Episode 19: New on the job? part 2

Joe Newbert -- New on the job? Part TWO

This is part 2 of my interview with Joe Newbert.

The conversation continues in a general way touching on various subjects.

The highlights:
* What is requirements engineering to you?
* Differentiating your type of stakeholder and involvement.
* Who can translate business talk to tech talk. The BA!
* How to prototype using a Proof of Concept
* The typical working day of a business analyst
* Explaining a user Acceptance test.
* Joe tried to use a Buzz-word in a job interview..
* My way of learning.. just start doing it!
* Tell me abot your current work at a tellcomms company.


Follow Joe on http://twitter.com/newbert

ENJOY the interview!! :)


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CONTACT: thebapodcast@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/bapodcast
http://linkedin.com/in/MichielErasmus

Duration: 35mins 10 seconds
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Episode 18: What makes a BA a really exceptionally good BA with Joe Newbert in Kaapstad, Suid-Afrika

Joe Newbert -- Interviewing a BA candidate. MULTIPART interview. Part ONE.

Joe newbert is a Business Analist residing in Kaapstad (Cape Town), South Africa. Joe contacted me regarding the podcast after which i used the oppertunity to interview him on his experience. Joe has a M.Sc in computers science also he has extentsive BA experience in both the United Kingdom and since a few years in South Africa too.

Did you love the with Guy Beauchamps interview? (Episode 009: how to become a BA, and getting interviewed for a role) First sit down because you are about to be rocked of your feet even more! :)

The highlights:
* Can a truckdriver make a careerchange to being a BA?
* Recruiting a BA. What behaviorial things do you consider?
* How do you know if a candidate is bullshitting?
* The use of NLP (Neurolistic programming) during job interviews.

NEXT episode in this itnerview series;
* Acting as a project manager
* Interacting with stakeholders
* Your first day on the job
* etc etc.

Follow Joe on http://twitter.com/newbert

ENJOY the interview!! :)


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CONTACT: thebapodcast@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/bapodcast
http://linkedin.com/in/MichielErasmus

Duration: 26mins 22 seconds
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Episode 17: BA combined Project Management - part 2 - closing statements

** I'd like to use this opportunity to promote myself **

Available: immediately.
References: Contact me
hourly rate: first two months for FREE, contact me for info.

---

In today’s episode i will close off which started previously, clsoing of discussion with my toolset and why/how to use them.

In PRINCE2 my toolset are:
* The stakeholders, involving both the project sponsor and supplier.
* Project Initiation Document.
* Endstage reports
* simplified work breakdown structure, with asks and times assigned to team members.
* Lessons learnt
* Risk log
* Directory structure for filing documentation on your organisation' fileserver.

And some more general tips;
* Get out of bed with enough sleep fully rested out. No partying or crap like that the night before.
* Love what you do, your job shouldn’t be a drag, don’t force yourself to go to work. When you feel like that either change career or stay at home.
* Don’t go gossiping about work or other ppl. Listen to episode 13.
* Work towards quality, even if it means producing less, rather allow that what you do make be of excellent highest superior quality. You want don’t want them to throw you out of a project because you could produce much and fast, but nothing useable. What you want is that the client gets a useable product, and you feel proud so they will invite you back even 5 years down the line. I mean, instead of rushing through it.

DOWNLOAD the podcast for the full story.


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CONTACT: thebapodcast@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/bapodcast
http://linkedin.com/in/MichielErasmus

Duration: 27mins 28 seconds
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Episode 16: Mindmapping voor beginners ZA

This exclusive episode is in Afrikaans for South African and Dutch listeners!!

======================================

Welkom,

Een eerste proefeditie van mijn podcast in het Nederlands!!

Een mindmap is een grafisch schema (of informatieboom), dat vertrekt van een centraal onderwerp en daaraan bijzaken en verwante concepten linkt. Een mindmap zou bij het studeren helpen details van hoofdzaken te onderscheiden en informatie logisch te ordenen in het gedachten. -- Wikipedia.



Vandaag bespreek ik Mindmappen en dan wel:
* Voordelen
* Nadelen
* Reden waarom je het zou moeten gebruiken
* Tips
* Software of papier geschreven versies
* Praktijk voorbeeld -- het plannen van je snowboard vakantie :).

VOORBEELDEN:

Figuur 1: Mindmap (kliek voor vergroting)


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CONTACT: thebapodcast@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/bapodcast
http://linkedin.com/in/MichielErasmus

Duration: 14mins 16 seconds
Download: IP-adress filtering in effect Dutch IPs banned from downloading.
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Episode 15: BA combined Project Management - getting started part 1

Guys, i've been planning and improving myself for over 4 years now. Thats how long it took me to be able to present you with 40 minutes of value.

I will disucss how i combined a BA role and got some Project Management experience, and how to communicate effectively to stakeholders.

This podcast is divded into about 5 sections.
* First i tell you about the tooling i will use which are PRINCE2 and RUP.
* Secondly i will explain things to consideration before starting out.
* Thirdly, i will present Case Study for both IT and fictional non-IT project.
* Forthly, use the Case Study and apply all of the aforementioned stuff on the Case Study.
* And last but not least, closing statements.



Figure 1: The project sponsor description (click for larger version)



Figure 2: Reporting back to project board (click for larger version)


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CONTACT: thebapodcast@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/bapodcast
http://linkedin.com/in/MichielErasmus

Duration: 26mins 22 seconds
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Episode 14: Requirements elicitation workshop, getting started technique

Ever wanted to do a requirements elecitation workshop interview but didnt know how?

