Keyword Based Reading...what's that again?

I am republishing this post which already appeared on one of my other blogs. I think as Business Analyst's we have to think on our toes and many a times we have to be able to grasp a new domain or knowledge base in a short span of time...so the below technique might be helpful to many of the BAs out there...I hope! :-)

You must have all heard about ‘Keyword based Searching’, ‘Keyword based Testing’ etc. ‘Keyword based Reading’ is a new phrase coined by Moi…This is a technique which will help you to read up on stuff and get specialized in a orderly way and also harnesses the power of the Internet as you all know we are not living in the age where we just had to depend on the neighborhood library for our daily dose of knowledge. You can use this technique if you are currently working on building your skill-set for the job market or even if you just want to build up your knowledge in a particular field. This technique uses the power of the Internet to sharpen your skills. It is something which everybody already does but I am just putting it in a package...and this is something which works for me…atleast… J


So the process goes like this. Say you want to learn more about the field of Testing.


So as a first step do a research on the set of all the keywords related to the field...in this case System Testing, Unit Testing, Black-box testing, Functional Testing, Regression Testing...etc. So once you have gathered a good set to start from proceed to the next step. Keep this set at a high level and do not have words which are very specific to a sub-field within…


The next step would be to take each keyword and research on the Internet. So document each keyword and the relevant links associated to each of them. It is always good to have a mix of the below for each keyword:


- General info sites like wikis

- Sites with people who have blogged/discussed on the topics

- Sites with podcasts, videos on topics like Youtube, ...

- Sites with white papers

- Sites with online books (good to have a subscription with sites like 24 X 7, Safari)


As a third step, if you are parts of some networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook you might also get additional information related to these topics like webinars, discussion topics etc. Go ahead and attend and be part of these. You can also post questions at different forums to get answers from the expert community. You can also subscribe to RSS feeds of the topic that interests you.


Also to top-off read off-beat things related to the topic like jokes, cartoons etc...if there are any available


So once you have gathered this information go ahead and read and gather as much information as you can. It would be good to first read at a high level and then go deeper in whichever topic appeals to you.


Then finally to ensure that you remember all that you have read, blog about the main points on your personal blog and share with all. If it is something related to a tool or programming language go ahead and download the free trial of the tool if one is available or start cooking…ahem..I meant coding!

Enjoy building your skill-set!

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BA Role - A must or just an add-on?

Recently I came across this cartoon on one of the BA related sites. This set me thinking...I have experienced that in many of the projects a BA's role is considered to be just an add-on for the sake of project planning. That is sometimes the general attitude towards BA's in, I would say many of the organizations. But is the BA shoes really something in which anybody could fit in?

The question can be answered from a few different perspectives. A BA's role generally gains importance based on what phase of the project they are working on. Also an experienced BA is always a very valuable addition to any project team as they bring lot of insights by doing in-depth analysis and research. Also if the BA is proficient on the technical side then there is nothing like it. They can help in many more areas outside of the defined 'BA Zone'.

Like I discussed in my previous post, a Business Analyst generally has to perform more roles than one, then why is the BA role itself considered to be complimentary? In my experience myself including some of the other BAs I have worked with have performed valuable tasks which were of great value to the project like:
- In-depth analysis and representation of existing system logic
- Additional research in other lines of business to draw out functionalities that might have been missed
- Providing excellent end user training which saves a lot of Training dollars (as there is no need for a separate Training team to do the same)
- Digging into the features of any new tools adapted and then training the rest of the team on it
- Playing a very valuable role during the System Testing and Production testing phases where BA's perform tasks like documentation of system test cases, testing and reporting of bugs, set up of test data and also providing suggestions to the IT team on fixing the bugs
- Coming up with highly intuitive 'diagrams' of various Systems and Business processes
- Creation valuable documentation which are the go-to assets even months / years later for getting knowledge on any of the application / system

The above are some of the ways in which a Business Analyst adds value and I can vouch that there are many more.

So in conclusion, I would like to state that a BA role is not just an add-on. It just depends on the project manager / coordinator on how well they can utilize a BA and not just limit them.

Basically a BA role has no limits defined!

Travails of a Business Analyst...

This blog is the first in my new blog roll related to Business Analysis...I am starting off on a slightly negative note there...but it is only because I am a Business Analyst ... :-)

I will keep this post short and discuss why I have used the word 'Travails'...

Actually as a Business analyst you have to don multiple roles in addition to your daily defined job...A Data Analyst, A Data Modeler, A Tester, A Project Manager and sometimes a coder too...

You should always be on your toes and keep yourself abreast of the latest technologies and work on improving your skill-set since you never know which role you have to don...

So you need to be well-versed with Test Director as much as you are with RequisitePro...you need to know thoroughly the Agile methodology as much as you know the RUP methodology...

So...this blog will throw some light on the daily life of a typical Business Analyst...some blacks...some whites and the rest of the VIBGYOR....

Watch out for more...