The Enterprise Business Analyst

The Enterprise Business Analyst

by Kathleen B. Hass
Released October 2011
Publisher(s): Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN: 9781567263510

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Book description

Business Analysts: Chart Your Path to Success with Creative Solutions to Complex Business Problems!
Business in the 21st century is rife with complexity. To leverage that complexity and guide an organization through these turbulent times, today's business analyst must transition from a tactical, project-focused role to a creative, innovative role.
The path to this transition—and the tools to accomplish it—are presented in this new book by acclaimed author Kathleen “Kitty“ Hass. Winner of PMI's David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award for her book Managing Complex Projects: A New Model, Hass has again written a book that will refocus a discipline.
Hass believes that only by confronting and capitalizing on change and complexity—the new “constants” in today's world—can organizations forge ahead. The enterprise business analyst is perfectly positioned to understand the needs of an organization, help it remain competitive, identify creative solutions to complex business problems, bring about innovation, and constantly add value for the customer and revenue to the bottom line.
The Enterprise Business Analyst: Developing Creative Solutions to Complex Business Problems offers:
• An overview of the current and emerging role of the business analyst
• New leadership models for the 21st century
• Methods for fostering team creativity
• Practices to spark innovation
• Strategies for communicating in a complex environment

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. About the Author
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Preface
  8. Introduction
    1. The Looming Storm
    2. The Enterprise Business Analyst
    3. Unleashing the Creative Potential of the Business Analyst
    4. Building a Corps of Creative Leaders
    5. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean to the Business Analyst?
  9. Part I: Insights into the Profession of Business Analysis
    1. Chapter 1: The Heart of the Matter—An Examination of the Profession of Business Analysis
      1. Defining Business Analysis
      2. Codifying Business Analysis
      3. Certifying Business Analysts
      4. The Business Analyst Competency Model
      5. Building a Mature Business Analysis Practice
      6. The Business Analyst Role: Both Tactical and Strategic
      7. Business Analysis in Practice
      8. A Business Analysis Practice Maturity Model
      9. Collaborative Leadership
      10. The Business Analyst’s Key Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies
      11. Building a Capable Business Analyst Workforce
      12. Positioning the Business Analyst in an Organization
      13. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean to the Business Analyst?
    2. Chapter 2: The Business Analyst’s Strategic Role
      1. Strategic Planning
      2. Enterprise Analysis
      3. Planning and Requirements Elicitation
      4. Requirements Analysis and Specification
      5. Requirements Documentation
      6. Requirements Validation
      7. Requirements Management
      8. Managing Changes to Requirements
      9. Managing Transitional Requirements
      10. Managing Cultural Changes
      11. Maintaining and Enhancing the Solution
      12. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean to the Business Analyst?
    3. Chapter 3: The Adaptive Business Analyst
      1. Agility
      2. Iteration
      3. Scalability
      4. The Recipe for Project Success
      5. Unavoidable Challenges
      6. Using Different Management Approaches
      7. The Best Business Analysis Practices for Low-Complexity Projects
      8. The Best Business Analysis Practices for Moderately Complex Projects
      9. The Best Business Analysis Practices for Highly Complex Projects, Programs, and Megaprojects
      10. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean to the Business Analyst?
  10. Part II: Unlocking the Secrets of Creative Leadership
    1. Chapter 4: Creative Leadership: What’s All the Fuss About?
      1. 21st-Century Leadership
      2. 21st-Century Organizational Change
      3. Management versus Leadership: Who Has the Power?
      4. The Genius of Shared Leadership
      5. The Business Analyst as Project Leader
      6. The Business Analyst as Change Agent
      7. The Business Analyst as Visionary
      8. The Business Analyst as Credible Leader
      9. Creative Leadership
      10. Thinking Outside the Building
      11. Becoming a Creative Leader
      12. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean to the Business Analyst?
    2. Chapter 5: Fostering Team Creativity: The Business Analyst’s Sweet Spot
      1. Effective Teams
      2. The Power of Teams
      3. The Stages of Team Development
      4. Leadership Modes through the Stages of Team Development
      5. Best Team Leadership Practices for the Business Analyst
      6. Creativity: A Right-Brain Pursuit
      7. Getting There: From Ad Hoc Group to Working Group to Creative Team
