Soft Skill Training For Business Analysis 3504 - CN - B1 - 605 - A1

Course 3504
Soft Skills Training

for Business Analysis
3504/CN/B.1/605/A.1
LEARNING TREE INTERNATIONAL, INC.
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Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank the following individuals for their excellent
contributions to this course
Peter Dillon-Parkin
Janice George
Learning Tree International, Inc. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced without prior written consent.
Course Objectives
You will learn how to
Align powerful communication and elicitation soft skills with business
analysis activities
Make presentations to stakeholders
Develop dynamic elicitation skills
Effectively facilitate requirements workshops and other meetings
business analysts run
Explore advanced facilitation strategies
Explore and develop communication skills aligned to requirements
analysis and validation activities
Expand your influence and leadership potential in your organization
Chapter Contents
Introduction and Overview
Chapter 1 The Value of Soft Skills for Business Analysis
Chapter 2 Communicating the Business Need: Making Presentations
Chapter 3 Developing Dynamic Elicitation Skills
Chapter 4 Facilitating Meetings
Chapter 5 Advanced Facilitation Strategies and Techniques
Chapter 6 Moving From Elicitation to Analyzing and Validating

Requirements
Chapter 7 Course Summary
Next Steps
Assumption
You are taking this class for one of two reasons
You are a full-time business analyst
or
You play the role of business analyst on projects along with other
responsibilities, which may include:
A technical SME role (developer, systems analyst, technical lead, etc.)
Project manager
Product Owner
Business lead
SME = subject-matter expert
Chapter 1
The Value of Soft Skills

for Business Analysis
Chapter Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to recognize the impact
of soft skills on business analysis activities
You will also be able to
Recognize why soft skills can be difficult to master
Identify how soft-skills competency is validated by industry research
Appreciate the industry position on soft skills
Employ the Business Analysis (BA) Interaction Model
Learning Tree International, Inc. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced without prior written consent. 1-2
Activity 1.1: Identifying Key People Skills
1. Work in your groups
2. Choose a brainstorming method you are comfortable with
Discussion
Sticky notes
Mind mapping
3. Answer the question:
What key people skills do BAs need to be effective in the development of
product solutions?
Debrief 1.1: Identifying Key People Skills
Debrief 1.1: Identifying Key People Skills
Chapter Contents
Course Focus
About Soft Skills
Industry Data on Soft Skills
Industry Position on Soft Skills
The BA Interaction Model
The Focus of This Course
This course focuses on business analysis skills that are critical when
interacting with stakeholders
These skills are often referred to as
People skills Interaction skills
Collaboration skills Communication skills
Soft skills
Soft skills is the term most commonly associated with the dynamic skills
business analysts need to master to be effective in interactions with
stakeholders across the project lifecycle when
Eliciting
Collaborating
Communicating and managing requirements
Interacting
These skills are essential to produce effective and acceptable solutions
that address problems and opportunities in the organization
Chapter Contents
Course Focus
About Soft Skills

What Are Soft Skills?
Soft skills have three essential characteristics or qualities
1. The rules are abstract
Unlike hard skills like math, where rules for application are black and
white, soft skills use gray-area skills
Success with gray-area skills is dependent on factors such as:
The people you

External factors
are working with
Your emotional (organizational
state (are they introverts,
culture, political
extroverts, under
climate)
stress, angry, etc.?)
What Are Soft Skills?
2. The skills are transferable to any job or career path
They are people skills, so if you have to interact with people in any job,
they are valuable
3. Gaining proficiency is an ongoing process
While you can achieve competency in these skills, you can always improve
and add dimension to your soft-skill prowess
New situations and challenges you encounter will test the limits of these
competencies
Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills
Why do you think soft skills are so hard to master?
Hard skills (black and white)
Math Communication
Grammar Facilitation
Measurement Negotiation
Soft skills (gray area)

Coding Collaboration
UML modeling Conflict resolution
Database design Persuasion
UML = Unified Modeling Language
Why Are Soft Skills So Hard to Master?
1. Soft skills are not tangible
They are difficult to quantify and measure
It is hard to point to what works and support findings with data
Soft skills were often referred to as touchy-feely or wimpy skills
and not for strong stakeholders
2. Most of us were trained and educated in organizations that only taught
hard skills
An assumption was made that good communicators were born with a gift
We have had to learn and evolve soft skills on the job
With little formal training until very recently
3. Situations that require soft skills are very fluid
Most problems requiring communication, interaction, and facilitation skills are
unique
Soft skills require tremendous diversity in application to situations that must
be judged independently
No concrete solution road maps exist
Soft Skills in Todays Marketplace
Business leaders and experts, supported by industry research, feel soft
skills are as important as (or even more important than) hard skills
Technical skills and knowledge account for about 15 percent of the reason an
individual gets a job, keeps the job, and advances in the job.
From research conducted by Harvard University, the
Carnegie Foundation and the Stanford Research Institute,
quoted by The Protocol School of Washington, D.C.
80 percent of people who fail at work, do not fail due to lack of technical skills
but rather because of their inability to relate well with others.
Robert Bolton, author of People Skills
An individuals ability to manage relationships with others is twice as

