In this episode of our podcast, Susan and Scott discuss the recent book launch of Futureproof: Amplifying Agility with AI and Insightful Business Analysis focusing on AI and business analysis. They are joined by Angela Wick and Tim Coventry, authors of the book, who share insights on the urgency of business analysis in an AI environment, the AI Accelerator Framework, and the upskilling needed for BAs in an AI-driven world. Here are three key takeaways from our conversation: Continuous Analysis i...
Apr 30, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Scott and Susan interview Jenn Bedell, business analysis practitioner, speaker and IIBA Regional Deputy Director, as she shares insights about managing requirements. In this podcast she discusses the importance of thorough exploration, stakeholder collaboration, and understanding project goals to uncover and prioritize requirements as why we need to manage and track requirements over the life of the project. If you geek out about creating requirements management systems, you won't want to miss t...
Apr 16, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Ever wondered how organizations bridge the gap between IT and business operations? You'll discover the intriguing journey of business architects as they navigate through different departments, from IT to strategy, in pursuit of organizational excellence. Join Scott and Susan and special guest, Roger Burlton, business architecture practitioner, author, speaker and trainer, as we answer the question "What is Business Architecture?" RESOURCES: Short videos and articles by Roger at Process Renewal C...
Apr 02, 2024•32 min•Season 3Ep. 8
How can neuroscience research help us be better communicators, better leaders and build better relationships? Scott Helmers joins Scott and Susan for a rich discussion on some methods and principles that can make us more aware of how we, and others, think. RESOURCES: - Contact Scott Helmers - Scott@VisioStepByStep.com - Connect with Scott on Linkedin - Scott's LinkedIn Learning courses Do you have questions about this topic or have an idea for a different topic? Ask us a question at live@iiba...
Mar 19, 2024•40 min•Season 3Ep. 6
What do we mean by nimble? Is that just another word for agile or does it mean something else? According to our guests, Fabricio Laguna and Filip Hendrickx, it is a way of thinking about an organization's ability to sense and respond with speed and precision. Learn more about nimble, how it applies to organizations and how business analysts can be nimble. You can meet Fabricio Laguna and Filip Hendrickx, who will be running a tutorial about Nimble at the upcoming 2024 Building Business Capabilit...
Mar 05, 2024•45 min•Season 3Ep. 5
In this episode, we dive into artificial intelligence and the role it plays in business analysis with our guest, Vince Mirabelli. Get ready for an insightful conversation on leveraging AI to enhance your BA skills and improve efficiency. Here are some highlights from the episode: 🔹 The role of AI in business analysis and its potential impact 🔹 The importance of getting started with AI and overcoming apprehension 🔹 The power of prompt engineering and crafting effective prompts for AI tools 🔹 ...
Feb 20, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Susan and Scott are joined by special guest Tamara Copple, Product Owner for Children International, to talk about Working with Developers. Key take-aways: When working with developers (or software engineers), do your homework . Bring your research and be prepared to share what you've learned about the problem or opportunity to get the developer up to speed. Provide business context . As a business analysis professional, you may understand more about the business than the developer. Offering thi...
Feb 06, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In this episode, Susan and Scott delve into the importance of kindness and empathy in the field of business analysis. Our guest, kindness advocate, business analysis professional and author, Jane Osemwegie, shares her insights on how kindness can positively impact our professional communication. We also discuss the role of empathy in understanding and connecting with clients and colleagues, and how it can lead to better outcomes. Jane shares 5 main areas to focus on to build your communication s...
Jan 23, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 2
After over 50 episodes of Business Analysis Live, Susan & Scott look back at the most popular episodes and a fun event in Las Vegas that didn't make it into a Business Analysis Live episode. As always, we answer your questions live during our broadcast! You can view this podcast on YouTube Find the top podcasts we mentioned plus more at our Spotify homepage ! Do you have questions about this topic or have an idea for a different topic? Ask us a question at live@iiba.org or leave us a ...
Jan 09, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Join Susan and Scott as they talk about to how to best work with teams across different cultures. They talk with the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) Account Managers from around the globe to get advice and practical tips: - Europe - Andy Grazebrook - Africa & Middle East - Koketso Chaba - India - Suvarna Veluthakkal - Asia, Pacific - Xavier Treguer - Latin America & Southeastern United States - David Rosales - Canada & Northern United States - Lia Spoltore In the ...
