But What About BA Contractors? A Case Study in Skills and Leadership Development
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But What About BA Contractors? A Case Study in Skills and Leadership Development
- 1. “But what about BA Contractors?” A case study in Skills and Leadership development John Mee
- 3. How can we become …?
- 4. Trusted Advisors How can we become …?
- 5. Thought Leaders Trusted Advisors How can we become …?
- 7. Why Listen to my Story? • 1984 – 2012
- 8. Why Listen to my Story? • 1984 – 2012 • 2012 + Consultant Business Analyst
- 9. Why Listen to my Story? • 1984 – 2012 • 2012 + Consultant Business Analyst … amongst many in a very competitative market!
- 10. My Mission The best for your business
- 11. My Mission Strategic Concept of Operations – Develop myself through education, training and lots of practice – Obtain recognised & trusted qualifications So that I can – Deliver the best possible outputs to clients The best for your business
- 12. The Situation (2011 /2012) • I knew I wanted to be my own boss • I knew I wanted to be seen as Outstanding - and a leader in my profession • However, I lacked understanding of: – My value to potential clients? – The relevance and currency of my BA skills acquired in military service? – How to operate as a contractor? – How to run a small business?
- 13. The Improvement Plan • Research - expectations & options • Bring my BA skills and knowledge up to date – language, skills • Ensure my knowledge recognised by others - Certification • Obtain suitable Training / Professional Development
- 15. UK BA Survey 2015 49.25% 27.75% 11.50% 11.50% When was the Last Time You Completed any Formal Training? Last 6 Months Last 18 Months Last 3 Years Longer than 3 Years ago Permanent (National)
- 16. UK BA Survey 2015 Contractors (National) 42.65% 23.53% 10.29% 23.53% When was the Last Time You Completed any Formal Training? Last 6 Months Last 18 Months Last 3 Years Longer than 3 Years ago
- 17. UK BA Survey 2015 Permanent (National) 16.25% 32.75% 20.50% 24.25% 6.25% How many days training (internal or external) did you attend last year? Zero(0) 1 -3 3 - 5 5 - 10 10+
- 18. UK BA Survey 2015 Contractors (National) 30.88% 35.29% 20.59% 10.29% 2.95% How many days training (internal or external) did you attend last year? Zero(0) 1 -3 3 - 5 5 - 10 10+
- 24. NFL-0181-2DM-5N Time Cost of Training Priority Isolation Self Motivation Challenges Key Challenges
- 31. So what makes Experiential Training plus Group Mentoring good for contractors?
- 32. Experiential Training - Collaboration
- 33. Experiential Training - Inspiration
- 34. Experiential Training - Networking
- 35. Experiential Training is fun too
- 36. Experiential Training goes beyond the classroom
- 37. Experiential Training is rare
- 38. Virtual Group Mentoring - Very Rare
- 39. Virtual Group Mentoring - Convenient (time & place)
- 40. Virtual Group Mentoring – Different Perspectives (Peers & Mentor)
- 49. Any Questions? What are your experiences?
- 50. ‘‘ The future isn't just a place you'll go. It's a place you will invent ’’ — Nancy Duarte
Editor's Notes
- AT THE OUTSET, I WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT THIS PRESENTATION COMES WITH NO JUDGEMENTS I DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT ANSWERS, BUT THIS IS MY STORY OF HOW I BELIEVE I HAVE BENEFITTED IMMENSELY FROM THE TRAINING & MENTORING THAT I HAVE TAKEN,
- The market place is rapidly changing The customers / organizations are asking for more from us as Bas As Contractors we are expected to hit the ground running and deliver outputs quickly, we come ready trained an experienced and are usually used to fill a specific gap, at least temporarily until the project is finished or the permanent staff are up to speed and can take your place SO HOW CAN WE BECOME?
- TRUSTED ADVISORS – THE GO TO PEOPLE IN THE ORGANISATION / COMPANIES THAT ARE OUR CLIENTS
- HOW CAN WE BECOME TRUE INFLUENCERS & LEADERS IN OUR TEAMS, PROJECTS & ORGANISATION AS A WHOLE With the COURAGE to challenge appropriately and respectfully at all levels
- MERCYS SLIDE: HOW CAN WE BECOME TO BE SEEN AS TRULY OUTSTANDING & REMARKABLE?
