Business Analysis Live!

In this episode, hosts Susan Moore and Scott Bennett talk with the organizers and speakers from the 2024 IIBA Soft Ed Festival of Business Analysis. The conference organizers, Briana Ertanin and Luigi Bini, along with the planning team, share how they used the 3 I's—Innovate, Inspire, and Ignite—to set the vision for the event.   Then, we chat with three of the many speakers, Jen Battan, Glenn...

In this episode of Business Analysis Live!, Scott and Susan talk with business architect, Breanne Casteel. They talk about business architecture, highlighting its critical role in connecting strategic vision with operational execution. Breanne shares the skills required for a business architect, her transition from business analysis, and the process of building effective business architecture. The...

In this episode, hosts Susan and Scott are joined by Mohsen Akhavannia, to discuss practical strategies for communicating effectively with AI tools like ChatGPT. Drawing parallels from business analysis, they explore how to formulate queries using natural, providing context, and asking follow-up questions to optimize AI interactions and get the outputs you want. Whether you're new to AI or loo...

In this episode, we talk about the power of visual communication in business analysis. We are joined by Paddy Dhanda of the Superpowers School podcast and frequent speaker on visual communication with his colleague, Grant Wright (who has not able to join for this episode). Visual communication is all a component of visual thinking. Paddy talks about why visual thinking is important and how you can...

Are Business Analysis Roles the Gateway to Project Management? Discover How BA Skills Can Propel You into Leadership! Wondering if your skills as a business analyst could open doors to leadership opportunities? Join us in this week's episode as we talk with speaker, educator and business analysis practice lead, Priyanka Agrawal, about how you can leverage your business analysis skills in forma...

Is there just one way to do business analysis? Is there a right way? How do we bring together all these techniques and tasks to achieve the right outcomes? Susan and Scott chat with Howard Podeswa about how to do business analysis work. Howard is an author of three books for business analysis professionals (see list below). You can follow Howard on LinkedIn. Howard's Books: - The Business Anal...

Susan and Scott talk with Eno Eka, Founder of Business Analysis School , about the Global State of Business Analysis (GSBA), the report from IIBA's annual survey that shares insights from business analysis professionals from all over the world. Resources: The video version of this podcast includes the report slides. Get a free GSBA infographic of the report. IIBA members have access to the ful...

In this episode of our podcast, Susan and Scott discuss the recent book launch of Futureproof: Amplifying Agility with AI and Insightful Business Analysis focusing on AI and business analysis. They are joined by Angela Wick and Tim Coventry, authors of the book, who share insights on the urgency of business analysis in an AI environment, the AI Accelerator Framework, and the upskilling needed for...

Scott and Susan interview Jenn Bedell, business analysis practitioner, speaker and IIBA Regional Deputy Director, as she shares insights about managing requirements. In this podcast she discusses the importance of thorough exploration, stakeholder collaboration, and understanding project goals to uncover and prioritize requirements as why we need to manage and track requirements over the life of t...

Ever wondered how organizations bridge the gap between IT and business operations? You'll discover the intriguing journey of business architects as they navigate through different departments, from IT to strategy, in pursuit of organizational excellence. Join Scott and Susan and special guest, Roger Burlton, business architecture practitioner, author, speaker and trainer, as we answer the ques...

How can neuroscience research help us be better communicators, better leaders and build better relationships? Scott Helmers joins Scott and Susan for a rich discussion on some methods and principles that can make us more aware of how we, and others, think. RESOURCES: - Contact Scott Helmers - Scott@VisioStepByStep.com - Connect with Scott on Linkedin - Scott's LinkedIn Learning courses Do you...

What do we mean by nimble? Is that just another word for agile or does it mean something else? According to our guests, Fabricio Laguna and Filip Hendrickx, it is a way of thinking about an organization's ability to sense and respond with speed and precision. Learn more about nimble, how it applies to organizations and how business analysts can be nimble. You can meet Fabricio Laguna and Filip...