Dec 26, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 27
"Business Analysts are professional learners." Learning is a key skill (or is it a trait?) in business analysis, given that we often find ourselves in scenarios with limited information. Teaching is also important to the work we do. Do you know the differences between learning and teaching and how to incorporate these skills into your business analysis work? Susan and Scott are joined by Victoria Cupet, a business analysis practitioner, consultant, speaker and trainer, who has a doctorate in Edu...
Dec 12, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Susan and Scott chat with a new business analysis professional, Sachin Bhoria, about his experience preparing for and landing his first job in business analysis. Sachin has been in his role for over a year now and shares his perspective as a new business analysis professional. Resources: Entry Certificate to Business Analysis (ECBA) Certification - https://www.iiba.org/business-analysis-certifications/ecba/ Business Analysis Competency Model - https://www.iiba.org/professional-development/busine...
Nov 28, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Susan Moore and Scott Bennett are joined by guest speaker Mindy Bohannon, to delve into the challenges of difficult conversations. They share their own reactions and triggers when faced with such conversations and discuss how to approach them in a productive and empathetic manner. Mindy highlights the role of empathy in diffusing tension and getting everyone back on the same page. The hosts and guest emphasize the importance of acknowledging and managing emotions during these encounters. A few k...
Nov 14, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Influencing is an advanced communication skill that is helpful for change management in the business analysis field. Susan and Scott talk with guests that have had success with influencing skills. Abigail Gaddy and Heath Butler share the benefits of using influencing skills as well as the potential pitfalls if it’s overused. Business analysts often need to work with various stakeholders, including executives, project managers, subject matter experts, and technical teams. Effective influencing sk...
Oct 31, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 23
A Business Model Canvas is an analysis technique in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK Guide) and is a technique taught in business schools. Susan and Scott talk with Connor Estabrooks, who is a recent MBA graduate, to discuss how the Business Model Canvas is used to analyze a business, or part of a business. The discussion is framed around the nine parts of the Business Model Canvas: - Customer Relationships - Customer Segments - Key Partnerships - Key Activities - Key Resources - V...
Oct 28, 2023•33 min•Season 2Ep. 22
How you do you effectively manage the backlog? Susan and Scott talk with Steve Adolph, one of the authors of The Rock Crusher, about were backlogs fail to deliver on their value. They chat about where the Analyst role fits in this agile space to meet the needs of the team and organization. In the book, it describes “Many organizations eliminated analyst roles in their rush to adopt agile as a development cost-reduction strategy. In the minds of many, the product owner role made analysts redundan...
Oct 03, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Susan and Scott talk to the organizers of the Festival of Business Analysis in Australia about the 3 E’s of business analysis. They also talk with three of the speakers that will be at the festival in person and online to get a sense of what to expect from this conference. 1) Evolve – Sam Bowtell, who will be speaking about effective hybrid working techniques 2) Empathise – Phil Delalande, focusing on UX design 3) Emerge – Ruth Lewis, who is a qualified futurist, and will be speaking about ethic...
Sep 26, 2023•37 min•Season 2Ep. 20
In our recent livestream discussion, we talked with Laura Brandenburg from Bridging the Gap about transferable skills. This is for both the aspiring business analysis professional and the experienced professional looking to grow their team. We started the discussion about crafting resumes. To highlight transferrable skills, we should prioritize showcasing our achievements over merely listing responsibilities. By spotlighting our accomplishments, we can effectively shine a light on our soft skill...
Sep 19, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Is facilitating change easy? No! Susan and Scott dig into the topic of change management with the authors of Brainy Glue, Ian Richards and Filip Hendrickx. They emphasize the importance of introducing and managing change effectively within organizations and highlight the role of Business Analysis professionals in facilitating this process. For effective change management, it’s important to have a clear vision when initiating change. This requires the participation of stakeholders to understand d...
Sep 12, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 49
This is a discussion about building confidence, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt. Susan and Scott talk with Paula Bell about the multifaceted nature of confidence, highlighting its impact on personal and professional success. Confidence isn't just a surface-level trait but is deeply connected to one's self-awareness and understanding of their value.Imposter syndrome is a common phenomenon where individuals doubt their abilities and fear being exposed as a fraud. Paula shares her thoughts on ho...
