Author Archives: Blue Raccoon
Assumptions, Assumptions – Stereotypes and project teams
Stereotypes are familiar to most people via initiatives to reduce discrimination in the workplace and news reports highlighting the wider impact it has on the society we live in. Most people know of them, even if they have never heard … Continue reading
Because we can, does it mean we should?
Do you think you behave ethically at work? Have you ever thought about it? Why am I even asking this question? What’s the future bringing Business Analysts? This year I’ve been fortunate to attend some large Business Analysis conferences where … Continue reading
Industrial espionage isn’t what you think it is!
As a director of an industry body, I send e-mails to a large mailing list. And as soon as an e-mail has gone there is the inevitable ‘ping’, ‘ping’, ‘ping’ of incoming Out of Office messages. Lots of them. From people … Continue reading
Our Poor Brains
The amount of information we have to manage on a daily basis is quite phenomenal. In 2010, Eric Schmidt (CEO of Google) told us that every two days, we create as much information as we did from the dawn … Continue reading
Can BA’s neutralise their biases?
A question from Andy in the UK, “How can you train BAs to neutralise their unconscious biases? I thought this was an absolutely brilliant question. You can’t train people out of their cognitive biases because they are too instinctive. … Continue reading
Overcoming Availability Bias as a BA
A question from Steve in the USA “How does a business analyst reduce the instance of availability bias when asking stakeholders about problems and issues?” What is the Availability Bias? The availability bias determines the facts that you pick to … Continue reading
Confirmation Bias and the BA
A question from Steve in the USA: “Assuming that it is important during elicitation to get accurate information, how does a business analyst overcome confirmation bias in him or herself, and in the person providing the information?” What is … Continue reading
BA Summit 2018 – Cognitive Biases and The BA
Early in 2018 I was a guest on Penny Pullan’s BA Virtual Summit, talking about cognitive biases and the Business Analyst. As part of this attendees were invited to submit questions to speakers. Penny was kind enough to transcribe our … Continue reading
Glued to your phone? Of course you are!
There is an ongoing hum of concern about the effect the smartphone has on our lives. For many of us, the first thing we do in the morning is reach for our smartphone. People complain that others are glued to … Continue reading
Don’t do a Dory
Is this your natural approach to a problem? “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” is proverb many of us are brought up with. Try harder, try harder. That’s what we get at school every time we get … Continue reading