Free Webinar: The Mental Game of Project Management

Join Lou Russell, CEO/Queen of  RMA, for an upcoming webinar, “The Mental Game of Project Management.”

Russell is a consultant, speaker and author who grows companies by growing their people. She is the author of 7 books including IT Leadership Alchemy, Leadership Training ,10 Steps to Successful Project Management and Managing Projects. Through speaking, training and writing, she inspires leadership, project management and team growth. Her upbeat style will give you the passion and tools to improve. Laughing, participating, and challenged, you will learn. 

Register for the webinar here: http://bit.ly/1TnwGx8

Webinar Summary:

Tiger Woods will be remembered as an exceptional golfer.  His legacy may also be that he made a big mistake and never returned back to his greatness – time will tell.  Why do you think he still remains so far from his earlier abilities?  His clubs?  His coach? His health issues? Everyone Russell asks says “it’s all in his head.”  As a very rookie golfer, Russell is fascinated and appalled by the way her mind gets in the way of my game.  She is aware that her mind also gets in the way of her success in life and business, including projects.  She actually speaks more negatively to herself through her self-talk than anyone else has ever spoken to her.  So do you.

In business and organizations all over the world, we jointly agree to certain truths (that are actually lies) including:

·         You must always be in control of a project to succeed

·         It is possible to predict the future accurately if you’re talented

·         Projects are impossible to do on time and on budget with appropriate quality because of all the jerks involved

·         The politics of the organization have no place in a project

·         People should do what they say they are going to do

·         She can personally torture people enough to get a project done

We bet you can pick a couple of these that you believe, in fact, that you make choices based on.  Now that you read them, you may be starting to notice that these ‘truths’ are preventing you from being agile, resilient and collaborative. These are the truths that we pretend to not see. To drive outcomes requires new truth.  In this Reflections with the Masters Series, Russell wants us to all have a conversation:

·         How are our current truths, self-talk and values moving us away from the outcomes we strive to achieve?

·         What are the strategies for noticing my own disconnects before they trigger fear and stress as auto responses?

·         What are the strategies for reframing and distracting our brain to drive success?

·         How does all of this change the way projects are done and increase their success?

Russell is excited about the opportunity to create community virtually to drive hope, energy and joy in all aspects of your life.  Together, we’ll create new truth.  She’s hoping Tiger will create new truth, too.

Save your seat for the webinar: http://bit.ly/1TnwGx8

Uncover the Promise of a PM/BA Partnership at PW&WCBA, Save $200 Today!

Earlier this year, ESI's Top 10 Trends in Business Analysis projected that BAs would become the common thread between business objectives and the projects designed to achieve them.*

The challenge, for both project managers and business analysts, now lies in the collaboration between the teams throughout the project phases. Are you prepared to managing complex projects with your peers?

PW&WCBA arms you with the skills you need to work across the project lines.

New Session Just Announced!

Understanding the Role of Business Process Management within Projects
Gurpreet Kanwar, Senior Project Manager, Information Management, NAV Canada

Business process plays an important role in successful project delivery and vice versa. We will identify how business process and project management relate together. We will review:

·         The difference between Project Management and Process Management

·         How projects can help in creating and improving the business processes

·         How Business Process helps projects to align with the organizational strategy

·         How Change Management plays a very important role to institutionalize the business process across the organization

·         How Project Methodology can be used in executing business process

·         Plus, don't miss Kathleen Hass, Principal Consultant, Kathleen Hass & Associates as she explores the New Project Leadership Model: The Promise of the PM/BA Partnership in a Complex World.

Download the brochure for full session details: http://bit.ly/1ULwTdg

$100 Early Registration Savings Expire today, September 11. Plus, as a valued reader of our blog, you get $100 off the current rate – That’s a total of $200 savings: Secure Your Spot & Save: http://bit.ly/1ULwTdg

Related articles

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Advance Your Career & Increase Your Value at PW&WCBA

Become a more effective project manager or business analyst at ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business Analysts this fall. Hear how to elevate your skillset, deploy technical innovation and collaborate across functions at PW&WCBA, designed to deliver the skills and knowledge you need to take charge, reduce risk and deliver results in a changing work environment.