Aug 22, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 17
We discuss effective problem solving with Khethelo Malinga, who presented at the Building Business Capabilities (BBC) conference on the topic. We talk though challenges of why problem solving can be difficult and how to overcome them in organizations. We also take live questions from viewers on LinkedIn live. RESOURCES: - Book: Bulletproof Problem Solving – free access to the book and audio book for IIBA members here https://iiba.skillport.com/skillportfe/main.action?path=summary/BOOKS/146210 or...
Aug 08, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Susan and Scott talk with Laura Paton about strategy analysis. They discuss the role of business analysis professionals in strategy analysis and the skills required for this work. They highlight the need for experience and the ability to work with executives, facilitate meetings efficiently, use various techniques for eliciting and analyzing information, and effective communication. They also mention specific techniques like the Business Model Canvas and SWOT analysis used in strategy analysis. ...
Jul 25, 2023•44 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Susan and Scott discuss requirements engineering and business analysis. Our guest is Stan Buehne from the International Requirements Engineering Board (IREB). IREB is a nonprofit organization based in Germany that focuses on promoting and improving the discipline of requirements engineering. Stan discusses the importance of requirements engineering in various industries, such as automotive, aviation, and medical domains. He emphasizes the need for precision and accuracy in documenting requiremen...
Jul 11, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Our guest, Maria Montgomery, is a business analysis expert from Australia, who has been in the field for over a decade. Maria expresses her passion for coaching and sharing her knowledge through her book on business analysis: The Art of Getting Business Analysis Right Maria shares a graphic representing different career paths in business analysis. She explains that career progressions in business analysis are similar to technical analysis, but with some distinctions. Technical analysts tend to f...
Jun 27, 2023•35 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Whether transitioning from another profession or starting your first professional job, we discuss how certification can help start your business analysis career. We answer questions from our live audience about making this change. The Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA) is a professional certification offered by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). This is a globally recognized certification designed for people who don’t have experience in the business analysis prof...
Jun 13, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 12
How does curiosity help in your career? Curiosity leads to discovery and it can be fostered or suppressed. Christina (Tina) Lovelock and Adrian Reed join us for a discussion about curiosity and a global initiative they’ve launched called BA School Day. Curiosity allows us to explore and learn. For business analysis professionals, learning and asking effective questions are an important part of the role. But curiosity has no bounds in terms of job role. For example, storytelling and understanding...
May 30, 2023•32 min•Season 2Ep. 11
In this discussion we talk about hiring business analysts from the hiring manager perspective. It may also be useful for business analyst applicants to understand what hiring managers are looking for. Our guest on this episode of Business Analysis Live is Yulia Kosarenko, who has a YouTube channel called Why Change . We start by discussing the importance of the job description. It’s important to articulate details about what the candidate will be doing in the job. We discuss communication skills...
May 02, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Observation is a valuable source of information and can be used to gain insights that cannot be obtained through conversations. We discuss the technique of observation in business analysis share stories about our experiences. As with any technique, there are benefits and challenges. Observation can reveal inefficiencies and help organizations improve their processes. However, observation can also create anxiety among employees, so it is important to communicate the purpose of the observation and...
Apr 18, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 8
ChatGPT is a new Artificial Intelligence technology and we discuss how this is useful as a research and productivity tool. Susan and Scott chat with Emal Bariali, the Founder of BA Blocks, who has been researching ChatGPT for use by business analysis professionals. Emal has published several ChatGPT videos on his YouTube channel (see link below). As a high-level primer, GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer. It is a type of Large Language Model (LLM) artificial intelligence tool. We ...
Mar 31, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 7
The purpose of most meetings is to make decisions. Are your meetings effective? Have you attended meetings that are a waste of time? Susan and Scott have run meetings for decades. Join them as they discuss effective meetings and take questions from the live audience. Top 5 Essential Elements of Effective Meeting State the objective of the meeting so people know what to expect. Include an agenda so attendees can prepare or possibly reject the meeting if it’s not suitable for them to attend Only i...
Mar 21, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 6
