Hello Everyone,
I'm still thinking about the topic we discussed in our previous newsletter: how life would be without business analysis, specifically having "fancy products" without proper justification for their existence. Let me connect the dots.
As business analysts, we need to understand and at some point sell the idea of why we need change. This is clearly defined and explained in the fourth knowledge area, "Strategy Analysis," with the first task of analyzing the current state. BABOK explains very well that we need to understand the reasons that justify the change, which occurs in a context of existing stakeholders, processes, and technology. The beauty of the Business Analysis Core Concept Model is that it elaborates on the context.
But why am I talking about all this? While connecting these dots, I found that context deserves more attention because it impacts the justification of change as well as solution implementation, and may shift the focus from enterprise level to environmental level. Let me use a small metaphor:
It is winter and cold (environmental context). I got a new job that requires a formal suit with specific requirements: it must be warm and fire resistant, which I don't have (problem). I went to the local suit shop, which has standard sizes (fancy solution on the shelf), but they were either too big or too small.
I had two options:
- Ask the shop to alter an existing suit to meet the minimum job requirements. It will be warm but not necessarily fire safe, so there's reasonable cost but risk of not meeting requirements, OR
- Go to a local tailor and custom make a new suit that is warm and fire safe. It will meet the requirements but will be expensive.
I decided to go for the custom-made suit and was happy that it would be great. Then the tailor had a personal issue and was away for a while. I ended up getting the suit in spring when it was warmer. I had gained some weight, so I couldn't use the new suit, and I lost the job because I couldn't meet the safety requirements.
Long story short, do you see how many times the context impacted me? And at how many levels? How fancy solutions didn't meet the requirements, and how the "change" eventually couldn't be enabled? This is exactly why I wanted to highlight the importance of context.
Now let's move to some context we can control. Our amazing volunteers have worked very hard, and the Chapter calendar is busy this month. I know that I kept telling you to keep an eye on our events calendar, and here it comes. In March, we have our usual Chapter Meeting, Lunch & Learn, Study Group, and because we have five Tuesdays, we will be holding our special Volunteer Lean Coffee. Furthermore, we will be offering our first virtual workshop about Prompt Engineering, hosted by Moeed Israr, a former Chapter President and transformation expert. Please visit our events page for registration and more information, and I hope to meet you all at these events.
I wish you all the best and thank you for being part of the business analysis community.
Regards,
Ziad Sakr, MBA, CBAP ®, AAC, PMP ®
President, IIBA Ottawa-Outaouais Chapter