Project Management

The work of an agile business analyst is highly rewarding and such positions are well sought-after. However, the title can be quite ambiguous and lead to many questions related to the requirements and trajectory of this career path. Students and professionals alike must first understand the qualifications of an agile business analyst in order to be successful in their job-hunting pursuits.

Most companies require business analysts to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited, four-year program (BA Times, 2019). While the work is not highly specified as compared to that of a doctor who would go to school to practice medicine for the specific type of patient they will treat, it does require a versatility in skill-set and general business acumen. For this reason, many hiring managers look for degrees in areas that emphasize mathematics proficiency, communication skills, and sound decision-making. These include business administration, marketing, economics, and information technology. While each employer requires a different level of technical skill, including knowledge of programming languages, job-seekers will find an emphasis on soft skills that are harder to teach since companies know that necessary technical knowledge can be delivered through on-the-job training and even certification programs. Those seeking positions at higher levels will usually need to obtain a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) or similar degree.

The nature of the agile methodology requires that a business analyst be nimble and skilled in responding to change. Additionally, the way in which the individual is able to communicate customer needs through requirements specification directly correlates with the success of both the projects they work on and their own career in the industry. Agile methodology involves seeking out feedback at every step of the process, thereby allowing the business analyst to understand quickly whether they are appropriately conveying the vision of the customer and translating it into requirements that are clear for the development team (Study.com, 2018). They, too, will often fail quickly due to the constant feedback and evaluation they will receive, thus allowing them to determine whether the agile business analyst role is the right fit for him. Likewise, positive feedback translates into career growth and opportunities such as promotions to a strategy-based role at the executive level.

Finally, many companies look for certifications when selecting between two qualified candidates. Such credentials can distinguish one candidate from another by verifying they have the skills relevant to the job and are familiar with industry standards. The most common certification is the Agile Analysis certification (IIBA) through the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA Homepage, 2019). In particular, organizations transitioning from legacy systems and antiquated waterfall methodology may seek out individuals with agile-intensive certifications to help them implement organizational changes and set company-wide standards.

In conclusion, the career of a business analyst can bring great fulfillment, especially to those who actively seek out personal development opportunities, both formal and informal.

Citations:

“Agile Analysis (IIBA-ACC) | IIBA.” IIBA Homepage. 15 Apr. 2019 <https://www.iiba.org/certification/specialized-business-analysis-certifications/agile-analysis/&gt;.

Batimes. “Career choices for a Business Analyst – What Options does a BA Have?” BA Times. 15 Apr. 2019 <https://www.batimes.com/articles/career-choices-for-a-business-analyst-what-options-does-a-ba-have.html&gt;.

Study.com. Study.com. 15 Apr. 2019 <https://study.com/become_a_business_analyst.html&gt;.

There are a variety of roles in a software development team, each with their own special roles and responsibilities. Today we are going to discuss the skills of the Business Analyst. First let us discuss what exactly is a business analyst. According to an article by Villanova University, a business analyst is “multifaceted… tend to be clear communicators, smooth facilitators, precise analyzers and team players” (Villanova). They are an essential bridge between the gap that can divide the software development team and the business/corporate elements.

Now that we have covered the definition of the business analyst, let us divulge into its necessary skills and responsibilities. While the analyst role is difficult to pin down, a core theme of the job is communication. “Business analysts spend a significant amount of time interacting with clients, users, management, and developers.” (Doyle). This constant back and forth relay of information is what progresses development of software products. Aside from requiring strong communication skills a business analyst must also be efficient at critical thinking and analysis. Business analysts are more than simple middlemen; “the BA should be creative, should be able to analyze so many actors and factors at play within the context of the problem and creatively solve the problem by recommending solutions.” (Adesope). Combined with proper communication, the business analyst must engineer solutions in the event of development obstacles or shortcomings such as a need to adjust the scope. Thirdly there is modeling and documentation. “BSAs will often work with project stakeholders to identify, model, and then document their requirements and business domain details” (Ambler). A strong business analyst should keep these three skills under their belt if they are seeking a successful career.  

