Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, CEO and Co-Principal of Watermark Learning (In November I wrote about whether or not the roles of PM and BA could be combined into one. I received wonderful responses, all of which broadened my perspective. Although I remain convinced that in most circumstances both roles are preferable, I understand that certain conditions, such as project size and corporate culture, may dictate whether or not one person plays both these roles on the same project. Another factor is that from a high-level view the skills seem similar. However, once we dive deeper into the business analysis and processes, the overlap lessons.
Who Should Model Requirements? Business Analysts or Project Managers?
During a recent client visit I encouraged the use of modeling as a way to uncover hidden requirements and expectations. One of my clients expressed her rather strong opinion that modeling requirements was not and should not be a part of business analysis work. Oh, she could accept the fact that uncovering gaps between the "as-is" and "to-be" using process models made some sense, but she was adamant that this gap analysis should be done by a business SME, not by a business analyst (BA). As to data modeling, well that was technical in nature and if done at all, she said, it should be done by the technical IT staff. Use cases were helpful to the testing staff, but were clearly technical and were not to be done by BAs. Prototyping? This should be done by developers-no question about that one!
Influencing the Project Manager
Much has been written about how business analysts can effectively influence subject matter experts, sponsors, vendors, and so forth. I thought it might be interesting to relate how a BA influenced me when I was a project manager I had started a job as a project manager in an organization in which the project managers, almost all of whom rose through the technical ranks, were expected to gather (yes, gather, not elicit) requirements. There was no formal definition of requirements, let alone any pretense at doing business analysis. Project managers all had their own way of documenting requirements, most of which was brief and folded into the design specification. Each project manager was expected to meet with SMEs, but not spend too much time. They weren't productive, of course, unless they were working on "the important stuff." I was lucky. When I started at this company, I was "given" the organization's first BA as an experiment to determine if this new position of business analyst added value to the project and to the organizations.
Can You Be Both PM and BA on the Same Project?
One of the most frequently asked questions I still get from my clients is whether or not one person can be both a PM and a BA on the same project. The answer, of course, is yes, they can. A related question, though, is whether or not they should. I think there are really two different answers to two different questions.
Slaying the Dragon: Oldies but Goodies in an Agile World
Attending the PMI Global Congress a couple of weeks ago reminded me that good ideas have staying power. There were several presentations on managing agile projects. As I listened, I was reminded of some of my past projects. Here are a few principles that have always worked for me and that can apply to agile projects.
More Articles...
Page 1 of 2
