Using a Shared Presentation

When you have information to present to a group, for review or approval, a shared view of the information can be very helpful. You should prepare your presentation materials just as you would for a formal, in-person presentation. This formality is required because your listeners are remotely located and you may not have the advantage of watching their body language to read their understanding. With many tools, you can present material and ask the participants specific questions. Your questions should be well thought out in advance, easy to answer, and should assist you with the remaining material. With a large group, you will need to ask closed-ended questions so that you (or the tool) can quickly tabulate responses. You may want to have some backup presentation materials to support an area where many participants have questions. Questions during the presentation also help participants stay focused and involved. When you are working remotely, you cannot be aware of all of the distractions with which the participants may be dealing. When you ask a question, if all participants do not answer, be specific: “John, do you have a question about this requirement before you can answer?”

Having an assistant facilitator in each location is an effective way to manage virtual meetings and presentations. The remote facilitator will make sure all attendees are present, introduce each participant, work with the main facilitator to manage participation, and make sure that participants adhere to standard meeting etiquette (e.g., one person speaks at a time).

Sharing a Document

When working with a small group, a tool that allows you to share a document may be appropriate. This technology allows multiple users to edit the same document while all participants see the changes instantly. Both diagrams and text representations may be developed or refined in this manner. This would be very useful for paired BAs who are working on the same requirements document.

The more people you have involved, the more difficult document sharing will become. If you need to have a session with a large number of participants, you should allow them to view the working document but not physically contribute. Too many people adding to a document at once will really make the meeting confusing and result in a low-quality product.

Summary of key points

The most important skill of a BA is effective communication. To be effective, communication must be tailored to and for the audience. Understanding all of the people in your project is the first step in being an effective analyst.

• People who are involved with a project are commonly referred to as “stake-holders.”

• To tailor communications, BAs must really know their audience. They should get to know each project stakeholder and develop a relationship of trust and open communication.

• Knowing the motives of everyone on a project, along with their skill sets, allows the BA to determine how to best elicit and present requirements.

• The PM and BA should work together very closely. Ideally, two different individuals who are appropriately trained fill these roles on most projects.

• Technical and solution team members are also stakeholders with whom communication is very important. BAs need to communicate in the technical language used by these stakeholders.

• Stakeholders also include individuals outside the organization, like vendors, suppliers, and contractors. Communication with these stakeholders is usually more formal and structured.

• BAs design communications to balance all stakeholder needs and manage the challenges of dispersed team members.

• BAs should not let attitudes and history prevent them from developing a relationship and making the best use of the people available to them. Every stakeholder is a valuable resource; some just may require a little more TLC. Treat them well, involve them in the project as early as possible, and win them over to your side, and you will have excellent teammates.