analysts, Business Process Professionals,
Systems Analysts, Data Analysts, and more…