      8. The Innovation Imperative
      9. Innovation Is a Team Sport
      10. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean to the Business Analyst?
    3. Chapter 6: Igniting Creativity in Complex Distributed Teams
      1. What Makes Large, Distributed Teams Complex?
      2. Fostering Creativity When Leading Distributed Teams
      3. Great Teams: You’ll Know Them When You See Them
      4. Decision-Making on Distributed Teams
      5. Using Virtual Teams as a Strategic Advantage
      6. Managing Distributed Teams with a Light Touch
      7. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean to the Business Analyst?
    4. Chapter 7: Creativity-Inducing Facilitation
      1. The Nuts and Bolts of Creative Facilitation
      2. Facilitated Meetings, Working Sessions, and Workshops
      3. The Power of the Agenda
      4. Problem-Solving Methods That Foster Creativity
      5. First Create, Then Innovate
      6. Divergent Thinking: Generate Creative Ideas
      7. Convergent Thinking: Analyze, Refine, Prioritize, Decide—Innovate!
      8. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean to the Business Analyst?
    5. Chapter 8: Creatively Eliciting and Evolving Breakthrough Requirements
      1. Running Powerful Meetings
      2. Preparing for a Meeting
      3. Starting the Meeting
      4. Facilitating the Meeting
      5. Facilitating Virtual Meetings
      6. Tools for Process Improvement Sessions
      7. Tools for Analysis Sessions
      8. Question and Answer Sessions
      9. Evaluating the Meeting
      10. Closing the Meeting
      11. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean to the Business Analyst?
  11. Part III: Strategies to Foster Innovation
    1. Chapter 9: Developing Products for Competitive Advantage
      1. Systems Thinking
      2. Best Practices for Innovative Product Development
      3. What Makes Innovation Projects Complex?
      4. Adaptive Management Approaches
      5. Complexity Management Technologies
      6. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean to the Business Analyst?
    2. Chapter 10: Strategies to Foster Innovation
      1. Standout Companies Have Paved the Way
      2. Transforming Projects into Hotbeds of Creativity
      3. Applying Complexity Thinking to Manage Projects
      4. Fostering a Creative Project Team Environment
      5. Executing Strategies through Valuable Portfolios
      6. Establishing Project Support Offices and Centers of Excellence
      7. Where Is the BA Profession Heading?
      8. The Living Business Case: A Vehicle for Innovation and Strategy Execution
      9. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean to the Business Analyst?
    3. Chapter 11: Communication and Political Management Strategies to Enable Innovation
      1. Assessing the Political Landscape
      2. The Political Environment
      3. Steer Your Steering Committee
      4. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean for the Business Analyst?
  12. Part IV: Innovation-Driven Business Practices
    1. Chapter 12: How Capable Do Business Analysts Need to Be to Ignite Creativity?
      1. The Challenge: Closing the Gap in BA Capabilities
      2. Creative Leadership across the BA Capability Spectrum
      3. A Business Analyst Professional Development Plan
      4. The Applied BA Capability Assessment: A Groundbreaking Approach
      5. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean for the Business Analyst?
    2. Chapter 13: Building a Mature, Innovation-Driven Business Analysis Practice
      1. The Daunting Road Ahead
      2. BA Practice Maturity Assessment
      3. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean for the Business Analyst?
    3. Chapter 14: Innovation-Driven Portfolio Management
      1. Strategic Planning
      2. Portfolio Management Based on Innovation and Value
      3. Portfolio Management Activities
      4. A Benefit of Portfolio Management: Strategically Aligned Teams
      5. Decision-Making Methodology for Project Selection
      6. The Role of the Enterprise Project Management Office/Center of Excellence in Portfolio Management
      7. Executive Seminar
      8. Planning for the Implementation of Portfolio Management
      9. Portfolio Assessment and Prioritization
      10. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean for the Business Analyst?
    4. Chapter 15: The Business Analysis Center of Excellence: The Cornerstone of Business Transformation and Innovation
      1. How Companies Are Using Centers of Excellence
      2. The Scope of the BACOE
      3. The Innovation-Driven BACOE
      4. BACOE Organizational Alignment Considerations
      5. BACOE Organizational Maturity Considerations
      6. BACOE Implementation Considerations
      7. BACOE Implementation Best Practices
      8. Putting It All Together: What Does This Mean for the Business Analyst?
  13. Suggested Reading
  14. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Enterprise Business Analyst
  • Author(s): Kathleen B. Hass
  • Release date: October 2011
  • Publisher(s): Berrett-Koehler Publishers
  • ISBN: 9781567263510