Chapter 2

The Business Analyst as Project Leader

In This Chapter:

• The Business Analyst as Change Agent

• The Business Analyst as Visionary

• The Business Analyst as Credible Leader

The business analyst, serving as one of several project leaders, closes the gap on areas that have historically been woefully overlooked in business transformation and innovation projects. Some of the areas that the business analyst directs more attention to include:

Integrating strategic planning with planning for the information systems and technology directions

Defining business problems and identifying new business opportunities to achieve the strategic vision

Understanding the business need and impacts of the proposed solution on all areas of business operations

Maintaining a fierce focus on the value the project is expected to bring to the enterprise

Using an integrated set of analysis and modeling techniques to make the as-is and to-be business environments visible for all to see, understand, and validate

Translating the business objectives into business requirements using powerful modeling tools

Validating that the new solution meets the business need

Managing the benefits expected from the new solution

Serving as a key project leader with a constant focus on adding value to the business, the business analyst becomes a powerful change agent.

The Business Analyst as Change Agent

According to John P. Kotter, “The rate of change is not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, competition in most industries will probably speed up even more in the next few decades.”¹ Kotter goes on to say that as the rate of change increases, the willingness and ability of knowledge workers to acquire new knowledge and skills become central to career success for individuals, as well as to the economic success of organizations. Professionals must develop the capacity to handle a complex and changing business environment. Along the way, they grow to become unusually competent in advancing organizational transformation. They learn to be leaders.

Without a doubt, the level of large-scale organizational change has grown exponentially over the past two decades. Although some predict that the amount of change in terms of reengineering, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, downsizing, quality improvement efforts, and cultural transformation projects will soon diminish, all indications are that change is here to stay. Powerful economic and social forces are at work to drive major organizational change initiatives, including technological advances, global economic integration, maturation of markets in developed countries, emerging markets in the developing countries, and the changing political landscape.²

Culture in an organization is typically described as “the way we do things around here.” Changing the way we select projects, develop and manage requirements, and manage projects while focusing on business value is often a significant change for organizations. Many organizational cultures believe in piling project requests, accompanied by sparse requirements, onto the information technology (IT) group and then wondering why IT cannot seem to deliver.

Conversely, mature organizations devote a significant amount of time and energy to conducting business analysis prior to selecting and prioritizing projects (as discussed in another volume in this series, The Business Analyst as Strategist: Translating Business Strategies into Valuable Solutions) and then develop and manage requirements (as discussed in two other volumes in this series, Unearthing Business Requirements: Elicitation Tools and Techniques and Getting it Right: Business Requirement Analysis Tools and Techniques). This new approach involves a significant cultural shift for most organizations.

Rita Hadden provides us with some insight into the enormity of the effort it takes to truly change the way we do projects. ³ To achieve culture change, you must have a management plan to deal with the technical complexity of the change and a leadership plan to address the human aspects of the change. According to Hadden, successful culture change requires at a minimum the following elements: ⁴

A compelling vision and call to action

Credible knowledge and skills to guide the change

A reward system aligned with the change

Adequate resources to implement the change

A detailed plan and schedule

Hadden goes on to say that change agents need to understand the concerns and motivations of the people they hope to influence. They must clearly define the desired outcomes for the change and how to measure progress, assess the organization’s readiness for change, and develop plans to minimize the barriers to success.⁵

One of the critical roles of the business analyst (and the entire project leadership team) is to effect change—to become a leader of change. Competitive pressures are forcing organizations to reassess their fundamental structures and operations. The amount of change today is formidable. While some react to change with anger, confusion, and dismay, it falls upon the project manager and business analyst to lead the transformations required by most organizations.

The role of the business analyst as change agent, effecting change through projects, takes on many forms:

Fostering the concept that projects are business problems, solved by teams of people using technology as a strategic tool

Working as a strategic implementer of change, focusing on the business benefits expected from the project to achieve strategies

Changing the way the business interacts with the technical team, often significantly increasing the amount of business resources/expertise dedicated to projects

Encouraging the technical team members to work collaboratively with the business representatives

Building high-performing project teams that focus more on the business value of the project than on the new technology

Preparing the organization to accept new business solutions and to operate them efficiently

Measuring the actual benefits new business solutions bring to the organization

Most of these changes dramatically affect the organizational culture and the way we manage projects.

The Business Analyst as Visionary

A common vision is essential to bring about significant change. A clear vision helps to direct, align, and inspire actions. Without a clear vision, a lofty transformation project can be reduced to a list of inconsequential projects that sap energy and drain valuable resources. Most importantly, a clear vision guides decision making so that every decision that needs to be made is not subjected to unneeded debate and conflict. Yet, we continue to underestimate the power of vision.

Whether implementing professional business analysis practices or a major new business solution, the business analyst needs to articulate a clear vision and then involve the many stakeholders in the change initiative as early as possible. Executives and middle managers are essential allies in bringing about change of any magnitude. They all must deliver a consistent message about the need for the change. Select the most credible and influential members of your organization, seek their advice and counsel, and have them become the voice of change. The greater the number of influential managers, executives, and technical/business experts articulating the same vision, the better chance you have of being successful.

The Business Analyst as Credible Leader

The business analyst, when acting as a change agent, needs to develop and sustain a high level of credibility. Credible business professionals are sought out by all organizations. People want to be associated with them. They are thought of as being trustworthy, reliable, and sincere. The business analyst can develop his or her credibility to bring about organizational change by becoming proficient at these critical skills:

Practicing business outcome thinking

Conceptualizing and thinking creatively

Acquiring interpersonal skills

Valuing ethics and integrity

Using robust communication techniques to effectively keep all stakeholders informed

Empowering team members and building high-performing teams

Setting direction and providing vision

Listening effectively and encouraging new ideas

Seeking responsibility and accepting accountability

Focusing and motivating a group to achieve what is important

Capitalizing on the contributions of various team members

Managing complexity dimensions to reduce project risks

Welcoming changes that promote the integrity of the solution/product

A credible leader is one others can trust and believe in. Above all, a business analyst must strive to be a credible source of information. Credibility is composed of both trustworthiness and expertise. Colleagues often judge credibility on subjective factors, too, such as enthusiasm and even physical appearance. But at the end of the day, ethics and integrity are the cornerstones of credibility.

In Part II we discuss the critical skills the business analyst needs to become a credible leader in more detail. But first, in the next chapter we outline the business analyst’s role throughout the project life cycle.