Here is my own practical step-by-step approach presented to YOU my listeners. This podcast covers the planning BEFORE and AFTER the actual interviews. In a next podcast you will get the real deal when sitting with the users around a table.


FIGURE: Requirements elicitation mindmap

Topics covered:
* What is requirements elecitiation?
* How to involve stakeholders?
* Common sense to take into consideration before starting the interview.
* What to do when the interview is starting, the first 2 minutes.
* Closing the interview. The next steps?
* The do's and dont's of requirements elecitation.
* How to ask questions.
* The type of requirements workshops.
* Getting in contact with stakeholders. How?

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SUID-AFRIKAANS (South African dutch) (Podcast is Engelstalig!)
* Wat beodl jy met is systeem yse vasstel?
* Hoe kan ek belanghebbendes betrokke maak?
* Gesonde verstand, voor jy begin met die onderhoud.
* Wat om te doen binne 2 minute na start van die onderhoud.
* Wat as jy klaar is?
* Dinge wat jy maar nie kan doen, of beter wel kan doen!
* Die tipe vrae om te stel.
* Soorte systeemeis onderhoude
* Hoe kan ek die mense kontak? Wat moet ek doen? Hoe?

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CONTACT: thebapodcast@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/bapodcast
http://linkedin.com/in/MichielErasmus

Duration: 25mins 32 seconds
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Episode 13: Scrumming with Özgen Güngör

After a few weeks of silence a new episode!

Scrumming with Özgen Güngör

SCRUM

Today's interview is with BA-podcast listener Özgen Güngör, a BA from Berlin in Germany. I was curious to know how ozgen managed to transition from Software Developer to the Business Analyst role? We also get into the practical application of the SCRUM agile methodology. Why use it? How to use it? Özgen shares how they use Project Poker in a game of SCRUM :).

Later on we discuss what soft skills are needed fot BA and how one would aquire those skills.

THANKS Özgen for a great interview!!

DOWNLOAD.

Episode 012: mentoring and getting started with Alex Papworth

Feature interview: Alex Papworth

Alex is a BA with many years of experience in the financial services industry. He also provides coaching and mentoring to wannabe BA's. Let’s get some of his experiences!

In this podcast we discuss advantages of having a mentor, furthermore we separate the BA role from Project Management, Alex explains the difference in roles. Michiel enquires about the activities of a BA in a very small team versus large team.
Alex explains the advantages of IIBA certification and his involvement in the London chapter of the IIBA.
On the mentoring side we get some tips for moving from a software developer to BA-role. Its tough but can be done. Finally Alex gives a hint on his to be published e-Book and reveals how he combines work with being a mentor himself. Now it’s free to apply ?

Today's top tip is the Venture Voice (http://venturevoice.com) podcast featuring interviews with well known internet companies launched by courageous entrepeneurs. I learnt a LOT from listening to these sucessful people!

Contacting Alex Papworth: http://bamentor.com

Duration: 45mins 55 seconds
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Episode 011: Talking to Jinesh Parekh, part 2

Continuing to part 2 of the interview with Jinesh Parekh

Shownotes;
* Jinesh introduces Business Process Modelling;
* We go on to a technique discovering Business Processes;
* Explaining what Business Rules are for;
* Getting into Data Modelling and using class diagrams

Contact Jinesh on LinkedIn


Figure 1: Example Activity Diagram of a Business Process


Figure 2: Example of the Object Relations Model diagram


Duration: 29mins 39secs

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Episode 010 costing estimating with Jinesh Parekh, part 1

In this first of 2-part interview aimed at junior analyst Janesh Parekh explains costing estimation, and how to do it.

Shownotes;
* We discuss how a Junior Analyst can do cost estimation;


Duration: 11mins 56secs

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Episode 009: how to become a BA, and getting interviewed for a role

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Today i want to know more about recruiting a junior business analyst. My interview is with BA recuirter Guy Beauchamp who himself is a BA and former BA recruiter.

Shownotes;
* Moving into BA position when you are doing technical programmer non-BA work;
* Business Process Modelling, an overview;
* Getting mentorships, the (dis)advantages;
* What a dedicated BA recruiter would be looking for in a candidate;

Contacting Guy Beauchamp;
Website: http://smart-ba.com

BUY the book Starting a Business Analyst Career.
RATE the podcast (opens Linkedin Polls)


The result work of a (junior) BA -- project managemnt related


Figure 1: A GANTT chart of a project


Figure 2: A work breakdown structure


Figure 3: Requirements workshop mindmap

Mail The Business Analyst Podcast: thebapodcast@gmail.com

BUY the book Starting a Business Analyst Career.
RATE the podcast (opens Linkedin Polls)

http://twitter.com/bapodcast

http://linkedin.com/in/MichielErasmus

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Duration: 27mins 24 seconds

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Episode 008: Talking to Jen Fox about requirements management part 2 of 2

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Continuing the interview with Jen Fox.

Shownotes;
* Discussing a technique to verify & classify requirements;
* Explaining Agile development methodology;
* Scaling requirements according to project size;
* How to categorize and trace requirements;
* Getting feedback to users using UML models;
* Communication between business and techies;


Figure: Requirements gathering process in an Agile project


Duration: 29mins 39secs

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