PW&WCBA West 2015

October 21 - 23, 2015

Renaissance Seattle Hotel | Seattle, WA

Featuring:

·         5 Keynote Sessions dedicated to advancing your professional AND personal development (focusing on developing leadership strategies, managing change, building your brand and more)

·         27 hands-on learning sessions led by experts in the project trenches, including Microsoft, Prudential Financial, The Walt Disney Company, Forrester Research, Blue Cross Blue Shield & more)

·         8+ hours to network and learn with your PM & BA peers

·         Access to the PW&WCBA Webinar Series, continuing your education year-round

Download the brochure for the full program: http://bit.ly/1NEPAx0

Plus, Earn Up to 36 PDUs/CDUs in Just 3 Days!

Use code PW15BL for $100 off the current rate. Register today: http://bit.ly/1NEPAx0

Hope to see you this fall!

Cheers,

The PW&WCBA 2015 Team

@Project_World

#PW15

http://pwwbcablog.iirusa.com/

PW&WCBA 2015 Full Program Now Available

The Fusion of Technology & Innovation

We've got news. ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business Analysts is coming back to Seattle in 2015! Download the just released brochure here: http://bit.ly/1GySTAo

As always, PW&WCBA has been designed to deliver the skills and knowledge you need to take charge, reduce risk and deliver results in a changing work environment. Hear how to elevate your skills, deploy technical innovation and collaborate across functions to become a more effective project manager or business analyst from industry leaders including:

·         The Walt Disney Company

·         Clark County NV

·         The Boeing Company

·         Champs Oncology

·         SUNY ITEC

·         Windsor Leadership Group

·         Bank of America

·         Prudential Financial

·         Mutual of Omaha

·         Forrester Research

·         Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas

·         Russell Martin & Associates

·         Microsoft

·         Assai Mangement Consulting

·         Women's Leadership Coaching

·         Farm Credit Canada

·         Denab Quality Systems

·         Kathleen Hass & Associates

Download the full 2015 PW&WCBA West Program for the full agenda and speaker lineup: http://bit.ly/1GySTAo

Join us in October and you'll walk away with tangible lessons to implement immediately upon returning to the office, increasing your value to the organization.

Plus, register by Friday, July 10th and save $300: http://bit.ly/1GySTAo

Cheers,

The PW&WBCA 2015 Team

@ProjectWorld

#PW15

Pwwbcablog.iirusa.com

Top PW&WCBA Blog Posts of 2014

We’ve published a lot of inspiring and thought-provoking posts this year about project management, business analysis, leadership and more, so we wanted to take a moment to look back on the most popular posts of 2014. Here are the topics our readers enjoyed the most this year:

Leadership Lessons: Paul R. Williams: Paul R. Williams, Leader of Project Management, PAi, talked to us about how PMOs add value to the organization. Today, PMOs are a strategic imperative for the C-Suite to deliver projects aligned with key strategic initiatives. Project Managers are in high demand today; Williams will give us keen insight into recruiting, training and retaining key program staff. To read the full post, click here.

Here Comes The Boom! An NFL Champion Illustrates Key Business Analysis Skills: As business analysis practitioners, we certainly appreciate the analytical style of Richard Sherman and his LOB brothers.   In addition to conducting a sort of pre-game analysis, we too must be able to conduct game-time analysis and make adjustments, where needed.  For example, it is important for practitioners to understand stakeholders early on. Whether by talking to the actual stakeholder, consulting with other practitioners who have worked with them, or some other method, we need to understand certain things about our stakeholders, including (but not limited to) the stakeholder's view of the problem or opportunity at hand, expectations of a solution, and anticipated level of involvement with the initiative. To read the full post, click here.

