At a recent conference I sat next to a project manager who observed, “My organization hired a new consulting company to do business analysis work. They’ve completely taken over. Now they do a lot of the project management work that I used to do, such as meeting with the sponsor to uncover the business problems, determining what we’re going to do on the project…I can’t believe it! I feel like I’m being treated like a second-class citizen!”
ProjectBrief Blog
For Business Analysts and Project Managers
What do you need to make your projects a success? Read, share, interact, and learn tips and ideas. Our goal is to help you extend and reinforce your project management and business analysis training and skills.
Four Tips for Avoiding Conflict Between the PM and BA
Posted: March 10th, 2010 by ElizabethLarson. Comments »Task-Specific Techniques for the CBAP® Exam
Posted: March 1st, 2010 by RichLarson. 2 Comments »Lately I’ve been immersed in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK®). Why, you might ask? No, it’s not because of insomnia. I’ve been finishing up our CBAP® sample exam question bank for our just-launched online study exam.
The actual CBAP exam is based primarily on the BABOK. I recall studying this guide a lot when preparing for my exam. Now that we are helping others prepare to pass the exam, I realize just how hard it is to write good questions. My hat is off to the test designers and exam writers!
2 Ingredients To Spice Up Meeting Effectiveness
Posted: February 22nd, 2010 by Andrea Brockmeier. Comments »As project managers and business analysts, you are undoubtedly familiar with the misery of poorly planned and poorly run meetings. It’s a long list of things that drive meeting madness: unclear purpose, wrong people in attendance, lack of ground rules, inadequate preparation, poor time management, etc.
Thought given to key elements of the meeting ahead of time can make for a more effective meeting. Communication of those things insures that everyone arrives at the meeting with a shared understanding of why they are there and what they need to accomplish.
Five Tips for Estimating Requirements
Posted: February 10th, 2010 by ElizabethLarson. Comments »Years ago I worked on a large effort to reengineer a distribution
center for a large retailer. We provided an estimate for both the business analysis work and for the entire project, which would involve the organization’s first use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), new business processes, many software changes, and the purchase of new barcode scanners. The business analysis effort took far longer than we anticipated, and at the end of it we refined our estimate for the total project. When we reported the new estimate to the president of the company, he literally pounded his fist on the table and asked, “How did we get to this point? Why didn’t we know sooner? You’ve already spent all this time on the project and what do we have to show for it? Nothing!. Absolutely nothing!”
Where We Were in 2009 and Where We’re Headed in 2010
Posted: February 2nd, 2010 by JulieChaloner. Comments »How did the role of Project Managers and Business Analysts change in 2009? What might happen in 2010? Check out this latest article by Elizabeth Larson and Richard Larson at BATimes.com: http://tinyurl.com/yeq2wmg.
Top Fundamentals for Successful Virtual Meetings
Posted: January 29th, 2010 by RichLarson. 3 Comments »If you’re a project manager or business analyst and have ever facilitated or participated in a virtual meeting, you know they can be highly productive. And, highly frustrating if not run well. Here is a list of 5 things I think all virtual meetings should have to be successful:
1) Test your technology. If you have never used the software or hardware for your virtual meetings, make sure you practice with a small group first. If you are doing a formal presentation, I suggest you reboot your PC right before you make it. We recently did a product demo where the presenter’s PC froze up right at the start. It took some fancy “tap dancing” to recover and keep the meeting going. Better to reboot first than to recover later.
Three Tips for Project Tracking Made Easy
Posted: January 19th, 2010 by Andrea Brockmeier. Comments »What do your team members do when you ask them the question, “Where are you at on the project?” Ignore you? Stare blankly? Look confused? Cower? 
What makes tracking and reporting so difficult? After all, “Where are you at?” is a completely reasonable and fair question. In fact, without answers to that question, we have very little information for our stakeholders.
Many things make tracking and reporting on projects difficult. Project Managers often don’t have authority over the resources, and team members may not feel obligated to provide timely answers. Those providing answers may not be clear on what information is being asked, or they may be dependent on others before they can report progress on their part of the project. Fear of the response to their answer also drives a lot of behavior around tracking and reporting.
Three things to keep in mind to make the Q and A around project tracking and reporting less painful:
Who Should Plan the Business Analysis Work?
Posted: January 8th, 2010 by ElizabethLarson. 4 Comments »
When I first read the BABOK® Guide, my initial reaction was, “What are they thinking?!” With my Project Manager (PM) hat perched squarely on my head, my reaction was “but… but this is project management work!” In my mind I imagined all kinds of conflict occurring as the Business Analyst (BA) took on more and more of the PM role. After all, as PM I had done such traditional project management tasks as creating work breakdown structures, activity lists, the estimating, the scheduling, and now a body of knowledge was saying that the BA was supposed to do this work? I could see heads butting already.
Teaching Children Project Management: Important Life Skill
Posted: December 18th, 2009 by Andrea Brockmeier. Comments »A couple of years ago, I remember sitting in my car listening to a radio program, riveted to a discussion with Dr. Melvin Levine, co-founder of the non-profit All Kinds of Minds www.allkindsofminds.org . The subject of the show was his (then) recent book Ready or Not, Here Comes Life, in which he explores why so many young people struggle with the school-to-work transition in life, “a pivotal time that claims more than its share of unsuspecting victims. In fact, most people are better prepared for their retirement than they are for the startup of their working lives!” At one point in his discussion on how we might better prepare young people for post-school life, he asked the question, “Why don’t we teach kids project management?” Why not, indeed?! I have thought often about that question since hearing that radio program.
A couple of years ago, I remember sitting in my car listening to a radio program, riveted to a discussion with Dr. Melvin Levine, co-founder of the non-profit All Kinds of Minds allkindsofminds.org .
Five Reasons to Get Your Certification
Posted: December 18th, 2009 by RichLarson. 3 Comments »I often get the question “What is the value of certification? Why should I get my PMP (or CBAP)?” Here is a quick list of reasons to get certified in your chosen profession.
1) Professional Advancement. Certification will lead to increased stature in your organization. Not everyone will be able to attain it. Organizations value individuals with industry certifications, so you will enhance your career and increase your ability to earn promotions and a higher salary. Employers like to hire and promote people with a desire to “stay current” and a certification is a solid way to demonstrate that attribute. One colleague put it this way: “Personally, I sought the PMP as a confirmation of my own project management knowledge and skills. I wanted to verify that I did have a well-rounded understanding of all project management principles and standards.”
