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I don’t know if you are, but I am a very visual person.  When I see a diagram or process flow it helps me understand concepts quicker than reading it solely in text.  I have found that my mind just works that way and I tend to always make pictures when I am breaking down something complex or trying to understand a concept. I have found I even document my personal and professional goals visually and I do that through mind mapping.  I have found mind mapping to be a great way of brainstorming and organizing my thoughts and I want to share the magic of mind mapping with you. 

I like use cases. There, I said it, and I’m not sorry. Use cases have fallen out of fashion in recent years, being largely replaced by user stories on agile projects. The two techniques can coexist and complement each other, however.  Use cases offer several advantages that user stories lack. This article describes some of the many benefits that use cases can provide and why every business analyst (BA), product owner (PO), and software development team should include them in their tool kit.

Business Ecosystem Modeling (BEM) is one such approach that enables organizations to map, understand, and leverage the intricate web of relationships within their ecosystem to drive value. In the context of Enterprise Analysis as outlined in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK Guide), BEM becomes an essential tool for business analysts to guide strategic decision-making, ensure alignment with organizational goals, and navigate the challenges of the modern business landscape.

Regardless of the definition, decades of research show that team dynamics and qualities can sway project outcomes. Whether success is about productivity, efficiency, quality, or scope attainment, at the end of the day, it’s the team that would invest the effort to meet these expectations. Research on teamwork reveals that successful teams are psychologically safe, foster shared accountability for the outcomes of their endeavor, exercise reflective practices to facilitate continuous learning and improvement, and embrace diversity and inclusion, among other things. In this article series, we will learn how these team qualities foster a high performance environment and why they are relevant in the context of software development.

As Generative AI (Gen AI) continues to make its mark in multiple industries, the demand for business analysts capable of steering AI initiatives in the right direction has never been greater. Consider the case of an international shipping company that specializes in the door-to-door transportation of luggage and sporting equipment for traveling customers interested in avoiding the burden of dragging their heavy suitcases across the globe. The company was hoping to leverage conversational AI to improve efficiency, accuracy, and personalization of services across the customer life cycle.

Where I live, every year residents receive two water bills. One is for the fresh (tap) water supply, the other is for wastewater and maintenance of sewers. The wastewater bill is a standard tariff, and I guess most people have automatic monthly payment set up. It’s the kind of thing you “set and forget about”.  […]

The post User Stories Without Users: The Pitfalls of Assumption-Driven Design appeared first on Business Analyst Articles, Webinars, Templates, Jobs.

In today’s fast-paced business environment, artificial intelligence (AI) is often heralded as a panacea for a wide range of organizational challenges. Whether it’s optimizing supply chains, improving customer service, or enhancing decision-making processes, AI promises to revolutionize how businesses operate. However, as any seasoned project manager or business analyst knows, the reality is far more […]

The post The Mirage of AI as a Cure-All: How to Ground Executive Enthusiasm in Realistic Outcomes appeared first on Business Analyst Articles, Webinars, Templates, Jobs.

So, you think you are good at multi-tasking. Perhaps you even list it on your CV. Multi-tasking seems like a “must have” skill in this busy world we live in, but instead of helping you get-ahead, is it actually holding you back?   Multiple projects/ multiple priorities Everything is high priority, and everything is urgent. […]

The post The Myth of Multi-Tasking appeared first on Business Analyst Articles, Webinars, Templates, Jobs.

Effective process management is not something that can be built overnight but is critical to the success of process management programs. Recent research by APQC indicates that only 52% of organizations feel their process management programs are somewhat effective, and only 11% feel they are very effective. However, the survey findings also point out three […]

The post Three Keys to Building a Strong Process Management Foundation appeared first on Business Analyst Articles, Webinars, Templates, Jobs.

We’ve probably all experienced situations where there are multiple ‘right’ answers to a question. This is particularly true with questions that appear straightforward, but actually hide significant nuance. Let’s take a seemingly simple question; “Who released the song ‘The Boys of Summer’?”   If you know the answer, you might instinctively reply “Don Henly”. However, […]

The post Navigating Multiple ‘Right’ Answers in Business Analysis appeared first on Business Analyst Articles, Webinars, Templates, Jobs.

Today we meet Anna, a business analyst who has been journeying with Bridging the Gap since 2017! What we love about Anna’s story is how she found herself performing various aspects of a business analyst […]

The post From Laid Off to Mentor of Business Analysts: Anna first appeared on Bridging the Gap.

Today we meet Chad Crider, a recent participant in The Business Analyst Blueprint® training program and an Applications Analyst from CNG Inc in Ohio. With over 20 years of experience on a different career path, […]

The post Turning a Skill Set into a Repeatable Framework: Chad Crider first appeared on Bridging the Gap.

As you are growing your business analysis team and practice, it’s likely that you’ll want to put business analysis performance metrics and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) in place so that the business analysts on your […]

The post Guide to Business Analyst Performance Metrics and KPIs first appeared on Bridging the Gap.

On every successful project, you’ll find a business analyst. They may not have the business analyst job title, and they may not even be aware they are doing business analysis work, but someone is ensuring […]

The post What is a Business Analyst? – The Ultimate Guide to The Business Analyst Role, Responsibilities, Job Description, and Mindset first appeared on Bridging the Gap.