Leadership Lessons to Live By: In virtually every industry that exists today, leaders must set aside more time to reflect and assess their thinking, capabilities, and strategies. It is crucial that they evaluate how their leadership brand is being perceived by others and whether or not it requires a tune-up.  We highlighted some key leadership lessons that you should live by. To read the full post, click here.

The 5 Best Free Project Management Tools: There are effective free project management tools out there - some are more robust than others, but all of them provide ways to collaborate and complete projects quicker. We found five of the best free project management tools that may make your job easier. To read the full post, click here.

Big Data and Project Management: Today, organizations are taking strategic risks to add business value through innovative big data initiatives. Big data is a blanket term for any collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process using available data management tools or conventional data processing applications. Tom Davenport, author of “Big Data at Work” has worked with many companies and he’s uncovered key principles around five key areas to be successful at big data projects. To read the full post, click here.

Agile State of Mind: Are you wondering how to choose which project management method to deliver a successful project? Organizations today have to be more competitive in the marketplace so choosing the best practices and methods for your organization and projects is important. Agile is a set of values and principles, not a pre-defined process with obvious areas of limitation. Waterfall is a model based on development method that is linear and sequential.  We put together the top four criteria to choose the best fit of methodologies at the right time for the right customer. To read the full post, click here.

Women in Leadership: Jo Miller: Jo Miller, CEO Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc. sat down with us to talk about women in leadership. Today, women make up over 50 percent of the workforce, are entrepreneurs, hold key leadership positions and serve on board of directors. Miller will give us her insight into the challenges women face in the workplace, how to overcome these obstacles and become a more empowered leader. To read the full post, click here.

Leadership Lessons: Dr. Alicia Aitken:  Dr. Alicia Aitken, managing director Asia Pacific, Human Systems International (HSI), sat with us to talk about the ins and outs of leadership in today’s competitive business landscape. According to Aitken, being authentic makes great leader stand out in a crows these days. Today’s world is full of leadership models, business school taught methods and processes. Leaders stand out by being authentic and true to who they are and who they are leading. To read the full post, click here.

About the Author: Amanda Ciccatelli, Social Media Strategist of the Marketing Division at IIR USA, has a background in digital and print journalism, covering a variety of topics in business strategy, marketing, and technology. Amanda is the Editor at Large for several of IIR’s blogs including Next Big Design, Customers 1st, Digital Impact, STEAM Accelerator and ProjectWorld and World Congress for Business Analysts, and a regular contributor to Front End of Innovation and The Market Research Event,. She previously worked at Technology Marketing Corporation as a Web Editor where she covered breaking news and feature stories in the technology industry. She can be reached at aciccatelli@iirusa.com. Follow her at @AmandaCicc.

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Will you be joining us at ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business Analysts?

In less than one month, hundreds of project management and business analysis executives will gather in Seattle to tackle some of their most pressing challenges from the project trenches at ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business Analysts. Will you be joining us?

PW&WCBA

September 22-24, 2014

W Hotel

Seattle, Washington

• PW&WCBA provides a 3-day experience designed for all training levels,  with a robust agenda and tangible lessons that can be implemented when you return to the office.
• Full Agenda Addressing Project Pain Points : Designed to meet the needs of YOUR industry, including a new Project Scheduling Lab, a focus on Leading High Performance Teams and Becoming a Person of Influence.
• In-Depth Workshops: This year there's even more workshop sessions to get hands on with topics, including Agile PM Training, Requirements Management Best Practices, Cyber Security, Emotional Intelligence and more. 
• 40+ Speakers sharing best practices and lessons learned from deep in the project trenches. Find out what works (and what doesn't!) from the best in the industry. You'll hear from Allstate, Bank of Montreal, Erie Insurance, IIBA, Kindred Healthcare, Microsoft, Quest Diagnostics, Starbucks & more. 
• A Look into the Future of Project Management & Business Analysis: PW&WCBA will prepare your team not only for the changes taking place in project management and business analysis, but also what's coming. The IIBA's Kevin Brennan and Clark County NV's Ricki Henry will share What the Future of Business Analysis will look like, while Kathleen B. Hass explores what the New Project Leadership Model looks like.
• 36 PDUs/CDUs to maintain your certification: that's more than half of the credits needed in just THREE days!
• Unparalleled Networking: PW&WCBA Connect allows you to see who's attending the event and begin networking before you arrive in Seattle. Plus, we've added a networking reception and the opportunity to sign up for group dinners to continue the conversation after the conference day ends.