In this episode, we dive into artificial intelligence and the role it plays in business analysis with our guest, Vince Mirabelli. Get ready for an insightful conversation on leveraging AI to enhance your BA skills and improve efficiency. Here are some highlights from the episode: 🔹 The role of AI in business analysis and its potential impact 🔹 The importance of getting started with AI and overco...

Susan and Scott are joined by special guest Tamara Copple, Product Owner for Children International, to talk about Working with Developers. Key take-aways: When working with developers (or software engineers), do your homework . Bring your research and be prepared to share what you've learned about the problem or opportunity to get the developer up to speed. Provide business context . As a bus...

In this episode, Susan and Scott delve into the importance of kindness and empathy in the field of business analysis. Our guest, kindness advocate, business analysis professional and author, Jane Osemwegie, shares her insights on how kindness can positively impact our professional communication. We also discuss the role of empathy in understanding and connecting with clients and colleagues, and ho...

After over 50 episodes of Business Analysis Live, Susan & Scott look back at the most popular episodes and a fun event in Las Vegas that didn't make it into a Business Analysis Live episode. As always, we answer your questions live during our broadcast! You can view this podcast on YouTube Find the top podcasts we mentioned plus more at our Spotify homepage ! Do you have questions about th...

Join Susan and Scott as they talk about to how to best work with teams across different cultures. They talk with the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) Account Managers from around the globe to get advice and practical tips: - Europe - Andy Grazebrook - Africa & Middle East - Koketso Chaba - India - Suvarna Veluthakkal - Asia, Pacific - Xavier Treguer - Latin America & Sou...

"Business Analysts are professional learners." Learning is a key skill (or is it a trait?) in business analysis, given that we often find ourselves in scenarios with limited information. Teaching is also important to the work we do. Do you know the differences between learning and teaching and how to incorporate these skills into your business analysis work? Susan and Scott are joined by...

Susan and Scott chat with a new business analysis professional, Sachin Bhoria, about his experience preparing for and landing his first job in business analysis. Sachin has been in his role for over a year now and shares his perspective as a new business analysis professional. Resources: Entry Certificate to Business Analysis (ECBA) Certification - https://www.iiba.org/business-analysis-certificat...

Susan Moore and Scott Bennett are joined by guest speaker Mindy Bohannon, to delve into the challenges of difficult conversations. They share their own reactions and triggers when faced with such conversations and discuss how to approach them in a productive and empathetic manner. Mindy highlights the role of empathy in diffusing tension and getting everyone back on the same page. The hosts and gu...

Influencing is an advanced communication skill that is helpful for change management in the business analysis field. Susan and Scott talk with guests that have had success with influencing skills. Abigail Gaddy and Heath Butler share the benefits of using influencing skills as well as the potential pitfalls if it’s overused. Business analysts often need to work with various stakeholders, including...

A Business Model Canvas is an analysis technique in the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK Guide) and is a technique taught in business schools.  Susan and Scott talk with Connor Estabrooks, who is a recent MBA graduate, to discuss how the Business Model Canvas is used to analyze a business, or part of a business.   The discussion is framed around the nine parts of the Business Model Canva...

How you do you effectively manage the backlog?  Susan and Scott talk with Steve Adolph, one of the authors of The Rock Crusher, about were backlogs fail to deliver on their value.  They chat about where the Analyst role fits in this agile space to meet the needs of the team and organization.   In the book, it describes “Many organizations eliminated analyst roles in their rush to adopt agile as a...

Susan and Scott talk to the organizers of the Festival of Business Analysis in Australia about the 3 E’s of business analysis.  They also talk with three of the speakers that will be at the festival in person and online to get a sense of what to expect from this conference. 1) Evolve – Sam Bowtell, who will be speaking about effective hybrid working techniques 2) Empathise – Phil Delalande, focusi...

In our recent livestream discussion, we talked with Laura Brandenburg from Bridging the Gap about transferable skills. This is for both the aspiring business analysis professional and the experienced professional looking to grow their team. We started the discussion about crafting resumes. To highlight transferrable skills, we should prioritize showcasing our achievements over merely listing respo...