Identify and Manage Project Risk with Insights from Bank of America

Many organizations face significant challenges in finding the right balance between project risk management and delivering project results quickly. Bank of America has developed an environment that supports risk management, and processes to identify and manage risk within their organization. Find out how at ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business Analysts. Join Scott Reynolds, PMP, PMI-RMP, Vice President, Senior Project Manager, Bank of America as he reveals the tools and strategies for creating a risk management culture, and how you can do it in your organization. 

PW&WCBA is 100% focused on arming you with the skills, knowledge and tools you need to improve your performance. The 2013 program has been designed to accelerate best practice and become more valuable to your entire organization in just 3 days.

Don't Miss Financial Services Leaders Taking the Stage:

• Successful Projects Across Borders: How to Achieve Team Unity, Thomson Reuters
• BA 20/20 – Creating a Discrete Vision and Goals to Transform Your Practice, SunTrust Bank
• Soft Skills for Effective Collaboration, FedEx
• 14 Project Leadership Skills to Boost Your Career, ESI International
• Retooling Leadership (through the lens of Neuroscience), Humana

Plus, more than 35 additional cross industry speakers addressing YOUR project pain points. Download the brochure for the full agenda: http://bit.ly/10kQrww

PW&WCBA

September 9-11, 2013

Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Orlando, FL

Mention code PW13LINK & Save 15% off the standard rate.

Register today: http://bit.ly/10kQrww

 Join us and know that you are investing in yourself and your career. We hope to see you in Orlando!

Best,

The PW&WCBA Team

@Project_World

pwwbca.blogspot.com

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PW&WCBA Speaker Spotlight: Robert Woods, Aarons, Inc.

In our new Project World and World Congress for Business Analysts 2013 Speaker Spotlight series, Robert Woods, IT Project Manager & Agile Coach/Trainer at Aarons, Inc. recently sat down with us to discuss the ins and outs of being a successful project manager and business analyst in the increasingly competitive business landscape.

Woods has a long history of leading and coaching collaborative project teams consisting of culturally and geographically diverse backgrounds. Today, he focuses on helping teams drive business needs while collaborating on the right technical solutions to meet those needs. 

IIR: How do you, as a project manager of business analyst, stand out in a crowd in this competitive business world?

Woods: You have to be a servant leader, facilitator and influencer of people. In a world of ever-increasing technology designed for NOT having to actually talk to someone, you need to stand out as that person who isn’t afraid to communicate, take risks, put the team first and be exceptional at it.

IIR: What are characteristics of a GREAT project manager?

Woods: Start by being a good listener. Some of the best Project Managers wield the most positive influence by not saying anything at all. Be known as the PM everyone wants by helping your teams be great. Know your team members and the people who influence their success and be the person that ties it all together. And finally, seek to NOT receive the credit by putting the team on the pedestal.

IIR: What are some tips you would suggest to someone who is just learning Agile?

Woods: Be patient, listen and learn. Don’t be afraid to think outside the cube, innovate and create a culture of dedication to collaboration. It’s OK to fail if we learn from it and become better. Then we will be successful.

IIR: How do you as a project manager or business analyst build leadership skills?

Woods: Again, by listening to the people around you. Learn before attempting to influence. Strive to set the example on culture, servant leadership and collaboration and by doing so you won’t need the leadership title; the perception by your colleagues will become obvious.

IIR: How does a successful project manager communicate?

Woods: By first learning who they are communicating with, how they prefer to communicate and what their needs are. Seek first to understand before being understood. By doing so you will cater your communication to the individual; getting the best possible reaction and setting yourself up for successful future collaboration.

Stay tuned for upcoming expert interviews right here on the PW&WCBA Blog.  

Woods is a returning speaker at the annual PW&WCBA 2013 in Orlando, FL in September.

Amanda Ciccatelli, Social Media Strategist at IIR USA in New York City, has a background in digital and print journalism, covering a variety of topics in business strategy, marketing, and technology. She previously worked at Technology Marketing Corporation as a Web Editor where she covered breaking news and feature stories in the tech industry.  She can be reached at aciccatelli@iirusa.com. Follow her at @AmandaCicc. 

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Colorful, Creative, and Collaborative: User Stories Unleashed - Complimentary Web Seminar

In association with EBG Consulting, the Institute for International Research invites you to join us for a one hour complimentary web seminar.

Colorful, Creative & Collaborative: User Stories Unleashed Thursday, June 27, 2013, 1:00 - 2:00 PM (ET) Presenter: Ellen Gottesdiener, Founder, Principal Consultant, EBG Consulting

How colorful are your team members' conversations about user stories? Do you know how to tap in to your team's creativity and collaborate effectively to reveal the full spectrum of options for delivering each story's anticipated value? Stories help you uncover user roles and actions-sure! But are you finding-too late-that you missed crucial requirements, such as business rules, data, interfaces, environments, or quality attributes? Not sure if you're really focused on the highest value when you discuss stories? Experience how to explore, evaluate, and confirm options for a story by using the 7 Product Dimensions. See how to use color-coded symbols to efficiently and effectively derive holistic, cohesive, and valuable stories. What's more, appreciate how to use these practices for analyzing and planning not only iterations but also product releases-and even your product roadmap. In this webinar: Understand how the 7 Product Dimensions help you quickly and holistically discover stories   Appreciate why working with product options helps your team collaborate powerfully about requirements Recognize how you can apply these concepts and practices to any agile planning horizon By registering you submit your information to the webinar organizer and presenter who will use it to communicate with you regarding this event and their other services.

