Underlying Competencies
Chapter 9. Underlying Competencies
The Underlying Competencies chapter provides a description of the behaviours, characteristics, knowlegde, and personal qualities that support the practice of business analysis.
These competencies are grouped into six categories:
- Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving
- Behavioural Characteristics
- Business Knowlegde
- Communicaton Skills
- Interaction Skills
- Tools and Technology
Each underlying competency is defined with a purpose, definition, and effectiveness measures.
9.1. Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving
Analytical thinking and problem solving skills are required for business analysts to analyze problems and opportunities effectively, identify which changes may deliver the most value, and work with stakeholders to understand the impact of those changes.
Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving core competencies include:
1. Creative Thinking
Thinking creatively and helping others to apply creative thinking helps business analysts to be effective in generating new ideas, approachs, and alternatives to problem solving and opportunities.
- generating and productively considering new ideas,
- exploring concepts and ideas that are new,
- exploring changes to existing concepts and ideas,
- generating creativity for self and others, and
- applying new ideas to resolve existing problems.
2. Decision Making
Business analysts must be effective in understanding the criteria involved in making a decision, and in assisting others to make better decisions.
- the appropriate stakeholders are represented in the decision-making process,
- stakeholdes understand the decision-making process and rationale behind the decision,
- the pros and con of all available options are clearly communicated to stakeholders,
- the decision reduces or eliminates uncertainty, and nay remaining uncertainty is accepted,
- the decision made addresses the need or the oppurtunity at hand and is in the best interrest of all stakeholders,
- stakeholders understand all the conditions, environment. and measures in which the dicision will be made, and
- a decision is made.
3. Learning
The ability quickly absorb new and different types of information and also modify and adapt existing knowlegde allows business analysts to work effectively in rapidly changing and evolving environments. Leaning techniques to consider such as visual (the presentation of picture, photographs, diagrams, modelsm and videos ), auditory (verbal and written language and text), kinesthetic (by doing)
- understanding that learning is a process for all stakeholders,
- learning the concepts presented and then demonstrating an understanding of them,
- demonstrating the ability to apply concepts to new areas or relationships,
- rapidly absorbing new facts, ideas, concepts, and opinions, and
- effectively presenting new facts, indeas, concepts, and opinions to others.
4. Problem Solving
Business analysts define and solve problen in order to ensure that the real, underlying root cause of a problem is understood by all stakeholders and that solution option address that root cause.
- confidence of the participants in the problem solving process,
- selected solutions meet the defined objectives and solve the root cause of the problem,
- new solution options can be evaluated effectively using the problem solving framework, and
- the problem solving process avoids making decision base on unvalidated assumptions, preconceived notions, or other traps that may cause a suboptimal solution to be selected.
5. System Thinking
Understanding how the people, processes, and technology within an organization interact allows business analysts to understand the enterprise form a holistic point of view.
- communicating how a change to a compnent affects the system as a whole,
- communicating how a change to a system affects the environment it is in, and
- communicating how systems adapt to internal and/or external pressures and changes.
6. Conceptal Thinking
Business analysts rountiely receive large amounts of detailed and potentially disparate information. They apply conceptual thinking skills to find ways to understand how that information fits into a larger picture and what details are important, and to connect seemingly abstract information.
- connecting disparate information and acting to better understand the relationship,
- confirming the confidence and understanding of the concept being communicated with stakeholders,
- formulating abstract concept using a combination of information and uncertainty, and
- drawing on past experences to understand the situation.
7. Visual Thingking
The ability to communicate complex concepts and models into understandable visual representations allows business analysts to engage stakeholders and help them understand the concepts being presented.
- complex information is communicated in a visual model which is understandable by stakeholders,
- visual allow for comparisons, pattern finding, and idea mapping with participants,
- productivity increases due to increased learning, quick memory, and follow through from effective visuals,
- stake holders are engaged at a deeper level than with text alone, and
- stakeholders understand critical information which may have been missed if presented in textual content alone.
9.2. Behavioural Characteristics
1. Ethics
2. Personal Accountability
3. Trustworthiness
4. Organization and Time Management
5. Adaptability
9.3. Business Knowlegde
1. Business Acumen
2. Industry Knowlegde
3. Organization Knowlegde
4. Solution Knowledge
5. Methodology Knowlegde
9.4. Communicaton Skills
1. Verbal Communication
2. Non-verbal Communication
3. Written Communication
4. Listening
9.5. Interaction Skills
1. Facilitation
2. Leadership and Influencing
3. Teamwork
4. Negotation and Conflict Resolution
5. Teaching
9.6. Tools and Technology
1. Office Productivity Tools and Technology
2. Business Analysis Tools and Technology
3. Communicaion Tool and Technology
