Business Analysis: Best Practices for Success

433 Pages·2011·5.13 MB·English

by  Steven Blais

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Business Analysis
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Business Analysis
Best Practices for Success

STEVEN P. BLAIS
JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.
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Copyright#2012byInternationalInstituteforLearning,Inc.(IIL).Allrightsreserved.
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData:
Blais,Steven.
Businessanalysis:bestpracticesforsuccess/StevenBlais.
p.cm.
Includesindex.
ISBN978-1-118-07600-2(hardback);ISBN978-1-1181-6155-5(ebk);
ISBN978-1-1181-6157-9(ebk);ISBN978-1-1181-6160-9(ebk)
1. Businessanalysts. 2. Businessplanning. 3. Organizationaleffectiveness.
I. Title.
HD69.B87B562012
0
658.4013—dc23
2011029140
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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ToSonia:Youareoneverypageandineveryword.
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Contents
Preface xv

Acknowledgments xxv
InternationalInstituteforLearning,Inc.(IIL) xxvii
PARTI THEPROBLEMSOLVER 1
CHAPTER1 WhatIsaBusinessAnalyst? 3
TheBusinessAnalystinContext 3
WhatIsItAllAbout? 4
TheRoleoftheBusinessAnalyst 5
TheBusinessAnalystintheCenter 6
BusinessAnalystFocus 8
TheIdealBusinessAnalyst 9
Last-Liners 11
Notes 11
CHAPTER2 TheEvolutionoftheBusinessAnalyst 13
TheBusinessAnalystHallofFame 13
WhereItBegan 15
InformationSystems 17
TheRiseoftheBusinessAnalyst 18
TheBusinessAnalystPosition 20
TheBusinessAnalystProfession 21
TheQuestionofCertification 24
TheChallengeofBusinessAnalystCertification 25
TheValueofCertification 26
Notes 27
vii
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viii Contents
CHAPTER3 ASenseofWhereYouAre 29
BusinessAnalystsComingfromIT 30
BusinessAnalystsComingfromtheBusinessCommunity 31
LivingwiththeBusiness 33
TheLoneRanger 35
WorkingBothSidesoftheStreet 36
CentralBusinessAnalystOrganization 37
CHAPTER4 WhatMakesaGoodBusinessAnalyst? 39
TheSkillfulBusinessAnalyst 40
IsaBusinessAnalystBornorMade? 41
SoWhatDoesItTaketo BeaBusinessAnalyst? 42
CHAPTER5 RolesoftheBusinessAnalyst 45
Intermediary 49
Filter 59
Mediator 63
Diplomat 65
Politician 68
Investigator 69
Analyst 70
ChangeAgent 72
QualityControlSpecialist 73
Facilitator 74
ProcessImprover 79
IncreasetheValueofOrganizationalBusinessProcesses 79
BuildItandTheyWillCome 80
ReducingComplexity 82
PlayingMultipleRoles 83
Notes 84
PARTII THEPLAYERS 85
CHAPTER6 TheBusinessAnalystandtheSolutionTeam 89
BusinessAnalystandProjectManager 89
BusinessAnalystandSystemsAnalyst 94
TryingtoDoAllJobs 98
BusinessAnalystandtheRestoftheSolutionTeam 100
BottomLine 107
Notes 108