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Editor Tom found this BA Brew ‘mind-blowing’ and we think you will too. If you have ever felt ‘put in your box’ as a BA, you need to hear what Enterprise Architect and Strategy Delivery Consultant Vicky Rothwell has to say.  

Vicky challenges business analysts to push for a strategic role, build our understanding of business architecture and service design and be bold with the BA toolkit.

Topics covered in this BA Brew include:  

  • The overlap between the business architecture and business analysis toolkits.
  • The rise of the strategic business analyst.
  • Business architecture as an opportunity for BAs.
  • Self-limiting beliefs and how to resist being put in the ‘BA Box’.
  • Why business analysts, business architects and service designers are a powerful alliance.
  • The capability lens and the value proposition.
  • Responding to business events.
  • Microservices and macroservices.

Vicky Rothwell is Strategy Lead at Airelogic Limited.

Self-assessment and development tools provide useful insights which can benefit individuals, teams and organisations. This BA Brew features special guest Corrine Thomas (business analysis leader, coach, mentor, writer and author) and looks at some of the tools including MBTI Myers Briggs, StrengthsFinder, Engage, Strengths Profile, the Strengths Deployment Inventory and Mindset Advantage.

Useful links:

You may enjoy the following BA Brews:

Newly crowned IRM UK Business Analyst of the Year winner Pip Hall joins the Brew Crew. Pip talks about her BA journey and those key life skills to be found beyond the standard BA toolbox. The inspiring and heartwarming chat covers what we can learn from our hobbies, interests and relationships; the importance of empathy and why Pip thinks we should take our whole selves to work.

In this fascinating BA Brew, business consultant and communications specialist Miruna Ursache talks about the different ways we communicate, and the power of understanding where our personal communication styles, habits and patterns come from.

Miruna is the founder of training and coaching company Refraiz (https://refraiz.com/), and has led fun, interactive communications workshops at the BA Manager Forum and the BA Conference Europe.

You may enjoy the following BA Brews:

BA Brew 48: The Benefits of One Pagers
BA Brew 61: 50 Mighty Words to Grow Your Business

Between them, our Brew Crew have decades of presentation-giving experience. In this eye-opening chat they share some useful and practical advice… and a few embarrassing stories.  

From testing the tech to the best throat pastilles, discover some handy hacks and hints to make sure your presentations go without a hitch. 

It took Ian Richards and Filip Hendrickx five days and an entire wall of Post-It notes to create the storyline for the business novel Brainy Glue. It then took them three years to write it, around their many commitments. In this BA Brew, Filip and Ian talk about the main themes explored in the novel – business analysis, innovation and change… and how they managed to weave 25 BA techniques into the 52 chapters.

Topics discussed include: Understanding people’s drivers to inform stakeholder engagement; co-creating change; bringing the BA role to life in novel form and more.

Ian Richards is BA Director at Peregrine and a member of the BCS BA Leadership board. Filip Hendrickx is a global speaker, President of the IIBA Brussels chapter and founder of Altershape.

You can read the first sixteen chapters of Brainy Glue for FREE, on www.brainyglue.com and buy the book direct from the website. You can also order the book in paperback or Kindle form on Amazon.

Love to learn? You might enjoy our bitesize learning playlist – short videos explaining key BA tools and techniques.

Plan for success in your BA career with AssistKD’s FREE Career Planner tool.

For all the latest business analysis, business change and service design content, including bitesize learning videos, please like, subscribe and share this podcast.

How do you become a BA professional? In today’s BA Brew, the crew talk about their respective journeys and business analysts can gain certifications, increase their skills and raise the standard of their business analysis work.

Topics covered include: Training and development in business analysis; the pros and cons of the multiple-choice question and the oral exam; the difference between qualifications and certifications; the many routes to becoming a BA; creating a tailored professional development plan; reflection and knowledge sharing; learning from failures and more.

Plan your BA career path with AssistKD’s FREE and newly updated Career Planner tool.

Find out more about the professional certifications and examinations you can achieve through AssistKD.  

Watch this video about the BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis.

The Future of Work: AI & Human Collaboration

This week's BA Brew is taking a futuristic turn, as we host an exclusive session led by a ChatGPT Avatar! Yes, you heard that right—a digital entity ready to explore, engage, and enlighten us on the potential and pitfalls of AI in the workplace. Join us to dive into topics like:

How AI is reshaping industries
The balance between human intuition and machine efficiency
Ethical considerations in the age of automation
Building a future where humans and AI thrive together
The above summary was written by ChatGPT.

Further reading/viewing: Coded Bias (A Netflix documentary)

Hello World: How to Be Human in the Age of the Machine

You know you’ve had great advice when you remember it and feel inspired by it throughout your life. This week the Brew Crew and special guest Julie Walker share some valuable gems of wisdom – including how to eat an elephant (one bite at a time).

Julie Walker is the author of the historical novel ‘Bonny & Read’, about the lives of the famous women pirates Ann Bonny and Mary Read.

Further reading: By Julie Walker: Bonny & Read: The stunning new feminist historical novel for 2022 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bonny-Read-Julie-Walker/dp/1529395720/ref=sr_1_...

Communications failure is behind most business disasters, where people are afraid to admit they don’t fully understand what they are supposed to be doing, and why. Luckily, our latest BA Brew guest is on the case.

In this fascinating discussion, Felicity Cowie –communications consultant, multi-award winning investigative news journalist and former Panorama editor – shares useful insights from her decades of experience.

Topics covered include: the power of stating what you are doing and why concisely, clearly and understandably; authentic communication and feeling safe enough to say ‘I don’t know’; making every word count; avoiding scope ‘creep’; the reassurance of repeating the message at the start of every meeting and more.

Felicity’s latest book, ‘Exposure’ includes the 50 Mighty Words technique. You can find it by clicking here.