Latest articles
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Benjamin L. Kovitz on Requirements
“Without requirements, there is no way to validate a program design; that is, no way to logically connect the program to the customer’s desires.” …
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Business Analysts and Grammar Police
Poor grammar and spelling that cause a requirements model to be inaccurate, or difficult to understand and use, are serious because they negatively affect…
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Visionary Leadership and You
We become “visionary leaders” through consistent behavior aligned with our visions and values.
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Alistair Cockburn – Agile is an Attitude
“Agile … is an attitude, not a technique with boundaries. An attitude has no boundaries, so we wouldn’t ask ‘can I use agile here’,…
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Business Analysis Success is . . .
While traditional measures of business analysis performance can be useful, they don’t tell the whole story.
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Harold Evans on Creating Understanding
“Transmitting information is easier than creating understanding.” — Harold Evans
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The “Obviousness” Danger that Kills Projects
What’s blindingly obvious from one perspective might not be intuitive or “obvious” at all from others.
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Jabian Journal and Visual Communication
My employer, Jabian Consulting, produces a semi-annual publication of our consultants’ latest thinking on today’s most important business and technology issues. The Spring, 2014 issue just came out…
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Distinguishing between Business Rules and Software Requirements
Many BAs I coach make the mistake of mixing software capabilities with business rules, employee procedures, and operational guidelines when documenting requirements for an…
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Roughly Right, or Precisely Wrong?
John Maynard Keynes said, “It is better to be roughly right than precisely wrong.” This is certainly true in the business of solution delivery.
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6 Guidelines for Building a Reputation with Your New Employer
How can one who is relatively new to an organization build a reputation? Here are a few ideas to get you started.
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Why Stakeholders Don’t Tell You Everything
It’s not because they don’t want you to know, it’s because they do things automatically and don’t even think to tell you about it.
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The “Training Moment” for Professional Development
One of the most important responsibilities of a manager is to provide his or her team members opportunities for professional development and growth. While…
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Jim Rohn – The Value You Bring to the Hour
“You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.” – Jim Rohn
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Elicitation Tip: When the Stakeholder Asks for a Specific Implementation
Occasionally, an analyst will encounter a stakeholder who wants to prescribe the detailed solution on day one. What then? Here are a couple techniques…