The needed skills to meet these trends in 2012:

1) Conceptual Modeling Skills

Engage your stakeholders with more meaningful dialog! Conceptual Modeling of the business view of the
solution has always been a critical tool to help bring business, technology, and delivery groups together in
defining solution scope. I have had many BAs tell me that they do this and show me their conceptual
models. What I find when reviewing the models is more of a technical architecture or data context
diagrams. Technical architecture and data context diagrams have their place, but the critical skill I am seeing as
a gap in BA skill sets is the business view (vs. technical view) of the solution scope, this will be critical to
engaging stakeholders and setting the stage for innovation
2) Communicating Details and Concepts
Similar to the conceptual modeling skills is communicating various levels of detail appropriate to the
audience. This can be especially difficult when you have various stakeholder needs on the team or in the
meeting, and many times multiple views is needed to ensure the right message is communicated to all audience
needs. Where I see the gap today is details are not organized to be digestible and understandable to many
audiences and there may be a lack of conceptual and context to accompany the details. Without the concept and
context information, the details - even when well organized - may not be understood or thought of in with the
frame of mind that the BA needs from the stakeholders. Rethink requirements packaging, does the same
document need to go out to everyone? Or, can each audience be given a guide as to which pages/sections are
most pertinent to them? Just a few ideas to help stakeholders consume what is important to them.
3) Curiosity
How curious are you as a BA? This has always been a critical skill for BAs. Ensuring curiosity in finding the root
cause of the problem or opportunity, getting the right audience, usage, context, purpose for requirements
requires a strong level of curiosity in BA work. Curiosity will go far in 2012 for BAs wanting to build competency
and skills in the world of mobile apps, cloud computing, and continuing agile trends. Curiosity will make some of
the unknowns of today easier to work within, a curious mindset will take BAs into communicating the unknown
and help organizations innovate.
4) Decomposing the Abstract into Details
I have to call this out separately from Conceptual Modeling and Communicating Details and Concepts. The
same themes are in play, but yet executed a bit differently and in different scenarios. Decomposing the abstract
into details is also referred to as "critical thinking" and sometimes "system thinking"; taking something large,
ambiguous, and abstract and breaking into smaller pieces, patterns, and views. It is about helping others see the
details and big picture from different perspectives, helping stakeholders with varying points of view and priorities
see where their details and others fit into the bigger picture. It will also help BAs better estimate and work with
PMs on the status and risk of requirements.
5) Mentoring and Coaching
As the BA role becomes increasingly more valued in organizations, two things will happen: 1) Organizations will
need a career path for Sr. BAs, and 2) Organizations will need to develop internal strategies to develop more
talent in the BA role and Sr. level skill set. Mentoring and coaching skills are key for Sr. BAs in both of these
strategies. Mentoring and coaching done by Sr. BAs will develop leadership competencies in the Sr. BAs while
developing BA competencies in new or more inexperienced BAs in the organization. Sr. BAs who have the
opportunity to mentor and coach will develop further leadership competencies needed to elevate the
competencies of the BA team as a whole.
6) Communicating Risks
Project Managers focus on risks to the project budget, schedule and scope. A BA needs to focus on risks to the
business value of the solution and communicating the risk. BAs are in a prime position to see the details and big
picture view; this includes seeing the risks to the project, delivering a solution that does not maximize business
value. I find that BAs have an intuitive sense of this, but often struggle to communicate the risk in a way that gets
leadership attention. In order to get leadership attention to the business value at risk, BAs will need to develop
skills in communicating the true business impact of the risk. This means going beyond communicating in terms
of the features and functionalities of the process or software, and going beyond that, there is not enough time for
requirements to be done right. It means communicating the impact it will have on the business operation or
strategy. For example, when the functionality of a point of sale application has a requirements conflict in the
process of accepting payment from customers, the focus needs to turn to the impact of the conflict on the
customer service representative's ability to serve the customers and the customer experience vs. the technical
details at risk of the requirement. In the heat of requirements and design details, we often let the details drive risk
discussions and never get to the bottom line impacts that can really propel leaders to make the right decisions.
7) Leveraging the "parking lot"
Are you running your meetings or are meetings and stakeholders running you? Many BAs get into
tough situations in requirements meetings and feel that other agendas and personalities are driving
their meetings astray. Using a "parking lot" (simple visual list of items that do not fit into the meeting
agenda to be followed up on or scheduled into another meeting) to manage and control the meeting
agenda, content, level of detail and difficult personalities is a key strategy. Most importantly, make
sure that the parking lot is visible to everyone in the meeting. Having the parking lot in your notebook
or on your laptop does not show others that you have their ideas and concerns captured to discuss at
a later time. Be empowered to take control of your meetings!
8) Change Management
Embracing the BA role as an agent of change will continue to show the value the organization the
value the BA role brings to the organization. Projects are about business change; the BA role is about
bringing the most value possible in a solution to address the business change. The role of a change
agent in the BA is critical to ensuring all impacted parties are ready for the changes needed to accept
the solution. Understanding how changes and solutions impact the stakeholders operations,
processes, attitudes and behaviors is a key skill in maximizing the success of the new solution and
the business value it brings.
9) Asking WHY?
I love the word "Why", but hate to use it. My challenge to readers of this blog is to help one another
find ways to ask "Why". Many times using the word "Why" can come across wrong to the other
person, it can seem defensive and the other may wonder why (no pun intended) you are
asking. Finding different ways to ask "why" can alleviate this dilemma. My favorite ways to ask
"Why?": Tell me more about what is behind the need for abc? What does success look like? What
would happen if this project does not get implemented? What are yours?
10) Impromptu Whiteboard Drawing
In 2012 when innovation, agility, and engagement are the trends, being able to spontaneously draw
will lead to stakeholders to a deeper level of engagement. Getting up to draw shakes up the flow of
boring meetings, engages others to focus back in on the discussion, and brings out humor - let humor
be a friend. You don't have to be an artist to draw concepts on whiteboards that generate great dialog,
discussion, creativity and innovation. It also does not have to be you that does the drawing; ask
someone else to draw what they are thinking and your meeting will benefit in many of the same
ways. When the drawing yields powerful and meaningful discussion, be sure someone takes a
picture with their phone.
No matter that type of BA, no matter what the industry, these skills in 2012 will set your projects up for
deeper engagement, innovation and agility.