This document discusses effective communication strategies for business analysts. It emphasizes the importance of understanding stakeholders' social networks and communication preferences. The key points are: 1) Conduct a social network analysis to map stakeholders' relationships and understand who influences whom. Identify central and peripheral figures. 2) Analyze stakeholders' communication styles, preferences for visual vs. auditory information, and preferred channels. Tailor your approach accordingly. 3) Use a variety of tools - from diagrams and prototypes to workshops and storyboards - to accommodate different learning styles and maximize understanding.

1. Communication and Connectedness in Business Analysis Maria Horrigan Principal Consultant BA World Sept 2009

2. Slideshare and blogswww.slideshare.com/murphwww.barocks.comZenagile.wordpress.com@miahorri# BAWorld09 , #SNA

3. Information and knowledgeHuman absorptive capacityGrowthTimeCohen & Levinthal 1989A world of rapidly growing knowledge ….

4. ....that is increasingly connectedlocalnetworksoldcolleagues..and is just a click awaycolleaguesat other officesnew friendsfamilylocalcolleaguesold friendsvirtualcommunities old classmates

5. Modern IT Application ProjectsPeople demand to be heardPeople expect to be involvedPeople’s expectations of how good systems are is based on their experience of modern internet ..that means the Google World - Gmail, Google Search, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube of the “Nintendo” generation

6. What does their expectation mean?Project success hinges on communicating with people:To understand what they wantTo set expectations about what the project will actually deliver (and what it won’t)To show them how the project will help them in their workTo uncover what they need . . .

7. …sometimes they don’t know what they need

8. What’s their requirement of you?Knowing how to talk to people & get the info you need to write requirementsEffectively negotiating with important stakeholdersGetting the right messages to the right people at the right timeAn understanding of both the ‘big picture’ and the detail Understand the context & the situation

9. Role of Business Analyst is key!The Communicator The TranslatorThe Juggler of technology and people’s needsThe one between the rock and a hard placeThe Connector (bridge)

10. How do we do all this Communications Stuff Effectively?Analysethe stakeholders needs and wants, how they are connected and whyUnderstand how they communicate, their preference and styleLearnthe project in the context of people’s work and how this fits into the wider organisational context

11. analyse stakeholdersTheir needs and wants, their connections to others

12. “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”Me and Bill GatesMe and Brad

13. Analysing “who is who in the zoo”Who to talk toWho has influenceWho knows the business needs What drives & motivates people’s work behaviour How to talk to them How to tailor the communication to these different people

14. Multiplicity of networks official vs. unofficialAdvice - Who do you go to for advice? Who goes to you for advice?Collaboration - Who do you collaborate with?How do you collaborate (social media)Trust - Who do you trust?Who is your friend?Conflict - Who is a blocker or gatekeeper?

15. Social Networking AnalysisMathematical, graphical, theoretical understanding of the social worldMapping, understanding, analysing and measuring interactions across a network of people, groups, organisations, computers, and websitesUncovers networks and their structures Identifies flows of information & knowledgeFosters knowledge sharing

16. Understanding Social Networks the location of actors in the networkthe various roles and groupings in a network Gives insight into:who are the connectors, experts, leaders, bridges, isolates, the core or hub?where are the clusters and who is in them?who is on the periphery?

17. Six Degrees of Separation

18. Formal organizationInformalorganizationUncovering networks in organisationsTeigland et al. 2005

19. Centrality : revealing network structure Very centralized network dominated by one or a few very central nodes, if removed, network fragments & fails Less centralized network resilient in the face of attacks, many nodes can fail yet allow remaining to still reach each other Boundary Spanners connect their group to others, positioned to be innovators as have access to ideas/info in other clusters Periphery of a network may connect to networks not currently mapped, important sources for fresh information

20. Dimensions to effective use of a Network Knowledge - Knowing what someone knowsAccess - Gaining timely access to that personEngagement - Creating viable knowledge through cognitive engagementSafety - Learning from a safe relationshipCross, Parker and Borgatti, 2002

21. Use of SNA to model users’ network and map the relationships between people, groups, organisations and information.Case Study

22. Context - New System to support assessment of applications for fundingStarted with waterfall analysis (2 years of gathering requirements)No idea what the end solution would be like (very political, high profile project)Processes not well documentedLarge organisational change projectExternal industry pressure for it to happen

23. Problem to be solvedMultiple stakeholders across silosInformation flows between individuals and groups not well knownLimited documentation of information and processes (in people’s heads)Terminology and Language issues

24. What we didDesign team adopted an agile approachPartnered BAs with IA to lead three streams of activities SNA of key players (needed to know the information needs of these key users)Needed “skinny” documentation to quickly convey understanding to stakeholders of the key features of the system and its processes and the flow of information

25. Project Case Studyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network_analysis_software

26. Degree of Centrality in NetworkHub has most connections – authority gainedIt not the “more connections the better”, but where they lead to…..and how they connect the otherwise unconnected

27. Centrality and BetweennessGreat influence over what flows (and does not)“location location location”Broker role between Business and IT

28. Centrality and ClosenessShortest path to all others – gives quick accessExcellent position to monitor info flowsBest visibility of what is happening in the network

29. Project Case StudySupporterKey UserGatekeeperInfluencerBoundary SpannerProject ChampionKey decision makerFacilitatorPotential blockerTrusted advisorPeripheryKey User

30. Access to more Knowledge and Info… but of course these are just a subsection of the networked organisationMap shows 1st & 2nd degree relationships Someone on the periphery of your network may have access to many other networks within the organisation

31. What did I learnGetting the right people involved can be the difference between success & failureTake the time to do upfront stakeholder analysis & plan the stakeholder activities Build the team based on JIT assessment of what’s needed for the project – works well when you know who is who Involve users in validation will increase adoption of and buy-in to the final solution

32. Need to know the Team Capability & Tailor Communication to meet their needsWhat competencies do they bring to the teamWhat is the role of the BA?Who else in the wider network could help contribute to the solution?

