Business Analysis Live!

The purpose of most meetings is to make decisions.  Are your meetings effective?  Have you attended meetings that are a waste of time?  Susan and Scott have run meetings for decades.  Join them as they discuss effective meetings and take questions from the live audience.   Top 5 Essential Elements of Effective Meeting  State the objective of the meeting so people know what to expect.  Include an agenda so attendees can prepare or possibly reject the meeting if it’s not suitable for them to attend  Only invite relevant attendees  Start and end on time - show respect for people  Take notes to document decisions and action items (including action item, owner of the action item, and due date)   Additional Elements for Effective Meetings   Decide if you need a meeting, or if you can accomplish this via email or chat  Manage the discussion to keep it on track  Send a summary of the meeting to attendees with decisions, action items, and next steps  chat, Slack, Teams, etc.  For virtual meetings, turn your camera on  body language is an important part of communication  Be a hero, and finish the meeting 5 minutes early   Tool Tips:  Use visuals to help facilitate the meeting Use a Timer to manage to the agenda for larger groups (get a helper)  Use a virtual whiteboard to collaborate   RESOURCES: Podcast for Business Analysis Live https://www.iiba.org/professional-development/knowledge-centre/podcasts/ Business Analysis Live is hosted by:  Susan Moore, Community Engagement Manager at IIBA  Scott Bennett, Manager, Business Analysis at IIBA   The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) is a non-profit professional association serving the field of business analysis.  As the global thought leader and voice of the business analysis community, IIBA actively supports the recognition of the profession, and works to maintain global standards for the ongoing development of the practice and certifications.  Learn more at https://www.iiba.org/  #meetings #techniques #businessanalysis

Business Analysis is defined as “the practice of enabling change in an organizational context, by defining needs and recommending solutions that deliver value to stakeholders” in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK© Guide v3).  The BABOK guide was developed by a global working group, including our guest, Laura Paton.   We talk with Laura about Business Analysis from different perspectives:  The profession, research, and competencies  Roles and Job Titles  How long it takes to get good at business analysis  Change management  Organizations and business domains  Starting a business analysis career  Problem solving and opportunity seeking People, process, and technology  Data analytics  Human behaviour and psychology  The art and science of business analysis  The importance of context   RESOURCES:  LinkedIn Learning Course by Laura Paton: What is Business Analysis? https://www.linkedin.com/learning/what-is-business-analysis Certification in Business Data Analytics  https://www.iiba.org/business-analysis-certifications/business-data-analytics-certification/ Business Analysis Live is hosted by: - Susan Moore, Community Engagement Manager at IIBA - Scott Bennett, Manager, Business Analysis at IIBA  We discuss business analysis topics and answer questions from our live audience. Do you have questions about this topic or have an idea for a different topic? Ask us a question at live@iiba.org or leave us a voice message on our podcast homepage. The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) is a non-profit professional association serving the field of business analysis.  As the global thought leader and voice of the business analysis community, IIBA actively supports the recognition of the profession, and works to maintain global standards for the ongoing development of the practice and certifications. Learn more at https://www.iiba.org/  #businessanalysis #babok #career

Human Resources is key to running a successful organization.  It’s typically a top cost among expenses.  How do business analysis skills apply to Human Resources?  Kris Tierney joins us from the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA), which has partnered with The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) to offer the “Radical HR: Upskilling from Service Provider to Solution Expert” program.   During our chat with Kris, we talk about Human Resources (HR) for business analysts to understand the business domain.  To underscore the importance of HR, one of our livestream viewers, Tracy Kincaid-Mielak commented “You can’t have a business without the people so people should be your primary focus”.  The certificate program helps HR professionals learn “how to speak the language of the business”.  Using the foundations of business analysis, participants elevate their ability to positively impact their organizations by conducting comprehensive needs analysis and creating evidence-based solutions.   For information on the certificate program, visit https://mx.hrpa.ca/pages/hrpa-meeting...    To learn more about the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA), visit https://www.hrpa.ca    Business Analysis Live is hosted by:  Susan Moore, Community Engagement Manager at IIBA  Scott Bennett, Manager, Business Analysis at IIBA   Do you have questions about this topic or have an idea for a different topic? Ask us a question at live@iiba.org or leave us a voice message on our podcast homepage. The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) is a non-profit professional association serving the field of business analysis.  As the global thought leader and voice of the business analysis community, IIBA actively supports the recognition of the profession, and works to maintain global standards for the ongoing development of the practice and certifications.   Learn more at https://www.iiba.org/  #businessanalysis #humanresources #hr Show less

