The Top Ten Skills

… your Mother forgot to tell you that you needed to be a Business

Analyst

A founding member of the

Who is Kathleen Barret?

1 2Senior Business Consultant,Requirements Management / Business Analysis Centre of Competency Lead,BMO Financial Group

President,International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA)

Who is BMO Financial Group?

Founded in 1817 as Canada’s first chartered bank, BMO Financial Group is one the largest financial services providers in North America Assets – $256 billion Employees – 34,000

Information Technology – 3,500

Services include: BMO Bank of Montreal - Personal & Commercial Banking (Canadian) BMO Nesbitt Burns - Investment & Wealth Management (Canadian) Harris Bank – Financial Services (Mid-West US) Harris Nesbitt – Investment Bank (US)

Introduction

So you want to be a Business Analyst…

What is a Business Analyst

Business Analysts are responsible for identifying the business needs of their clients and stakeholders to help determine solutions to business problems.

The Business Analyst is responsible for requirements development and requirements management. Specifically, the Business Analyst elicits, analyzes, validates and documents business, organizational and/or operational requirements. Solutions are not predetermined by the Business Analyst, but are driven solely by the requirements of the business. Solutions often include a systems development component, but may also consist of process improvement or organizational change.

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

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

The 10 “Skills” Analyst Facilitator Negotiator Artist / Architect Planner Communicator Diplomat Expert / Consultant Strategist Revolutionary

Describe each role Identify the skill or activity

required Provide an example of the type

of training available to support its development

The Analyst

“Help determine solutions to business problems”

The ultimate problem solver

The Analyst

Analytical & Systems Thinking Understand & make judgments about a situation by

breaking it apart into smaller pieces or by tracing the implications of a situation in a step-by-step way Organize the problem, opportunity or situation in a systematic

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

Training

Problem Solving & Decision Making Provide participants with the skills and tools they

need to determine root issues and plan for success Identify and find solutions to problems Apply creative thinking skills, resulting in improved solutions Apply decision-making methodology Anticipate & plan for problems before they occur Use a process tool to analyze situations, separate concerns,

establish priorities & initiate appropriate action

The Facilitator

“Key facilitator within an organization”

“Elicits… requirements” Ensures positive,

continuous discussion & progress

The Facilitator

Facilitation / Requirements Elicitation Facilitation

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

Elicitation Use questioning techniques and other tools to discover process

and data from a group of users or stakeholders

Training

Facilitating Client Requirements Provide the methodology and skills needed to discover

client requirements in a meeting environment Elicit business & system requirements from stakeholders using

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

Use group management methods to ensure an productive requirements gathering session

The Negotiator

“Act as a bridge between the client, stakeholders & solution team”

Maintain balance between potentially conflicting needs of various stakeholders

The Negotiator

Consensus & Agreement Building Help others reach agreement around a project or a set of

ideas Take on contentious issues or entrenched interests to

bring about a beneficial resolution Negotiation: Ensuring ‘win-win’ solutions when two parties start

from different positions Consensus and Agreement Building: Working together,

assisting others, to reach a common understanding and commitment

Conflict Management: Bringing disagreements into the open to help diffuse them

Training

Power Communications Communicate effectively with team members, manage

client expectations to reach consensus & to ensure successful project outcomes Utilize influence and communication skills to manage client and peer

relationships Manage difficult conversations & more effectively deal with conflict Practice negotiation skills that result in consensus with your client and

stakeholders Handle objections effectively Understand Emotional Intelligence and how it applies to self

management and effective communication

The Artist / Architect

“Solutions often include a systems development component but may also consist of process improvement or organizational change”

