BobtheBA here and the last time I blogged, we briefly took a look back at 2011. The New Year is a time when people make predictions, resolutions, and plans with the hope of change and improvement. It can be a very exciting time with anticipation to see if the predictions come true, resolutions are met, or if the plans were effective. What resolutions and plans have you made for 2012? I have to tell you though, I am not a big fan of New Year resolutions. More on this shortly.
Posts Tagged ‘communication’
A New Year’s Resolution?
Posted: January 23rd, 2012 by Bob Prentiss. Comments »
Learning Success
Posted: January 10th, 2012 by Andrea Brockmeier. Comments »
We’re all probably a little hung over from the ardous task of coming up with gift ideas. But how about the idea gift? There’s no more precious gift than a great idea, and I get lots all year long from students, friends, colleagues, even family. Below is an article about an idea that a colleague gave to me and that others found helpful when I ran it a year ago. So in the spirit of continued giving post-holiday, here is my idea gift re-gifted for you. And thank you to all the great gift givers in my life! All the best in 2012!
2011 BobtheBA and A Quick Look Back
Posted: January 9th, 2012 by Bob Prentiss. Comments »
BobtheBA here taking a look back at 2011 before we get too far into 2012 where we will boldly go where BA’s have not gone before! The New Year, a time of renewal and promised change. And generally speaking it is the only time when all creatures on this planet embrace change, but unfortunately not in a sustained fashion (more on this in my next blog as we look forward to 2012). For now let’s take a brief look back at 2011 from the world we live in to the world we work in. There was much to celebrate, mourn and marvel at. Was it a good year for you?
7 Trends in Business Analysis and Project Management to Watch for in 2012
Posted: January 9th, 2012 by ElizabethLarson. Comments »By Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, CSM and Richard Larson PMP, CBAP
The close of one year tends to make one reflect on what has occurred in the past year and ponder the future. Here we ponder some trends in the Project Management and Business Analysis fields for 2012. Here are our top seven predictions for business analysts (BAs) and project managers (PMs) in 2012.
1. Divergence of the PM and BA Role. In 2009 we predicted that as the economy tightened, organizations would decrease their project budgets and combine the role of PM and BA. For 2012 we believe that organizations will see the need for both roles, particularly on strategic projects, and move away from a combined role. There are several factors for this trend:
Is Your Meeting Worth the Time?
Posted: December 20th, 2011 by Andrea Brockmeier. 2 Comments »
A couple of days ago I fired up my online calendar and started to schedule a meeting with my manager. Our meetings are typically less than 30 minutes long, but I had a lot to talk about, so I was going to make it an hour long. Yessirree. I had a lot of stuff on my mind, I needed an audience, and he was the logical person to hear me out!
Grapevines and Rumor Mills – Assets or Liabilities?
Posted: November 30th, 2011 by Andrea Brockmeier. Comments »
Communications is, of course, the single biggest indicator of project success or failure. As project managers, we have to think about all aspects of communications, including how much, to whom, in what format, etc. We also get pretty savvy at knowing which communication channels to use.
A lot of project work gets done through informal, undocumented communication channels. This is not only OK, it’s actually necessary. Imagine if every conversation or information gathering effort we conducted required a documented plan. The fact is a lot of good data can be mined from the water cooler and coffee klatch gatherings.
A Business Analysis Foodie in Las Vegas
Posted: October 26th, 2011 by Bob Prentiss. Comments »
BobtheBA here, as I headed towards my vacation destination of Las Vegas I started to think about the wonderland of Business Analysis that Vegas surely had in store for me. When I travel I am always on the lookout to see how business analysis was and was not applied. I mean, think about it… the financial applications alone in a world where you are geared to lose has extreme business rules written all over it. For the record, I go to Vegas for the world-class restaurants and the shows but gambling does fascinate me and there is business analysis happening everywhere you look. However, the one thing that really caught my attention on this trip was the service and underlying competencies. This cannot be more important than in the food industry in Las Vegas where the economic downturn has turned up the competitive heat for business.
Turning Requirements Trash into Stakeholder Treasure – Part 2
Posted: August 23rd, 2011 by Bob Prentiss. Comments »
Hello all – BobtheBA here and when we last left off we were exploring how innovation can be key to turning requirements trash into stakeholder treasure. The scenario we were exploring was a difficult stakeholder that was not forthcoming with their requirements. Your job (should you choose to accept it) was to improve your 1:1 interview process through innovation by looking at it through different eyes like those of a hostage negotiator. It may yield a different result or help you to be more prepared than what you thought possible.
On day 1, we look great. It’s day 2 that kills us!
Posted: March 22nd, 2011 by Andrea Brockmeier. Comments »
I heard this from a project team member in a training class recently. He was referring to the schedules for the projects he works on. What he was getting at was that the team really doesn’t have a chance from the get-go. They are behind on projects before they even begin, and it doesn’t take long for that to be evident.
Why do we do this to ourselves?
Project managers know they should be getting input from the team on planning and the estimates for their work. And they often do. It’s what happens after that that’s problematic – namely, the input is ignored.
Influencing takes Patience, Planning, and Perspective
Posted: March 1st, 2011 by Andrea Brockmeier. Comments »
The ability to influence without authority is a skill coveted by any project manager. Even if a project manager has complete authority over project team members (which is seldom the case), there are still other stakeholders over whom they have no control and who need to make decisions, review or approve deliverables, or provide resources for the project.
It’s the crux of our job, really, to get people to do things for the benefit of the project.
