Consulting Secrets for Business Analysts

Presented at Business Analyst World in Atlanta, GA.

From the promotional material:
There is a difference between a great business analyst and a great consultant. Both ask questions, dig for details, and the very best can make a big difference in the workplace. The question is, what are the differences and can I master them? The answer is, “Yes!” Help dispel the idea that Analysts are just order takers that are only seen as being able to capture good notes during meetings. Good analysts drive out the underlying requirements and value proposition while good consultants can use the same analysis and their influence to shape the opinions and actions of people around them. Come learn how these “soft skills” are used to maximize the beneficial impact while minimizing the divide between Analysis and Consulting. This session will give you practical tips for making an impact that shouldn’t be ignored. If you want to impact your project, team members, stakeholders, and executives, then come to this session. Stop walking into work as an employee and start leading like a consultant!

Transcript

1. CONSULTING SECRETS FOR BUSINESS ANALYSTS Business Analyst World Atlanta, GA March 3-4, 2014
2. Jeffrey Davidson / Principal twitter: @JeffreyGoodReq blog: goodrequirements.com email: jeffrey@davidson.net
3. IT’S A MINDSET
4. Mouse or Lion
5. Expect the Best
6. Be Engaged
7. Control Yourself
8. Approaches •  Collaborative •  Confident •  Honest •  Willing to fail •  Respectful •  Inquisitive •  Decisive •  Team focused
9. IT’S A TOOLSET
10. To Be On Time Is To Be Late
11. PSSST!
12. Be Professional
13. Be Professional
14. “You”
15. Build Excitement
16. IT’S EXPECTATION MANAGEMENT FOR YOU 4 Easy Steps! +3 & OTHERS
17. For You Say what you’re going to do Then do it
18. For You Validate assumptions For You
19. For You Let people know you are on track to finish For You
20. For You If you’re going to miss, let people know early For You
21. Others: +1 Question •  Ask what others—individuals and team —are going to do •  Ask if they are on track (well before the due date) •  Ask if they could use assistance (well before the due date) •  Ask if they finished (at the due date) •  Ask what the new date / time will be (when the deadline will be missed)
22. Others: +2 Validate •  Validate assumptions (throughout the time period) •  Never trust a promise when someone was volun-told to perform
23. Others: +3 Mitigate •  If you reason to expect they will miss their commitment, develop a contingency •  Identify people possibly impacted by slipped date •  Let people know of the plan before needing to use it
24. IT’S A QUESTION
25. Stress & Eustress
26. I KNOW I HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL WHEN ... I hear people want to work with me again
27. I KNOW I HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL WHEN ... I hear good things about me from others outside the team
28. I KNOW I HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL WHEN ... I feel true to myself while experiencing the above
29. THIS IS EASY
30. Observe
31. Capture
32. Continuous Analysis
33. Identify Patterns
34. Plan
35. Resources •  “5 steps to greater influence” blog post, http://bit.ly/1bLMadB •  “11 Body Positions & Gestures That Will Improve Your Performance,” article, http://buff.ly/1frDMRe •  Teach Like a Champion, Doug Lemov •  “Your body language shapes who you are,” video, http://on.ted.com/Cuddy
36. THANK YOU For questions or suggestions: Jeffrey Davidson Consulting Business Analyst goodrequirements.com jeffrey@davidson.net