Key Note Elizabeth Larson
Project Manager and Business Analyst
Three Steps to Collaboration
Many organizations have found that even when projects are brought in on time and within budget, they are faced with products and services that don’t work, usually resulting from missed requirements, a product that does not align with the organization’s goals, or because it solves the wrong business problem. These organizations have learned the hard way that business analysis is an important key to project success.
This presentation explains what business analysis is and provides a fifteen question assessment to help project managers (PM) and business analysts (BA) figure out which role they are playing. It then describes the potential conflict that can arise when these two roles work on the same project. Finally it describes the three steps necessary to bring about the collaboration needed for project and organizational success.
Specifically, this presentation:
- Provides a fifteen-question assessment to help understand the roles of PM, BA, and sponsor.
- Explains the different roles, accountabilities, and objectives of both the PM and the BA
- Discusses how the two different goals of the PM and BA can intersect rather than compete
- Distinguishes between features, requirements, and deliverables, all of which are needed to define project scope
- Discusses the areas where the two roles seem to overlap and how to clarify the associated responsibilities to minimize conflict
- Explains how these two roles can work together to best meet project and organizational objectives
- Presents three steps that both the PM and BA can take to collaborate for project success
Learning Objectives
Attendees will be able to:
- Discuss why business analysis is important to business and project success
- Describe potential conflict areas when the PM and Ba work on the same project
- Describe three ways for PMs and BAs to collaborate for successful projects
BIO: Elizabeth Larson, Principal, PMP, CBAP, CSM
Elizabeth Larson is CEO and Co-Principal of Watermark Learning with over 30 years of experience in project management, business analysis, and influencing skills. Elizabeth has presented workshops, seminars, and training classes since 1996 to thousands of participants on 5 different continents.
Elizabeth co-authored three books: Practitioners’ Guide to Requirements Management, The Influencing Formula, and the CBAP Certification Study Guide. She also contributed chapters to two three compilations, Creating a Clear Project Plan, compiled by Dr., Gary Richardson, Projects Without Borders: Gathering Requirements on a Multi-Cultural Project, published by Icfai University Press, and Keys to Our Success: Lessons Learned from 25 of our Best PMs, compiled by David Barrett and Derek Vigar. In addition, Elizabeth has been cited in CIO and PM Network and regularly contribute articles to BA times, Project Times, and Modern Analyst.
Elizabeth was a lead author on the PMBOK® Guide – Fourth ed., content lead for Scope Management PMBOK® Guide Fifth Ed., a lead author for the BABOK® Guide 2.0, and an expert reviewer for 3.0.