The podcast discusses the top 9 skills for business analysis professionals based on research from around the world. They cover topics such as leadership, stakeholder understanding, decision making, business knowledge, and communication skills. The hosts also mention the benefits of joining Toastmasters for improving public speaking skills and provide a preview of the next episode.

"Business Analysis Live!" delves into common myths surrounding business analysis. Hosted by Susan Moore and Scott Bennett, they tackle misconceptions like business analysts only working in IT and solely creating requirements documents. They also discuss the importance of the 50 techniques in the Babot Guide, debunk myths about business analyst roles and the necessity of business analysts in agile frameworks. Additionally, they differentiate between the roles of Six Sigma Black Belts and business analysts, and explore the advantages and challenges of being a generalist or specialist in the field.

Looking for a business analysis job?  We discuss interview questions that you may encounter and how to approach them.  Preparation is key and our guest, Yulia Kosarenko, shares tips on how to get ready for a business analysis job interview.  She has some great advice.  Yulia Kosarenko is the author of “Business analyst: a profession and a mindset” and also publishes videos on her “Why Change” YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@WhyChange  RESOURCES:  IIBA Career Center https://careercenter.iiba.org/ Entry Certificate to Business Analysis (ECBA) https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/MZeeRQGWrwb Top 7 Soft Skills for Business Analysts Video https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/gprrUNGWrwb Do you have questions about this topic? Ask us a question at live@iiba.org or leave us a voice message on our podcast homepage. Business Analysis Live is hosted by:  Susan Moore, Community Engagement Manager at IIBA  Scott Bennett, Manager, Business Analysis at IIBA   We discuss business analysis topics and answer questions from our live audience.  We have a backlog of upcoming topics and we’re happy to take suggestions.  The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) is a non-profit professional association serving the field of business analysis.  As the global thought leader and voice of the business analysis community, IIBA actively supports the recognition of the profession, and works to maintain global standards for the ongoing development of the practice and certifications.  Learn more at https://www.iiba.org/  #businessanalysis #job #interview #businessanalyst

It's the end of the year and time to think about those professional development goals! Certifications are usually high on that list. International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) has 7 business analysis certifications - 3 core and 4 specialized. All the business analysis certification exams offered by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) are proctored online. We get lots of questions about how online proctoring works. In this episode of Business Analysis Live! Scott and Susan talk with our Certifications Program Manager, Isabel Feher-Watters about online proctoring and how to get ready for your online proctoring experience. (note: this podcast was originally recorded in November 2021) Do you have questions about this topic? Ask us a question at live@iiba.org or leave us a voice message on our podcast homepage. Business Analysis Live is hosted by: Susan Moore, Community Engagement Manager at IIBA Scott Bennett, Manager, Business Analysis at IIBA We discuss business analysis topics and answer questions from our live audience.  We have a backlog of upcoming topics and we’re happy to take suggestions.  The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) is a non-profit professional association serving the field of business analysis.  As the global thought leader and voice of the business analysis community, IIBA actively supports the recognition of the profession, and works to maintain global standards for the ongoing development of the practice and certifications.  Learn more at https://www.iiba.org/ #professionaldevelopment #certification #businessanalysis #businessanalyst #IIBA

