Software delivery does not equal success

I’ve done work for many software delivery organisations and they all have one thing in common: they think delivery of software to the client is success. I beg to differ.

Several years ago, one such organisation delivered a software solution to its client on time and within budget at a cost […]

Business Architecture is about more than software requirements

I believe that when when business analysis is limited to (or centred around) the software development lifecycle, it ceases to be about defining the needs of the business and instead supports the main need of the solution provider: deliver software to schedule, which should be a means and not an end in itself. […]

Explore the underlying business need

On so many projects, I have seen software developers thrown into meetings with the business SMEs with the task of understanding the “requirements”.

On some occasions I have been delighted to see developers with the ability and techniques that truly enable them to think in terms of business needs. Mostly, however, […]

Data model, data model, data model!

If you are a business process analyst, you need to print out the image above and stick it somewhere visibile whenever you are building process models.

Process analysts often forget that business processes (certainly in the context of software development) work by moving data around an organisation. If the business […]

Are you a passion fruit?

Does your cover letter or LinkedIn profile state that you are passionate about [name some work-related activity here]?

Mine does not.

Quite simply because I am not passionate about business analysis. Dedicated? Yes. Keen to share my experiences? Certainly. Enthusiatic to learn more? Definitely. Passionate? Nope.

If […]

What is the business benefit?

As an analyst, it’s not enough to know what your customer wants. It is essential to unearth what the customer needs and how the customer’s business will benefit by fulfilling that need.

Customers are often the last to understand what their business truly needs, even when they have a clear idea […]

To name and to shame?

I have little time and less respect for lazy recruitment agencies.

That is largely because I used to run a recruitment programme for a deliver centre within a global company and I know how much agencies get paid for a successful candidate.

At the time, I got tired of […]

Data modelling: start it early!

Whenever I mention data modelling on a project, everyone seems to assume I am talking about database design.

In my experience, on the vast majority of projects, both the Business and the service provider leave data modelling until they are at the screen design stage. At best, they might start modelling […]

Son of The Curse of the Blackberry

The Blackberry is supposedly a great communications tool of the 21st century.

The truth is that it is not a communications tool. It is a distraction device. This device is the solution that to allows us to receive our emails wherever we are, whenever we are. But what was the need that required this solution? […]

Scope definition

It continues to amaze me how many projects proceed against a poorly-written scope document or no scope document at all.

It also makes me wonder on what basis tenders are made. If I am ever asked to provide input input work estimation, I insist on seeing a baselined statement of scope […]