Download the brochure for full details: http://bit.ly/1CJdpQv

Attendees to date include:

Visa Disney PMI AIG New York Life Insurance Allstate Insurance Centene Corporation Russell Martin & Associates Banfield The Pet Hospital Citizens Bank Solea Software Solutions ALLData El Paso Water Utilities Hampton Affiliates University of North Texas Health Science Center Hilti Inc McKee Foods Corporation ARGO Data Goodyear University of Connecticut Lonza Biologics Women's Leadership Coaching Inc New Directions Behavioral Health Federal Depositors Insurance Corp Kathleen Hass & Associates Inc ECMC Watermark Learning NyeCo Inc State of Wisconsin Reliance Home Comfort Microsoft The Boeing Company Starbucks Coffee Company Bank of Montreal International Institute of Business Analysis Federal Reserve Bank WEA Insurance AT&T Neiman Marcus Honda R&D Robert Bosch EBG Consulting Kindred Healthcare Inc ESI Fujitsu America Callisto Integration Edwards Lifesciences LLC Quest Diagnostics WEA Trust University of Regina Tyco Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco NASA Mars Science Laboratory T. Garanti Bankasi A S Stage Stores Clark County SITA Windsor Leadership Group LLC Human Systems International Plan Administrators Inc Washington State Department of Retirement Systems Insperity Canadian Blood Services The Pasha Group Buffalo State College Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Travelers Companies T-Mobile Continental Mills

Have you been following our Leadership Lessons Blog series? Head over to our blog to read up on our recent interviews with industry leaders themselves: http://bit.ly/1tcIZTB

PW&WCBA 2014 presents you with new opportunities to accelerate professional and personal development at the rate of change. Join us and make yourself more valuable to your organization.

Mention code PW14LI & Save 15% off the standard rate. Register today: http://bit.ly/1CJdpQv

All the best,
The PW&WCBA Team

@Project_World

#PW14

Top Five Skillsets for Business Analysts

Business Analysts are in high demand today and having the right skill sets may set you apart from other candidates vying for the same jobs. Whether you are a seasoned or new business analyst you will need basic and advanced skill sets to advance in your career.

Below are five of the most transferable business analysis skill sets:

1. Communication Skills
2. Interpersonal Skills
3. Technical Skills
4. Research and Analytical Skills
5. Organizational Skills

Considering business analysis as a career? Read more detail on what the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) recommends regarding the transferable skills necessary to be successful.

Business analysis can be a very rewarding career and you can get more information at the website and by joining the International Institute of Business Analysis. Joining as a member provides you with access to A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (the BABOK Guide) and the underlying business analysis competencies lists.

ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business Analysts 2014, is taking place in Seattle, Washington September 22-24th at the W Hotel. The 2014 program is designed with courses for all training levels, a robust agenda, and most importantly tangible lessons which you can begin implementing the day you return to your office, making you even more valuable to your organization. PW&WCBA offers attendees 36 PDU/CDUs - that's more than half of the required credits necessary to maintain your certification in just one place.

