Industry Articles

"Our company uses your excellent article, 'Demystifying Requirements Through Use Cases' by Elizabeth Larson and Richard Larson, as an appendix in an in-house course titled "Use Case Modeling."

This article has a practical orientation, and directly supports many of the concepts that we would like to reinforce."

Software Engineering Training Manager,
Large Telecommunications Company

Business Analysis

CBAP® Certification: 7 Steps for Managing the Application Process

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

Are you interested in applying to become a CBAP®? If you are like many business analysts who would like to become certified, the exam is not the only major hurdle.

This article is intended for anyone who is contemplating applying for the CBAP® exam, but has postponed it because of the application. IIBA® improved its application submission process in March of 2009, but the requirements are still strenuous. We layout the steps in the application process to help candidates manage their application, to be able to concentrate on studying to pass the exam.

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CBAP® Certification: From What is It ... to I Did It!

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

The role of the Business Analyst (BA) has become a vital component of a successful project. As the BA field continues to accelerate at a rapid pace, it has experienced some “growing pains.” Among the challenges are a lack of standardization, inconsistent terminology across organizations, and difficulty in assessing knowledge and skills of BAs.

This article summarizes the CBAP® program and why Business Analysts should become certified. We cover the steps to certification plus offer several tips to help you study for and pass the CBAP® exam.

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Demystifying Use Case Modeling

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

We all know how difficult it is to achieve project success without complete product requirements. Yet gathering complete requirements without exhausting the project schedule and budget remains elusive on many projects. In this article we will provide tips for gathering hidden requirements quickly.

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101+ of the Most Effective Questions You Can Ask to Elicit Requirements and Uncover Expectations

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

When eliciting requirements and uncovering expectations for a project, much of the challenge stems from learning what the business needs from the new product being built. Often times, we may not even know the right questions to ask to get started, much less get into enough depth to discover all the important needs of stakeholders. This handy guide is a summary to help you get started with your questions and to help ensure you've asked the important before and during a project.

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Gathering Requirements: Go Away Please!

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

Requirements elicitation requires building relationships and trust among project stakeholders. When trust is absent, the requirements elicitation process will take longer, be incomplete, and lead to lower morale. Although building relationships takes time and effort, it can actually shorten project time and result in improved project performance.

This article was originally published as part of the PMI® Global Congress North America Proceedings, Toronto, Canada.

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Projects Without Borders: Gathering Requirements on a
Multicultural Project

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

One of the most difficult tasks project managers and business analysts face is obtaining customer requirements. When the project includes multi-cultural stakeholders, particularly if they comprise a virtual team working in geographically dispersed areas, the job becomes much harder. As the world gets “flatter” and the need for collaboration beyond political borders becomes the norm, the ability for project professionals to bridge cultural gaps will become a necessary skill set. This article provides tips and techniques for project teams to do just that.

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Avoiding Conflict Between the PM and BA, Part I

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principal, Watermark Learning, Inc.

What are the roles of the Project Manager (PM) and the Business Analyst (BA) in the early stages of a project? The two bodies of knowledge, the BABOK® Guide 2.0 and PMBOK® Guide-Fourth Edition each allude to work being done at the beginning of the project so it is not surprising that conflict between these two roles can arise.

This article details how to avoid conflict between the PM and BA to ensure a successful project outcome.

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Trends in Business Analysis and Project Management to Watch
for in 2009

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

The close of one year tends to make one reflect on the past and ponder the future. Here we ponder some trends in the Project Management and Business Analysis fields for 2009. We invite you to read the trends we offer and ponder for yourself our advice about what project professionals can do about them.

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Virtual World Communications

by Andrea Brockmeier, PMP

Cell phones, laptops, PDAs...these devices have distracted, disrupted or otherwise negated the impact of meetings and interfered with work focus. This article discusses some relevant research about technology and its impact on communication and productivity.

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It's Not Like Selling Pots or Pans... Or is It? A New Way of Selling Project Management to Senior Management

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

Project management professionals often find themselves in situations where they have to sell things to decision makers. It might be selling a project, or a new function such as Project Management Office. By understanding critical success factors, sales “knowledge areas,” and a repeatable process, we increase our chances of success.

This article was originally published as part of the PMI® Global Congress Asia Pacific Proceedings, Bangkok, Thailand.

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Oh No, You Gave Me What I Asked For!

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

Project professionals—specifically project managers and business analysts—realize that no matter how well projects are executed, projects still fail when customer requirements are not clearly defined and customer expectations are not met.

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10 Critical Steps to Creating a Project Plan

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

One of the critical factors for project success is having a well-developed project plan. This article provides a 10-step approach for how to create an effective project plan. It also provides a roadmap for project managers to follow and explores why it should be the project manager's primary communications and control tool throughout the project.

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Achieve Project Success with Sponsorship and Clear Vision

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

Here is a brief article that identifies five major factors leading to project success.

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Gather Trust Then Requirements

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

This article shows practical ways of building trust between project teams and stakeholders in order to achieve better project success.

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Managing Small Projects: The Critical Steps

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

If you think that executing a small project does not require advance planning, think again. This article endorses the planning process and outlines five important steps for successfully managing small projects.

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I Don't Have Time to Manage Requirements—
My Project is Late Already!

by Elizabeth Larson, CBAP, PMP and Richard Larson, CBAP, PMP, Principals, Watermark Learning, Inc.

Lack of a well-managed requirements process leads to common project issues, such as scope creep, cost overruns, and products that are not used. Yet many projects skim over this important part of the project and teams rush to design and build the end product. After all, some of our sponsors think that “we're not productive unless we're building the product.”

This article addresses concerns and provides an overview of the essential skills that are needed today to manage customer requirements, emphasizing the relationship between requirements management and project management. It focuses on a core set of processes for ensuring that the entire requirements process is managed, that requirements are gathered and documented, and that customers get a business solution that really works for them.

This article was originally published as part of the PMI® Global Congress Europe-Middle East-Africa Proceedings, St. Julians, Malta.

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