Even when business analysis professionals don't have a title of leader, they are informal leaders on projects. In this episode, Scott and Susan are joined by Lead Business Analyst, Supervisor and newest #CBAP (Certified Business Analysis Professional) holder, John Reeves who writes and talks about business analysis leadership. We learn from John the leadership skills most in demand for business analysts and how they can lead without authority.  John is a frequent contributor of leadership articles to IIBA's member-exclusive quarterly publication, Business Analysis Magazine (BAM!). You can find his latest articles in these editions: Leading Through Task Calibration by John B. Reeves, AMA-CPM, CAPM, CBAP The Empathic Designer by John B. Reeves, AMA-CPM, CAPM, CBAP IIBA Members can contribute content and earn CDUs towards recertification! Submit your article here.  Do you have questions about this topic? Ask us a question at live@iiba.org or leave us a voice message on our podcast homepage. Business Analysis Live is hosted by: Susan Moore, Community Engagement Manager at IIBA Scott Bennett, Manager, Business Analysis at IIBA We discuss business analysis topics and answer questions from our live audience.  We have a backlog of upcoming topics and we’re happy to take suggestions.  The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) is a non-profit professional association serving the field of business analysis.  As the global thought leader and voice of the business analysis community, IIBA actively supports the recognition of the profession, and works to maintain global standards for the ongoing development of the practice and certifications.  Learn more at https://www.iiba.org/ #leadership #leadershipskills #businessanalysis #businessanalyst #IIBA

SWOT analysis is a powerful tool to explore ideas and look at the big picture.  The four perspectives captured in this model are: - Strengths (internal) - Weaknesses (internal) - Opportunities (external) - Threats (external). In this podcast Scott and Susan create a SWOT analysis together using live audience feedback to show not only how it works but how a business analysis professional would facilitate the activity.  The key skill in performing a SWOT analysis is facilitation to ensure your stakeholders are engaged and contributing.  As we demonstrate using a live example, SWOT analysis is as much about discussion as it is completing an exercise.  This is a tool that can help with perspectives for growth, for risk mitigation, for many aspects of a particular subject.   Do you have questions about this topic? Ask us a question at live@iiba.org or leave us a voice message on our podcast homepage. Business Analysis Live is hosted by: Susan Moore, Community Engagement Manager at IIBA Scott Bennett, Manager, Business Analysis at IIBA We discuss business analysis topics and answer questions from our live audience.  We have a backlog of upcoming topics and we’re happy to take suggestions.  The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) is a non-profit professional association serving the field of business analysis.  As the global thought leader and voice of the business analysis community, IIBA actively supports the recognition of the profession, and works to maintain global standards for the ongoing development of the practice and certifications.  Learn more at https://www.iiba.org/ #businessanalysis #businessanalyst #swotanalysis #facilitation

What is a Product Owner? There's a lot of myth and rumor about this important role in agile organizations.   In this episode, Scott and Susan welcome Emily Midgely, a Product Owner (and President of the IIBA Cleveland [Ohio] Chapter), to talk about what Product Owners do. They get into the skills needed for this work, how Product Owners work with business analysts and other roles in an organization and, as always, they answer questions from the audience about product owners and product ownership.  Do you have questions about this topic? Ask us a question at live@iiba.org or leave us a voice message on our podcast homepage. Business Analysis Live is hosted by: Susan Moore, Community Engagement Manager at IIBA Scott Bennett, Manager, Business Analysis at IIBA We discuss business analysis topics and answer questions from our live audience.  We have a backlog of upcoming topics and we’re happy to take suggestions.  The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) is a non-profit professional association serving the field of business analysis.  As the global thought leader and voice of the business analysis community, IIBA actively supports the recognition of the profession, and works to maintain global standards for the ongoing development of the practice and certifications.  Learn more at https://www.iiba.org/ #businessanalysis #businessanalyst #productowner #agile