The Community Blog for Business Analysts

ccecere
ccecere

6 Strategies for a Better PM/BA relationship

Given the importance of the relationship between the Project Manager and the Business Analyst on a project team, how can an organization nurture this key relationship and, in the process, ensure better team performance? Here are six basic strategies you can employ:

1.    Train and cross training PMs and BAs on methodology and roles. Each should understand the responsibilities of the other and agree on how to attain outcomes.
 
2.     Build two-person teams of PMs and BAs who can work together more than once so they can get to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
 
3.    Reward collaboration and cultivate PMs and BAs who exhibit the best characteristics of their respective roles.
 
4.    Chose PMs and BAs who naturally understand the value of compromise and work actively together to manage risk.
 
5.    Develop a mindset where professionals over-communicate to ensure that nothing gets missed.
Finally, (6) pay close attention to interdependencies. One of the major strategic areas of overlap between the PM and BA roles, for example, is the area of scope definition and management. These professionals should be deeply involved in discussions such as this which are deceptively straightforward, but end up playing havoc on schedules and budgets. 
 
Cathy Cecere
Marketing Manager with Doreen Evans Associates, Inc.
http://www.doreenevans.com
This entry was published on Sep 24, 2012 / ccecere. Posted in Project Management, Business Analysis. Bookmark the Permalink or E-mail it to a friend.
Like this article:
  2 members liked this article

Related Articles

COMMENTS

xnop posted on Wednesday, October 10, 2012 2:58 PM
Other areas of overlap include gathering requirements where the BA is taking a lead position for that project element and risk identification where the BA will have insight into areas of risk.
xnop
Only registered users may post comments.

Modern Analyst Blog Latests

As we start a new year many of us will take the time to reflect on our accomplishments from 2012 and plan our goals for 2013. We can set small or large goals. goals that will be accomplished quickly or could take several years. For 2013, I think Business Analysts should look to go beyond our traditional boundaries and set audacious goals. Merriam-...
Recently, I was asked by the IIBA to present a talk at one of their chapter meetings. I am reprinting here my response to that invitation in the hope that it will begin a conversation with fellow EEPs and BAs about an area of great concern to the profession. Hi xx …. Regarding the IIBA talk, there is another issue that I am considering. It's p...
Continuing the ABC series for Business Analysts, Howard Podeswa created the next installment titled "BA ABCs: “C” is for Class Diagram" as an article rather than a blog post. You can find the article here: BA ABCs: “C” is for Class Diagram Here are the previous two posts: BA ABCs: “A” is for Activity Diagram BA ABCs: “B” is for BPMN

 



Blog Information

» What is the Community Blog and what are the Benefits of Contributing?

» Review our Blog Posting Guidelines.

» I am looking for the original Modern Analyst blog posts.

 




Copyright 2006-2024 by Modern Analyst Media LLC