Set Expectations
Let your stakeholders know what is coming up next. You shouldn’t leave anyone questioning next
steps or action items; always call those out for both yourself and other team
members. When you take ownership of
action items that is called making a commitment. It shows willingness to be held accountable
to complete the action item on time. It
does not guarantee completion on time, just shows your willingness to accept
the responsibility. There are many
things that can crop up that get in the way of meeting commitments once they
are made, but never shy away from accepting the responsibility. This is a major
way to earn respect.
When action items are assigned to other stakeholders on the
team, especially when they intersect with action items assigned to you; check
on their progress from time to time.
Your items may have dependency on other’s action items or vice
versa. In the latter case, stay in
contact with that team member and let them know your progress so that they may
plan out their work on their action items.
When monitoring the progress of other’s, this needs to be done in a very
non-intrusive and non-authoritative way.
Typically, you won’t have authority over someone else’s work so approach
this from a co-worker checking on a friend or offering a helping hand.
Deliver
Now that you have made the commitment to take responsibility
for an action item or task…deliver on it.
Always work to finish your assigned tasks ahead of schedule so when
those inevitable items pop up that take your time away from these tasks, you
still have time to get back to it and deliver on time. In this way your team members don’t see all
your tasks slipping behind schedule. This is a major way to lose trust. Be creative when the situation calls for it
to complete task assignments.
I was always astounded by my children who always looked like
they were trying to get a “C” in every class in school. A “C” is a passing grade right…the problem
was that far too many times they missed that “C”, and sometimes by a lot; so
what did they end up with…a “D” or “F”.
When I was in school I always tried for an “A” in every class, whether I
liked the subject or not. So when I
didn’t meet expectations what did I end up with….a higher GPA than my kids did.
Communicate
You know the old adage…communicate early, communicate often.
This ties back to setting
expectations. Let your team members know
what to expect from you, so they can know how to work with you. When new issues or risks pop up, identify and
communicate them early so they can be properly managed. Raise those red flags early.
Communicate bad news early.
When the project is behind schedule, when it needs more resources, or
when lack of stakeholder engagement is slowing the project, address the issue
with the project manager and/or project sponsor. Be prepared with information and examples;
and possibly a plan of action to get back on track. This again ties back to setting expectations,
are things slipping behind because expectations weren’t properly set or
communicated?
Provide frequent updates to the project manager, project
sponsor or other stakeholders on your work or the project solution. Survey your stakeholders to determine the
right level and frequency of communication.
Be Consistent
Be consistent in your setting of expectations, making
commitments, communication and interactions with your stakeholders. Consistency is at the heart of
integrity. Inconsistency tends to build
walls between people and inhibit collaboration.
When people don’t know how you will act or react, they may shy away from
approaching or engaging you. As a
business analyst you need information, and when your stakeholders do not wish
to interact with you or discuss issues in an open way, this impedes your
ability to get the information you need to be effective.
Have the Courage to
Challenge Appropriately
I will combine lessons from Elizabeth Larson, Rich Larson
and Bob (BobtheBA) Prentiss to say have
the courage to challenge appropriately.
It takes courage to deliver bad news or just say “No” to someone. You may see how a simple “No” won’t go very
far, people will find other avenues to get what they want if they see you as a
roadblock. So be prepared to back up
that “No” with solid evidence, data and/or facts. As Elizabeth says ”Courage without preparation is foolish”.
You will not challenge every idea that others have, that is
truly foolish. Make sure you take the
time to fully understand the idea and reasoning behind it. Determine if the idea has value and
feasibility. Take a structured approach
to determining when it is time to challenge an idea. When you do challenge, make sure you do it
with respect to everyone including those that presented the idea to the
group. Make sure your challenge isn’t
perceived as offensive or confrontational.
This is another good way to destroy trust.
To Gain Respect, Show
Respect
This should go without saying, if you want respect you have
to earn it. One of the best ways to earn
respect is to show it to others. Respect
every stakeholder’s expertise in their subject matter or domain. Respect and acknowledge everyone’s
contribution toward the common goal.
Respect their role within the team and organization.
Also, remember that your role within the organization is one
of the newest, and not everyone has worked with a business analyst before or
knows how to interact with that role. So
some education of your role within the team and organization may be in
order. Take a coaching approach to this
opportunity and don’t make any feel dumb because they don’t know this yet.
Be Proactive
Anticipate the needs of others. Not only your project manager and business
stakeholders, but your technical resources as well. When preparing a presentation to management
or your project team, anticipate questions you will get and be prepared to
answer them. Have adequate examples and
models prepared to demonstrate an idea or concept.
When issues or risks arise, identify and communicate them
early. Possibly prepare an action or
risk mitigation plan for it. Don’t allow
tasks to slip so far behind that it effects the project schedule and is
noticeable by everyone, communicate roadblocks and other commitments so team
members understands the conflicts and pressures. In this way they understand
that slippage isn’t because you are lazy; communicate the situation.
Take responsibility for action items and tasks quickly; ask
for them, don’t wait for them to be assigned to you.
Be Authentic
Being authentic is simply being yourself. Be sincere, speak from the heart, be
respectful and be empathetic. Don’t mix your words in a cloud of ambiguity…say
what you mean and mean what you say. Take the time to build relationships with
your team members and stakeholders. Be
interested in their situation and ideas.
Understand their perspective, motivations and attitudes. If you are not truly interested in their
perspective, motivations and ideas; then don’t pretend that you are. However, you will find how much harder it is
to work as a business analyst when you don’t understand your stakeholders.
If you are able to master these skills and competencies, you
will gain the trust and respect of your stakeholders. Remember, that it takes much longer to regain
respect and trust once destroyed then it does to earn it in the first place. So take the easy road and earn that trust
from the first encounter with every stakeholder and work vigorously to keep
that trust. Respect each stakeholder’s
role in the project and organization, show your capabilities and you will earn
their trust.
If you would like some additional reading on this topic, I suggest
you take a look at:
·
The 7
Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by
Stephen R. Covey (2013)
·
The
Influencing Formula: How to Become a Trusted Advisor and Influence Without
Authority by Elizabeth Larson and Richard Larson of Watermark Learning
(2012)
·
The Speed
of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything by Stephen M. R. Covey
(2008)
·
Influence
Without Authority by Allan R. Cohen
and David L. Bradford (2005)
·
The
Trusted Advisor by David Maister, Charles Green and Robert Galford (2001)
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