Volume 17 Issue 1    

National / International Connection

 Left-Brain or Right-Brain: Which Builds Better Products?

Left-brain vs. right-brain. Calculated, precise, and mathematical vs. creative, flexible, and emotional. Two opposing hemispheres locked in an internal battle to determine what from within makes it out into the world....   

2017 Predictions

What are the trends this year? IIBA^® shares four predictions we see happening in 2017.  Looking at how Innovation, Agile, the Evolving Role and Collaboration looks like beyond 2017...   

Spring in the Bluegrass (Time to Train for your BA Career)

by Terry Sundy, Jr., President, Bluegrass IIBA Chapter  

 Hello Everyone,              

As the seasons change from Winter to Spring and the Thoroughbred horses prepare for racing locally, we here at the Bluegrass IIBA chapter we like to offer our services to help you begin or continue your Business Analysis career.  Just like the horses, you cannot remain still and expect your career to be successful.  The only constant in this world is change.  Allow the Bluegrass IIBA chapter to assist you with these changes..... 

    Board of Directors Spotlight...LeShai Phelps
 
LeShai Phelps                          
Vice President of Marketing and Communications
                      
LeShai Phelps joined the Bluegrass IIBA Chapter a few years ago in hopesof networking with other analysts in the Lexington area and to obtain knowledgeto help her to learn BA practices....

Bluegrass IIBA Upcoming Events

April 19, 2017 - Exploring the Full Role of the Business Analyst

Participants in the small group discussion event will be able to take a deep dive into the multifaceted role of the business analyst.  The participants will be divided into four small groups and each small group will discuss each of four topics as a team...

April 27, 2017 - Webinar: Design Thinking for Business Analysts: a get-started guide to prototyping better products

Design Thinking isn’t just for design agencies anymore; recently, large organizations such as IBM, Deloitte and various US Government agencies have turned towards design driven approaches in their software development workflows. But instead of focusing solely on design for decorative purposes, large enterprises are using it to disrupt and improve their core work cultures for BAs...  

May 17, 2017 - Annual General Meeting and Hall of Fame Ceremony 

The Bluegrass IIBA Chapter will host its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and induct the second class of professionals into the Bluegrass Business Analysis Hall of Fame (BBAHoF)...

Local Connection

According to Wikipedia, a business analyst is someone who analyzes an organization or business domain (real or hypothetical) and documents it business or processes or systems, assessing the business model or its integration with technology.  The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) describes the role as "a liaison among stakeholders in order to understand the structure, policies, and operations of an organization, and to recommend solutions that enable the organization to achieve its goals....      

A Day in the Life of a BA Consultant
 While working as a client, I needed to understand and document our internal business processes in order to effectively communicate with outside ERP consultants.  I would spend a lot of time with different personnel throughout the organization trying to understand their processes.  This included a lot of asking “Why?” in order to truly understand what the business needed.  I would then write up flow charts in Visio detailing the business process..... 

 Click image to open Word document

We at Bluegrass IIBA Chapter realize that your successes and challenges can be great lessons learned for others; therefore, we encourage you to donate your time and experience to local groups that provide mentorship to youth or professional development for adults. Let's enrich our community by helping others advance or prepare for new careers.  

Beginning in August 2016, members are able to attend Bluegrass IIBA Chapter meetings for free (some restrictions apply). Remember to renew your membership to continue to enjoy the benefits of membership. Do you have more than 10 professionals who perform business analysis in your organization?  Then the IIBA Corporate Membership and Bluegrass IIBA Corporate Membership programs may be for you.

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