- Joined the Army in 1984 - Served in a variety of locations around the world. Did “In-Service” MSc in Design of Information Systems in 1996 (RMCS – Cranfield University) – Became what is now called a Business Analyst Served in a variety of IS procurement, development and PM roles (as well as mainstream soldiering appointments) for next 14 years. Took the opportunity to move into a new career in 2012 Having been part of “ .. The military machine …” I wanted more freedom. The opportunity to run my own business really appealled to me. Really enjoyed working as BA / Requirements Engineer / Product Owner more than as a PM – I chose BA as my new career path. However, I recognised that I was entering a highly competitative market and I would be up against a lot quality competition in what was very a difficult economic climate:
- Joined the Army in 1984 - Served in a variety of locations around the world. Did “In-Service” MSc in Design of Information Systems in 1996 (RMCS – Cranfield University) – Became what is now called a Business Analyst Served in a variety of IS procurement, development and PM roles (as well as mainstream soldiering appointments) for next 14 years. Took the opportunity to move into a new career in 2012 Having been part of “ .. The military machine …” I wanted more freedom. The opportunity to run my own business really appealled to me. Really enjoyed working as BA / Requirements Engineer / Product Owner more than as a PM – I chose BA as my new career path. However, I recognised that I was entering a highly competitative market and I would be up against a lot quality competition in what was very a difficult economic climate:
- Joined the Army in 1984 - Served in a variety of locations around the world. Did “In-Service” MSc in Design of Information Systems in 1996 (RMCS – Cranfield University) – Became what is now called a Business Analyst Served in a variety of IS procurement, development and PM roles (as well as mainstream soldiering appointments) for next 14 years. Took the opportunity to move into a new career in 2012 Having been part of “ .. The military machine …” I wanted more freedom. The opportunity to run my own business really appealled to me. Really enjoyed working as BA / Requirements Engineer / Product Owner more than as a PM – I chose BA as my new career path. However, I recognised that I was entering a highly competitative market and I would be up against a lot quality competition in what was very a difficult economic climate:
- Having been part of an organisation that used the slogan “Army - Be the best” I knew that I wanted myself and my new business to be seen in a similar light – as the best BA consultancy option to support my clients business. So I chose that as my mission “To make BBAI Ltd the best BA Consultancy option for their business.” All well and good , but how to achieve the Goal? Strategic Concept of Operations Deliver the best possible outputs for clients (within constraints) Always aim for improved performance (quality, value, speed of delivery) Learn from experience and aim for continuous improvement in people, organisations, processes, information, technology Develop myself (and my team) through education, training and practice, practice, practice With respect to this story it is this last point that I felt I needed to start making improvements
- Having been part of an organisation that used the slogan “Army - Be the best” I knew that I wanted myself and my new business to be seen in a similar light – as the best BA consultancy option to support my clients business. So I chose that as my mission “To make BBAI Ltd the best BA Consultancy option for their business.” All well and good , but how to achieve the Goal? Strategic Concept of Operations Deliver the best possible outputs for clients (within constraints) Always aim for improved performance (quality, value, speed of delivery) Learn from experience and aim for continuous improvement in people, organisations, processes, information, technology Develop myself (and my team) through education, training and practice, practice, practice With respect to this story it is this last point that I felt I needed to start making improvements
- I lacked a clear understanding about what I did and didn’t know and how my skills, experience and knowledge compared to others. Needed to bring my basic BA skills were upto date and ensure that I was current with the languge and jargon of my new careerrelevent Needed to gain confidence in and experience as a contractor and businessman – build a completely new knowledge set on how to run a business Finally I wanted to be seen as outstanding and a leader in my new role
- Research business’s expectations of BAs Research BA expectations of other BAs Bring my basic BA skills and knowledge up to date Close BA skills & experience gap Close small business management skills gap Get my knowledge recognised by others Close recognised qualifications gap Gain confidence through further: Education Training Practice
- I soon realized that there were some major challenges
- My experience suggests that: Time - Learning takes time. - Not just training time. - Need time to practice and review - Need time to internalise learning - Need time to reflect on what you have learned and link it to current knowledge
- Cost of Training - Most of the courses can be quite expensive - Priced for corporate clients not singleton BA Contractors - Opportunity Cost - As contractors you are not earning when you are training
- ISOLATION / LACK OF A TEAM: As Contractors, it’s easy to feel isolated because we move from one contract /project to another and have to develop new relationships with new teams of people. I have also noted that in some places I have worked there is a real division between permanent staff and contractors, not always, but it certainly occurs in some locations I have tried to develop a network of professional BA colleagues so that I can ask questions, share my experiences and get alternative viewpoints to my own.
