Resources...

Taking a hard look at the softer side of life

With each sunrise and sunset it becomes more evident that there is no sunrise or sunset.

We live in a 24x7x365 ‘global village’; a civilisation intertwined through a maze of connectivity that fuses a succession of supply chains, merges a procession of organisations, blurs the borders of countries, straddles a string of time-zones, patches a quilt of cultures and mingles a medley of individuals... and that’s the jumble that Jack built.

Dizzy? Well there’s more. Through this tangled web we’ve woven, knowledge has been liberated and consumers have become subject matter experts. Thus, people are demanding constant change and, conversely, are expected to embrace others change at an equal pace. Within this ecosystem, of timeless uncertainties, countless permutations and endless possibilities, the individuals best equipped to respond to this challenge are those with the talent to operate with ‘context-independence’; the agility to perform regardless of situation.

Below are just some of the habits that this star possesses:

Interpersonal and group skills Relationship building; rapport; active listening; observation; empathy; appreciation for different perspectives, facilitating; presenting; conflict resolution; coaching; motivating. Interpretation and perception Filtration of information; processing of data; realisation of facts versus assumptions versus the unknown; instinct and action to reduce the likelihood and impact of fate. Thinking and problem solving Critical, conceptual and creative thinking; identifying alternatives; mitigating risks; planning contingencies; sound judgement; decision making despite obstacles. Communication and negotiation Verbal, non-verbal, written and diagrammatic skills; the ability to effectively engage and convey ideas with cross-functional people to achieve partnerships through cooperation. Domain and technical expertise Knowledge of industry trends, standards and practices; domain understanding; business operations; business rules and processes; IT methodologies; tools and techniques.

Do you recognise these traits? Nudge... you should! What’s striking about the BA skills set? Give up? Twenty percent of our success is due to technical know-how, eighty percent is due to the softer-side-of-life (thanks Pareto). What else? Look again... there’s more. Got it? It’s all about people... and it really is: people (us) work with people (executives and project teams) to improve situations for people (users) to better service people (customers).

So, given the above, why are we stereotyped as "paper pushers" or "document writers"? "I struggle to get my point across"... "I can’t get sign-off"... "I have such difficult users"... "Oh, I didn’t realise that’s what you meant"... "I’m not utilised to my full potential". Sound familiar? Well, it’s our own fault. We must take responsibility. We form other people’s perceptions and create the situations in which we find ourselves - and what do we do when the going gets tough? We tend to seek solace in ‘technical’ solutions (20%) allowing ourselves to sidestep the pain of personal accountability (80%). Click... makes sense? No wonder we can be much maligned, misused and misunderstood.

Today’s world is compelling us to collaborate across traditional boundaries and inspiring opportunities like never before. So, soften-up and step-up Business Analyst. You are an improvement evangelist. You play a powerful role in shaping transformation, integrating disparity and influencing people towards adopting change.