1.
The Project Lab Masterclass
Shapeshifter BA in a Digital Product World
Ben Cashman, Managing Director, Project Lab.
Online Series – November 2020
Presented by the Hobart Branch of the IIBA.

2.
2
Classification: Public
Acknowledgement of Country
IIBA Australia Chapter acknowledge the
Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia
and recognise their continuing connection to land,
waters and culture. We pay our respects to their
Elders past, present and emerging.

3.
3
Classification: Public
AGENDA
Three sections:
• IIBA – About IIBA
• Presentation – The Project Lab Masterclass – Shapeshifter BA in
a Digital Product World.
• Panelist Discussion and Questions and Answers.
• Q&A Zoom function – will be panellist discussion and questions at the end – please use
the Zoom Q&A function to add your questions and also upvote your favourite questions.
The question with the most upvotes will win a 12-month Project Lab Membership –
giving you access to monthly masterclasses, delivery toolkits and more.
• Recording of tonight’s event – will be available on the IIBA YouTube channel at: IIBA
YouTube Channel and a copy of this slide pack will be sent to the email you used to
register for this event.

4.
4
Classification: Public
OUR PURPOSE
IIBA Australia Chapter is the
community of professionals in
Australia building business analysis
capability to influence change and
deliver value for everyone

5.
5
Classification: Public
Why IIBA®?
• Belonging to a professional association is a step to
professional growth and to skilled identity
• IIBA® is The Association for Business Analysts
• Look at the numbers - that many BAs can’t be wrong
• 27 000 members globally
• Over 17 000 certified professionals
• 120 chapters across the globe

6.
6
Classification: Public
IIBA Branch activities – just a sample of activities this
year
2 BABoK
Groups
1 study group
completed
Mentoring in flight
4 study groups- completed;
Public and Corporate
Mentoring – corporate and
public5 study groups so far
1 study group in
planning
1 BABOK study group
completed
1 Agile study group in
planning
3 study groups so far
Hosting BDA group pilot
Australia Wide
• Business Analysis Professional Week
• National Online Webinar Series

7.
7
Classification: Public
• Information can be found at:
• www.iiba.org - IIBA membership and certification information.
• https://australia.iiba.org – Australian Chapter membership, contacts, and event information.
IIBA Information

8.
8
Classification: Public

9.
9
Classification: Public

10.
10
Classification: Public

11.
11
Classification: Public
• You can join IIBA Global on this address IIBA Global . More
details about membership benefits here - Global Membership
• Once you become a member, you can add the Australian
Chapter membership Australian Chapter membership
• Register for Australia Chapter and branch email updates here

12.
12
Classification: Public
Our Presenter - Ben Cashman,
Managing Director, The Project Lab
Ben has seen big changes in the way successful work is done over the years and is investing his energy in challenging the
current mindset of project delivery and the professional services industry at large. Ben is driven to develop an environment
in which the very best Project Managers, Business Analysts and Industry Specialists can collectively deliver more
successful projects to organisations around the country, every single day.
With almost two decades of delivery and Information Technology industry experience, Ben has
managed a varied project portfolio, spread across the Energy and Utility (E&U), government,
healthcare, and private sectors.
Ben has managed projects with upwards of 100 team members and over $10m in value over the
years, and while he still leads a number of significantly complex projects from time to time, he is
now the co-founder and Managing Director of The Project Lab. The Project Lab specialises in
providing organisations with advisory and management consulting, helping them link their
strategic goals right through to actionable projects and work on the ground.

13.
The Project Lab Masterclass
Shapeshifter BA in a Digital Product World

14.
14
Classification: Public
• The Business Analysis role - Do you have the skills to adapt?
• Business Analysis vs Product Owners
• 5 characteristics to focus on as a new age Business Analyst in
a fast paced digital world
• How do I know which delivery approach works best for my
organisation or project or client?
• Expert panel - See the changing role of an analyst in action
What Are We Exploring

15.
15
Classification: Public
The Business Analyst Role
• The traditional role is transforming, as the rate of change within
our organisation increases.
• Shift from focusing on internal stakeholders, to primarily
understanding the needs and experience of those external to
our organisation.
• Skills and certifications are required but no longer in isolation.
We need more in order to be effective.

16.
16
Classification: Public
Business Analyst vs Product Owner
• Differences between the two roles increase as an organisation
or project becomes larger or more complex.
• Primary focus on internal elements vs external elements
• Expectations are different as we work across small businesses
through to large enterprises.
• Are we getting caught up in titles?

17.
17
Classification: Public
Business Analyst vs Product Owner
Business Analyst Product Owner
Focuses more on the technical aspects of the product. Focuses on the customer-related aspects of the product.
Develops the non-functional requirements of the Product. Does competitive analysis of the product.
Help in splitting the stories into functional tasks. Explains the stories to be developed in the customer’s point of
view
Their priority is to make sure a technically correct product is
developed.
Their priority is to ensure that the developed product makes
good revenue in the market and increases its business value.
They correct any technical glitches during product development
and delivery.
They analyse the market and estimate the market value of the
product.
They make sure the technical part of the software is well-
managed and ready to function.
They take care of the business side of the product and make
sure that the product performs well in the market.
Alignment to business architecture is taken care of by them. Fund endorsements, business engagements, issue escalation,
etc are taken care of by them.

