Archive for 2009
Quotable: Arnold Toynbee
Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can be aroused by two things: first, an idea which takes the imagination by storm; and second, a definite, intelligible plan for carrying that idea into action. – Arnold Toynbee
Quoteworthy: The bitterness of poor quality
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of meeting the schedule has been forgotten. – Anonymous
Agile Teamwork – what BA’s need to know (Guest Post)
Agile team members must know something about teamwork and this means understanding a lot about human behavior and why people do the things they do!
Quoteworthy: Karl Popper
It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood. – Karl Popper
Quoteworthy: Kulak & Guinney
An appropriate and complete requirements specification does nothing to ensure a successful implementation; however, it makes it possible. – Kulak & Guinney
Quoteworthy: Joseph Joubert
Words, like eyeglasses, blur everything that they do not make more clear. – Joseph Joubert
“Cascade”: Q&A with David Wright
Cascade: Better practices for effective delivery of information systems in a multi-project environment.
The Business Analyst Balancing Act
BA’s must balance the risk of missing requirements against that of paralyzing the project until “everything” is known.
Quotable: Whitney Young
It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared. – Whitney Young
Time Travel for Context-free Use Cases
Yes, sometimes we BA’s need to think of creative ways to help us withhold the technology and implementation detail from our requirements.
Bookmarks & New Favorites (09-38)
a few of the articles I found “bookmark-worthy” over the past week.
Quoteworthy: Jim Brosseau
There will never be “the right approach” for all projects. Software projects come in too many shapes and sizes. There are too many cultures, and just too many reasons for developing software, even within individual organizations. There is no Holy Grail, but many approaches can be “a reasonable approach,” depending on the situation. – Jim [...]
Classic Business Analysis Articles
I was sorting through some of my bookmarks and articles I’ve accumulated over time via the Web, and found that there are a few articles that I seem to refer back to time and again.
Quoteworthy: Alistair Cockburn
Agile … is an attitude, not a technique with boundaries. An attitude has no boundaries, so we wouldn’t ask “can I use agile here”, but rather “how would I act in the agile way here?” or “how agile can we be, here?” – Alistair Cockburn
Quotable: Herbert Kaufman
Failure is only postponed success as long as courage ‘coaches’ ambition. The habit of persistence is the habit of victory. – Herbert Kaufman
Quoteworthy: H.L. Mencken on Simple Solutions to Complex Problems
For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong. – H.L. Mencken
Quoteworthy: Leadership
A good leader inspires others with confidence in him; a great leader inspires them with confidence in themselves. – Unknown