33. Communicate Lesson LearnedLessons learned

34. Project Six Degrees of SeparationYou may only be one or two degrees away from some who know the info you needProject teams can be connected and lessons learnt and reuse made possible

35. Leveraging CentralityLeverage project champions Understand who might be “blockers” or “gatekeepers” Find the “go to people” to elicit infoDon’t reinvent the wheelCommunicate - understand their lessons learnt to improve likelihood of success Know who to communicate key messages

36. Now we know who, we need to know how…..How they communicate, their preference for style & communication channelsUnderstanding stakeholders

37. Understanding ‘how’ to CommunicateStyle preferencePerson’s orientation towards process vs. results Need for recognition vs. need for securityCommunication Channels preferenceVisual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic What type of medium for the message How best to document and display the information

38. Style People oriented

39. Animated

40. Creative

41. Outgoing

42. Goal oriented

43. Assertive

44. Task & information focusedTTalkersDDriverstaskpeopleSSupportersCControllers Logical

45. Information & task focus

46. Detail

47. Cautious & risk averse

48. People oriented

49. Team players

50. Dependable

51. StableKnow your own style & preferenceStakeholders may have a very different style to me “Driver”/“Controller” – analytical & results focused, need to bring people along rather than trying to push too hardUse the strengths of your style & adapt to the different stakeholders on a projectNo particular style is better than anotherContextual and situational so be flexible

52. Communication ChannelsPeople learn different waysV= Visual (Something ‘seen’ or visual stimulation)Need a graphic representation A= Auditory (A ‘sound’ memory or related to a soundNeed to hear the explanation of how things workK= Kinaesthetic (Has a ‘doing’ memory, feeling the emotion or activity of the memoryNeed to use the system to understand

53. ActivityWrite 5 words or phrases that relate to the words: Beach and OceanPlace a V, an A, or a K against each:V=visual (Something ‘seen’ or had visual stimulation) e.g. See the blue sky, see children playing in the waterA=Auditory (A ‘sound’ memory or related to a sound e.g. Hear the waves against the shoreK=Kinaesthetic (Has a ‘doing’ memory & you thought of yourself feeling the emotion) e.g. Feel the sun and the sand, the taste of salt

54. How to support learning in users

55. V, A or K ? – Context DiagramVisual

56. V, A or ?- PrototypesVisualExploring prototype in workshop is Kinaesthetic

57. V, A or K? – Business Process MapVisual

58. V, A or K? – PresentationAuditoryCan be Visual and Kinaesthetic

59. V, A or K? – StoryboardingKinaestheticVisual

60. V, A or K ? - WorkshopKinaesthetic

61. V, A or K ? - Use CasesVisual

62. storyboardsuse case referenceuser experiencebusiness processpersonassystem objects/page types requiredrequirements listsAgile - Requirements “On a Page”Caters to most styles & channel preferences

63. How they LearnBest BA Tools: Context Diagrams

64. Process maps

65. Presentations (animation and diagrams)

66. Prototypes

67. StoryboardsBest BA Tools: Discuss User scenarios (their story)

68. Presentations

69. PodcastsBest BA Tools: Prototypes

70. Workshops

71. UAT (User Acceptance Testing)Know the project in the context of people’s work and how this fits into the wider organisational contextLearn the Context

72. Business Context of the ProjectCritical to understand business needsLook at the project within context of the organisation and the business unitEnterprise Analysis vs. Business AnalysisIt’s not about You! It’s about UsersAlways ask if what you are doing is adding value and how does it link back to the strategy

73. Understanding the Business is Good CommunicationIT is now part of the business - every program, every initiative, will have some touch point with technologySuccess depends on anticipation of future trends , ability to sense upcoming developments and to design appropriate systems and processes Resolving misunderstandings about requirements Uncovering needs vs. wants

74. What needs to be consideredNot just about the technology

75. Take home messagesConclusions

76. Conclusions

77. Take Home messagesProjects can be more successful if:You take the time to analyse the people, relationships, connections between themYou understand communication preferences will vary amongst stakeholdersAre flexible and adapt your style and channel to you audienceCommunicate as have a key role as translator to bridge the gap between technology and the work people need to do Get the right people working on the solution

78. Applying SNA and CommunicationsChoose the right channel based on users style and preferencesMakes sure you have the right team with the right skillsMakes sure your deliverables match these preferences

79. ”No one knows everything, everyone knows something, all knowledge resides in humanity ”Networks Lévy 1997

80. Fin.Maria Horrigan Principal ConsultantEmail:Maria.horrigan@oakton.com.auBlog: www.barocks.com zenagile.worpress.comSlideshare:www.slideshare.com/murphTwitter: @miahorri