Authentic Global Solutions

The Role of a Business Analyst in Process Improvement

June 10, 2024

Today’s business environment is dynamic, fast-paced and constantly evolving. Companies must continuously review and refine their processes to maintain a competitive edge. A key player in this ongoing evolution is the business analyst (BA), whose role in process improvement is essential. In this blog, I will explore the crucial contributions of a business analyst in identifying, analysing, … More The Role of a Business Analyst in Process Improvement

Stakeholder Management

May 1, 2024

Stakeholder management is the process of identifying, analysing, engaging, and communicating with individuals, groups, or organisations that have an interest or “stake” in the outcome or success of a project, program, or initiative. Identification Projects with elongated timelines must regularly and continuously align the project objectives Identification involves identifying all potential stakeholders who may be affected by … More Stakeholder Management

Value Enablement – Ensuring we realise benefits after delivery

April 2, 2024

Many projects are delivering solutions for business needs but often we find that the full value of the delivery is not realised. In a project or product context, usually we are building (or changing) something with the purpose of enabling value for a range of stakeholders. The value that is enabled may vary for each … More Value Enablement – Ensuring we realise benefits after delivery

Top 7 skills for Business Analysis dominance

February 1, 2024

TOP SKILLS FOR BA’s IN AN EVOLVING DOMAIN Business and technology is constantly evolving, and the role of Business Analysts (BAs) has grown significantly in importance. Business Analysts serve as a crucial link between technology and business, helping organisations find solutions to business problems and also helping them make well-informed decisions to accomplish their objectives.Several … More Top 7 skills for Business Analysis dominance

Improving Personal Performance: Influencing Styles – Directing

March 8, 2022

Today is International Women’s Day 2022 and on that note I would like to celebrate everyone working tirelessly to achieve equality. My pledge this year is to create a positive visual of women through any work I do. Women can and are able to achieve great things. In today’s Blog, we take a deeper look … More Improving Personal Performance: Influencing Styles – Directing

Improving Personal Performance: Influencing Styles and Preferences

February 7, 2022

We have dealt with the topic of influencing in several blog posts but in this “Improving Personal Performance” series, we want to take a deeper look at how we can obtain positive business outcomes through Influence, Conflict Management and Impact. We will start the series by examining different influencing styles, the benefits of each style … More Improving Personal Performance: Influencing Styles and Preferences

“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken” – Oscar Wilde

December 29, 2021

One of the hallmarks of an outstanding Business Analyst or Leader is authenticity. Authenticity is the quality of being genuine or real. You may ask why? Why do I need to be genuine or real as a leader or Business Analyst? Its simple – In your role as a leader, you are dealing with people, … More “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken” – Oscar Wilde

Are you listening?

November 24, 2021

Have you ever found yourself having a conversation in your head while someone is speaking to you? Do you find yourself evaluating what is being said and even preparing a defence or counter-argument even before they have finished talking? Many of us naturally respond in this way which means we sometimes miss opportunities to gain … More Are you listening?

Getting things done!

November 17, 2021

For many of us having a great delivery track record is important. How do we get things done? How do we ensure key decisions are made and followed through to completion? Simple answer lies in one’s ability to influence. Following the three part series on Influence strategies (check the posts out here) I have had … More Getting things done!

WHY?

November 3, 2021

It was Simon Sinek who said “Start with why” when attempting to inspire others to take action. As a business analyst, I have found this concept very useful particularly during the analysis phase of a project or business change activity. The “Why” of a thing is at the very heart of purpose. So whether you’re … More WHY?

INFLUENCE STRATEGIES III

October 20, 2021

Influence is the ability to have an effect, positive or negative, on the character, behaviour or progress of another person. It can also be the ability to have an effect on the outcome of a situation. In today’s blog, we look at the final four influence strategies in out toolkit. If you missed the first … More INFLUENCE STRATEGIES III

INFLUENCE STRATEGIES II

October 13, 2021

There are many ways to achieve influence. Successful Influencing requires that you deploy the right strategy dependent on the situation at hand. Today we continue our influencing series by taking a look at another 3 strategies for influence. BARGAINING/ NEGOTIATION This is the process of brokering a mutually satisfactory outcome. The purpose of this strategy … More INFLUENCE STRATEGIES II

INFLUENCE STRATEGIES

October 6, 2021

Influence is a huge part of leadership and one of the main competencies of a Business Analyst. If you have not read our blog on the influencing competency of a Business Analyst, you can read it here. Starting today, we are going to look at the several strategies that you can deploy for achieving influence … More INFLUENCE STRATEGIES

Problem Solving – A life skill, not just a BA skill

September 29, 2021

One of the key skills a BA needs to possess is Problem Solving. Problem solving is however not just a BA skill but a life skill, hence it is to be valued and developed by all. To solve problems effectively a BA must do the following well: Identify and define the problem – First you … More Problem Solving – A life skill, not just a BA skill

Progress and Risk

September 22, 2021

Most people take more risks than they’ll like to admit. Each time we take a step out of our front door we are taking a risk and betting that all will be well and we will return. I could go further to say that mere existence is a risk. After all anything can happen at … More Progress and Risk

In Pursuit of Happiness – Part 2

September 15, 2021

In the previous post we looked at 3 of Shawn Achors’s 7 principles of positive psychology that may help us perform better and become more successful. For each one we gave an action point that to bring the principle to life. In this post we share the last 4 along with our action points for … More In Pursuit of Happiness – Part 2

