1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:03,320 Welcome to Business Analysis Live. 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,560 I'm your host, Susan Moore, community engagement manager 3 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:09,480 with the International Institute of Business Analysis. 4 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:12,680 I explore topics with industry guests about the work of 5 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:15,600 business analysis professionals and how their work helps 6 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:17,840 organizations achieve better outcomes. 7 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:19,760 And Yep, we take your questions too. 8 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:21,760 Thanks for listening. Let's get started. 9 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:29,920 We are going to take a look back at some of our top 2025 10 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,720 episodes. You know, we've been doing this 11 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:37,160 podcast now for four years and what started out as a two person 12 00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:40,280 regular conversation about business analysis topics and 13 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:45,240 techniques has expanded into incredible conversations about 14 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:50,240 all kinds of topics with people from all over our business 15 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,680 analysis community. And during that time, I have had 16 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:56,880 the pleasure of speaking to some of our listeners out there who 17 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:02,120 have really appreciated the authenticity and the honesty of 18 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:07,040 these conversations. It is clear that this podcast is 19 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,320 a way for you to be able to learn and to connect with others 20 00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:13,440 that do what you do. So first, I want to thank you 21 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:16,200 all for sharing your thoughts and most importantly, your 22 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,160 questions. That's what makes this business 23 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:22,840 analysis live over the years. And I hope that you will like 24 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:28,040 subscribe and follow so that you can see more new episodes coming 25 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:31,400 to you soon. This year was an extra special 26 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,320 one because we reached a major milestone, 100 episodes. 27 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:38,520 And Laura Patton, speaker, author, and LinkedIn learning 28 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:42,320 instructor, join me for that episode on working with project 29 00:01:42,320 --> 00:01:45,200 managers. We said some of the things that 30 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,200 you're probably thinking about working with project managers, 31 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:51,440 but we focused on how to collaborate with them better. 32 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:55,280 As we wrap up Season 4 today, reflect how far we've come. 33 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:59,040 It's the perfect time to look back at the conversations that 34 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,120 made the biggest impacts with you. 35 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:04,560 These episodes resonated with so many of you in the business 36 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:08,039 Analysis community. So let's dive into the top five 37 00:02:08,039 --> 00:02:13,960 episodes of 2025, and I'll share with you what I think made them 38 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:18,840 stand out. Number five of our top five was 39 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,040 the episode What Business Analysis Professionals Should 40 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:25,440 Know About Agile. Kent McDonald was our guest for 41 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:29,040 this conversation, and what I always appreciate about Kent is 42 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,240 that we have no nonsense discussions that challenge 43 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:34,520 traditional thinking about business analysis. 44 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:37,680 This episode definitely lived up to that. 45 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,920 As business analysis professionals, we often let our 46 00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:46,280 organizations define our work based on their interpretation of 47 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,840 agile, rather than stepping up to advocate for our work in 48 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,160 those environments. Kent had some great insights on 49 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:56,520 what that looks like, especially when it comes to understanding 50 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:01,040 how we can talk about value in an environment where speed is 51 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:04,040 likely the driving force behind what gets worked. 52 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:07,280 My view on business values, it's sort of like obscenity. 53 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,160 It's kind of one of those you'll know it when you see it, but 54 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:13,680 it's very fuzzy. So it's not very helpful for 55 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,040 people that are trying to figure out, well, how do I use that to 56 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:18,920 know whether to make decisions or not. 57 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,440 And what I have found again is it's going back to that idea of 58 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:26,120 understanding how your organization makes money and 59 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,920 spends money and how you're contributing to that and 60 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:31,960 effectively that when you're making decisions about what 61 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,520 should we do on this thing related to our understanding of 62 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:39,200 that and understanding related to understanding how our 63 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,840 organization tries to help our customers solve problems. 64 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,400 Tie that tie in is kind of where business value is really meant 65 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:51,000 to be, but I found that if you continue to use the word 66 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,360 business value, it still keeps that loosey goosey thing. 