Business Analysis New Zealand Style – Part 1

Business Analysis New Zealand Style – Part 1

NZ-Wellington Cable CarElizabeth and I had the privilege of visiting New Zealand this past week. We met with our new partner there, Equinox IT; taught classes for them; and made two presentations in Wellington. It was a whirlwind trip that started off with a single day of sight-seeing before we got to work. Wellington is both New Zealand’s capital city and beautiful. It reminded us a bit of San Francisco with its rolling hills and architecture. They even have a cable car that locals say American tourists love to ride on. We were no exception! (Picture on right – view from the Wellington Botanical Garden.)

NZ-Parliament BuildingLeft: part of the Parliament Building in Wellington known as the “beehive.”

We are told that Wellington probably has more business analysts per capita than any other New Zealand city; based on the interest level in the two events we participated in, it showed.  First was a “BA Think Tank” sponsored by our partner, Equinox. A dedicated group of BAs came out on a Monday evening to hear Elizabeth present “The Top Seven Trends in Business Analysis.” There was a lively discussion after the presentation.

NZ-BA Think TankThe trends that resonated most with the audience were: BA as Change Agent, the BA role separating from the PM role, and the BA role on Agile projects. Most agreed that business analysts were in the best position to act as change agents in organizations. The IIBA’s new emphasis on this role was also a welcome message.

Everyone was also happy to support the separation of the BA role from project management. There was general agreement that the two roles are good “checks and balances” and it is difficult to effectively play the two roles simultaneously. There are also different skill sets and aptitudes involved.

Most BAs in attendance did not currently work on Agile projects, but understood the concepts and context. The consensus was that the best BA role was to help the Product Owner groom the product backlog. We are happy to report that no one thought the BA should be the Product Owner or the Scrum Master.

NZ-IIBANext up was Rich’s presentation for a Wellington IIBA meeting. Rich took the audience through “Fantastic Voyage or Impossible Dream: The BA as Management Consultant.” People in the audience liked the concept, and it tied nicely into the Think Tank discussion about change agents by emphasizing the consulting nature of the BA role. Most people considered themselves in the “Order Taker” or “Influencer” role, with a few “Experts” in the crowd.

Many people mentioned how helpful the topic was to them. It reminds us that BA issues are much the same around the world! For a further look at the topic, see the blog post from our partner, Equinox.

In Part 2, look for our thoughts about training in New Zealand.

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Richard Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA, was the founder of and is now a consultant for Watermark Learning. He is a successful entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in product development, business analysis, project management, training, and consulting. As an internal entrepreneur, Rich led the development of several Watermark Learning online products as a business analyst and product owner.

Rich is a frequent speaker at Business Analysis and Project Management national conferences and IIBA® and PMI® chapters around the world. He has contributed as a lead author to the BA Body of Knowledge version 2.0 and 3.0 and was a lead author on PMI’s Business Analysis Practice Guide. He and his wife Elizabeth Larson have co-authored five books on business analysis.

Richard Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA

Richard Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI-PBA, was the founder of and is now a consultant for Watermark Learning. He is a successful entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in product development, business analysis, project management, training, and consulting. As an internal entrepreneur, Rich led the development of several Watermark Learning online products as a business analyst and product owner. Rich is a frequent speaker at Business Analysis and Project Management national conferences and IIBA® and PMI® chapters around the world. He has contributed as a lead author to the BA Body of Knowledge version 2.0 and 3.0 and was a lead author on PMI’s Business Analysis Practice Guide. He and his wife Elizabeth Larson have co-authored five books on business analysis.

6 comments

  1. Rich and Elizabeth,
    So glad to hear that you are spreading the word at other IIBA Chapter meetings, and doing it while traveling to marvelous places. I can’t wait to hear more details. Thanks for posting photos.

    1. Thanks for the comment, Ladee! And, thanks also for your ideas on meeting with IIBA chapters in other countries. While this was a defined business trip, we now always think about meeting with IIBA chapters whenever we travel thanks to you.

  2. Hi Rich and Elizabeth – I never met you and just bumped in your web site by the assistance of miraculous Google 🙂

    BA is one of the most wanted and appreciated roles in Wellington (and as you probably noticed, we are very proud of our city 😉

    In order to support BA roles, I collaborated with this web site – can you give feedback on it? It is independent of IIB or any other organization. I appreciate your feedback.

    Cheers 🙂

    1. Paul, after visiting, we now understand how important Wellington is to your country and how important the BA role is to Wellington. Your web site is a good one, and I wish you all the best on it. My main feedback is to be sure to align it with IIBA, the international standard for the BA industry.

      1. Cheers mate, I really appreciate your feedback.

        Hope to see you again here in Wellington, and I PROMISE you that the day you visited it was only coincidentally windy 😉

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