The BA contributes to the successful solution of the problem

The Artist / Architect

Modeling Data Modeling

Develop an accurate representation of the business’ information needs

Process Modeling Develop an accurate representation of the business’

processes

Functional / User-Centered Design Demonstrate and apply knowledge of usability factors and

techniques Profile targeted user groups to understand who will be using

the product

Training

Business Process Modeling Describe the various methods of modeling business

processes Create business process models based on case study

examples Analyze the process models for gaps, process

improvements, and strategic significance

Training

User Centered Design Define user-centered design Explain the eight steps to web-design & the rules for

good design Define effective web navigation and page layout Describe web accessibility List the key elements of usability testing

Training

Data Modeling Describe data modeling & when to use it Identify different data modeling deliverables & how they

fit into the process Define high-level data definition & detail data

specification

The Planner

Or “Requirements Manager”

The BA is the “project manager” of the requirements activities

The BA needs to plan & manage his/her activities to ensure a successful outcome within the identified project constraints

The Planner

Requirements Planning & Management Assure the client’s requirements for products or systems

are accurately identified, captured, and tracked throughout the project life cycle Planning

Define, organize and schedule requirements management activities in a way that is consistent with the organization’s culture and standards

Manage Execute planned requirements management activities while

remaining flexible to changing requirements and project deadlines

Training

Project Management Fundamentals Define requirements scope & objectives Describe tasks & activities required to meet the

objectives Estimate resources required to complete tasks Schedule tasks & activities Monitor & modify plan as required

The Communicator

Or “Translator” The BA draws out the

needs of the various stakeholders, captures them in the form of a document & feeds it back for validation & agreement

The Communicator

Verbal & Written Communications Verbal communication

Use discussion, conversations and interviews to further understanding

Speak clearly Actively listen

Written communication Create clear, complete and useable documentation to support

the requirements management process and to report findings to

other stakeholders

Training

A few courses contribute to the development of this role

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

employing a Use-Case driven approach to gathering and defining requirements

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

High Level Requirements Document into a Detailed Requirements Specification

The Diplomat

Combination of other roles Facilitator Negotiator Planner Artist / Architect

The BA ensures the client is satisfied with the solution

The Diplomat

Client Relationship Management Establish & maintain a positive working relationship with

the client Consider or anticipate the needs of the client throughout the

requirements process Have insight and appreciation of client needs, priorities, goals &

competitive advantage

Training

A synthesis of the training provided for the other roles contributes to the development of this skill Facilitating Client Requirements Power Communications Project Management Modeling

This role develops with maturity

The Expert / Consultant

“To help determine solutions to business problems”

The BA needs to understand the: Business Industry Competition

The Expert / Consultant

Professional Knowledge Understand key business fundamentals, industry levers

& the drivers of the financial health and viability Demonstrate working knowledge of the

business/organization & of software and application development best practices

Training

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

Formalized training would be industry specific

The Strategist

Think outside of the “box”

See both the “forest” & the “trees”

The Strategist

Strategic Business Planning Develop, link and communicate long-range visions, goals

or plans to support achievement of business goals Translate visions & strategies into tactical plans

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

Training

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

Revolutionary

By contributing to a solution, the BA introduces change

The BA helps manage the impact of the change

The Revolutionary

Organizational Change Management Discover & define areas for change Conduct impact analyses Actively champion the cause for change

Training

Organizational Change Management Provides an understanding of organizational change

management within system project lifecycle by Building an understanding of the change process Examining the factors critical to successful implementation of

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

the resistance Developing an effective strategy to deal with resistance

The BMO Financial Group Curriculum

Orientation to Requirements Management Specifying Client Requirements Eliciting Client Requirements (web-based) Facilitating Client Requirements Data Gathering Techniques (web-based) Power Communications Problem Solving and Decision Making Understanding Information Security Detailed Requirements Specification Data Modeling Process Modeling User Centered Design (web-based) Writing Effective Use Cases Organizational Change Management

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

• Class room Simulation• Process Assessment

• Knowledge Assessment

• Simulation• Accreditation

So remember what your Mother said… Analyst Facilitator Negotiator Artist / Architect Planner Communicator Diplomat Expert / Consultant Strategist Revolutionary