- Motivation Sometimes its difficult to motivate oneself when you are working alone, and do not have encouragement - I have on occasions found it al too easy to procrastinate or find an excuse to do something less challenging - From a different perspective usually find it easy easy to see the costs or the negatives and not to count the benefits, especially if no-one else is challenging your assumptions and presenting an alternative perspective.
- PRIORITY – Is training seen as a priority? – When you are training you are not earning and although you may be practicing some of your skills are they the ones you need for the future. For me with my background in the Army I have always been convinced of (a) the need for training in new skills, (b) the need to re-train and re-educate myself in existing skills because skill fade is a reality if one doesn’t practice or revise techniques that are not used frequently, and finally (C) the need to reflect and learn lessons if at al possible. But do others? On occasions when I’ve pulled a text book out to revise or review something I have had some odd glances almost as if my competence is being questioned.
- JOHNS SLIDE: What follows and the conclusions drawn should therefore be viewed with that personal perspective in mind. CLICK ONE
- JOHN SLIDE: Traditional “lectures” & Coursework – Quality depends on teacher & provider In my experience quality depends heavily on the teacher and on the receptiveness of the peer group that attends with you, but we are all used to this form of teaching and for many of its it is highly attractive for this reason. There are lots of options & competition out there and I found that I had to devote a lot of time and effort to researching quality & cost. The military axiom that “time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted” certainly applied to my experience when finding suitable providers for the BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis which I eventually took with QA Training. I was not disappointed with the result of my research in terms of both teaching and Value for Money. It is worth noting that traditional Classes are networking & assumption challenging opportunities, and in my experience the better providers do cater for this by allowing time in their programme and course structure for this to take place. However, my past experience when I was an employee suggets that not all training providers move very far from the Traditional “chalk and talk” model. So the research will pay dividends in the end. CLICK TWO
- JOHN SLIDE: This is a build slide: CLICK TWO Professional Development Events – I have participated in a whole set of different Professional Development events with the BCS, the APM and the IIBA. Although these this tends towards an evening presentation of the “chalk & talk’ model”, my more recent experiences at IIBA events have seen speakers try very hard to move towards a more “Mutual Learning Model” type of experience where they share their experience and try to give you an alternative and challenging perspective. PDEs are Great for networking and do challenge your assumptions and provide a wide variety of experience. Attending such events takes time and personal commitment at the end of a busy day. And although the quality of presentations can be variable my experience has been that these are generally very positive experience as the presenters are enthusiastic and highly motivated to deliver a quality product. I’m one who enjoys listening and learning from an enthusiastic amateur rather than a professional bore. Hopefully tonight’s experience is more the former than the latter!