To learn more or register for the event, click here: http://bit.ly/1jtZtxB

Starbucks - More than a cup of coffee

As Project Managers and Business Analysts we are all exposed to different cultures working in various industries. ProjectWorld will be hosted in Seattle, Washington this year on the West Coast and many attendees will have the unique pleasure to experience an offsite learning session at Starbucks Corporate Headquarters. Attendees will gain insight into the unique Starbucks experience and culture.

Starbuck’s was originally about the coffee beans; they didn’t make coffee. Howard Schultz had a dream, bought Starbucks and eventually realized his dream. Several years ago Howard Schultz reached a turning point with Starbucks and in his book ”Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing its Soul” he revisits how he turned Starbucks into an experience that would first be cultivated by his leaders (his managers) and then through his employees by (as he put it) “as managers we would put our feet in the shoes of our people.”

Starbucks has a corporate culture that encourages its leaders to create a unique culture for employees and for the employees to create a unique and personal experience for its customers.  

Starbucks has established five principles that employees follow and use in their daily lives at the company: The five core business principles are:

· Make It Your Own
· Everything Matters
· Surprise and Delight
· Embrace Resistance
· Leave Your Mark

It will be interesting to see how this translates to managing projects at Starbucks. If you have signed up for the tour you’ll be one of the lucky attendees to gain insight into how these practices are put into action in how they manage and deliver their projects.

Jan Asbjorsen, Program Manager, Law & Corporate Affairs, Starbucks Coffee Company will lead attendees on A Behind this Scenes Look at the Starbucks Corporate Headquarters. In addition to a private tour of the Starbucks world headquarters, attendees will hear from a cross-departmental panel of project managers (including store development, IT, retail operations, law and more), as well as walk away with a checklist of things to consider when determining how to size your projects, tools, organizations, success factors, etc.

PW&WCBA
September 22-24, 2014
W Hotel
Seattle, Washington

Download the brochure for full details: http://bit.ly/1nwdqM0
- See more at: http://pwwbcablog.iirusa.com/#sthash.gwf2fHBk.dpuf

 References:
Interview with Howard Schultz:
http://www.oprah.com/own-super-soul-sunday/The-Coffee-Culture-Howard-Schultz-Wanted-to-Bring-to-America-Video?playlist_id=47020

Go Behind the Scenes at Starbucks for PM Best Practices at PW&WCBA 2014

Have you ever wondered how a company like Starbucks handles complex projects in a world-wide organization?

ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business Analysts 2014 is revealing those best practices.

PW&WCBA

September 22-24, 2014

W Hotel

Seattle, Washington

Jan Asbjorsen, Program Manager, Law & Corporate Affairs, Starbucks Coffee Company will lead attendees on A Behind this Scenes Look at the Starbucks Corporate Headquarters. In addition to a private tour of the Starbucks world headquarters, attendees will hear from a cross-departmental panel of project managers (including store development, IT, retail operations, law and more), as well as walk away with a checklist of things to consider when determining how to size your projects, tools, organizations, success factors, etc. 

Download the brochure for full details: http://bit.ly/1jlRmZL

Plus, you'll also hear:

·         From Leading a High Performance Team to Landing on Mars - Adam Steltzner, Lead Landing Engineer, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover Project

·         Benchmarking Risk Management: What Good Looks Like - Dr. Alicia Aitken, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Human Systems International

·         Becoming a Person of Influence - Jo Miller, CEO, Women's Leadership Coaching, Inc. 

·         Big Data: Getting Past the Hype - Meta S. Brown, Author, Data Mining for Dummies

·         The Past, Present and Future of Business Analysis - Kevin Brennan, CBAP, PMP, Chief Business Analyst, Executive Vice President, IIBA

·         How to Best Take Advantage of Cloud Computing - Ben Armstrong, Principal Program Manager Lead, Microsoft

·         Debugging the Myths of Agile - The True Value of an Agile Process for You and Your Workplace - Bryan Winsko, Agile Project Manager, PMI

Mention code PW14LI & Save 15% off the standard rate. Register today: http://bit.ly/U1vWFa

We hope to see you in Seattle!

