It’s one thing to pass a test or a certification exam, and a completely different ball game to succeed as a business analyst on a complex project.
How do you survive and thrive in a fast-paced corporate environment as a BA?
How to approach business analysis for major digital transformations, COTS implementations, and process improvement initiatives? You must learn how to apply the theory.
As part of your business analysis learning curve, you may have learned the definitions or BA terms, read the descriptions of the techniques, and downloaded the templates. Now what? What are you going to do on day 1, day 2 and day 3 on a project you’ve just been assigned to?
I’ve seen analysts struggle, especially when they lack experience, and start in a new company without getting any guidance. After coaching many junior BAs and answering countless questions on LinkedIn, in webinars and conferences, I saw an unfulfilled need for down-to-earth mentorship.
There are many articles, videos and webinars that talk about generalities. But how to apply this generic advice to real, rough-edged and sometimes hairy situations?
As I received numerous questions and pleas for advice, I considered what is the best medium to share practical tips and demonstrate how to use the BA tools and techniques.
Having participated in many webinars and podcasts talking about the BA Mindset, its principles and its critical role in the success of business analysis, I wondered how could I share my experience more broadly.
This is how the idea for the BA Mindset Mentorship Circle was born: pick practical business analysis topics and get down to earth with each.
How do you apply the technique, when, and what tools do you use?
How do you plan, facilitate, or validate?
What do you do first, second, and third?
What challenges to expect, and what are the best practices for dealing with them?
What can you expect from others, and how to achieve better collaboration with team members and stakeholders?
We did exactly that in our 24 circle meetups in 2023, picking relevant methodology, techniques, data and career topics – and you too can capitalize on the wealth of knowledge shared in these meetings. Here is an sample of the BA Mindset circle topics.
You can follow the story of how the circle developed through my previous posts. To summarize, we’ve formed two strong groups meeting weekly, tackling each topic, sharing experiences, and learning together. We record our sessions that are available to all members in the member zone (together with templates and materials) on a membership basis.
We select the topics together – first, proposing ideas, and then voting. Every month, we have a balanced mix of conversations including BA techniques, methodology, durable skills, data & analytics, and career topics. The feedback and the participation have been amazing and a testament to business analysts’ innate curiosity and drive to solve problems.
This is why we are still going strong and planning to continue for the next three-month cycle in January – March 2024. Our program is promising, and I’m looking forward to sharing perspectives and experiences and strengthening it with all the ideas, tips and examples from the circle members.
Does that sound enticing? Were you looking for a group of like-minded analysts to learn together and share?
You can join the circle at any time. Open to business analysts (current or aspiring), project managers, consultants and leaders involved in enterprise change and digital transformation.
With your membership, you get:
- Access to the member zone, including all previous recordings, templates and materials.
- A pick of two Tuesday time slots to attend weekly meetings (8-9 am or 12-1 pm EST).
- A strong group of like-minded professionals and an opportunity to make new connections, learn and share in a safe environment.
- Discounts on courses and products from Why Change Academy.
Program for Jan-Mar 2024:
January 2024
Jan 9 How to develop business cases, assess business value & prioritize requests
Jan 16 Case study: Splitting epics and user stories
Jan 23 How to create data mapping
Jan 30 Modelling practice: process flow from a narrative with gap identification
February 2024
Feb 6 How to collaborate with an architecture team
Feb 13 Case study: API requirements
Feb 20 Embedded analytics
Feb 27 Alternatives to BPMN: business process mapping with UPN
March 2024
Mar 5 Dealing with difficult stakeholders
Mar 12 Using SQL queries for scenario analysis
Mar 19 Find a gap: identify and fill the gaps in a user story map
Mar 26 Business Analyst vs Business Architect
If you join before January, you get FREE access to the member zone before January 9th: your payment will count towards your January membership.
Other resources for your business analysis journey:
Training | Mentorship | Courses | Books | Downloads | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram | Twitter
Hey there! Just finished reading your article on becoming an expert in business analysis, and I couldn’t resist dropping a comment. First off, major kudos for breaking down the complex world of business analysis into such digestible nuggets of wisdom. Your insights on the importance of continuous learning really hit home for me. It’s refreshing to see someone emphasize not just the technical skills but also the softer skills that make a true expert in this field. Your advice on staying curious and networking has inspired me to take a more proactive approach to my professional growth. Thanks for the awesome read!
You are most welcome! If you are interested in joining, we are open for registrations. You can catch up on previous recordings and the meetups resume in January: https://shop.why-change.com/en-ca/products/2260672