Just in time resources for internal products
You are not an agile business analyst just because you have a working knowledge of Scrum, you are able to write user stories, or because you got a certification. You are an agile business analyst when you focus on outcomes over outputs, use short feedback cycles and adjust when and to what extent you use …
Business analysis skills are helpful for any product person, even if you aren’t in an actual business analyst role. The ability to facilitate discussions; elicit information from customers, stakeholders, and users; and analyze that information to make decisions are critical to successful product work. We’ve established an affiliate relationship with Bridging the Gap, a leading …
What is a context diagram A model that shows how your product interacts with outside people, organizations, and/or systems. The context diagram helps you to identify the interfaces you need to account for, helps you to identify scope, identify potential stakeholders, and build a better understanding of the context in which you are working. The …
What is a process model? A process model describes the flow of work or activities, usually in a graphic format, that contribute to accomplishing a specific goal. Process models are typically used to represent and analyze a series of activities that occur repeatedly and on a regular basis. Process models can be used to model …
I suspect you didn’t start your career with the goal to be a product owner. You may have started as a developer, a subject matter expert from a business unit, or a business analyst. Regardless of your background, once you start product ownership, you need to practice three habits to be an effective product owner: …
As I write this, I’m flying home from the Agile2018 conference in San Diego produced by Agile Alliance. I curate content for Agile Alliance and act as the product owner for the organization’s website so I end up doing a variety of things at the conference. A few months back we ran some surveys to …
I was talking with a group of product owners the other day and mentioned that one of the hallmarks of good product people is they know how to say “no” often, without getting fired. I couldn’t get away with making a statement like that without explaining how you could actually do that. Fair enough. Here’s …
Now that summer is upon us in the northern hemisphere and we’re halfway through the year, it’s a good time to stop for a moment and think about what you can do to advance your career in the rest of 2018. I’ve always found attending conferences to be particularly helpful. They expose you to new …
Backlog refinement is the often misunderstood activity in agile approaches that business analysts are uniquely qualified to excel at. As long as you understand what it’s intended to accomplish. Hint: “writing stories” isn’t it.
Up until recently, the focus of the agile community has been (rightfully so) on development and delivery activities. After all, the Agile Manifesto was written by 17 people who were trying to address issues that software development teams face. However, several of those problems arise because the teams don’t have a clear idea of what …
I know I have. My email inbox has been visited on a daily basis with emails talking about updated privacy policies and consent to continue receiving emails. I’ve also contributed to that flood of emails as I work on GDPR compliance for a non-profit organization. On the whole, I think it’s a good thing. It’s …
It seems as though in every discussion about product people I‘m involved with, the discussion inevitably turns to the topic of roles and responsibilities. People get hung up on what role does X and why role Y does not appear on the org chart. Organizations have a tendency to define specific roles differently, sometimes following …
There are a lot of paths people take to get into product manager, product owner or business analyst roles. There are as many product people with a marketing, accounting, or finance background as there are people with a software development background. People who didn’t develop software somewhere in their career inevitably ask some variation of …
It’s not quite spooky action at a distance, but if you’re a remote product owner you may find a bit of entanglement helpful to maintain that shared understanding you worked so hard to build with your team. On May 9th, Luke Hohmann and I will share some ways you can be a more effective product …
Ahh certifications… One of my least favorite aspects of the business analyst and agile communities. My view on certifications has evolved over the years from an absolute loathing to what you could call a pragmatic acceptance. The key thing is when you’re getting a certification, understand what they really certify, and understand why you’re getting …