important as his or her intelligence quotient.
Daniel Goleman, psychologist and author of Emotional Intelligence
Why Are Soft Skills Important for Business Analysis?
Lack of competency can cause significant risk to product/solution
development
One question omitted in a stakeholder interview
A failed workshop caused by stakeholder conflicts left unresolved
One update to an engineer omitted
One unrealistic requirements deadline unmet by the BA team
One e-mail from Quality Assurance ignored
One requirement omitted during development
One defective requirement
Two requirements that conflict with each other
One issue uncovered but left untracked
Issues described above can severely alter the trajectory of a project, adding
significant risk to the project outcome and user acceptance
Activity 1.2: The Challenge of Soft Skills
What soft skills are most challenging to you and why?
Debrief 1.2: The Challenge of Soft Skills Instructor-Led
Are soft skills underrated in your department?

If so, why? At what cost?
Chapter Contents
Course Focus
About Soft Skills

The Data Supports Strong Soft-Skills Development
The Standish Groups Chaos Report findings (2012)
Two-thirds of projects delivered by large organizations on a global scale fail to
meet user expectations
The top two reasons projects fail to meet user expectations:
Incomplete requirements
Lack of user involvement
Crosstalk, the Journal of Defense Software Engineering (USA)
Origin of software defects
64 percent: Requirements Analysis and Design Phase
36 percent: Coding/Implementation Phase
IBM Systems Sciences Institute Research
Relative costs to fix software defects*
Design 1x
Implementation 6.5x
*Phase/stage of the
Testing 15x software development
in which the defect is
Maintenance 100x found
Chapter Contents
Course Focus
About Soft Skills
Industry Position on
Soft Skills
The Industrys Position on the Value of Soft Skills
Effective leadership therefore requires that the business analyst be
able to develop a vision of a desired future state that people can be
motivated to work towards and the interpersonal skills necessary to
encourage them to do so. *
Developing strategy is seen as a hard discipline like finance and
technology but the creativity and change skills that make strategy
work are the soft skills. **
Communication has been identified as one of the single biggest
reasons for project success or failure. Effective communication
within the project team and between the project manager, team
members and all external stakeholders is essential. Openness and
communication is a gateway to teamwork and high performance.
*Source: A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge. Release 2.0. International Institute of
Business Analysis, 2009.
**Source: Cadle, James, Malcolm Eva, et al. Business Analysis. BCS Learning & Development Limited,
2014.
Source: Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK Guide)Fifth Edition, Project Management Institute, Inc., 2013.
Chapter Contents
Course Focus
About Soft Skills
The Business Analysis (BA) Interaction Model
Analyzing the
Enterprise
Requirements
Validation BA Planning
Communication
Active
Facilitation
Listening
Influence &
Leadership
Conflict
Negotiation
Resolution
Collaboration
Requirements
Elicitation
Analysis
Chapter Summary
You can now recognize the impact of soft skills on business analysis
activities
You are also able to
Recognize why soft skills can be difficult to master
Identify how soft skills competency is validated by industry research
Appreciate the industry position on soft skills
Employ the BA Interaction Model
My Summary
For me, the key points of this chapter were:
Next week, the things I will do differently at work are:
Chapter 1 Review Wheel
Business leaders and experts feel soft
The three essential qualities skills are as important as _____ skills
of soft skills are:
1. ___________ Examples of hard
___________ skills include:
2. ___________ ___________
___________ ___________
3. ___________ ___________
___________ ___________
The Value of
Soft Skills
for Business
Analysis
Examples of soft skills
include: The top two reasons
___________ projects fail to meet user
___________ expectations are :
___________ 1. ___________
___________ ___________
___________ Lack of soft-skills competency can 2. ___________
___________ cause significant _____ to ___________
product/solution development
Chapter 2
Communicating the Business Need:

Making Presentations
Chapter Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to present the business
need to stakeholders formally and informally
Explore formal communication by developing and delivering a business need
presentation
Turn the business need statement into an elevator pitch that can be
delivered informally to any stakeholder at any time
Analyzing the
Enterprise
Requirements
Communication
Active
Facilitation
Listening
Influence &
Leadership
Conflict
Negotiation
Resolution
Collaboration
Requirements
Elicitation
Analysis
Chapter Contents
Critical Thinking: Turning a

Problem into a Business Need
Formal Communication: Presenting the
Business Need
Informal Communication: The Elevator Pitch
Uncovering the Business Need
Business need development is a critical-thinking activity that begins with
problem analysis
BAs partner with key stakeholders, usually from the domain under
investigation
It is important for BAs to communicate findings to implementation SMEs,
as well
Why involve implementation SMEs so early in the project?
Communication during this process is both
Formal
Informal
More on formal and informal communication later in this chapter
A Process for Developing the Business Need Instructor-Led
1. Capture the problem