67 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:57,240 So adopting another idea from product management space, Matt 68 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:00,080 Lemay recently came out with a book called Impact First Product 69 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,880 Teams, which also he, he and they're basically said is that 70 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:07,840 if you're working on a team and you can't associate what you're 71 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,000 doing directly to again, how the organization's making or 72 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:13,280 spending money, you could be in problem. 73 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:16,480 So don't worry about are you doing things the right way? 74 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:19,200 Worry about are we doing things that help us drive impact? 75 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:23,840 Kent reminded us that our focus should be on impact, connecting 76 00:04:23,840 --> 00:04:27,760 what we do to how the organization makes or spends its 77 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,000 money. It's a powerful shift in 78 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,160 thinking for business analysis professionals working in agile 79 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:38,960 environments #4 on our list is how a framework transforms your 80 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:42,480 business analysis. Laura Brandenburg was my guest 81 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:44,560 for this episode. And if you think that just 82 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:47,240 showing up and writing requirements is your job, you 83 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:50,160 might be missing out on opportunities to take an active 84 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,320 role in the work you do. More importantly, using a 85 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:56,600 framework can completely change how you show up for your 86 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:00,560 stakeholders. Why should I have an approach if 87 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:03,800 I've got a project manager and a agile like? 88 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:08,760 Isn't that all I need? I mean, we need to understand 89 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:11,560 where we fit into those approaches for sure. 90 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:16,720 Also part of what I see though with BA is who bring an approach 91 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,320 which could be the stages they need to go through the set of 92 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:22,240 deliverables that they need to create. 93 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:27,800 It enhances their credibility. So you're coming as opposed to 94 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:32,800 what do you need me to do? The the alternative is here are 95 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:36,240 some practices that I think would be really supportive of 96 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,760 this project. How is this going to fit in with 97 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:40,480 what everyone else is doing, right? 98 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:45,800 So you're bringing those to the practice versus asking for, you 99 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:49,160 know, guidance. It means that you are being 100 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:54,480 proactive and strategic and kind of guiding the BA piece, which 101 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:57,040 the B piece is often the very first piece. 102 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:00,160 In some cases, it really should even be before the project 103 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:02,480 manager starts working through things, right? 104 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,080 It's the value, it's the why are we doing this? 105 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:09,680 And so being strategic and proactive versus reactive and 106 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,240 scrambling is another big reason why. 107 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:17,160 And then another thing that I see is that, you know, often we 108 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:20,920 are put on projects and deadlines are set for us, right? 109 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,200 Like, OK, or just we're asked for when can the requirements be 110 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:28,120 done or they need to be done in two weeks or three months or 111 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:32,280 whatever that timeline might be. And that is not like coming up 112 00:06:32,280 --> 00:06:38,240 with a plan and a practice and a way to guide the approach also 113 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:41,560 allows you to say, here's what needs to be done, here's who I 114 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,240 need involved, Here's what I think it will take from a time 115 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,440 and resource perspective and really help negotiate some of 116 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:52,960 those deadline deadlines. And a value focused, structured 117 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,760 way as opposed to that doesn't seem like enough time, right? 118 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:00,560 Which is never a great way to react to a deadline like that. 119 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:04,720 Laura's point really drives home the idea that frameworks aren't 120 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,760 just about structure, they're about confidence and influence. 121 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:11,600 When you lead with an approach, you become a strategic partner 122 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:18,920 who can guide the work. Coming in at #3 is AI and the 123 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:21,480 future of business analysis roles. 124 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:26,960 For this episode, I was joined by Deirdre Karen, who is a 125 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:29,240 business architect and an entrepreneur. 126 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:32,120 You may know her from Agra Insights, who is an early 127 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:35,120 adopter of AI and explored how it could shape the work of 128 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:38,480 business analysis. In fact, she uses AI in business 129 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:40,680 analysis to transform her own business. 