Analyst’s corner digest #18
Top stories published in October 2023
Hi there!
Another month, another edition of the Analyst’s corner digest.
This time, we’ve got a collection of stories about business analysis, data, agile, and product and project management.
Essential practices for business analysis success are surely a must read from the list — based on many years of practical experience. But we also cover the topics of requirements gathering and asking the right questions, lessons learned from replacing a legacy solution (part 3!), and a personal story of becoming a business analyst.
We have some interesting write ups about agile, including the future of BA in the world of agile and scrum, and a very poetic comparison between writing good user stories and writing good haiku.
For those interested in AI and data, there is a list of 5 recommended books to get you started with AI, as well as an opinion on how generative AI is going to change requirements development. This, accompanied with a list of data analysis tips will give you a nice range of topics to think about on a quiet afternoon.
Finally, a very structured article explaining what enterprise architecture is, its benefits, and its method.
A nice way to finish a busy month.
Enjoy the reading!
— yours, Igor
https://www.analystscorner.org/
BA Skills & Processes
1) The Essential Practices for Business Analysis Success
by Karl Wiegers
Every project and product initiative succeeds or fails based on its requirements. You need some requirements even to build that first prototype. Requirements let you answer important questions, including: What are we building? Why are we building it? What will users be able to do with it? Which quality characteristics are most important? What features do we implement first, later, and maybe never?
2) The Art of Requirements Gathering in Business Analysis
by Nelson M.
Welcome to the world of business analysis, where the pivotal role of a Business Analyst (BA) revolves around understanding and solving complex business problems.
Requirements gathering is the cornerstone of a BA’s responsibilities, and it plays a critical role in bridging the gap between business stakeholders and IT developers.
In this blog post, we will dive deep into the fundamental process of requirements gathering.
3) How I Landed a Business Analyst Role as a Fresh Graduate
by Clark Aquino
Honestly, I had little to no knowledge about business analysis (BA) prior to applying for my first role in the field.
I was one of those people who, the day after graduation, was clueless about what to do next. I had an information systems degree but was uncertain about what to do with it. As any resourceful, determined, and anxious person would do, I turned to Google and typed “careers for information systems graduate”.
4) The Art of Asking the Right Questions
by Gabriel Botsie
As Business Analysts, the value of questions is drummed into us.
We’re just as familiar with the phrase — “there’s no such thing as a dumb question” as we are with the analogy of the bridge to describe the business analyst role.
Software projects & product management
1) “Who”, “What”, “Why”, “How”, “When” in Product Development
by Kavindi Bogahawatte
“Who,” “what,” “why,” “how,” “when,” and “where” are collectively known as the WH questions. The WH questions are a common technique used to gather information or elicit answers to a question/problem relating to a certain context.
So, how does this relate to software product development? The interesting thing about WH questions is that they can be applied to product development too. Let’s dive in.
2) Mastering the Art of Technical Program Management: Harnessing the potential of mental models.
by Gabriel Botsie
Mental models provide frameworks to analyse situations, scenarios, problems. As an illustration, “First Principles” advocates users break down a problem or scenario to their essential elements or fundamental principles; questioning assumptions, before proposing solutions.
Much has been written already on how innovative companies such as Tesla, Space X and Uber revolutionised their industries by applying first principles thinking.
3) Replacing Legacy. Part 3: Conversion & Data Mapping
by Ilya Zakharau
Initially, I had no intention to continue with the Replacing Legacy articles. However, some feedback gave me food for thought and helped me realize that some aspects might interest the audience. This time, we discuss a more down-to-earth topic using a headless backend legacy system that performs calculations and data transformations as an example.
Enterprise Architecture and Agile
1) How to Practise Enterprise Architecture
by Shashi Sastry
The advantages of thinking, planning, and systematic work are well known, whether baking a cake or going to Mars. The practice of Enterprise Architecture provides this mature way for an organisation to realise its full potential.
In this article, we’ll see what enterprise architecture is, its benefits, and its method. In distilling several decades of experience, I had to balance brevity and completeness. It is a large subject in its scope, timelines, and impact, but it is simple once you grasp the approach, although its object, the enterprises for which it is applied, can be as complex as anything gets. If you need to unpack it more after reading this and connected articles, I’ll help you.
2) User Stories as the Haiku of Business Analysis
by Andriy Dzugaiev
Well written user stories are much like haiku — they are easy to read and comprehend, and therefore, sometimes seem easy to create. However, just as not every phrase looking like haiku is a poetry, not every requirement is useful when presented as a user story.
3) Agile and Scrum: The Present and Future of Business Analysis
by Clark Aquino
In today’s business landscape, change is the only real constant. Yet while many methodologies have come and gone over the years, two have taken centre stage: agile and scrum. Their transformative effects have made waves across many industries, especially in business analysis, and they’re changing the business analyst role.
Why have these two methodologies had such an impact on the profession, and how will they redefine it in the years ahead? Let’s find out.
Future and AI
1) How Generative AI Changes Requirements Management.
by Gabriel Botsie
The post explores what Generative AI’s capabilities mean to the practice of requirements management during the project discovery phase.
2) 5 Books for Business Analysts who want to transition to a career in Machine Learning and AI.
by Gabriel Botsie
Maybe Generative AI, it’s use cases and tools has revived that interest in AI. But, how do you get started? What should you learn? What does Big Data mean? AI Pitfalls?
Here are 5 books to encourage your interest in Machine Learning and AI.
Data
- Mastering Business Intelligence: Comprehensive Guide to Concepts, Components, Techniques, and Examples, by Nilimesh Halder, PhD
In today’s data-driven business environment, organizations must leverage the power of data to drive decision-making and improve overall performance. Business Intelligence (BI) plays a crucial role in this process, enabling organizations to transform raw data into actionable insights and informed strategies. - Demystifying Correlation: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding, Interpreting, and Applying Correlation in Data Analysis, by Nilimesh Halder, PhD
Correlation is a fundamental concept in data analysis, used to measure the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. Understanding, interpreting, and applying correlation is critical for making accurate predictions, identifying trends, and uncovering hidden relationships in data. - How Dashboards Help You Make Smarter Choices in Analysis, by Amit Kumar
In our modern world, where data plays a significant role, it’s supеr important to make intelligent choices. Think of dashboards as powerful hеlpеrs. Thеy show you thе most important numbеrs and facts, kind of likе a dashboard in a car showing spееd and fuеl. Using thеsе dashboard tools hеlps you makе bеttеr choicеs quickly. - Unleashing the Power of Data Mining: An In-Depth Guide to Techniques, Applications, Tools, and Benefits, , by Nilimesh Halder, PhD
As data continues to play an increasingly important role in the modern business landscape, organizations need to be able to extract valuable insights from their vast data resources. Data mining is a powerful technique that can help organizations achieve this goal, enabling them to discover hidden patterns, trends, and relationships within their data.
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Visit our website for online training courses on business analysis and agile: https://www.analystscorner.org/ or if you want to read our book — Information Technology Essentials for business analysts and project managers.
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