IIBA
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BA Life on International Women’s Day
This weekend I was fortunate enough to spend some time in the company of these two special women… From left to right – not including the dogs! – This is Julia Newell and Sally Rogan If you have been following my blog, you will know I wrote about them on International Woman’s Day last year. Borrowing from that blog post… Sally Rogan – UX, User Researcher, Content Designer Having spent the best part of 2 years working with Sally, I’ve learned so much from her calm and perceptive nature. She has a fantastic ability to empathise with a customer and instinctively know when to say the right thing and when…
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A celebration of Business Analysts for Global BA Day
Let’s start with a quote from this year’s European Business Analyst of the Year… What I enjoy most about being a Business Analyst; I could really talk at length on this topic! To keep it short and sweet, every day I encounter new challenges and get to work alongside great people, helping to solve problems and make improvements. There is something very gratifying about this – particularly when I get to see the impact I have had! Rebecca Richmond-Smith – European Business Analyst of the Year 2021 (Click to visit Rebecca’s LinkedIn profile) The makeup of a Business Analyst Well, if you can’t celebrate being a Business Analyst on Global…
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To BA or not to BA? …that is the question
In mid-September, my colleague Gary Cockburn and I will be running an interactive workshop at the European BA Conference called “Virtual Pace, Virtual Space”. Creating this talk has inevitably lead to the age-old discussion which can be best characterised by a question like ‘Is there still a place for a Business Analyst in this new seemingly more technical world of virtual development, online companies and in some cases online products?’ Naturally, as a BA my answer is going to be a resounding YES! FACT: Remote working and the new virtual world is increasing the distance between the customer (end-user) and the business. This means getting closer to your customer and…
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The clock is ticking down to BALIFE2021!
So here we are 43 days, 21 hours, 59 minutes and so many seconds away from launching our first-ever “Business Analysis Learning and Innovation Festival Edinburgh” …aka BALIFE. By the time you read this blog, who knows, maybe it’ll be 40 days or even 35 days and so many hours and minutes! It’s as if time has started to accelerate! As I write this a group of volunteers, with full-time jobs of our own, are currently up to our necks in extra work. To get this, our very first BA learning festival in a day, off the ground. And we couldn’t be happier, because today all our hard work starts…
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The T-Shaped BA
Almost a year ago, in November 2019, I took part in a panel discussion looking at the multi-skilled BA. My mini presentation focused on a topic we are all beginning to know well, the T-Shaped BA. Mercilessly re-using (well, I am a BA!) some artifacts from my presentation on “No BA is an Island” I pulled together a few colourful slides to get the message across. You can grab a copy from the download section.
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Skillspotting: It’s about choice…
In March 2017, I was asked to take part in a presentation along with a couple of other BAs on the different skills necessary for BAs working in different business areas and/or business types. Working in the public sector and having previously worked for a very small none-for-profit organisation I was covering two particular angles in my talk. Now I felt at the time skills can be a it of a dry topic so I thought I try something a bit different, see for yourself with the video below and downloadable slides…
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BA of the Year 2019 – One year on
Around this time last year, I was delighted to win Business Analyst of the Year and be presented with the award at the European BA conference in London. I remember the moment well and being utterly surprised. I know everyone says that, but I was sitting there with 8 other extremely talented BAs and having chatted to many of them I knew the competition was tough. When my name was announced and I had to go on stage to collect the award. It wasn’t quite Oscar-style but nevertheless, I was still nervous and my one overriding thought was “don’t trip up”! (You see, in my family, I am well-known for my occasional bout…
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Linda Parker wins Business Analyst of the Year 2019
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The impossible time-travelling BA
In November 2019, along with my husband, Michael Christon, a gifted presenter and successful business trainer – (yes, I’m bias, but he is good!) – we gave a presentation to the Scottish chapter of IIBA UK. Michael already had a great reputation with the chapter having given many entertaining evenings of learning and insight at IIBA meetings. And this one was no different, with a catchy title of “The impossible time-travelling BA” and taking inspiration from Doctor Who both in content and imagery, it was a fun and enlightening session for all. This was the introduction… A wise man once said “The future has a way of arriving unannounced” …but not for the wise BA! What if…
