Robin Grace, business analysis principal consultant at South African consulting, training, and software provider, IndigoCube, has been part of an international team of contributors on a white paper, titled: “Partnering for project success: project manager and business analyst collaboration”.
This white paper was co-sponsored by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). It compares the underlying frameworks embodied in Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) and Project Managers Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).
The two internationally renowned organisations invited Grace to contribute due to his significant expertise and track record in the business analysis field.
“It is a significant feather in IndigoCube's cap to have our principal consultant, Robin Grace, selected,” says Ziaan Hattingh, MD of IndigoCube.
Grace is a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP), having spent more than 20 years in the field working with several organisations. In this time he has found that the business analysis process seldom delivers the desired results.
He helps organisations identify weakness in their business analysis function and assist them to address these weaknesses, to ensure business analysis delivers solutions that provide the correct business value. He has been instrumental in assisting numerous organisations to get their business analysis process back on track. He is also the author of a book: “Aligning Business Analysis, Assessing Business Analysis from a Results Focus”.
The white paper saw a project team of experts in project management and business analysis review the two the bodies of knowledge. The paper maps the knowledge areas of the BABOK against the Process Groups in the PMBOK - initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. Three sub-teams, each consisting of a PM and BA subject matter expert (SME), were formed and assigned sections to analyse and document. This analysis was followed by a full team review and revision cycle culminating in the white paper. The white paper was presented at the PMI Congress and IIBA Annual Conference, both in Washington, by members of the team in October. There was a positive response at both these events to the paper's findings.
The white paper aims to guide the PM on best utilising BA capabilities to achieve the desired project outcomes, and focuses on linking roles to associated activities rather than organisational or job titles.
“I am extremely privileged to have had an opportunity to contribute to the development of this white paper,” says Grace, “as I am passionate about the business analysis profession.”
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