Business Analysts as Value Architects - Driving Impact through Agile Practices, Product Mindset, and Data-Driven Solutions
The Business Analyst role is undergoing a profound transformation. As organizations shift toward Agile delivery, product-centric operating models, and data-driven decision-making, BAs who cling to a purely documentation-focused role risk becoming invisible in the very projects they should be leading. The real question is no longer "What do you document?" - it is "What value do you architect?"
In this session, Samiul Syed (CBAP®, ITIL®) draws on 15+ years of hands-on experience across financial services, and post-secondary education to show what it truly means to be a BA who drives outcomes; not just requirements.
This session will connect Samiul's real project experiences and perspectives to the broader industry trends reshaping the BA profession: Agile ways of working, product ownership thinking, data literacy, and the growing expectation that BAs influence outcomes well beyond the requirements phase. Participants can expect to leave with an understanding of where the BA profession is headed, and a practical roadmap for positioning themselves as indispensable contributors in any organizational context.Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Explain how the BA role is evolving in Agile, product-centric, and data-driven environments; and what specific competencies distinguish high-impact BAs from those at risk of being sidelined.
- Apply a product ownership and value-focused mindset to their day-to-day BA practice; shifting from requirements delivery to outcome ownership, using real project examples.
- Demonstrate how BAs can actively influence technical and architectural decisions, including data models, integration design, quality rules, and solution selection; by building credibility through structured facilitation, scenario-based use cases, and evidence-based recommendations.
- Assess their own current skill profile against emerging BA competency expectations, including Agile delivery, data literacy, stakeholder leadership, and cost-benefit thinking, and identify priority areas for growth.
- Design a personal career pathway toward greater relevance and influence as a BA, informed by real industry trends, and the lived experience of a practitioner who has navigated multiple sectors and roles.
About the Facilitator: Samiul Syed, CBAP®, ITIL®
Samiul Syed is a Senior Business Analyst at the University of Toronto (Scarborough - UTSC), where he leads BA work within the Project Management Office (PMO) of Information & Instructional Technology Services. With over 15 years of experience delivering complex, multi-million-dollar initiatives across financial services and post-secondary education, Samiul has built a reputation as a BA who goes well beyond requirements; architecting value at the intersection of business strategy, data governance, and technology delivery.
At York University, Samiul led BA work across the Student Systems Renewal Program which included implementing a Master Data Management (MDM) solution, an institutional analytics platform to meet Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) reporting requirements, and a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for recruitment and marketing automation. He also drove a Graduate Studies portal workflow automation initiative at York University. At the University of Toronto, he is currently leading multiple high-impact projects, such as – operationalization of a new campus building by enabling academic, administrative, and IT services in parallel with construction project.
Earlier in his career, Samiul held senior business banking and finance roles at Standard Chartered Bank and IDLC Finance Limited in Bangladesh, where he earned the Best Relationship Manager 2016 award and led automation projects improving operational efficiency.
Samiul holds the CBAP® designation from IIBA, is a ITIL®4 practitioner, a Certified SAFe® 6 Product Owner/Product Manager and Scrum Master, a Lean Yellow Belt, and a Certified Master Data Architect – a combination that reflects both his commitment to BA excellence and his fluency in modern delivery practices. He holds an MBA and brings a grounded, outcome-focused philosophy to every engagement: great BA work is measured not by the thickness of the document, but by the impact on the people and organizations it serves.
Event Details
Event Agenda:
- 6:00 - 6:10 Virtual Networking
- 6:10 - 6:25 Welcome & Introductions
- 6:25 - 7:25 Presentation and Q&A
- 7:25 - 7:30 Wrap Up
Who should attend:
Open to all
Fee:
Free for any IIBA Members | $10 for Non-Members
Note that IIBA Members must be logged in for the IIBA Member rate to appear during registration.
Troubleshooting Your Registration
You’ve logged in but there is no REGISTER NOW button.
- Check the event’s date and time. The event may have ended.
- You may have already registered for the event. Go to My Events page (login required) to view your upcoming webinars.
How to Cancel Your Registration
Return to your Zoom confirmation or reminder email and select the link to edit or cancel your registration.
CDUs/PD Hours:
1 CDU towards recertification