Are you a genius Business Analyst yet?
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” Albert Einstein
Discovery and innovation is such an important aspect of the Business Analysts role and yet we don’t always realize it. Every aspect of Business Analysis aims to define a new solution to a problem or a business need. Our overarching aim is to provide value to the business by expressing their needs in a way that enables the discovery of true solutions to the real problems. Dare I say our roles are to make discoveries of where more value can be found…
Yet we don’t describe ourselves in terms of value discoverers or innovators.
In this short blog article I would like to highlight some ways you can become a genius Business Analyst by simply adding ‘value’ as a guideline within your role as a Business Analyst.
#1 Define Value
Every small task we perform as Business Analysts should point back to a goal, which aims to add value to the business in some way. You should consider what the value is that you are adding every day when you walk into the office. Simply ask yourself how is what I am doing now, adding value to the business?
An example may be that you are part of a requirements elicitation activity where everything you are working on relates to defining the requirements. Make sure that with every requirement you discover, elicit or define that the value of that requirement is understood and in alignment with the overall goals of the business or initiative.
#2 Measure Value
How would you know whether what you are doing is adding value to the business if you are not able to measure it? Make sure you can measure it.
Sometimes defining performance measures for a solution component or a requirement in itself is quite difficult simply because it either seem too small or too deeply buried amongst all the detail. Take a step back and work out where does this piece of work fit into the bigger picture? Which goal does this piece of work align to and try and find a way to define a performance measure that way.
A very effective way to find measures is for you to ask your stakeholders how would they measure the value that the specific piece of work you are busy with will add to the overall business goals. Once you know how you can measure your efforts, you are ready to demonstrate value.
#3 Demonstrate Value
You may ask, as a Business Analyst, why would I care about demonstrating the value that I am adding with my piece of work? The more you care about the value you are adding with the efforts you put into your work, the better the quality of the content of your work will become. You will become really good at identifying opportunities to add value to the business with everything you do and before you know it, people come to you to find business value, they will come to you because you are a Genius Business Analyst.
In Conclusion
It is so easy to become engrossed in detail and deliverables that we don’t look up often enough to ask questions around the value we add as Business Analysts.
Keep in mind that the business stakeholders are ultimately only interested in a gain in business value. That is why as the Business Analyst, the better you become in demonstrating business value, the more successful you will become in what you can deliver as the Business Analyst.
Become a Genius Business Analyst with Business Analysis Excellence Pty Ltd today!