18.
18
Classification: Public
The New Age Business Analyst
• Adopt a ‘zoom in and zoom out’ mindset.
• Five characteristics to develop:
• Technical skills
• Adaptability
• Empathy
• Commercial Acumen
• Passion

19.
19
Classification: Public
Technical Skills
• Obtaining and maintaining the technical skills and experience
required to deliver your role.
• IIBA is a fantastic resource, from webinars to study groups to
certifications.
• Document a career pathway that fires you up, solidify your
current skills and seek mentorship on the skills required for
future roles you are interested in.

20.
20
Classification: Public
Adaptability
• The quality of being able to adjust to new conditions, and the
capacity to be modified for a new use or purpose.
• Adaptability Quotient (AQ) captures how adaptable we are.
Looking at: alternatives, disruptors, assumptions, plans, threats
and speed.
• Self test and identify areas to focus on here with an AQ test:
https://www.executiveagenda.com/resources/adaptability_quiz

21.
21
Classification: Public
Empathy
• The ability to imagine or attempt to deeply understand what
someone else is feeling or what it’s like to be in their situation.
• What matters is not whether we have empathy, but whether we
know how to have empathy - whether we can access feelings
of empathy when we want to do so.
• Empathy Map tools are available to assist in managing
stakeholders and move projects forward in an effective way.
• Implement the ‘Power of the Pause’, and zoom in/zoom out.

22.
22
Classification: Public
Commercial Acumen
• Ability to exercise good judgement on commercial
opportunities, demonstrating business savvy, having an instinct
for business and what constitutes a good deal. How is this
relevant to business analysis?
• Commercial Acumen is developed over time and the 5E's of
learning form the basis of its development: Environment,
Experience, Exposure, Education and Embedding.
• The most common waste of time and resources is a result of
the lack of embedding action.

23.
23
Classification: Public
Passion
• “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle
• Clear benefits of being passionate about the work your do:
Motivate others as passion is infectious, minimise
absenteeism, and increase loyalty to employers and each
other.
• Finding passion in your work can be hard.
• Developing passion requires a growth mindset, seeking
increased independence in your role, and making time to learn.

24.
24
Classification: Public
Is My Organisation Ready?
• We can be adaptable, empathetic and skilled, but if the
organisation we seek to serve is not ready or open then
change will be hard to stick.
• Tailoring our approach, through methodology or staging may
be necessary.
• Peer-to-peer and gestalt learning can provide valuable insights.
• Influence + tailoring = positive progress. Build a tribe of
likeminded change makers.

25.
25
Classification: Public
Key Takeaways
• The Business Analyst role is changing at increasing speed.
• We need to continually develop more than just technical skills
to be effective business analysts in a digital product world.
• Challenge you to commit to improving one other characteristic
after tonight (adaptability, empathy, commercial acumen,
passion).
• Have questions? Fire up the Q&A and upvote for our panellists!

26.
Panel Discussion:
• Susanne Shantz - Product and Marketing Manager, RACT Insurance
• James MacGregor - Co-Founder, Biteable
• Luigi Bini - Design and Delivery Specialist, Aurora Energy

27.
27
Classification: Public
Our Panelists -
Susanne Schantz – Product and Marketing Manager, RACT Insurance
Susanne is a talented and experienced product manager and digital specialist, currently Strategic
lead for all digital and traditional marketing, and all product innovation for RACT Insurance.
Susanne has delivered complex digital strategy and change across finance, automotive and
consulting industries, while also having co-founded Small Island Studio, a digital and visual marketing
company.
James MacGregor – Co Founder at Biteable
James is and entrepreneur and co-founder of Biteable in Hobart, Australia with Tommy Fotak and
Simon Westlake. Their goal is to make top-quality video possible for everyone with a tool that’s
sublimely simple. Having lead Biteable through multiple funding rounds since 2014 they now have
more than 7 million users on their platform. James is passionate about product, user experience and
has now moved into the Chief Product Officer position as he embarks on the next stage of Biteable
globally.
Luigi Bini - Design and Delivery Specialist, Aurora Energy.
Luigi is an experienced project manager, and enterprise business analyst with 16 years of experience
in the field of organisational change and IT systems development. He has a wealth of knowledge and
a passion for systems implementation projects. He has experience in agile, waterfall and hybrid
approaches and has used Prince2 methodologies.
His speciality is in implementing customer facing and marketing systems for enterprise environments
including custom digital app development.

28.
28
Classification: Public
Commit to Change
• Reminder of the commitment you’ve made to yourself tonight.
• Join us at https://membership.theprojectlab.com/

29.
29
Classification: Public
One Last Thought
“All it takes is the will to change, the
determination to follow through, and the
acquisition of a handful of skills!”
John Maxwell, Everyone Communicates, Few
Connect

30.
Thank you!