130 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:44,120 This was one of the most detailed conversations I've had 131 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:47,880 on the subject of AI to date, and we really dug into how AI is 132 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:51,400 changing our profession. Deirdre shared a perspective 133 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:55,280 that really stood out. It's not AI that we should fear 134 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:58,000 will take our jobs. It's our own limitations that 135 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:00,600 put us at risk. Here's a clip where she explains 136 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:04,880 what she means. The importance of this is 137 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:09,200 understanding that your role is at risk. 138 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:14,600 If you don't understand how to learn and how to adapt to the 139 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:19,480 environment that's coming. And but on the other hand, if 140 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:24,000 you're a really good analyst, you are essentially going to be 141 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:29,880 able to speak both to humans and to AI. 142 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:34,039 Deirdre reminds us that we need to keep evolving our skills to 143 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:36,440 stay relevant. I always say that business 144 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:39,120 analysts are professional learners, and that applies to 145 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:42,240 our own development too. Staying curious, embracing new 146 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:45,880 technologies and understanding how they impact our work is what 147 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:49,520 will keep us ahead of the curve. One of the things that I enjoy 148 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:52,880 is when I have colleagues that agree to join me in front of the 149 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:55,080 camera. And this year, you got to meet 150 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:59,640 three of my IIBA colleagues. Coquetzo Chaba, our former 151 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:03,400 partner manager in South Africa and proud new dad was one of 152 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:05,760 them. Coquetzo joined me as a guest 153 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:08,440 for our episode on navigating a strategy Change. 154 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:11,920 If you've ever met him, you know he brings energy and charm to 155 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:14,120 every conversation. We will miss him. 156 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:18,320 Fabricio Laguna, the Brazilian BA but so much more, joined me 157 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,880 just a few months ago for our episode on the Outcome Driven 158 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:24,640 Mindset. He just recently published this 159 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:29,280 book with IIBA Publishing called Please Hold the Power of the 160 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:34,560 Outcome Driven Mindset, where we talked about putting outcomes 161 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:40,840 ahead of outputs in his very charming but educational way of 162 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:44,920 making that point. And then the other colleague 163 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:48,160 that you met is Tyler Kenny. He's one of our product 164 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:50,760 managers. Tyler was involved in updates to 165 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:53,840 the most recent version of the Business Analysis Standard, 166 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:58,840 which is available as a free download, as well as updates to 167 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:02,440 the ECBA exam, which just launched in July of this year. 168 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:10,200 His episode was our second most popular episode of 2025 on the 169 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:13,320 new standard in Business Analysis. 170 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:16,920 In this episode, we talked about the latest edition of the 171 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,800 standard that rolled out in early 2025. 172 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:23,200 The standard has been around for several years now, but with this 173 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:26,240 edition, its purpose and focus has begun to change. 174 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:30,640 Tyler describes how this version is no longer just a summary of 175 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:33,040 the Bablock guide, it's actually becoming something more 176 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:36,240 practical and strategic, and it is designed for specific 177 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:39,080 audiences. It's not a replacement for the 178 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:41,760 Bablock Guide. It's a natural evolution, like I 179 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:44,440 said earlier, like it's the Bablock Guide is a lot of 180 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,840 people's first entry into business analysis and it's 500 181 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:50,160 pages. It's pretty hefty to kind of 182 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:53,600 have that be the welcome person at the door. 183 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:57,200 So the standard is intended to kind of be like the appetizer 184 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,480 while you wait for the main course, and some people may not 185 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:03,680 need the main course. The Babak Guide is a 500 page 186 00:11:03,680 --> 00:11:06,520 document that is a deep dive research into how business 187 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:10,120 analysis is conducted at a very not granular but a detailed 188 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:13,120 level of applying these practices in certain contexts 189 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,240 and situations. Whereas what we're focused on, 190 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:18,000 like you said, the organizational leaders, the 191 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:20,480 managers, people who are trying to talk about business analysis 192 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:22,480 and socialize it, maybe you're just getting started. 193 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:25,120 You might not necessarily need the 500 pages. 