- JOHN SLIDE: This is a build slide: Items appear in clockwise direction starting with Formal Classroom training. CLICK THREE Experiential Facilitated Training - Facilitated group session that explicitly followed the “Mutual Learning Model” (e.g. Facilitation Course, where an individual receives limited instruction, practices various techniques, and is involved in being positively critiqued both by others and by themselves); For example my colleague Mercy and I attended a Facilitation Course run by Making Projects Work Ltd, that was of this type. It was excellent, and I know that Mercy has also attended a similar Graphic courses, that was run in a similar manner. In fact her experience appeared to be so positive that I’m planning to the same course with the same providor. Talking to people and canvasing their training experiences is a good way of finding good providors.. Focus is on learning by doing and on positive reflection upon the results. “Holistic / all senses” learning Lots of challenging of assumptions and ‘soft’ networking. It helped me particularly to put formal facts and figures into context, and provided an opportunity to practice the different techniques, albeit there is only limited time for this on the course. A good courses will also provide follow up opportunities that help you to consolidate your learning and to reflect. The Making Projects Work facilitation course certainly did, by provided an online environment through which participants could follow up. There appear to be far fewer providers for this type of course, than for the traditional chalk and talk, so careful research is important to ensure that you get the sort of course you want. CLICK FOUR
- JOHN SLIDE: This is a build slide: Items appear in clockwise direction starting with Formal Classroom training. CLICK FOUR Virtual Group Mentoring - Virtual Group Mentoring (e.g. Online – home based, online learning & access to mentor & peers through webinair and conference calls) Delivered over long period of time (a year) with opportunities for interactions on a monthly basis. Deliberately follows the “Mutual Learning Model”: Structured by the mentor / facilitator. Naturally designed to challenge assumptions and misconceptions. Positively prompted to reflect and the spread out nature sessions naturally supported this. I found that I got more out when I put more effort in, but be aware the time commitment is very significant, albeit it is spread out over a longer period. Group mentoring supports network development. CLICK FIVE
- JOHN SLIDE: This is a build slide: Items appear in clockwise direction starting with Formal Classroom training. CLICK FIVE THERE ARE MANY OTHER FORMS OF TRAINING OUT THERE THAT WE HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED and , but the key point is (to miss quote the agile manifesto) “whilst there is merit in the first two (traditional & professional dev sessions), the other two were far more effective for me as a BA Contractor because they were more effective, prompted learning by doing, and provided a longer term experience”.
- JOHNS SLIDE From our experience we found …
- JOHNS SLIDE. Opportunity to collaborate with peers in a really positive and constructive manner – Having had almost 30 years in a highly structured traditional environment this was a real eye opener for mee!
- JOHNS SLIDE We were inspired by others - the facilitator of course, but also the other participants. We learned so much from each other and found our peers particularly inspirational.
- JOHNS SLIDE It provided an opportunity to network with other professionals. You may recognise some in this picture, although quite what I was doing as this shot was taken I cant remember?
- It was not just work, we had lots of fun too.
- Experiential Training goes well beyond the traditional classroom environment and did demand a‘MIND SET CHANGE’. A willingness to learn from your own and others experiences. To take positive criticism and to give it, the fact that we were prompted to reflect and critique ourselves and others in a positive and constructive manner was particularly beneficial. When I participated more fully and opened myself up to the learning opportunities I benefitted so much more.
- MERCY’s SLIDE EXPERIENTIAL TRAINING appears to be RARE but my experience was very fulfilling and very effective in developing my skills.
- MERCY’s SLIDE Virtual Group Mentoring however is VERY RARE We held monthly online interactive and facilitated webinars on topics covering: Business Processes Ideal Client Personal Branding & SO MUCH MORE
- MERCY’s SLIDE VIRTUAL GROUP MENTORING: EVERY WEEK IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT WE HIGHLIGHT OUR SUCCESSES, CHALLENGES & ANY HELP WE NEEDED FROM OUR MENTOR. I FOUND THIS VERY BENEFICIAL BECAUSE IT WAS LIKE GETTING A FREE CONSULTATION EVERY SINGLE WEEK, IF I COMPLETED IT OF COURSE. I COULD DO IT ON THE BUS TO WORK, LUNCH BREAK AND COULD COMPLETE IT ON MY PHONE TOO.
