|
Written by Jared Gorai
|
Strategic Business AnalysisOne of the many Business Analyst websites that I frequently visit is Business Analyst Times (www.batimes.com). They have a broad spectrum of articles and whitepapers that are useful in my daily job either by suggesting new and better ways to do things, or just reenergizing my passion for the role. A recent article by Keith Ellis titled "Requirements ATTACK" (if you are registered on BA Times you can read the article here: http://www.batimes.com/keith-ellis/464-requirements-attack.html) suggested that a complaint Keith hears frequently is that Business Analysts are not proactive enough and are perceived as order takers1. I agree with Keith that a lot of Business Analysts aren't proactive and we do tend to let the business dictate to us. We sometimes don't delve deep enough into what the business really wants rather than what they're asking for. Keith goes on to remonstrate that analysts need to attack requirements to get the right kinds of information2. Again I won't disagree that Business Analysts should be aggressive in attaining requirements, but doing so doesn't really make the analysts more proactive. His article was meant to underline how important it is to delve deep and get the real requirements and I think he achieved that goal. For a Business Analyst to truly be more proactive, they need to center their attention on more than just requirements. While requirements drive our projects and are a fundamental part of our roles, they shouldn't be our only focus. A proactive Business Analyst needs to be involved in the project sooner than requirements gathering. I sense that most companies see the Business Analyst solely through requirements shaded glasses. That we're not as proactive as they'd like us to be is partly because of the role they see us playing and partly that we're not asserting ourselves into pre-project work. The proactive Business Analyst is a strategic thinker. They are the analysts that are interacting with the business to define not just the requirements of various projects, but to help streamline the direction of the business by working to create and define those projects. If the complaints heard by Mr. Ellis are to be overcome, its up to the Business Analyst to make the necessary changes to how they perform their role. If you aren't being proactive, its not just a case of you not thinking strategically which is an important piece of the puzzle, but you also need to act strategically and that means more than just documenting requirements. The Business Analyst needs to become a trusted advisor to the business where they actively seek out and define business needs. I urge everyone to sign-up for the September 17th event where Michel Raimondo will speak about the Business Analyst as a strategic partner.
1 Requirements ATTACK by Keith Ellis http://www.batimes.com/keith-ellis/464-requirements-attack.html
2 Ibid
|