194 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:29,720 So what originally started as kind of a summary of the 195 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:31,880 critical information that was in the Bible guide is now kind of 196 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:34,520 taking on a life of its own where instead of being the 197 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:39,520 purpose of just summarization of 500 down to 60, it then becomes, 198 00:11:39,560 --> 00:11:42,320 OK, well, what do we do with this critical information and 199 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:44,960 how do we talk about it and how do we position it and how do we 200 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:47,320 leverage to actually create the outcomes? 201 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:51,280 Tyler's explanation shows how the standard has become more 202 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:55,240 than just a resource for anyone who is helping shape outcomes 203 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:58,640 for their organizations. I'm hoping to have Tyler back 204 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:02,240 for future episodes, if for no other reason to see what new 205 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:07,880 look he rolls out. And our number one episode of 206 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:19,520 2025, Well, it was our episode on how to ask good questions and 207 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:23,360 Jamie Champagne, trainer, author and LinkedIn learning instructor 208 00:12:23,560 --> 00:12:26,640 join me for that episode. And we had a really fun 209 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,000 conversation about asking questions. 210 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:32,680 That's the basis for a lot of the work that we do, which means 211 00:12:32,680 --> 00:12:36,200 we might feel a little bit of pressure about getting a the 212 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:39,280 perfect question. But Jamie thinks we might be 213 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:43,200 focused on the wrong thing. Maybe we should define what we 214 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:48,240 mean by a good question because maybe it's not what folks think. 215 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:48,840 It is. What? 216 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:52,720 How do you define a good question? 217 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:57,080 Sure, Susan. And So what I want to do is 218 00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:02,040 actually kind of step back for that answer is the pressure we 219 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:06,400 put upon ourselves to get the good answer, to get the answer 220 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:10,000 you're seeking. So I want to flip it backwards 221 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,160 instead of worrying about a good answer like is that right? 222 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:16,880 Is that what we should do? It's those good questions that 223 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:23,120 see, I instantly went to. So good question is about does 224 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:28,600 it help you validate what the team or the group is trying to 225 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:31,320 achieve? Does a good question get 226 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:34,040 clarity? Does it get confirmation? 227 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:37,960 Does it get agreement? You know those pieces. 228 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:42,000 It's kind of not so much what the answer is, but does your 229 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:46,120 good question drive the action needed? 230 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:48,320 How about that for a definition, Susan? 231 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:52,520 A good question drives the forward momentum. 232 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:58,080 Jamie reminds us in this episode that good questions invite 233 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:02,200 exploration and conversation. When we focus on getting people 234 00:14:02,200 --> 00:14:05,280 to talk, the right questions just naturally follow. 235 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:11,760 And that's a wrap on our Best of Business Analysis Live for 2025 236 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:15,120 episode. From frameworks to agile, from 237 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,600 AI to business analysis standard and the art of asking great 238 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:22,520 questions, these conversations remind us why business analysis 239 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:28,280 is such a dynamic profession. Season 4 has been full of these 240 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:31,200 kinds of interesting conversations, and I want to 241 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:34,440 thank you for being part of this journey. 242 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:38,440 Your engagement and feedback are what make this community really 243 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:43,000 special. So do you have ideas for topics 244 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:46,720 you'd like to see? Well, e-mail us at Live at 245 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:49,760 iiba.org. We'd love to hear what you want 246 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:53,640 to know more about. That's it. 247 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:58,640 As we look to 2026, we'll continue exploring topics that 248 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:01,280 matter the most to you and bringing in voices that 249 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:05,160 challenge and inspire. Thanks for joining me today, and 250 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:09,080 I'll see you in the new year for Season 5 of Business Analysis 251 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:10,320 Live. Bye bye. 252 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:29,080 Do you have any questions, comments or thoughts about 253 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:30,960 today's topic? We'd love to hear them. 254 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:33,400 Drop us a review or leave a note in the comments. 255 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:36,600 Then like, subscribe or share this podcast if you like what 256 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:38,480 you heard. And hey, you can help us shape 257 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:40,800 future episodes. What do you want to know more 258 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:42,960 about? Send us an e-mail at Live at 259 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:46,800 iiba.org with your ideas. See you again on our next 260 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:47,360 episode.