So far, so good

I know it’s been a while since my last post-it’s hard work trying to joggle too many balls at the same time you know,but I guess the most important thing is to ‘keep your eyes on the ball’.

My sessions with Alex have been going really well and my knowledge is being enriched every time we meet. Based on our discussions, it appears that the most important stage of any project is at the early stages where the project charter, scope spec doc etc are created. Furthermore,our discussions on JAD sessions was very interesting even though Alex made it sound easy- dealing with various stakeholders cannot be easy work. I wonder what other BAs think about JAD sessions- their frustrations, challenges etc?

On the job front, I’ve begun to market myself as a junior BA and I hope to start speaking to recruitment agencies about possible roles. The jobs market is still quite and the job boards only have mid-level to snr BA roles. I’m also thinking of applying for roles,not BA related, within financial services in the hope that I would go in and ‘move around’ the organisation. It’s a long shot but one nonetheless.

I recently joined an online study group for wannabe BAs and I hope to share my knowledge with the group. I understand Alex, Laura and Doug would be on hand to offer assistance if called upon- thanks guys.

Alex is putting finishing touches to his e-book for new BAs and I’m eagerly waiting for it.

Progress report #2

I had a session with Alex on Friday based on the new format we both agreed. The session went really well as we focused more on Alex’s experience as a business analyst. Basically, the goal was to leverage his experience so that I would be able to put my theoretical knowledge into practice. During the session, I was able to ask questions in order to clarifycertain points;for instance, I thought ‘non-functional reqs’ had to do with WHAT the system did instead of HOW the system/solution performed.

I’ve began to reap the benefits of this new strategy because my learning experience has been greatly enhanced as I am able to relate better with articles/materials I read.

It is still early to judge whether this strategy would prove to be very effective,however we’d continue to monitor our progress and make changes where necessary.

Happy times…..?

I had a discussion with Alex yesterday on the need for us to go back to the drawing board and change our strategy. It was a very fruitful discussion and I’m glad that he has agreed,in principle, to change the format of the mentoring program.

He too,recognized the need for us to adopt a more effective, market focussed approach and these changes would be reflected in the method and delivery of the training program going forward.

I am very excited about this new strategy and I can’t wait to get started- happy times are here again!

I want to thank Laurau,Kingsley and Doug for their advice and support; but most of all, Alex takes a big credit because without him, I wouldnt have come this far….thanks guys.

Should I change my strategy?

Sometime in May, I met a guy over the internet through an acquaintance- he had managed to switch careers from a medical background(yes!) to business analysis. He is currently working in a well known consultancy in the states and his job title is very intimidating( well for me,it is). He is a ‘business process re-engineering specialist’!

How did you do it I asked? His response to that question was that in January 2008, he enrolled for a 4 weekend e-learning course that practically taught him about business analysis, basically, the A to Z of business analysis. After the course, he started marketing himself as an experienced business analyst and even though his first BA interview was a disaster; he got his first BA job after the third interview.

With the current state of the job market,it is very unlikely that guys like myself will get a look-in from prospective employers, so wouldn’t it be a good idea if I started marketing myself as an experienced BA, with say 2 years experience?Thanks to Alex, I know the fundamentals of business analysis and wouldn’t struggle too hard in my first assignment. I’ve been doing alot of personal reading and research and I’m quite confident that I can do really well at an interview. I can even give my prospective employer a few ideas about business process improvements or how to get the best out of their IT suppliers!

Any comments….?

Another day…..

Alex and I had another session yesterday and progress is being made. On the whole, Alex was satisfied with my scope document and the context diagram even though I need to go back and make corrections/additions. I’m beginning to get the big picture now and these are certainly exciting times for me.

It’s still quiet on the job front, but I’ve got to keep working at it-it’s the only way!

I’m loving it

At the moment I am working on a project alongside my team- we are currently working to produce a scope document for a company that manufactures MP3 players. They have recently announced that they would launch a new product line in 6 months time-a customizable MP3 player. To achieve this, they have signed a partnership with a specialist company to work alongside their business development team. The BAs,PMs and QAs have all been hired and I happen to be part of the team.

Okay! Hold your thoughts-I don’t have a job yet. I’m only working on an assignment as part of the mentoring program. I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge and it’s one ,I hope would bear dividends sooner rather than later.

The Good, the Bad and the……

It’s been tough I must confess- I have made personal progress towards achieving my goal of being a BA. Alex, my mentor, has gone the extra mile by devoting more and more of his time and the results are beginning to show.

However, a major challenge has been the difficulty encountered in finding a company that would be able to take me on an internship scheme or simply to volunteer.

I’ve contacted a few institutions notably the local council, my University and even my previous employer, but none has been forthcoming with any response. I am so eager to get my hands dirty and gain real life work experience, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone willing to give me the opportunity. On the brighter side though, Alex introduced me to a recruitment agent who has shown a willingness to help, so fingers crossed…..

My first assignment

I have just spent the night trying to come up with solutions to my assignment- I needed to create a context diagram, a set of interview questions and a scope document for an e-learning website. It was a tasking exercise, but one which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am beginning to get hands-on experience of what it is like in the real world. To accomplish the task, I had to think outside the box like most BAs do.
I managed to come up with ‘something’ and I wonder what Alex would make of it? He’d probably think it’s trash but that doesn’t matter to me; not yet- I’m on a learning curve at the moment.

Progress report

I have now come to realise how challenging it is to make a career switch- it takes guts and patience. Retreating to one’s comfort zone can be tempting but it never changes anything and instead leads to the same old feeling of inadequacy and dissatisfaction. If you ain’t happy with your job then take the bold decision-change it!
My mentoring program has gone on pretty well and Alex has been of tremendous help- he has brought his experience to bear in our discussions and his grasp of issues/topics has been astounding to say the least. The mentoring program itself has been designed in such a way that we have managed to focus more on the essentials, the common techniques and this has enhanced my learning experience.
So far, we’ve touched on key BA topics like context modelling, requirements gathering fundamentals and the various types of SDLC methodologies. We’ve got a lot of topics to cover and even though Alex’s guidance has been invaluable, it is up to me to determine how successful this program will be.

My training session begins…..

A lot has happened since my last post; I took Alex’s advice and contacted the council office to enquire about working with the operations support team as a volunteer. The HR lady thanked me for making the ‘proactive call’ and promised to get back with a response. Let’s hope things go well!

My mentoring session finally got off ground on Friday and it was quite informative. Alex started off with an important aspect of the project phase- Objectives and Interviews.  Since I had already familiarized myself with the BA principles (I’ve been doing a lot of reading, you see), we felt that there was no need to go through the basics of business analysis, but instead focus on the core BA functions.

During the session, Alex explained what project objectives were and how/where they fit within the wider context of the project; the use of interviews as a BA technique was also discussed. The interview technique, as we all know, is a traditional method used in gathering information, however I was able to understand it’s importance in relation to a BA role. Who to interview, the interview objectives and the style to adopt were all discussed.

I also learnt about the importance of project objectives- I was able to understand why it is critical to focus on the objectives of the project and not merely on the solutions to the problems the project is meant to solve. As Alex explained, the project objectives must be used throughout the entire project life cycle as this will serve as a good measure of progress.

 We completed the session with an assignment to come up with interview questions &business objectives for setting up an e-learning website. Alex’s decision to take me through the phases of a real-life project is quite brilliant because it is a very practical and effective teaching method.

I’ve got to go now- I’ve got a BA task to complete!