In this new world of big data and the Internet of Things (IoT), there’s certainly no shortage of data to be analysed in order to identify opportunities for business improvement. That said, organisations need to be clear about two things:
In today’s project world, you’re either waterfall or agile. Never both. Never something in between. But why has it become such a big waterfall vs agile debate? And do we fully understand the two extremes these two methodologies present?Over the past few years, waterfall as a project methodology has definitely taken a back seat in favour of the new, cool kid on the block – agile. Throwing around…
We all know the saying “customer is king”. It’s a motto that was popularised within the retail industry, but today holds water for pretty much any industry you can think of. With this move to a customer-centric world, developing any new product or service without a clear understanding of your customer’s needs is like serving the perfect steak at your dinner party but then….
Often, when business analysts start projects, they are required to define the scope of work that will be involved in implementing a new system. One way to do this, is to draw up a context diagram that graphically illustrates the full scope of the system. What is a context diagram? This is a simple but powerful tool that clearly shows the system under consideration and the various external entities…
If you missed parts 1, 2 & 3 of our “Linking to trends” series, you can read all about the key technology shifts for 2017 over here, the focus of product over projects here, and the continued use of agile and lean here. This week we’re looking at our final trend prediction for 2017: The changing role of the BA. Traditionally, the role of the Business Analyst (BA) has centred around requirements…
Effective requirements elicitation is an area that is critical to the success of projects. Ironically, it is a process often overlooked by many analysts. This oversight can be costly to the project in terms of time and budget but, more importantly, could lead to incomplete requirements or, even worse, a failed project. What is project requirements elicitation? Elicitation is an active effort to extract…
How do you plan to keep your business ahead of the curve and continuously remain relevant to your customers’ needs? The answer: innovate. In the words of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” But how does one achieve innovation in your business? Or better yet, how does one become inherently innovative? “The most secure source of new ideas that have true competitive…
For successful project delivery, collaboration between project roles is key. This is particularly relevant when looking at the role of the project manager versus that of the business analyst. Traditional thinking dictated that project management was seen as a higher evolution of systems analysis and design, and likewise, that systems analysis and design was…
American businessman, hedge fund manager & billionaire, Paul Tudor Jones, once said: “You adapt, evolve, compete or die”. Very strong words indeed, but in today’s constantly evolving business market, this is a harsh reality that all businesses need to face up to. Organisational agility is defined as a company’s ability to rapidly change or adapt to market changes. The higher your degree of agility, the better your chances…
Business processes, whether formal or informal, have a direct impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of your business. When business processes fail to deliver they not only waste time and money, they can also lead to poor service delivery and substandard product quality. Business process improvement focuses on improving the quality, productivity and responsiveness of business processes by removing activities that…
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