All the best,
The PW&WCBA Team

@Project_World

#PW14

pwwbcablog.iirusa.com

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The Secret to Significantly Increasing Enterprise Project Success

Every project has a person who is at the center of the action, constantly pushing the team to excel.  They live and die by the successes and challenges that are encountered. 

At first glance it would seem that the Subject Matter Experts (SME) possess the passion to drive a project to successful completion.  But that might not be their core motivation; subject matter experts are driven by being known as the go-to expert on a particular topic - let’s say security.  They have achieved success as a vertical thinker.  Vertical expertise is critical to the success of the organization and to a project, but it has a narrow, although important, focus in relation to enterprise success.

If you look deeper into your project team you will see the Business Analyst (BA) has obtained the overall knowledge that can lead to project success.  The good ones can answer any question about the project, follow a well-defined process, translate business “asks” in to actionable tasks, and clearly understand the factors that will determine their team’s success. A BA helps facilitate and develop solutions for the subject matter expert – they are driven by the challenge of solving the tactical problems.  

The BA thinks horizontally and can assist in generating new ideas to solve problems.  They are required to assimilate multiple requirements from multiple SMEs and consider technical constraints in order to formulate a solution.

Let’s use an example of creating a weapon that can destroy a planet, reference the Death Star – I can’t help but use a Star Wars reference here. The BA will wrangle with irrational requirements, they will solve problems that seem unsolvable, the project will not succeed without them - the larger the project, the bigger the pressure.  

Now consider that the project the BA is working on is only a single project in a larger plan.  There are several projects of the same size and scale each with their unique challenges and all with different stakeholders.   

Who owns that? Or who can own it?

The evolution of the BA into a business strategist starts with the understanding of the detailed requirements coupled with the wider knowledge of how these requirements fit into the projects that dovetail into the programs.  A business strategist must prioritize the components of the roadmap to ensure that a specific mix of projects will achieve the organization’s vision.  The business strategist must be able to communicate to all levels within the organization as well as provide inspirational leadership to a variety of teams.

The success of large enterprise initiatives depends on the ability of skilled Business Strategists. We believe a BA can grow into a strategist whether the enterprise itself fosters that larger role or the BA as an individual challenges himself or herself to “be a business strategist within their project”.  

Join the DefinedLogic team at the 2013 Project World & World Congress for Business Analysts to learn the skills a Business Strategist must have to drive your Enterprise Vision.  You may also learn what would have happened if the “Empire” used a Business Strategist.

It’s not too late to register! Click here to attend: http://bit.ly/15EfWyf

This post was written by Alex Shanley, Partner, Business Strategist, Defined Logic LLC.

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PW&WCBA Speaker Spotlight: Paula Bell

In our new Project World and World Congress for Business Analysts 2013 Speaker Spotlight series, Paula Bell, Business Analyst Coach, Mentor, Speaker, and Author recently sat down with us to discuss what it takes to be a great project manager and business analyst in an environment that is growing increasingly competitive every day.

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

Bell: In order to stand out as a project manager or business analyst you have to stay up on the skills that are trending in the industry.  Even if you may not practice some of the methodologies or skills that are topics having the knowledge of what those methodologies/topics are is key. 

Also, share your knowledge.  You can do this by writing articles for trade magazines in your discipline or even starting blogs.  Just by sharing your knowledge you will be known.  Continue to sharpen your craft and be the best project manager or business analyst you can be.

IIR: What are characteristics of a GREAT project manager?

Bell: Some characteristics of a GREAT project manager are integrity, respect, interpersonal skills such as relationships building, communication (written and verbal), negotiation skills, problem solving, critical thinking, thinking outside of the box, influencing and helping others make decisions. 

The foundational skills of a GREAT project manager is more soft skills than technical skills.  If you cannot build the relationships and gain credibility and trust you will not be successful. This is for the business analyst role as well.