In Pursuit of Happiness – Part 1

September 8, 2021

The world around us can easily become chaotic. Life and work are moving fast and can often bring stress and undue pressure even for the most composed and organised ones among us. Many think that the harder they work the more successful they will become and hence the happier their lives will be. While there … More In Pursuit of Happiness – Part 1

Popularity Vs Influence

August 18, 2021

Many people assume that if you are popular then you are a person of influence. Nothing could be further from the truth and more importantly popularity may rob you of your authenticity and leadership. A popular person is one who is liked or admired and accepted by many. For me that spells “Status … More Popularity Vs Influence

POWER OF WORDS

August 11, 2021

Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity Yehuda Berg Sometime ago, I was having a conversation with a colleague about how to word some information we needed to communicate. We needed to get an uncomfortable point across to another colleague but struggled to find the right expressions that would create the impact … More POWER OF WORDS

Converting ideas into action

August 4, 2021

Do you struggle to turn ideas into action? Many of us are great at generating ideas but not at bringing an idea to life. As a Business Analyst, one thing I had to get really good at was bringing ideas or solution proposals to life. When a problem is defined and a solution is found, … More Converting ideas into action

Spotlight on Strengths

July 28, 2021

Are you projecting the best “You”? Success lies in our ability to discover your strengths and to organize your life so that these strengths can be applied to achieve your goals. If we manage our weaknesses, instead of focusing on them, we will be able to build up our strengths. STRENGTHS or TALENTS? Talents are naturally recurring … More Spotlight on Strengths

Communicate with Impact

July 21, 2021

Do you often struggle to get your point across to an audience or group? I’ve certainly been in situations where I know exactly what message I need to communicate, but somehow my message gets lost in translation. I wondered how certain people manage to simply and effortlessly get their message across to an audience while the rest of us struggle. It almost … More Communicate with Impact

BA TOOLKIT SERIES – Competencies Part 4

July 14, 2021

Today we look at the final three of our interpersonal Business Analysis Competencies. It is worth noting that there are many other skills that could be deployed by a Business Analyst to become successful, so continuous learning and awareness of industry trends is important for maintaining a fresh set of skills. Analytical Skills and Critical … More BA TOOLKIT SERIES – Competencies Part 4

BA TOOLKIT SERIES – Competencies Part 3

June 30, 2021

If you have been following our competencies series, you will probably be able tell how important interpersonal skills are to a highly successful business analyst. Indeed there are yet another two interpersonal competencies to consider this week. Political Awareness Whether we like to admit it or not, politics exist in organisations and often times it … More BA TOOLKIT SERIES – Competencies Part 3

BA TOOLKIT SERIES – Competencies Part 2

June 23, 2021

We start this episode by looking at another 3 interpersonal qualities a Business Analyst must have: Problem Solving This is one of my favourite qualities of a Business Analyst. I always say the role of a Business Analyst is to solve business problems. This does not mean they literally solve the problems themselves but they … More BA TOOLKIT SERIES – Competencies Part 2

BA TOOLKIT SERIES – Competencies Part 1

June 16, 2021

Business Analysts are often at the heart of business change and help businesses make great decisions about how to solve business problems. It is therefore important for a good Business Analyst to have the right competencies that will enable them effectively discharge this duty. The core competencies of a BA are broadly divided into 3 … More BA TOOLKIT SERIES – Competencies Part 1

BA TOOLKIT SERIES: Handling Crucial Conversations

June 9, 2021

A Business Analyst will engage in many conversations that impact the outcomes of projects or business activities they are involved in. Some of these conversations will be crucial, meaning the stakes are high and opinions differ. More often than not, these conversations are highly emotional so the Business Analyst must be well equipped to successfully … More BA TOOLKIT SERIES: Handling Crucial Conversations

BA Toolkit Series: Influence

June 2, 2021

Influence as a tool to effect change A business analyst is an agent of change. To effect change you must be able to influence others. Influence is one of the most powerful qualities a Business Analyst can deploy to be successful in their role. As a business analyst, you’re often responsible for activities that require … More BA Toolkit Series: Influence

3 pitfalls to avoid when engineering business requirements

May 19, 2021

3 pitfalls to avoid when engineering business requirements Undue focus on what the solution should be without full consideration of why All solutions to business requirements must meet a specific business need. Therefore it follows that the starting point for solving a business need must be the answer to the question why the problem … More 3 pitfalls to avoid when engineering business requirements

The BA ToolKit series

May 12, 2021

Skills 101 – Problem Solving One of the key skills a Business Analyst needs to possess is Problem Solving. Partnership is Key to successful Problem Solving. The AuthenticBA To solve problems effectively a BA must do the following well: Identify and Define the problem First you must ascertain there is a problem and then proceed … More The BA ToolKit series

7 Tips to help with prioritisation activities

March 1, 2024

Why do we need to prioritise business requirements/business change Organisations and businesses have a finite amount of resources, which means that the IT organisation cannot deliver every change request or requirement that the business or a stakeholder gives to them. Hence, we have to prioritise. Prioritising requirements is crucial for ensuring that the essential features … More 7 Tips to help with prioritisation activities

	Top 7 skills for Bus… on Communicate with Impact
	TheAuthenticBA on WHY?
	Getting things done!… on INFLUENCE STRATEGIES
	Stuart Danker on WHY?
	Influence Strategies… on INFLUENCE STRATEGIES

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