For many years, science has proven that we can only do one thing at a time. More specifically, we can attend to only one cognitive task and process only one mental activity at a time: we can either talk or read but not do both at the same time. We can only have one thought at a time, and the more we force ourselves to switch from one thing to another, the more we tax our mental faculties.
Read moreProjects are a social endeavor. Traditional project management approaches have shied away from the social advantages a more agile project environment brings. By nature, we are storytelling, pattern seeking and social people. We need colocation to shine truly in a project environment.
Read moreSuccessful business-systems analysts usually have a combination of education and experience in the field of business analysis. It is common that a newbie business analyst finds that he or she is unskilled at dealing with the challenges of the occupation. It is a great idea to look for training to understand the real-world landscape of IT project lifecycle, where and how a business analyst fits and career advancement. The goal of this article is to provide a large-picture, across-the-globe view of the different training options available.
Read moreFights and arguments — two words that are used synonymously but could not be further apart. We all know that a fight is a disagreement based not on rational thought but rather on an emotional position. Fights, filled with gainsaying, fallacious thinking and emotional hijacking seldom do anyone any good. Argumentation, on the other hand, is reason giving. Argumentation, the gateway to effective reasoning, is an essential skill for any business-systems analyst. But what is argumentation?
Read moreIn my last blog, I wrote that business analysts are really business-systems analysts — where business and systems are joined to make one word. Business systems are interdependent and interrelated organic and/or mechanical entities, which come together to create value for the organization and the rest of its stakeholders. Complex systems involving people and machines, mired in issues, constraints and other problems, require systems-oriented thinking to identify the true solution. To find the root cause to an issue, systems-oriented thinking requires a business-systems analyst to examine problems by breaking them into constitute elements; looking at each of them independently and again as various permutations or combinations until identified underlying patterns lead to solution options.
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