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    Business Analysis Live!

    Curiosity for Business Analysis

    Tue May 30 2023
    business analysiscuriosityBA School Day initiative

    Description

    The episode explores the importance of curiosity in business analysis, including its relevance in discovering new things, challenging assumptions, and avoiding jumping to solutions. It also discusses barriers to curiosity, such as intimidation and corporate cultures, and provides insights on how to overcome them. The BA School Day initiative is introduced as a way to educate students about business analysis as a career path, with professionals encouraged to share their experiences in schools. The benefits of getting involved in the initiative are highlighted, emphasizing the global community's positive response and the potential impact on young people's lives.

    Insights

    Curiosity is essential in business analysis

    Curiosity helps discover new things, challenges assumptions, and avoids jumping to solutions.

    Barriers to curiosity exist in corporate cultures

    Corporate cultures sometimes discourage curiosity to preserve the existing power structure.

    The BA School Day initiative aims to educate students about business analysis

    Professionals are encouraged to visit schools and colleges to share their experiences.

    Getting involved in the initiative can have a profound impact

    Volunteering in the BA School Day initiative can potentially change career paths for young people.

    Collaboration and humility are valued traits among business analysts

    Business analysts often focus on team achievements rather than individual contributions.

    Chapters

    1. The Importance of Curiosity in Business Analysis
    2. Barriers to Curiosity and Overcoming Them
    3. The BA School Day Initiative
    4. Benefits of Getting Involved in the BA School Day Initiative
    Summary
    Transcript

    The Importance of Curiosity in Business Analysis

    00:01 - 14:44

    • Curiosity is an innate human ability to ask questions and learn about the environment.
    • Curiosity is particularly relevant in a business context as it helps discover new things and challenges assumptions.
    • Curiosity in business analysis involves being interested, understanding how things have come to be, and avoiding jumping to solutions or being judgmental.
    • Curiosity is similar to a child's natural curiosity, which leads to learning and exploring different areas.
    • Being curious means getting comfortable with the unknown, being creative, resilient, and open to failure.
    • Having too much subject matter expertise can hinder curiosity as it leads to assumptions and stops asking questions.
    • Ethnography is important for observing a population from an outsider's perspective
    • Stakeholders value subject matter knowledge but may overlook new perspectives
    • Good BAs have curiosity and a willingness to learn and try new techniques
    • Learning from adjacent disciplines can enhance storytelling skills in business analysis
    • Collaboration between different disciplines can bring new ideas to the BA community
    • Filmmaking and software projects share similar processes and tools
    • Business analysts should be professional learners and explore other disciplines
    • Sales techniques can help convert needs into requirements in business analysis
    • Curiosity is a skill that can be improved by asking questions and suspending judgment

    Barriers to Curiosity and Overcoming Them

    14:16 - 21:48

    • Curiosity is a skill that many people forget to practice, especially when under tight deadlines.
    • People may be intimidated to ask questions because it reveals their lack of knowledge.
    • Asking questions can uncover assumptions and challenge the status quo.
    • Corporate cultures sometimes discourage curiosity to preserve the existing power structure.
    • Experience should not be the sole determinant of who gets demanding roles; younger individuals can bring fresh perspectives.
    • Barriers to curiosity include organizational culture and personal fear of asking questions.
    • Improving curiosity involves addressing these barriers at both the organizational and personal levels.

    The BA School Day Initiative

    21:24 - 28:26

    • The BA School Day initiative aims to educate students about business analysis as a career path.
    • Professionals are encouraged to visit schools and colleges to share their experiences in business analysis.
    • The initiative has gained global participation, with professionals from every continent except Antarctica involved.
    • The plan is for professionals to give presentations or workshops during Global B.A. Day in November, inspiring students to consider business analysis as a career.
    • The website for the BA School Day initiative has a few pages with information and resources.
    • The website includes a zoomable map showing who has pledged to participate.
    • There are suggested letters, emails, and social media tiles available for people to use when contacting schools.
    • People can contribute their own content to the website.
    • The time commitment for going into a school is approximately 30 minutes to an hour, with preparation time varying based on individual preferences.
    • There are different options for presentations, ranging from a basic off-the-shelf option to more tailored and creative approaches.
    • Even if someone cannot directly contribute, they can still help by spreading the word on social media or within their own teams.
    • The initiative aims to tap into children's curiosity and create a generation of individuals who understand business analysis from an early age.
    • Volunteering in this initiative can have a profound impact on the lives of young people and potentially change career paths.
    • The response from the global BA community has been impressive, with many expressing interest in getting involved in schools.

    Benefits of Getting Involved in the BA School Day Initiative

    27:59 - 32:05

    • The global BA community has responded positively to the initiative, with many people wanting to get involved in schools but not knowing how.
    • The initiative provides a global permission for everyone to get involved and be part of something bigger.
    • By speaking to a class or assembly, each person who goes into school can reach thousands of children quickly.
    • Business analysis professionals have shown a willingness to volunteer their time and help others.
    • Collaboration and humility are common traits among business analysts, who often focus on team achievements rather than individual contributions.
    • The IBA serves as a custodian of the global business analysis community, fostering collaboration and support among professionals worldwide.
    • Being part of the self-selecting global community is seen as an extension of curiosity and care for both job and community.
    • Viewers are encouraged to visit the website school.day to learn more about and participate in the initiative.
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