The business analysis digest #31 is here!
Hello there! Welcome to the Business Analysis Digest #31, with the best business analysis (and related topics) articles of the previous weeks, 20.02 – 05.03, 2023.
Business Analysis Articles
What is a SWOT analysis and how to do it correctly by Anastasiia Strielkina
This article explains the meaning and importance of SWOT analysis. It describes how to conduct it correctly, step by step, and how to analyze the results. The author gives some tips on making the analysis more effective and concludes by emphasizing that a well-done SWOT analysis can benefit a company.
How big is that change request, really? by Karl Wiegers
The answer to that question could affect how much effort your team needs to put into it. This article explores how to size change requests and provides a framework that can help you estimate the impact of a change request on a project. By following this framework, generously offered by Karl Wiegers, you can ensure that you allocate resources appropriately and manage stakeholders’ expectations.
The Ultimate List of Living Resources for Product Management by Salman Farisi
The article provides a comprehensive list of living resources for product management, including books, podcasts, blogs, and communities. It aims to help product managers stay current with the latest trends and best practices in the field. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced PM, the article offers something to help you develop your skills and knowledge.
How to make UX more visible: the power of the medium-fidelity design by Kai Wong
The article discusses how to make UX more visible by using medium-fidelity designs. The author argues that medium-fidelity designs can provide a clearer picture of the user experience and help stakeholders better understand the product. By using these types of designs, we can receive feedback earlier in the design process, saving time and money.
10 Survey Challenges and How to Avoid Them by NN Group
This article discusses ten common challenges in creating effective surveys, including unclear goals, bias, and poor question design. It offers practical solutions for each challenge, such as setting specific goals, testing questions before deployment, and avoiding leading or loaded questions. The article emphasizes the importance of creating clear, focused, designed surveys with the user in mind.
How to nail your next requirements workshop by Sergiu Pocan
The article explains how to effectively conduct a requirements workshop by setting clear objectives, preparing an agenda, involving the right people, and managing discussions. It highlights the importance of eliciting and prioritizing requirements and documenting and validating them. The author stresses the need to keep the session focused and engaging to ensure a successful outcome. Overall, it’s a massive article with tons of helpful information.
Ten essential books for IT architecture by Shashi Sastry
I am no architect, but this one seems so cool! In this article, Shashi Sastry shares ten essential books for IT architects to enhance their knowledge and expertise. The books range from introductory to advanced levels and cover various areas such as enterprise architecture, cloud computing, security, and more. These books provide insights into best practices and effective strategies for designing and implementing IT systems.
3 types of Business Analysts you want to know before putting yourself into one by Bhavini Sapra
This article explores three types of business analysts: Strategic, Tactical, and Operational. Strategic analysts focus on long-term planning, while Tactical analysts concentrate on short-term, actionable tasks. Operational analysts are responsible for day-to-day tasks, such as monitoring performance metrics. Understanding these different types of business analysts can help you determine which suits your skills and interests best.
Four more core software requirements practices by Karl Wiegers
In this article, Karl Wiegers shares four core requirements practices that can help business analysts succeed in their projects. These practices include managing the backlog, writing user stories, defining acceptance criteria, and prioritizing requirements. Karl provides practical tips and examples for each method, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and communication among the team members. I personally could not agree more with the latter – being a requirements communication bridge between stakeholders is a cornerstone of business analysis. Overall, this article is a helpful guide for businesses analysts looking to improve their requirements practices.
Creating effective personas by Dmitry Vanitski, a.k.a. Vanilla Thunder
Personas are a powerful tool for understanding and empathizing with users. We should collect and analyze real user data to create effective personas, identify and group user characteristics, and create fictional personas that embody their target users. Effective personas should be grounded in actual data, detailed, and memorable, with each persona representing a specific segment of the target user base. Personas should be used throughout the design process to inform decisions and ensure that designs meet real users’ needs. We should also be open to updating and refining personas as they gather new data and insights.
Upcoming business analysis events
🗓️ 22.03, 5 PM UTC+1. Join Pamela Paterson in this event from IIBA to learn the key techniques for effective interviewing as a business analyst to elicit stakeholder information. As a senior IT business analyst and communications professional, she will share her expertise in researching, planning, and preparing for various interviews, identifying the appropriate question types, and building trust and rapport with stakeholders. You will also learn how to document responses accurately and efficiently and layer elicitation and sequence questions effectively.
That’s all I wanted to share in this Business Analysis Digest #31, with the best business analysis (and related topics) articles of the previous weeks, 20.02 – 05.03, 2023. Be sure to subscribe to keep posted with the best business analysis content!
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