Looking at the image above. As you can see, the arch above the man’s head contains the three skills/responsibilities we discussed earlier along with some others. At the center of the arch is Communications Requirements, which highlights its importance in the field. When coordinating with agile development, the consistent flow of deliverables and greater emphasis on communicating with stakeholders makes business analysts more important than ever. In Scott Ambler’s essay on business analysts, he proposes “Active Stakeholder Participation”, stating that “the goal of this practice is to reduce the feedback loop and thereby improve communication” (Ambler). This streamlines the business analyst role while keeping them an integral member of the software development team.

Citations

Image Source: https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-dba9ae69e7c87f77861663b1a68632e4

Adesope, Bola. “Top 5 Skills for Business Analysts.” BA Times, 25 Oct. 2018, http://www.batimes.com/articles/top-5-skills-for-business-analysts.html.

Ambler, Scott W. “Rethinking the Role of Business Analysts: Towards Agile Business Analysts?” Rethinking the Role of Business Analysts: Towards Agile Business Analysts?, agilemodeling.com/essays/businessAnalysts.htm.

“Business Analyst Career Path.” Villanovau.com, 21 Nov. 2013, http://www.villanovau.com/resources/business-analysis/business-analyst-career/.

Doyle, Alison. “Business Analyst Skill Set Plus Core Competencies.” The Balance Careers, 2 Nov. 2018, http://www.thebalancecareers.com/business-analyst-skill-set-2062363.

Author: Hunter Healy

Historically, throughout business, it has been customary to follow a carefully devised road map. The standard assumption is that in order to get to where you’re going, you have to follow the plan set out to get you there. This adage doesn’t hold up to the same extent in regards to agile product development. While it’s important to acknowledge that the planning phase is critical to the success of an agile project, it’s the ability to be nimble and adapt to unforeseen change that distinguishes agile development from other methodologies, such as waterfall (Aaron).
As a customer’s requirements change, so do the constraints on the project. With each sprint, it is critical to evaluate whether the team is still on track, as measured by progress toward customer deliverables. Should changes need to be made, it is characteristic of an agile team to quickly course-correct (DBS Interactive). This differs vastly from the nature of a waterfall team which often does not identify and evaluate necessary changes until project completion when it is too late to account for factors such as changes in the market and the customer’s needs.
Now that we have identified the ways in which an agile team rapidly adapts to an evolving plan, it’s important to identify the tools they use to respond in such scenarios. The unique structure of an agile team is perhaps their most valuable asset in adapting to change. By operating in sprints, the amount of work completed before realizing a feature is obsolete or perhaps, an additional feature is needed, is minimalized. Progress made that is no longer relevant to the updated product needs is limited to the course of weeks as opposed to the span of months to even years (DBS Interactive).
In conclusion, by maximizing the efficiency and relevance of current team tasks to the fulfillment of project deliverables, agile teams are able to quickly adapt their initial plan, saving both money and time in the long-run.

Citations:

Aaron. “Agile Manifesto: Responding to Change.” Platinum Edge, Platinum Edge, 23 Sept. 2012, platinumedge.com/blog/agile-manifesto-responding-to-change.

Aaron. “Agile Manifesto: Responding to Change.” Platinum Edge, Platinum Edge, 23 Sept. 2012, platinumedge.com/blog/agile-manifesto-responding-to-change. Accessed 8 Apr. 2019.

“Agile Beyond Software – Responding to Change.” InCrowd, 24 Aug. 2017, incrowdnow.com/blog/agile-beyond-software-responding-to-change/.

DBS Interactive. “Embracing Change: How Agile Is Transforming Project Management.” DBS Interactive, (Open in New Window), 16 May 2018, http://www.dbswebsite.com/blog/2016/06/07/embracing-change-how-agile-is-transforming-project-management/.

Agile development is development following a set of rules and principles to guide the way work is produced, and the way teams and individuals work together. In this article, we shall discuss the agile method of failing fast.