- MERCY’s SLIDE FORUM: THE FORUM WAS ALSO VERY BENEFICIAL FOR ME : WE ARE PRESENTED WITH DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES & CHALLENGED BY OUR PEERS & MENTOR. I FOUND THAT WHEN I START A NEW PROJECT & STILL TRYING TO FIND MY FEET, WHENEVER I POSTED QUESTIONS ON THE FORUM I USUALLY HAD RESPONSES BACK IN A TIMELY MANNER, I FOUND THAT PEOPLE HAD EITHER WORKED ON A SIMILAR PROJECT OR THEY SEND A LINK. I EVEN HAD ON OF OUR COLLEAGUES LEND ME AN ELECTRONIC BOOK ( I DID NOT KNOW THAT TYPE OF THING EXISTED) - - ( HAND OVER TO JOHN)
- My MSc was classic and combined “chalk and talk” university based academic education with Experiential Training And Mentoring as all good university education does. In 1996 it introduced me to all the key elements of Business Analysis at a time well before the term Business Analysis was in wide use. Since then have I have been involved in a large number of different training and development events covering a whole range of topics including PRINCE 2 Project management, DSDM (before it was Atern), SCRUM, Systems of Systems Architecture development, MODAF, Neuro Linguistic Programming, etc, etc. I have also been lucky enough to put much of that training into practice and gain experience in all these areas, some not as much as I would like It is worth highlighting that throughout the 28 years of my Service I have always been encouraged to train and develop myself, and throughout I have been formally and informally mentored by a huge range of different leaders and managers. Obviously all this training and development benefited the Service, but it also built up my confidence and encouraged me to look much further forward to the point when I would have to leave the Service, which I eventually did in February 2012. There are three major lessons I have learned since Feb 2012 which are worth sharing: CLICK ONE
- JOHNs SLIDE These are the key lessons that I have drawn from my training experiences since Feb 2012 when I fist became a BA contractor. I discovered that it was important for me to set myself Learning or Experience Goals – What did I want to get out of it? From the perspective of my Business Goals From the perspective of my Personal Goals It took me a while to realise that although as a Contractor they are similar – they are not necessarily the same! CLICK TWO
- JOHNs SLIDE These are the key lessons that I have drawn from my training experiences since Feb 2014 when I fist became a BA contractor. The Second Point is that I relearned the importance of Prioritising and Planning – even a short and simple plan on a page, is better than none. The three slides that I started this presentation with were my training and development plan I found have that I need to progressively build capability (of business & of myself – and keep the development of both in balance) I had to try hard not to over analyse & procrastinate, but to make a decision. But I really benefitted when I took time to reflect on my experiences and learnt from it! As a single Contractor I have to constantly relearn that I can only do one thing at a time – although my wife still claims that women can multitask
- JOHNs SLIDE Basic Cost Benefit Analysis – I found that it was worth writing down my basic cost / benefit assumptions to review after the event – single sheet of paper with bullets. Pros & Cons From a business perspective I now assign a limited annual budget for training myself and also allocate myself time for training and development and do not expect to earn whilst training – include that in your business plan if you can Some key thoughts: However I have also found that it is important to spread the training out so that you have the time to absorb and reflect, as well as to make time put the learning into practice. As a Contractor I have been tempted to underspend – However, I soon realised that when I invested in myself, I was driven to make the most of that investment. It has certainly benefited my business in that I believe I have had more offers. As a contractor Invest in Yourself – You are the business! Review Positively: The training. The benefit received. Reflect on what went well – what you know now that you didn’t before. Then ask What next – How can you build on your experience & learning to date? What added value can you get from the investment you have already made? I have for example tried hard to read over / revise the notes I made and the text books I used.
- Business Analysis is a relatively new Profession and there are lots of people out there developing new tools, exploring how to do things better, and continuously developing the profession. The profession is changing fast, along with information systems development. It is a practical profession as it takes real skill to ask the right questions, at the right time, to develop and write up the analysis results and to present the results in a clear succint and professional way. All these are soft skills that rely on practice and the ability to connect with people. The rise of Business Analysis Practices inside large and medium sized firms suggests that commercial firms really understand its importance. It is not just a technical profession, it is also a craft which takes a lot of hard work and practice to get right. I have learned so much in the last 4 years.
- In my later career as promotion became harder to obtain in a shrinking Army and my wife’s career took off found I found that I needed to rethink my priorities as we all do. I effectively conducted a personal analysis on my own future – I recognized that I loved the analysis much more than the project management and hence my decision to work as a BA rather than as a PM. I actively used SSM to assess my own future career as I moved out of the Army and into my new civilian career. I have used many of the skills that I have learned, particularly the elicitation, the facilitations skills, the soft systems methodology skills and the Logical Thinking Process skills of the Theory of Constraints in moving my personal development as a human being forward. For example I am now far more open to alternative viewpoints and perspectives, I have learned to reflect on my experiences and to look back on my experiences in a much more positive way than I used to do. I now learn as much from others and their experience as I do from my own experience.
- I have used the negotiating and facilitation skills I have learned at home on my wife and children, helping them to assess their future options, career decisions, to think wider and to open themselves up to the learning opportunities that exist. They have noticed that I’m much calmer and more reflective than I used to be.
- MERCY’s SLIDE After reflecting with the group, we will the presentation with this ‘QUOTE’