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Wednesday, 31 October 2012 10:33

5 Strategies for Better PM/BA Relationships Featured

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Martin FEATUREART Oct31The relationship between the Project Manager and the Business Analyst is so important to the strength of a project and its overall outcome that it should not be left up to chance. In an ideal world, a project’s PM and BA:

  • Have worked together with mutual respect and trust
  • Share a common understanding of project methodology , the requirements process and critical success factors
  • Consider each other as peers
  • Have a deep understanding and appreciation of the other’s role and tasks
  • Are comfortable communicating and negotiating with each other

Some of these conditions cannot be created. They are determined by the individual PMs and BAs involved. But the bottom line is that in order for a project to succeed, and future projects to be do well, the PM and BA need to have a healthy relationship that can handle turbulence and disagreement in an open but respectful manner.  

Produce a Good Pair

Given the importance of the rapport between the PM and the BA on project team performance, how can an organization nurture this key ingredient of project success?  Here are five basic strategies you can employ:

  1. Train and cross training PMs and BAs on methodology and roles. Each should understand the responsibilities of the other and agree on how to attain outcomes.
  2. Build two-person teams of PMs and BAs who can work together more than once so they can get to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
  3. Reward collaboration and cultivate PMs and BAs who exhibit the best characteristics of their respective roles.
  4. Chose PMs and BAs who naturally understand the value of compromise and work actively together to manage risk.
  5. Develop a mindset where professionals over-communicate to ensure that nothing gets missed.

Amid the training and collaborative exercises, be sure to pay close attention to the interdependencies of the two professionals. One of the major strategic areas of overlap between the PM and BA roles, for example, is the area of scope definition and management. These professionals should be deeply involved in discussions such as this which are deceptively straightforward, but end up playing havoc on schedules and budgets. 

Don't forget to leave comments below.

Read 4567 times Last modified on Wednesday, 31 October 2012 15:44
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Susan Martin

Susan Martin is Executive Vice President of Doreen Evans Associates, a professional services firm committed to business analysis excellence. A recognized leader in the business analysis profession, Susan works with DEA clients to improve business analysis practices and execute critical projects. You can reach her at smartin@doreenevans.com or simply call 617-482-4444.

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Comments  

 
0 # Nicci Fite 2012-10-31 15:10
Does anyone have a nice, succinct table or overview of the differenct roles of PMs and BAs? I would like to share something like this with project team members in the future.
Thanks,
Nicci
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+2 # mosko 2012-10-31 15:14
The PM is ultimately responsible for the project completion, its budget, resources, and a timely completion. The BA is responsible for fully understanding the business problem and providing complete analysis to ensure that the solution best meets the needs of the business.
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0 # tony 2012-11-01 12:11
I always like to say that the PM wants to get it done, the BA wants it done right. I think therein lies the basis of any conflict between the two, but as the article points out, it doesn't have to be that way. My little quote oversimplifies things to those of us who straddle the fence a lot, but it helps when explaining the roles to those who don't make a career from either... When the respect and trust is there, even challenging/dif ficult projects can be a lot of fun. When the respect isn't there, well, I left the best job I ever had b/c of one PM who explicitly stated that he didn't respect BA's...
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0 # Martin Crisp 2012-10-31 16:36
Hi Susan.

I get the spirit of the article and agree that there should be mutual respect and trust.

I can also appreciate the idea of "having worked together" in the past can be a good thing, assuming it was a successful working relationship.

Not to be taken as a negative comment, but I think these notions can and should apply to any role on the team.

Cheers,
Martin Crisp
CEO PowerStory
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