Twenty first century ba leadership from the tactical to the strategic

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By Christian D. Kobsa

21st Century Business Analysis

Leadership –

An Introduction

From the Tactical to the Strategic

Table of Content

The Global Status Quo

IBM’s Global CEO Study

Organizational Realities

Unprecedented Changes

IBM Report on Winning CEO Approaches

The 21st Century Business Model

Creative Leadership Model for Innovation

Business Analyst Capability Model

Strategic / Innovative Business Analysis

Qualities of A Strategic / Innovative BA

Identify Complexity Dimensions

Project Cycle Models

Project Complexity / Cycle Map

Diplomacy in Business Analysis

2By Christian D. Kobsa

The Global Status Quo


Environmental

Pressures

Economic

Turbulence

Stubborn

Recession

Intractable

Societal Changes

High

Unemployment

Increased

Poverty

Uncompromising

Complexity

Fierce

Competition

Changing Business

Ecosystem

IBM’s Global CEO Study

“The biggest challenge CEOs are facing is the network of

complexities brought about by the Internet and the

global economy. The CEOs further stated that their

organizations are not equipped to effectively manage this

uncompromising complexity, because they do not have

the creative leaders that are needed.”

- Samuel J. Palmisano, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Offices, IBM Corporation


Organizational Realities


Emergence of a global economic and information network.

Transition to information based organizations.

Marginalization of traditional hierarchical structures.

Development of virtual sets of connections and partnerships.

Creation of complex relationships based on: alliances with

strategic suppliers; networks of customers; partnerships with key

political groups; regulatory entities; etc…

Increased performance pressure.

Business processes and supporting technology is becoming more

interconnected, interdependent, and interrelated than ever

before.

Unprecedented Changes


Increasing global competition.

Continuous time-to-market compression.

Ongoing and rapidly changing technologies.

Uncompromising organizational and technological

complexity.

Corporate inertia.

Significantly more complex business systems and

consumer products.

IBM Report on Winning CEO Approaches


Embody Creative Leadership:“CEOs now realize that creativity trumps other leadership characteristics. Creative leaders are comfortable with ambiguity and experimentation. To connect with and inspire a new generation, they lead and interact in entirely new ways.”

Reinvent Customer Relationship:“Customers have never had so much information or so many options. CEOs are making "getting connected" to customers their highest priority to better predict and provide customers with what they really want.”

Build Operational Dexterity:“CEOs are mastering complexity in countless ways. They are redesigning operating strategies for ultimate speed and flexibility. They embed complexity that creates value in elegantly simple products, services and customer interactions.”

The 21st Century Business Model


More leadership, less management.

More collaboration, less hierarchy.

More team efforts versus individual efforts.

More cross-pollination; less organizational silos.

More agility; quickly adjusting to market developments.

More flexibility; adjusting to market development w/o loosing

customers and profits.

Efficient and effective resource allocations to new opportunities.

Creative Leadership Model for Innovation


Complex

Project Managers

Business Architects

and Visionaries

Enterprise

Business

Analyst

Solutions Architect

Business Analyst Capability Model


From Tactical to Strategic Business Analysis

GoalEnhanced Business

Operation

Meeting Business

ObjectivesExecuting Business Strategy

Creating New Business

Strategy

Focus Operations / Support Project Enterprise Competitive

Project

Type

Complexity low; continues

process, product, and/or

technology improvements

Complexity moderate; new

development, improving

process, product, and/or

technology

Complexity high; dealing

with programs and

portfolios improving

multiple processes,

products, and/or

technologies

Complexity high;

innovation projects to

improve competitive

advantage and

translation of strategy

into new, even

paradigm changing

processes and/or

technologies

Leadership

Type

Generalist; Business /

System Specialist; Product

Manager

Entry Level / Senior PMs /

BAs

Business Domain Experts;

IT System Experts;

Entry Level / Senior PMs /

BAs

Enterprise Change Experts;

Program and Portfolio

Managers; Senior and

Enterprise PMs

Strategists; Business /

Technology

Optimization Experts;

Innovation, Cultural

Change, R&D Experts

Results

Operational business

process and system

continually improved adding

value

Creation of new solutions

that meet project level

business objectives

Investments into the most

valuable initiatives

realizing the business

benefits forecasted

New strategy

formulated; optimized

business / technology;

competitive position

improved

Strategic / Innovative Business Analysis


Strategic / innovative business analysis focuses

on:

Enterprise business analysis.

Emphasizing Business and technology

optimization.

Creation of innovative solutions.

Creation of a competitive advantage.

Being an emotionally intelligent leader.

Qualities of A Strategic / Innovative BA

Share the project leadership role with the project manager.

Create and lead innovative requirements integration teams.

Influence, sway, and persuade groups and individuals to focus on

creativity.

Embrace uncertainty and ambiguity.

Take risks that disrupt legacy models.

Reject traditional project management styles.

Get close to customers; bring them into the process.

Use cost-benefits tradeoffs based on customer value.

Insist on innovation; be unsatisfied with “business as usual”.


Identify Complexity Dimensions

Project Complexity Dimensions: Size / Cost / Time

Team Composition and Past Performance

Urgency and Flexibility of Cost, Time and Scope

Clarity of Problem, Opportunity, Solution

Requirements Volatility and Risk

Strategic Importance, Political Implications, Stakeholders

Level of Change

Risks, Dependencies, and External Constraints

Level of IT Complexity


Project Cycle Models

Three basic category types exist:

LinearThe business problem or opportunity, and the solution are clearly understood. No major

changes are anticipated. The effort is viewed as routine.

AdaptiveThe business problem, opportunity, and solution are unclear. The schedule is

aggressive.

ExtremeNot just the business problem, but the overall business objectives are unclear. The

solution is undefined.


Project Complexity / Cycle Map


Independent Highly

Complex

Moderately

Complex

Predictability Uncertainty

Linear Iterative Adaptive Extreme

Few Pieces

Complete

Unambiguous

Explainable

Order

Routine

Low Tech

Unhurried

Low Skills

Continuity

Knowledge

Assumptions

Newness

Pace

Understanding

Probability

Messiness

Behavior

Integration

Choices

Inexplicable

Uncontrollable

Unknown unknowns

Discontinuous

Uncertainty

Disorder

Novel

High Tech

Intricate

High Skill

Diplomacy in Business Analysis

Learn to Flex Your Communication Style

Choose Your Words Carefully

Listen, Think, and Be Open

Relax Your Body and Your Face

Be Persuasive

Show Appreciation

See the Other’s Persons Point of View


References


White Papers:

The Business Capability Map: The “Rosetta Stone” of Business / IT Alignment (William Ulrich, Michael Rosen)

Business Capability Modeling: Building the Hierarchy (Len Greski)

Business Capability Management: Your Key to The Boardroom (Ulrich Kalex)

Business Capability Modeling: Theory & Practice

Academic Papers:

TBD

Professional Magazines: TBD

Books:

Enterprise Architecture As Strategy – Creating a Foundation for Business Execution (Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill,

David C. Robertson)

Emotional Intelligence and Projects (Nicholas Clarke, Ranse Howell)

Enterprise Business Architecture – The Formal Link between Strategy and Results (Ralph Whittle, Conrad B.

Myrick)

Websites:

http://www.beyondrequirements.com/business-value-models/

http://www.projecttimes.com/

http://agilemethodology.org/

http://agilemethodology.org/

Appendix


A1 – Project Complexity Model

A1 – Project Complexity Model


…model diagram goes here…