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

Bell: Mentor with someone who has done it successfully and learn from their challenges and successes.  There is so much more knowledge out there now that I would recommend to learn from that knowledge.

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

Bell: You build those skills by doing them.  Take on a leadership role on a board or in the community to help build out those skills if there aren’t opportunities within your organization.  Take training classes on leadership and do a lot of introspection on yourself. 

You must lead yourself before you can lead anyone else.  In order to lead yourself you must know yourself.  In order to know yourself you must analyze yourself.  Take the time to develop yourself in this area.  Get out of your comfortable and take on different challenges in a leadership role.  All of these things will build up your leadership skills. 

IIR: How does a successful project manager communicate?

Bell: Honestly.  Not matter the circumstance always be honest whether good new or bad news.  Support your team and communicate with them frequently.  Do more listening than talking, understand all sides and think before you speak.  This all goes back to building and maintaining relationships and communication is key in that.

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

Bell is a speaker at the annual PW&WCBA 2013in 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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Top Business Analysis Trends of 2013: Communicating “Up” Will be Critical

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 nine of them in our previous posts. So, let’s now move to number ten.

In 2013 we will see BAs learning that they have to communicate better, meaning that communicating up and across is going to be a major focus of what BAs are going to be targeting in 2013. BAs are the most aware of the requirements of the value those requirements bring because they do a lot of impact analysis on those requirements.

She added, “When they are working on a project they know if they miss a requirement or if it changes, and how that will affect the business. The problem is the ability to share that difficult message and have that crucial conversation.”

In 2013 BAs will be focused on their ability to have those communicating up conversations with their sponsors and stakeholders, laying it out for them of what could happen when it comes to these requirements. 

“By being able to put that in your bag of BA skills, you are solidifying yourself as a key component to everything related from a business value standpoint,” Yee concluded.

See the full video below:

Business analysis is a big part of the upcoming conference , ProjectWorld & World Congress for Business Analysts (PW&WCBA), which blends practical learning, skill building, big picture thinking and leadership training together for a holistic approach to developing managers into leaders.

Whether you are looking to sharpen your toolkit, grow as a leader or benchmark against peers by exchanging stories of success and failure, this event delivers it all – providing you with more credits than any other event of its kind. With a huge  network of experts and peers to connect with, you'll be prepared to confront the Increasing complexity even more confidently with dexterity and agility.

PW & WCBA is taking place September 9-11 in Disney World. To register for PW&WCBA, click here!

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. 

Related articles

• 5 Steps to Becoming a Business Analyst

Top Business Analysis Trends of 2013: Modeling Skills Take Precedence in BA Training

oday, the business analyst role acts as a broker of information, getting big picture and details from executives, experts, vendors, technical resources, etc. What the BA does with all this information and how it gets communicated and repurposed for each audience is opportunity for a business analyst.

Conceptual Modeling of the business view of the solution has always been a critical tool to help bring business, technology, and delivery groups together in defining solution scope.  Technical architecture and data context diagrams have their place, but the critical BA skills is the business view (vs. technical view) of the solution scope, this will be critical to engaging stakeholders and setting the stage for innovation.

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 eight of them in our previous posts. So, let’s now move to number nine.

In 2013 is all about pictures, graphics or models. What you will begin to see is that the BAs are going to be using and leveraging all of the different models and modeling techniques they know to be able to deliver the messages they need. For instance, user stories require the use cases to be able to develop the value the customer is looking for. Process models are a way to understand how the organization as a whole is going to be able to deliver what they are looking for and add operational effectiveness and across the board. 

In 2013, will we see the written word disappear?

“I hope not, but pictures speak a thousand words so 2013 BAs should get focused on practicing your modeling skills and techniques because the model is going to pay the rent,” said Nee.

Check out the full video below:

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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• Communication Between QA and Business Analyst

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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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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