Something for the Weekend - Something Special

I was having a conversation earlier this week about Montblanc pens. The conversation reminded my of Robert D. Austin's fantastic keynote speech at BA2010 - 'Competing on Differences'.

It's becoming harder for companies to compete on price points alone, there's only so far you can LEAN a process, so far you can cheapen a product or service until it hits rock bottom (both cost and quality). And perhaps most importantly once a company and all it's competitors hit rock bottom where is their left to go? The world would feel a very grey place if everything was homogenised, generic and predictable.

Much better to focus on the creation of Value. Key points in an experience or interaction where the customer feels their expectations have been exceeded or perhaps just something that no one else can offer. One things for certain, companies who focus on value are most likely to have a strong and loyal following / advocacy.

Let's look at the Montblanc example… it's not just about buying a pen. It's not even about the writing. As a customer you're opting into the belief of quality, craftsmanship, history, a good purchase experience and an even better after sales process. There's also a large degree of exclusivity and perhaps on some level it's about what Montblanc communicates about you...

Personally I'm agnostic in the LEAN vs. System Thinking debates (a fan of both for the right contexts) but I am starting to see industry generally take a turn back towards value creation. The language I've encountered in the past month alone around 'Moments of Truth' and a respect for 'running in' and the creation of 'experiences' is a very promising signal. For those of us who think business design is about more than just ruthless efficiency and who are prepared to deal in the non-quantifiable with confidence there's a horizon of opportunity… a chance to create something special.

Something for the Weekend - BA Communities

This week I wanted to share the opening thoughts from my presentation last night to the IIBA on 'Building BA Communities'.

Leaving the European BA Conference a fortnight ago I was really exited by the breadth and depth that the BA role is talking on and the pace at which it's changing. It's amazing how far the industry has come along in the last 12 months.

Hard skills such as Business Process Management, Agile, Business Rules, LEAN and Six Sigma are really coming to the fore in the BA world now. And that's being supplemented with a plethora of soft skills such as facilitation, creativity, innovation and even ethnography.

To me the wideing of the skills spectrum is a really exiting time for us as it should allow Business Analysts to fulfil the full value and potential that the role has to offer. I particularly enjoyed Joseph Da Silva's presentation at BA2010 entitled 'Nobody Knows Your Business Like Your Own Business Analysts' - Over the past two years at Skandia they've been using a subset of BAs to act as an internal consultancy organisation for the identification and resolution of business problems. - Just one of many functions BAs could perform.

Leaving the conference I've been asking myself two questions;

1) Why are all these skills moving into mainstream Business Analysis now? At first I thought it was just environmental. The economic position over the past few years has meant that organisations have been challenged to do more with less. The rapid pace of consumer end tech is raising exceptions of the tools we're delivering. Increased regulation over many sectors is providing it's challenges.

And then I thought again... that may be prompting change but it's not what is promoting these skills, that is actually our communities. As BAs face new challenges in their practices they're finding new ways to overcome them and sharing their learning for others to build upon.

2) What will happen to the role over the next 18 months? It's easy to speculate about a fragmentation and specialism of the role or perhaps pen portraits of some form of 'uber analyst' who can do everything! It's very difficult to predict accurately but one thing is for sure , it is our communities that are going to be crucial to that evolution. Key in terms of shaping but also in making sure that we develop and learn together as a global community.

Powerful stuff that the people working in the profession are directly shaping it's future. Having strong, effective Business Analysis Communities is more important than ever...

Something for the Weekend - The Back of the Napkin

The European Business Analysis Conference was great. Lots of inspirational material, which I'll no doubt share over the next few months.

But I thought that I would start with the most fun thing! Penny Pullan gave a fantastic presentation on the role of the BA in Creativity, Engagement and Clarity - one of the many aspects covered was techniques for drawing.

Those of you who've worked with me closely will know two things about me; firstly that I'm a visual thinker - I simply can't resist filling an empty whiteboard. And secondly, that both my handwriting and drawing could do with some work - a sometimes messy combination!

The old cliche that a picture paints a thousand words is very true and I think it's an important tool for our roles in group facilitation to be able to bring concepts to life as clearly as possible. Two things that might help;

• Penny recommend a book (which I've ordered today), it's called The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures (Dan Roam).
• She's also collaborated with artist Venessa Randle and offering some free material at http://www.graphicsmadeeasy.co.uk/

Simple tips to make your white boarding easier, clearer and more impressive.

Sources and Credit
Penny of course - http://www.makingprojectswork.co.uk/

Penny and Vanessa's work at http://www.graphicsmadeeasy.co.uk/
European Business Analysis Conference http://www.irmuk.co.uk/ba2010/