“Assess Me….Please.” Four Principles You Can Use to Achieve BA Assessment Success.

by Lori Lindbergh, PhD

Did you hear about the recent study that found that most employees go to work each morning wanting to participate in an employee or organizational assessment? NOT….just kidding; however, I think this should be the case. Please, let me clarify….

We have most likely been over assessed at work and may have participated in a number of workplace assessments that did not result in much action or create the changes our management team promised. However, we should not immediately blame the assessment for the inaction. Analyst participation in a well-designed, well-executed BA practice assessment will provide management with valuable information to help foster organizational change by highlighting critical gaps in business analysis practices and challenges that reduce performance outcomes. When your management team senses the collective enthusiasm and motivation to participate in a BA practice assessment, they may be moved to act.

You may not be able to control what your management team does; however, without assessment information, your management team and coworkers, as well as hired consultants, may formulate incorrect conclusions about what your organization needs to improve its business outcomes. You have the ability to change this. By applying these four principles, you can help your organization achieve maximum value from a BA practice assessment.

1.  It’s About What You Actually Do, Not About What You Think You Can Do.

Assessing the effectiveness of business analysis practices involves more than assessing individual BA skills or the effectiveness of BA training programs. It involves evaluating the skills and practices analysts AND management are actually applying on the job, which may not necessarily be consistent with what you or your managers perceive.

Research supports that even highly competent/skilled employees may have difficulty applying skills in unsupportive organizational environments or in organizations with undefined processes, inconsistent management expectations and ineffective tools. Therefore, be sure not to confuse a BA practice assessment with a competency assessment. When responding to items included in a practice assessment, you should not think about your own skill level, but how consistently you apply a particular practice in your workplace. For example, you may feel highly competent in performing requirements analysis; however, you may not have the opportunity to perform this skill in your organization. In this case, you should indicate you do not perform this practice on your projects. This rating will indicate your organization’s BA practices do not support requirements analysis activities on projects and will not be a reflection on your competence as a BA.

2.  Bring the Quantitative Ratings to Life.

BA practice assessments should provide focus groups and other opportunities for analysts to provide narrative comments to substantiate and support numeric responses. It is important for you to take the time to provide thoughtful, quality comments and suggestions. These will add insight to the numbers and bring the quantitative ratings to life. Always take the time to make your voice heard and provide constructive suggestions to improve BA practices in your organization. Furthermore, don’t forget to provide comments on the current practices in your organization that support effective practices so your organization can continue to build on these strengths.

3.  Get Your Coworkers and Managers Involved.

To ensure your organization continues to implement the most relevant training and BA practice development solutions and opportunities, encourage your coworkers to participate fully in the assessment. We are all busy and assessments take time from our real jobs; however, there is strength in numbers. Analysts can make a difference and influence decisions by coming together in a constructive fashion and providing management with valuable insight about the workplace.

When a BA practice assessment involves manager ratings, encourage your manager to participate fully. This will help your manager demonstrate a commitment to continuous BA practice improvement and achievement of performance outcomes. Managers often have a different perspective of analyst performance and their own management support they provide analysts. These differences may interfere with the organization’s BA practice development and could go undetected without adequate manager participation in the assessment.

4.  Establish WIIFE – What’s In It For Everyone – Empowerment and Improved Outcomes.

Research has shown that when the findings of assessments are used appropriately to improve BA practices and foster a supportive organizational environment, analysts feel more empowered to act, which ultimately leads to improved business outcomes. If you and your coworkers do not participate fully in a BA practice assessment and provide the quality information management needs, training and improvement decisions will be based solely on anecdotal information and best practices, which may not always address specific areas of concern in the organization.

Why not be a part of your organization’s BA practice development and performance improvement efforts? With such a direct effect on your job performance, it makes sense to want to contribute and help guide your organization’s improvement efforts.