Skill: Make Excellent Presentations

One of the communication skills used frequently in business analysis is presenting information. BAs are constantly presenting information, formally and informally, to stakeholders. BAs present:

• Business cases with cost/benefit analysis to executives to get approval for recommendations

• Work plans and time estimates to project managers and sponsors

• Business requirements to business stakeholders to confirm that they clearly understand the business

• Business requirements to the solution team stakeholders to jump-start design meetings

• Functional requirements and design ideas to business stakeholders to get feedback on the ideas

These presentations vary in formality and audience size but are always important opportunities for the BA to increase the success of the project.

Formal presentations must be carefully planned and practiced. For some, delivering a formal presentation is one of the most frightening human experiences. Confidence in speaking comes from knowing your topic well and practicing. Give yourself opportunities to practice with community groups, your church, your children’s PTA group, etc. Start with short presentations and work up to longer, more involved lectures.

When you are preparing for a formal presentation, be sure that you understand the reason for the presentation: Are you making a recommendation? Are you notifying management of implementation plans? Are you informing business workers about how their jobs will change with the implementation of the solution? Be sure to communicate the main points concisely and clearly and allow time for questions and answers. Be positive, even when you have to deliver bad news.

Some BAs are a bit introverted. This is common because introverted people tend to listen more than talk, be very good thinkers, and focus on details. But if you are introverted and shy, this may hold you back in terms of talking with stakeholders and presenting important information. Work to increase your comfort with initiating conversations. Get comfortable making formal and informal presentations.

Skill: Facilitate and Build Consensus

Every business analysis professional needs to master the skill of facilitation. To facilitate is “to make easy.” This skill is used in almost every interaction, not just in formal requirements workshops. BAs are constantly helping stakeholders to easily express their needs, their problems, and their preferences. It is common to hear IT people complain that the users don’t know what they want. Often, they just don’t know how to articulate their wants and needs. A business analysis professional knows how to ask questions, discuss answers, and provide suggestions: to facilitate or make it easy for users to explain what they want. This is a valuable skill in any profession and in personal relationships. The ability to listen carefully, interpret unclear statements, ask clarifying questions, and help to bring people to a common understanding is a skill worth developing. BAs working on agile-style projects facilitate on-the-fly in their team workrooms.

To improve your ability to facilitate, first concentrate on your active listening skills. Second, improve your verbal presentation skills. Speak precisely and concisely, and be direct and honest. One of the difficult aspects of facilitation is enforcing session rules and pointing out inaccuracies. Use a non-judgmental tone. You will know when your skill is improving because co-workers will begin to ask you to help them resolve issues between other people.

A facilitator helps a group build consensus or agreement so the participants will all support the decisions or ideas generated by the session. During a facilitated session, many ideas are recorded or discussed. It is the group’s responsibility to narrow those ideas down and come to an agreement that meets the objective of the session (see the section on facilitated sessions in Chapter 4).

While narrowing the ideas, the group may want to review the list and eliminate some of them. Once the list is narrowed down to real possible solutions, the facilitator helps the group make a decision.

Definition 100% support 100% agreement 51% wins Halfway point for all

Pros All members All members Majority will All will support will support will support support partially

Cons Time consuming Unrealistic Creates win/ Creates win/lose lose scenario scenario

When to Support is Clear-cut issue To narrow a Need breakthrough use needed list

When not Short time frame Complex issues To make a Support is needed to use final decision

Consensus is a collective opinion arrived at by a group of individuals working together under conditions that permit open and supportive communication, such that everyone in the group feels he or she has had a fair chance to influence the decision. Participants in consensus agree to decisions even though they may not personally prefer them. A facilitator’s goal is to help the group achieve consensus if possible. The facilitator creates the environment to foster these conditions. Be aware of the potential results of a group decision when consensus cannot be reached. Table 7.2 lists types of group decisions.

Table 7.2: Types of Group Decisions
	Consensus	Unanimity	Majority Vote	Compromise
Definition	100% support	100% agreement	51% wins	Halfway point for all
Pros	All members will support	All members will support	Majority will support	All will support partially
Cons	Time consuming	Unrealistic	Creates win/ lose scenario	Creates win/lose scenario
When to use	Support is needed	Clear-cut issue	To narrow a list	Need breakthrough
When not to use	Short time frame	Complex issues	To make a final decision	Support is needed