Reserve your webinar seat now: http://bit.ly/12b1R2n
Please mention priority code: M2520W2LINK

Top Business Analysis Trends of 2013: BA Centers of Excellence will Focus on Driving Innovation

Business analysis plays a critical role in deciphering the future of many businesses. In the past, the role of business analyst was not widely recognized as a profession in its own right – with other players such as finance managers, software architects and project managers being seen as taking the lead.

Today, a business analyst acts as a bridge between business ideas and business capabilities; creating and scoping valuable changes and optimizations to business processes. Typically driven by conducting performance capability assessments, the business analyst regularly appraises business performance. 

According to Nancy Nee, vice president of Global Product Strategy, ESI International, there are specific business analysis (BA) trends that will be prominent in 2013. We have already gone over seven of them in our previous posts. So, let’s now move to number eight.

In 2011 and 2012 we saw the resurgence of BA COEs. We saw that many organizations were establishing those centers of excellence. Now in 2013, we will see the trend of those COEs staffing up their ability to deliver the value and innovation that they promise to have in place.

Moving through this year we will see senior BAs and business architects joining the ranks of showing the innovation and value because it is all about understand exactly what your business does, how you should invest in it and be able to prioritize the value from a requirements and product perspective.

Check out the full video below:

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U.S. Navy Reveals Keys to Leadership and High Performing Teams at PW&WCBA 2013

Carey Lohrenz knows what it takes to win in one of the highest pressure, extreme environments imaginable: in the cockpit at Mach 2, as the first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Navy. Having flown missions worldwide as a combat mission-ready United States Navy pilot, Lohrenz is used to working in fast moving, dynamic environments, where inconsistent execution can generate catastrophic results. 

At ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business Analysts this September, Carey will share the U.S. Navy's lessons of leadership and creating high performing teams, and how they can be applied to any business. You'll learn best practices in planning, briefing, debriefing and adjusting processes to help manage the risks within your projects, and become a high performing organization.

Interested in more best practices and lessons learned in leadership and project teams? Through a full-day workshop dedicated to leadership and a half-day workshop dedicated to creating engagement in your project teams and a breakout track dedicated to PM and BA collaboration, PW&WCBA has it covered:

·         Retooling Leadership (through the lens of NeuroScience)
William Greenwald, Director, Performance Coaching and Advisory Practice, Humana Inc.

·         Successful Projects Across Borders: How to Achieve Team Unity
Malgorzata Kusyk, PMI Poland, Senior Project Manager, Thomson Reuters

·         Leading Virtual Teams in 2012: A Successful Methodology
Paul A. Capello, PMP, Program Management Consultant, RGP Healthcare

·         My Global Project Team is Not United...What Did I Do Wrong?
Edward Wisniewski, PMP, CSCP, Global Clinical Supply Project Manager, SHIRE HGT

·         Soft Skills for Effective Collaboration
Maureen McWhite, Business Applications Analyst, FedEx

And much more!

PW&WCBA

September 9-11, 2013

Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Orlando, FL

Mention code PW13LINK & Save 15% off the standard rate.

Register today: http://bit.ly/1bsswxa

Download the brochure for the full agenda and speaking roster:  http://bit.ly/1bsswxa Also, don't miss the Colorful, Creative & Collaborative: User Stories Unleashed webinar with Ellen Gottesdiener, Founder, Principal Consultant, EBG Consulting and PW&WCBA Agile Summit Chair on Thursday, June 27 at 1:00pm ET. Register here: http://bit.ly/11uBDbT

Best,

The PW&WCBA Team

#Project_World

Top Business Analysis Trends of 2013: Enterprise Analysis will become the Foundation of Business Architecture

Business analysis is an essential part of any business because change is constantly a factor that needs to be dealt with. Changes happen not just with the market you have but also in the industry you belong to. In order to succeed despite the changes, proper business analysis must be done at the right time. Business analysis (BA) can come in various forms but it is important if you want your business to stay not just ahead of the game, but also to survive the many changes that affect your performance.

According to Nancy Nee, vice president of Global Product Strategy, ESI International, there are specific BA trends that will be prominent in 2013. We have gone over six of them in our previous posts. The seventh key BA trend this year is about how the government will slowly, but surely, recognize the value of BA as it moves towards a more agile environment.

These days, with budgets so tight, there is a focus on strategic enterprise analysis – the foundation to organizations that are embracing business architecture.

“It’s all about: How do we grow our business? Make our business more money? How do we keep our business stable? All of these things are about the BA and the ability to do strategic enterprise analysis,” Nee explained.