If you are looking to start a business analyst career, you may be wondering if a college, undergraduate, or bachelor’s degree is required. While I believe the answer is no – you can always create […]

The post Is A College Degree Required to Start a Business Analyst Career? first appeared on Bridging the Gap.

Effective workplace conflict resolution fosters collaboration, productivity, and psychological safety by educating teams on conflict identification, types, management language, and continuous feedback for improvement.

The post Conflict resolution training basics for Agile teams first appeared on Agile Alliance.

Research shows that DevOps enhances workplace efficiency by fostering collaboration, automating repetitive tasks, and improving both speed and productivity

The post Research shows DevOps plays a vital role in workplace efficiency first appeared on Agile Alliance.

Agile is very much alive and capable of driving positive change when its true spirit of collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement is embraced.

The post Agile’s true potential: A call for unity and collaboration first appeared on Agile Alliance.

Managing Director Teresa Foster reflects on an amazing week for the Agile community, celebrating the successful completion of Agile2024 and the European Experience in Manchester.

The post Highlights from Agile2024 & The European Experience first appeared on Agile Alliance.

To make humans the heroes of Agile again, organizations need to leverage the right tools in the right way — prioritizing these four factors: inclusivity, engagement, flexibility, and collaboration.

The post Four ways to put people at the heart of Agile practices first appeared on Agile Alliance.

Few data science projects are exempt from the necessity of cleaning data. Data cleaning encompasses the initial steps of preparing data. Its specific purpose is that only the relevant and useful information underlying the data is retained, be it for its posterior analysis, to use as inputs to an AI or machine learning model, and […]

The post Automating Data Cleaning Processes with Pandas appeared first on MachineLearningMastery.com.

In our previous exploration of penalized regression models such as Lasso, Ridge, and ElasticNet, we demonstrated how effectively these models manage multicollinearity, allowing us to utilize a broader array of features to enhance model performance. Building on this foundation, we now address another crucial aspect of data preprocessing—handling missing values. Missing data can significantly compromise […]

The post Filling the Gaps: A Comparative Guide to Imputation Techniques in Machine Learning appeared first on MachineLearningMastery.com.

Choosing a machine learning (ML) library to learn and utilize is essential during the journey of mastering this enthralling discipline of AI. Understanding the strengths and limitations of popular libraries like Scikit-learn and TensorFlow is essential to choose the one that adapts to your needs. This article discusses and compares these two popular Python libraries […]

The post Comparing Scikit-Learn and TensorFlow for Machine Learning appeared first on MachineLearningMastery.com.

This post will demonstrate the usage of Lasso, Ridge, and ElasticNet models using the Ames housing dataset. These models are particularly valuable when dealing with data that may suffer from multicollinearity. We leverage these advanced regression techniques to show how feature scaling and hyperparameter tuning can improve model performance. In this post, we’ll provide a […]

The post Scaling to Success: Implementing and Optimizing Penalized Models appeared first on MachineLearningMastery.com.

The battle against fraud has become more intense than it ever has been. As transactions become increasingly digital and complex, fraudsters are constantly devising new ways to exploit vulnerabilities in financial systems. And this is where the power of machine learning comes into play. Machine learning offers a robust approach to identifying and even preventing […]

The post Tips for Using Machine Learning in Fraud Detection appeared first on MachineLearningMastery.com.

One of the things I’ve learned the hard way is to always clarify what people mean when they use terms and jargon. One that is particularly fresh in my mind is MVP, which you will probably know stands for Minimum Viable Product. I know there are formal definitions of what MVP means. The first time… 

The post MVP or Useless Pile of Garbage? first appeared on Adrian Reed's Blog.

It may surprise you to know that my first ever job was as an assistant groundsperson in an industrial estate. For those of you unfamiliar with what a ‘groundsperson’ does, it’s essentially a job that involves maintaining just about everything that is outside, including gardening, roads, and so much more.  With such a varied role,… 

The post Lessons from the MultiVac: The Importance of Context in Business Analysis first appeared on Adrian Reed's Blog.

When considering buying or designing a new product, it is often the functionality that dominates the conversation. Cast your mind back to the day that you got your first smartphone. If you’re anything like me, you were excited about the new features that you’d be able to use: suddenly there was the ability to send… 

The post It’s Functionally Fantastic, But We Still Hate It: The Importance Of NFRs first appeared on Adrian Reed's Blog.

We recently had some (relatively minor) repairs done on the roof of our house. If you’ve ever had to arrange repair work on a house, you’ll know that the process can be tricky. It’s necessary to find a credible and reputable tradesperson, and then actually get a quote and arrange a date. What is made… 

The post Defining “Finished”: Don’t Leave Trash In The Forecourt first appeared on Adrian Reed's Blog.

One area where BAs can add significant value is in the early stages of a project or product development initiative.  All too often, initiatives start out without a clear agreement on why change is necessary in the first place. Different stakeholders might have subtly (or vastly) different perspectives on what is wrong and what success… 

The post Navigating the Why: The Essential Role of Product Vision and Coherence first appeared on Adrian Reed's Blog.