Kathleen B Hass - The Enterprise Business Analyst: Developing Creative Solutions to Complex Business Problems: Developing Creative Solutions to Complex Business Problems

The Enterprise
Business Analyst

DEVELOPING CREATIVE SOLUTIONS
TO COMPLEX BUSINESS PROBLEMS

KATHLEEN B. HASS, PMP

8230 Leesburg Pike, Suite 800
Vienna, VA 22182
(703) 790-9595
Fax: (703) 790-1371
www.managementconcepts.com

Copyright 2011 by Management Concepts, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except for brief quotations in review articles.

IIBA, the IIBA logo, BABOK, and Business Analysis Body of Knowledge are registered trademarks owned by International Institute of Business Analysis. CBAP is a registered certification mark owned by International Institute of Business Analysis. CCBA is a trademark owned by International Institute of Business Analysis. These trademarks are used with the express permission of International Institute of Business Analysis.

Some of the material in this book has been extracted or adapted with permission from:

• The Art and Power of Facilitation: Running Powerful Meetings by Alice Zavala, PMP, and Kathleen B. Hass, PMP. Copyright 2008 by Management Concepts, Inc.

• Business Analysis Center of Excellence: The Cornerstone of Business Transformation by Kathleen Hass, PMP, with Richard Avery and Terry Longo. Copyright 2007 by Management Concepts, Inc.

• Business Analyst Proficiency: How Capable Do I Need to Be? Copyright 2010 by Kathleen Hass and Associates, Inc.

• From Analyst to Leader: Elevating the Role of the Business Analyst by Kathleen B. Hass, PMP. Copyright 2008 by Management Concepts, Inc.

• From Strategy To Action: Enterprise Portfolio Management by Kathleen B. Hass, PMP. Copyright 2008 by Management Concepts, Inc.

• Managing Complex Projects: A New Model by Kathleen B. Hass, PMP. Copyright 2009 by Management Concepts, Inc.

• Planting the Seeds to Grow a Mature BA Practice, Copyright 2010 by Kathleen Hass and Associates, Inc.

• Professionalizing Business Analysis: Breaking the Cycle of Challenged Projects by Kathleen B. Hass, PMP. Copyright 2008 by Management Concepts, Inc.

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011936401

ISBN 978-1-56726-349-7

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Author

K athleen (Kitty) B. Hass is a senior practice consultant specializing in strategic planning and execution, enterprise business analysis, and complex project management. She is a prominent presenter at industry conferences and has authored and coauthored eight books on project management and business analysis, including the Business Analysis Essential Library series and Managing Complex Projects: A New Model, which was awarded the David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award by the Project Management Institute in 2009.

Kitty has more than 25 years of experience in project portfolio management, business process reengineering, IT applications development and technology deployment, training and mentoring, and requirements management. She has managed large, complex projects in the airline, telecommunications, retail, and manufacturing industries and for the federal government.

Kittys consulting experience includes engagements with multiple federal agencies, including USDA, USGS, NARA, and an agency within the intelligence community, as well as industry engagements at Colorado Springs Utilities, Toyota Financial Services, Toyota Motor Sales, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, New Zealand Ministry of Education, Sun Life Financial, Maco Mutual, Manheim, West Bend Insurance.

Kitty is member of the Board of Directors for the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) and has served as IIBA Chapter Council Chair and a member of the IIBA Business Analysis Body of Knowledge committee. She holds a BA in business administration, summa cum laude, from Western Connecticut University.

To my wonderful Irish parents, who helped me believe in myself. May God rest their souls.

To my wonderful, supportive, and loving siblings:

Jim, Sally, Debbie, and Bebe. You continue to inspire me.

Contents

Preface

I think the 21st century will be the century of complexity.

S TEPHEN W. H AWKING

I t was a perfect storm. As we entered the second decade of the 21st century, we found ourselves struggling to thrive, and sometimes just to survive. All over the world, people faced environmental and economic turbulence, financial calamity, a stubborn recession that seemed to resist recovery, intractable societal troubles, high unemployment, and uncompromising complexity. The fiercely competitive global business ecosystem was changing so rapidly that we were confronted with complicated situations we had never seen before.

It is no coincidence that the business analysis profession is taking hold in the 21st century. Business analysis is all about understanding the needs of organizations, helping them remain competitive, identifying creative solutions to complex business problems, bringing about innovation, and constantly adding value for the customer and revenue to the bottom line. My fear is that business analysis will remain a tactical, project-focused role for too long, and organizations around the world will not leverage the often underestimated and undervalued creative talent that is bottled up in our business analysts.

We know that creative leaders are top performers, but how are they different? It is becoming obvious that we need creative leaders from all areas of the organization, not just one or two individuals at the top who are leading the way. Where is the cadre of creative leaders going to come from? Could business analysts become the creative leaders we need to spark innovation? To be sure, they work with teams and individuals at all levels of their organizations. Our 21st-century challenge is this: to arm business analysts with the knowledge, skill, credibility, and confidence needed to awaken creativity throughout their organizations. We can then calm the storm, at least as it affects our businesses, and look ahead to a dramatic increase in the number of innovative changes set in motion through expertly facilitated creative sessions.

What should business analysts be doing to hone their creative aptitude and to foster creativity in their organizations? Business analysts participate in the development of creative leaders across their organizations by deepening partnerships with their stakeholders, especially employees and customers. As they focus on relationships, business needs, operational agility, and innovation at every turnthe hallmark of business analysisthey can instill a universal understanding that everyone is creative. To accept the challenge, business analysts need to learn to be courageous, prepared, and willing to make deep changes to their organizations business model.