I wanted to introduce you to the cause and effect clock as a workshop tool for coaches Why do you need a new clock thing anyway? I have been putting together some rough playbooks for agile coaches lately. Not real guides but some rough notes for a couple of groups. In particular, I have been… Continue reading The cause and effect clock for agile coaches
Category: Idea management
A mechanical approach for a BA on an agile project
Recently I wrote a mechanical guide for testers on agile projects, but what about business analysts? Well it is a bit controversial. I think you can get a lot of value out of having a BA on an agile project (see my comments here for example). But others think it is bad luck to have a… Continue reading A mechanical approach for a BA on an agile project
A good video on Jobs to Be Done
We all want to be more customer focused and closer to the customer. All that sounds great, but it assumes that we have some idea of who the customer is and what they want. So maybe we should list our customers by customer segment. Let's see - I am James and I am a customer… Continue reading A good video on Jobs to Be Done
Is it enough to say that the BA is the “universal translator” between business and IT?
I often hear that we need a business analyst to translate what the business people say, so that technical people understand them. Then, I am told we need the BA to then translate what the technical people say, so that the business people understand them. I guess it goes something like this: It sounds good,… Continue reading Is it enough to say that the BA is the “universal translator” between business and IT?
The humble trade-off matrix
I have been doing some business analyst training recently and I spoke about a "trade-off matrix" a couple of times. A couple of people have asked for a good link to explain what one is and why they are so cool. So I looked on the web and couldn't find anything decent enough to send… Continue reading The humble trade-off matrix
The dark art of politics – do you need values or a brand to win battles?
Some people believe that if you are evil then you have no values and that you will be good at office politics, but that if you are good then you will have strong values and be really bad at office politics. I believe that regardless of whether you are good or evil, you will be… Continue reading The dark art of politics – do you need values or a brand to win battles?
Focusing questions and project charters are great, but where do you start?
I am starting a bunch of small projects at the moment and people are rushing to help define the solutions. That is great but I am (as always) nervous that we are providing solutions before we really understand what we want to solve. I like to define the problem (or vision) and then a rough… Continue reading Focusing questions and project charters are great, but where do you start?
Can I add more scope and still deliver on time? Or should I Scamper
I often seem to face the same problem - how can I reduce my resources, increase my scope, improve quality and go faster? The best answer is - be clear on what you really want and decrease your scope. Sadly that is the opposite of what people want to hear, but usually delivering the right… Continue reading Can I add more scope and still deliver on time? Or should I Scamper
Preparing for a stakeholder interview part two – using the GRIFT model
The goal of your interview is the single most important thing to know before the interview, but it is also useful to know a bit more about what you are hoping to achieve before you start the interview. So that is where I use the powerful "GRIFT" model to do my preparations. Actually it is… Continue reading Preparing for a stakeholder interview part two – using the GRIFT model
Preparing for a stakeholder interview part one – setting a clear goal
You might be surprised to find out that people often turn up to interview a stakeholder with little or no preparation. You would probably not be surprised to find out though, that when the interviewer is poorly prepared, the interview results in a conversation without a real resolution and the interviewer has missed an opportunity… Continue reading Preparing for a stakeholder interview part one – setting a clear goal
James King 