We will begin to see that as organizations are able to work in the space they are trying to deliver their products with greater uptake to be the next Apple or Microsoft, for example. They will be looking at strategic enterprise analysis and business architecture together for its all about defining the “what” of business and how we can deliver customer value.

Check out the full video below:

Project Management Gets Social

As of late, the term “social media” has become standard in our cultural vocabulary. Social media describes the powerful new ways people and companies are engaging with content on the Internet. It is all about fostering interaction, discussion and community, allowing people to build relationships and share information. Today, social media is being pioneered by everyone from CEOs to school children.

Through the use of social media, businesses have adopted new ways to reach consumers and markets. They can influence and promote by simply choosing to engage, causing influential brands to become more “human” due to their presence and engagement on social media sites.

Most employers dislike when they see their employees wasting time on Twitter or chatting on Facebook. But, what if social media could facilitate your company’s projects?

‘Social Project Management’ (SPM) is a brand new approach to managing project teams that combines traditional project management techniques and social networking. Traditional project management focuses on planning in an organized way, but it leaves little room for unknown circumstances. Social project management allows the lifecycle of a project to be dynamic so that the plans can easily be adapted to circumstances. This approach taps into people’s natural yearning to belong to interact with others. It turns the project into a temporary social structure, where the quality of collaboration will determine the quality of the project.

While getting every team member of the project together for a status report meeting represents a nightmare for the project manager, social media tools make the work visible. The tools allow each team member to narrate what they are working as well as communicate with each other with just a click of a mouse.  

The social project manager can no longer operate as a hierarchical commander. Instead, they must use their role as a connector to create an efficient combination of skills and passion. 

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Is it Time to Renew Your CBAP or PMP Certifications? Earn 36 CDUs/PDUs at PW&WCBA 2013

The roles of the project manager and business analyst are constantly evolving. Borderless teams have become the new normal, the need for collaboration and engagement within teams is increasing and new methodologies are continually emerging.

Are you prepared for the future? 

ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business Analysts gives you the tools and techniques you need for success - best practices and actionable insights that you can implement at your organization. Plus, in just three days you will earn more than half of the PDUs/CDUs (up to 36 for the full conference!) necessary to maintain your certification.

Sessions designed for the PM professional include:

• Successful Projects Across Borders: How to Achieve Team Unity, Thomson Reuters
• Global Project Portfolio Management (PPM) – Borderless Delivery, Deloitte Touche
• Is a PMP Needed, or is it Simply an Option?, Scottrade
• Best Practices to Get a Huge Global Enterprise Program Back on Track, Cisco Systems

Sessions designed for the BA professional include:

• Global Collaboration: Working Successfully in a Global Business Analyst Community, AXA Equitable
• Coming Attractions: BABOK Take 3, Seilevel
• BA 20/20 - Creating a Discrete Vision and Goals to Transform Your Practice, SunTrust Bank
• Building a Successful Requirements Re-Use Program, AutoTrader.com

PW&WCBA 2013 also features sessions designed for collaboration between PM and BA teams, as well as the newest tools and methodologies. Download the brochure for the full agenda and speaking roster: http://bit.ly/17X5odK

Plus, don't miss these keynotes:

• The Delivery of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and Legacy - Ralph Luck, former Property Director, UK Olympic Delivery Authority (London 2012 Olympics)
• Lessons in Leadership and Creating High Performing Teams - Carey Lohrenz, First Female F-14 Fighter Pilot, U.S. Navy, Team Building, Leadership and Strategy Expert
• 20 Neuroleadership Insights in 60 Minutes - William Greenwald, Director, Performance Coaching and Advisory Practice, Humana Inc.
• Embracing Change: Transforming Ideas and Challenges into Opportunities - Naomi Karten, Author, Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals, Changing How You Communicate Change, Gaps and How to Close Them and Managing Expectations 

PW&WCBA

September 9-11, 2013

Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Orlando, FL

Mention code PW13LINK & Save 15% off the standard rate.

Register today: http://bit.ly/17X5odK

Join us and know that you are investing in yourself and your career. We hope to see you in Orlando!

Best,

The PW&WCBA Team

@Project_World

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Top Business Analysis Trends of 2013: The Government will Recognize the Value of BA as it Moves Toward an Agile Environment

These days, businesses require effective business analysis in order to be successful among the competition. To do so, business analysis involves taking information and analyzing to forecast future trends, find ways to make improvements in business strategies, improve businesses operations, and make smart business decisions to improve the bottom line.

According to Nancy Yee, vice president of Global Product Strategy, ESI International, there are specific business analysis trends that will be prominent in 2013. We have gone over five of them in our previous posts. The sixth key BA trend this year is about how the government will slowly, but surely, recognize the value of BA as it moves towards a more agile environment.

Requirements management and development is a concern in the government. Although state and local governments have embraced the role of BA, the federal government hasn’t fully embraced that function.

However, in 2013, when the government is focused on Agile and delivering things in a modular fashion they will begin to see the value that requirements management will lend itself toward embracing the role of BA. In 2013 from a government’s successful usage perspective, we will see a critical eye on a key role of investment in looking at the BA role to define user stories and deliver value.

Check out Nancy's insight on the trend in the video below:

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