3) Mark your territory

Dogs know where they belong – and they passionately protect their territory. By the same token, they also know where they DON’T belong – lest they aggravate other dogs. The business analyst also needs to understand their “territory” – the scope of the project – and protect it with passion and vigor. Business users can present a number of alternatives to the business analyst. The proactive analyst will record any requirements and needs, but will succinctly and tactfully set expectations with the user as to what will and won’t be addressed based on the scope of the project.

4) Go out in the morning; eat at the same time every day

Dogs live by a schedule. Alter that schedule and they can get temperamental. Successful business analysts live and die by a schedule. Viewing their role as a major piece of the overall project, the best business analysts create a plan for the requirements collection, documentation and verification exercises for the project. They will manage that schedule with the same diligence as the project manager controls the overall project. Any deviations to the schedule will set any dog on a barking tirade – business analysts should also be very vocal (please bark “appropriately”) when the schedule will not be met, communicating widely and thoroughly to the sponsor, customer stakeholders and the project management team.

5) Dig when needed to find what you want

Dogs have an instinctual ability to successfully search for what they want, to the point of being able to smell things underground. The best business analysts understand their business environment and the needs of the project stakeholders. They will continually “dig” – through varied interactive collection techniques – to get to the real requirements. They also successfully discover the process exceptions and special needs that will ensure the project deliverables meet the business requirements. By the same token, good business analysts won’t “dig excessively” in areas that yield no valuable information or in areas outside of the scope of the project (see #3, above!)

6) Remember where you bury ALL of your bones

Dogs have a flawless recollection of where they get their bones and where they have buried them. Business analysts need to utilize tools which give them the same capability. The successful business analyst diligently uses traceability tools to understand where they received all requirements as well as tracking a number of characteristics about each requirement. All requirements should be traced “back” to the business objective for the project. In addition, all requirements should be traced “forward” to the validation techniques and ultimately the testing techniques that will be used to confirm the degree to which the requirement is satisfied by the project deliverable(s).

continue>>

<<back