Category: Communication
Focus is on efficient and effective transfer of knowledge between individuals or groups.
-
The Real Value of Visuals in Solution Delivery – A Reprise
The process of collaborative creation; of drawing and deliberating and rationalizing potential paths together until we reach an agreed upon “best way forward” provides…
-
Hippocrates on Clarity of Language
Apparently, even back in Hippocrates’ day (approximately 450 BC), business professionals had a tendency to confuse their stakeholders with acronyms, jargon, and odd colloquialisms,…
-
The Book, The Movie, and the Business Document
Communication using only words – whether verbal or written – leaves much to the imagination. Which is part of the appeal when it comes…
-
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…
-
Harold Evans on Creating Understanding
“Transmitting information is easier than creating understanding.” — Harold Evans
-
The “Obviousness” Danger that Kills Projects
What’s blindingly obvious from one perspective might not be intuitive or “obvious” at all from others.
-
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…
-
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.
-
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…
-
Paul Oldfield on Why Models and Documentation Exist
The model that really matters is the one that people have in their minds. All other models and documentation exist only to get the…
-
A Business Analyst is a Communication Expert
Through communication expertise, a business analyst helps drive successful solution delivery.
-
How Does Elicitation Feel to You?
There are a few essential questions we should always keep at top of mind during our discovery and solution definition efforts. I’d like to…
-
Golden Questions for Elicitation and Discovery
I’ve found in early discovery sessions with stakeholders – regardless of the organization, industry, personalities, problems or other nuances – we’re striving to accomplish…
-
A Resume is a Work Sample
A candidate’s resume may be held to many of the standards used to evaluate a project deliverable.
-
Visual Modeling: A Critical Skill for Business Analysts
As facilitators of knowledge exchange, tasked with helping business and delivery stakeholders reach that “shared vision”, effective use of visual models is a critical…