Last week I attended BA Conference Europe 2023 in London. It was a massive event, with around 500 BA professionals, dozens of speakers, and a whole lot going on! Thoughts on the content… With 70 speakers presenting over three days, there was no way to see everything I wanted. However, I was delighted by the talks I did get to attend. I can’t cover them all there, but I’ve tried to pick out some of the highlights… The keynote speakers were superb. Data journalise David McCandless spoke about his work presenting data through creative and powerful infographics. Rob Baker (Positive Deviant at Tai ..read more

Why aren’t more business analysis professionals using fun and exciting techniques with their stakeholders to drive creative thinking? Is our reliance on a limited range of tools reducing the number and quality of ideas? Are we, to put it bluntly, a bit boring? A few years ago, I stumbled on an image of a workshop where someone was wearing a cardboard box on their head to play the role of a cash machine. That struck me as a brilliant way of eliciting requirements. To date I haven’t found an opportunity to apply it in my work in the legal sector – but the principle of using creative roleplay to ..read more

I was once told by a database engineer that every spreadsheet represented a failure by the organisation to provide appropriate tools. I’m far too much of a fence-sitter to give my unqualified agreement to that statement, but I definitely think he had a point worth considering – particularly for organisations hoping to reduce risk and eliminate waste. Spreadsheets can hold and organise data, perform calculations, and provide insights through totals, filtered views, and attractive charts. As a tool, they’re readily available and easy to start using. And when I’m helping an organisation improve i ..read more

In the coming weeks, my 2-year elected term as IIBA UK’s Communities Director for Wales, the Southwest, and Midlands comes to an end. There’s still lots to do before then, with a great pipeline of events coming up, but I’m also reflecting on the last couple of years leading my local Branch teams, being a member of the Board, and getting deeply involved in the BA Community. I’m an introvert by nature, and volunteering in this role has needed me to get comfortable with being in the spotlight, talking to a lot of strangers, and generally put myself “out there”. I probably assumed this role was g ..read more

Many job ads for business analysis roles ask for specialist knowledge. This might be experience within the particular industry, knowledge of the product or business function, or familiarity with particular tools or methods. Yet it is often argued that a great BA can be dropped into any business situation and still be effective – we have “transferrable skills” coming out of our ears! In this article, I’ll examine the different knowledge areas and skills that business analysis professionals possess, and share my thoughts on what “enough” specialist knowledge looks like. For the majority of my ca ..read more

This post is going to stretch a metaphor, possibly past breaking point! Stick with it… Daffodils are out. Trees are dressed in blossom. Spring is gradually springing. The promise of new growth and brighter days always has me feeling optimistic, and this year it has triggered some thinking about business analysis professionals and the wider BA ecosystem. This post is an attempt to crystalise thoughts thoughts, and I’m reaching for a metaphor to do that. Things are going to get a little vague and abstract. Please bear with me. Business analysis is a garden. What do I mean by that? The BA ecosys ..read more

For a business analyst, defining reporting requirements can be a true test of our professionalism. No BA wants to simply take down requests as if stakeholders were ordering a meal. But when it comes to “reports”, it can be difficult to really dig into the underlying need behind any request, and the path of least resistance can be tempting. The end result is often wasted time generating reports that feel useful but don’t actually help anyone – and dumping data out into spreadsheets can inadvertently circumvent data governance controls. Business analysts aren’t waiters. We’re more like sommelier ..read more

The end of the year is almost upon us! In this post, I’ll be looking back at the past 12 months and reflecting on the highs (and occasional lows!) of 2023. I’ve been keenly aware this year of the value of the relationships in my life. In both my personal and professional worlds, I’ve been in quiet awe of the kindness, generosity, and support shown by people to me and to others. So before I get into examining my year, I’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone who has inspired me throughout the year with their care and compassion! Stepping down from the IIBA UK board I recently finished my 2-yea ..read more

Peter Drucker famously wrote that “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. It’s become something of a cliché because, frankly, it’s true! Whatever great plans we think we’re hatching to improve the organisation, its culture will make (or break) our prospects of success! Culture acts as a lens or filter, determining what actually happens and how people behave. Every organisation has its own unique set of cultural norms about what is expected, tolerated, celebrated, or frowned-upon, and it’s essential that we take these into account when designing and delivering change initiatives. In this post, I ..read more

As part of my role volunteering with IIBA UK, I recently hosted an online event exploring the extent to which business analysis professionals need technical knowledge and skills. With over 130 BAs attending, we explored what voices in the BA world are saying (professional bodies, certifications, thought leaders etc.), what recruiters are asking for in job ads, and what we’re actually doing in our day jobs. Needless to say, we uncovered a range of views! There was a rough trend towards recruiters asking for more technical knowledge, and our industry suggesting we don’t need these to do our jobs ..read more