21st century organizations, across all sectors and of all types, have to cope with an international marketplace where change is frequent and customer expectations continue to rise. The work of business analysis professionals is crucial if organizations are to succeed and grow. If change programmes are to be successful, stakeholder engagement and situation analysis are vital, and to achieve this, senior business people need to display competence in a range of areas, not least of which include the ability to challenge, lead and influence.
Business Analysis and Leadership is for anyone involved in business analysis working in any organization worldwide, from financial services to charities, government to manufacturing. It takes the reader beyond standard textbooks full of techniques and tools, advising on how to lead and gain credibility throughout the organization. It will help you with the tricky role of working with people from the shop floor to board directors and give readers the confidence to challenge the easy way forward and point out what will really work in practice.
This inspirational book consists of contributions from leading thinkers and practitioners in business analysis from around the world. Their case studies, practical advice and downloadable appendices will help the reader to develop leadership skills and become an outstanding catalyst for change.
Chapter - 00: Introduction;
Section - ONE: Leadership of self;
Chapter - 01: Skills for business analysis [James Archer and Kate Stuart-Cox];
Chapter - 02: The courage to ask [John Niland];
Chapter - 03: The business analyst as a facilitative leader [James Archer];
Chapter - 04: Communication for success [Corrine Thomas];
Section - TWO: Leadership within your project;
Chapter - 05: Working with the project manager [Suzanne Robertson];
Chapter - 06: Dealing with difficult stakeholders [Michael Brown];
Chapter - 07: Facilitating groups and individuals [Penny Pullan];
Chapter - 08: Discovering the essence of the problem [James Robertson];
Chapter - 09: Dealing with problems [Andy Wilkins];
Chapter - 10: Visual thinking for business analysis [Penny Pullan and Vanessa Randle];
Chapter - 11: Through the stage door: design thinking to refresh business analysis [Tamsin Fulton];
Chapter - 12: Business analysis, leadership and agile [Chris Matts and Kent J McDonald];
Chapter - 13: The iterative business analyst - increasing insight, reducing waste, delivering value [Melanie Rose];
Chapter - 14: Knowledge sharing and analysis with patterns [Allan Kelly];
Chapter - 15: Dealing with uncertainty [Ruth Murray-Webster and Penny Pullan];
Section - THREE: Leadership within your organization;
Chapter - 16: Operating effectively as a business analyst inside an organization [Simon Edwards];
Chapter - 17: Context, climate and culture [Andy Wilkins and Kate Stuart-Cox];
Chapter - 18: Global working and virtual teams [Penny Pullan];
Chapter - 19: Systems thinking for business analysts leading change [Emma Langman];
Chapter - 20: Dealing with power and politics [Sarah Coleman];
Chapter - 21: Partnering across organizations [Adrian Reed];
Chapter - 22: Strategic thinking for business analysis [Dav Bisessar];
Section - FOUR: Leadership in the wider world;
Chapter - 23: Business analysis is a leadership role [Kevin Brennan];
Chapter - 24: Becoming a thought leader [Penny Pullan];
Chapter - 25: Ethics and fair process [James Archer];
Chapter - 26: Professionalization and best practice [Nick de Voil]