In Agile, there are 12 principles to follow (“12 Principles Behind the Agile Manifesto”). Failing fast is relevant to “Continuous Attention to Technical Excellence”, and Delivering Working Software Frequently. In agile, we value working fast and getting stuff done over meticulously planning for every detail. We know that stuff happens, and we adapt a framework to account for that unpredictability.

Image of the Manifesto –  AgileManifesto.png

What is Failing fast? When we fail fast, we don’t worry too much about the consequences of our actions; it is about doing things rather than sitting back and fearing failure. It is the very opposite of laborious planning; it is prototyping and re-iterating and learning from your mistakes. It is about trying something and then getting feedback: Does it work? How can it be improved?

Why should we do this? Many times when you communicate with your stakeholders, you could have everything laid out, and you are both on the same page. Prototyping goes even further than this. It shows the stakeholders something feasible. It gives the stakeholders something to experiment with and it establishes a baseline to come up with even better ideas. With prototyping, it allows you to make something quick and dirty (sometimes not even 100% functional) so that you avoid making something with the best quality but then having to redo everything. Prototyping goes a long way into saving time and ensuring quality for the final product. There are other reasons too.

In day to day development, there is a phenomenon known as “paralysis analysis.” Let’s pretend a certain developer knows what he or she needs to do – implement feature x. However as they start thinking about how to do it, they realize they can use option a, or option b, but then option c! They get stuck, running in circles analyzing the drawbacks and benefits of each, stressing about the “perfect solution.”

This is where the beauty of failing fast happens. Rather than creating all that stress, after enough consideration just choose one, and see how it works. Failing fast allows developers to say that there is not a perfect solution, just one that works at the time within reason.

And that’s about if for failing fast! Hopefully you would have understood exactly what failing fast means, and even gotten some ideas on how to implement it in future projects.

Works Cited

“12 Principles Behind the Agile Manifesto.” Agile Alliance, 15 Nov. 2017, http://www.agilealliance.org/agile101/12-principles-behind-the-agile-manifesto/.

http://Blog.itil.org/Wp-Content/Uploads/2014/08/AgileManifesto.png.

What makes a strong team? This is a question that has many answers, but all apply for different situations. In agile development, there is a focus on constant communications and shared responsibility in order to keep everything consistent. Much like the adjective it was named after agile favors dynamic functionality and helps to separate true teamwork from a mere collective of individuals.

In Rumesh Wijentunge’s article on teams in Scrum, his five core principles on development are, “Cross Functional, Self Organizing, Self Healing, Goal Oriented and committed, Lead and Protected by a leader” (Wijentunge, 2019). Cross functionality is when group members have a diverse set of skills that have overlap and a common goal. In agile this goal is to deliver a consistent product that satisfies the customer’s needs. Not everyone needs to be a swiss army knife, but being able to fill for someone’s role in the event they are not available helps keep everything running smooth. A team needs to be both self healing and organizing because this freedom to work interdependently comes at the cost of internal conflict resolution. The Scrum Leader/Project Lead is not a babysitter and any issues should be resolves within the group as to not impede progress.

Lastly let us talk about the importance of agile team leadership and positive attitudes during development. Wijentunge describes the leader as, “a servant leader who leads by example… and solve problems through subjective and objective discussions and analysis.” (Wijentunge, 2019). While the leader seemingly rank higher than everyone else it is still their responsibility to work within the agile team to keep operations running smooth. Confidence is another important aspect of agile teamwork. Intelliware’s presentation on agile team dynamics reinforces this belief, saying, “Everyone on the team is aware of and respects their own and each other team member’s abilities.” (Intelliware). This mutual understanding combined with cross functionality promotes team diversity. When combined with activities such as whiteboard sessions and proper debates keep work ethic strong and development consistent.

Work Cited

Iwdadmin. “Agile Team Dynamics.” Intelliware Development Inc., 20 May 2016, http://www.intelliware.com/agile-team-dynamics/.Wijetunge, Rumesh, et al.

“Importance of ‘Teams’ in Scrum.” KnowledgeHut Blog, KnowledgeHut, 18 Sept. 2017, http://www.knowledgehut.com/blog/agile/importance-of-teams-in-scrum.