The Solution Standoff (Feat. Karen Newnham)

The Brew Crew are never shy about thorny issues, so were happy to rise to the challenge when Karen Newnham got in touch about the tricky topic of solutions. In recent years BAs have been advised to avoid talking about solutions, yet nobody wants to ‘shut down’ stakeholders.

Mike, Jonathan and Karen discuss where the ‘anti-solution’ mindset comes from, and how to engage with stakeholders when they suggest solutions at an early stage in a project. Ideas discussed include reframing solutions, future-thinking and even role playing how a solution could play out (banana suits are not compulsory).

Jonathan suggested the Zachman framework as a tool for exploring solutions in context.

Participants: AssistKD’s Mike Williams and Jonathan Hunsley. With Karen Newnham, Head of Business Analysis at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

AssistKD’s Design Thinking course addresses both the problem and the solution space, with a focus on customer-centric solutions that meet the needs of all stakeholders.