2. Translate the problem into needs
3. Capture the essence of the need in simple statements that:
Puts focus
Defines the Requires a on the
issue(s) solution desired
outcome
1. Capture the Problem: Problem Example Instructor-Led
Government regulators have determined that our current

case management system has created the following conditions
A backlog of pending cases
Unrealistic waiting periods before benefits
are distributed to citizen applicants, many
of whom have critical needs
A federal monitor has been assigned to
our agency and is considering sanctions
and oversight if this condition is not
improved over the next 12 months
2. Translate the Problem Into Needs Instructor-Led
Identify what change in outcome the users would like to see

Citizens must be informed about decisions regarding their case in a
reasonable period of time
The application process must be improved; it is overcomplicated and has too
much redundancy
2. Translate the Problem Into Needs Instructor-Led
The Problem to Needs matrix helps us gather information to define the problem:
1. Ask probing questions that break the problem down into simple parts
that identify undesirable outcomes:
2. What change in outcome would 3. How can the problem be

users like to see? measured?
Problem to Needs: Case Management Example Instructor-Led
1. Ask probing questions that break the problem down into simple parts that identify undesirable
outcomes:
a. How many cases are backlogged in the system? (3 million)
b. How long does it take a citizen to fill out the application for benefits? (32 hours)
c. How long does it take the agency to review an application? (5 months)
d. What is the average time it takes the agency to make a decision on benefit distribution?
(8 months)
e. What percentage of citizens experience a decline in their condition during waiting periods? (68%)
f. What percentage of cases produce data defects during the application intake process? (42%)
Other questions?
2. What change in outcome would users like 3. How can the problem be measured?
to see?
Develop metrics around No. 2 and
a. Reduce the application completion monitor with reports and alerts
process time by 50 percent
b. Reduce the benefit decision process time

by 50 percent
c. Reduce the case backlog to less than

1 million cases
3. Translate the Problem Into a Statement of Need Instructor-Led
Developing the Business Need Statement

Key considerations
Iterate as necessary and

Make every word count as much as possible in
developing the need
The
Business
Need
Describe what must be Tie your statement back
solved (not giving the to the critical problem
solution yet) that needs to be solved
The Business Need Statement Emerges Instructor-Led
Citizens must be able to receive benefits in a timely manner

It currently takes up to a year for the average applicant to receive a benefit
decision from the agency
68 percent of applicants experience a decline in their condition while waiting
for a decision from our agency
Our case management system is outdated and contains too many manual
procedures, which causes significant data errors
The entire application-to-intake process is a manual procedure
This one-year wait period must be reduced to less than four months
We have eight months to correct this situation
If improvements are not made in this time frame, the agency will likely be
placed under government oversight
Why Are We Doing This?
We need to present the business need to management to obtain the
authority to correct the problem. This is accomplished through formal
communication. This involves selling or advocating for the need
We also need to explain to stakeholders why the project exists and why
their time is necessary to help define the solution. This is accomplished
primarily through informal communication
The Business Need as a Communication Device
Usage examples for business analysis:
Formal communication Informal communication
Activity: Business case presentations Activity: Business analysis planning

Purpose: Opens the discussion and is Purpose: Justifies key project deliverables
formally presented to open the discussion and ensures that time estimates are realistic
Activity: Structured walkthrough Activity: Elicitation sessions

Purpose: Formally introduces the Purpose: Justifies to stakeholders why the
discussion and explains why we are here project is necessary and, more importantly,
why their time and input is needed
Activity: Normal requirements reviews Activity: During requirements analysis
Purpose: Benchmarks the business need to Purpose: Validates that the requirements
guard against scope creep meet stakeholder needs and aids in
prioritization activities
Can you see any potential problems with this?
Chapter Contents
Critical Thinking: Turning a Problem into a

Business Need
Formal Communication:
Presenting the Business Need
Informal Communication: The Elevator Pitch
Presentation Basics
Key points about presenting high-level information to stakeholders
Know your audience
Know your facts
Provide examples for context
Tell a story using the facts and examples
End with a pain point, key fact, or idea that your audience can easily
remember. It should be what you most want them to take away from your
presentation and repeat to others
Research shows that your audience will remember, at best, half of what
you tell them. Ask yourself
What is the key point I want everyone to remember and repeat? It is the idea
that you want to emphasize as your final point in your presentation
Presentation Basics
You are always communicating
And so is your audience
Pay attention to their nonverbal gestures
Key factors in communication
Appearance
Facial expression
Body language
Eye contact
Gestures and movement
Studies have shown that only 7 percent of the initial message you
convey is verbal
Words = 7 percent
Tone of voice accounts for much more = 38 percent
Body language even more = 55 percent
It is critical to practice what you will present
Activity 2.2: What is Wrong With Many Presentations?
Presentation Secrets: Five Steps to Creating a Dynamic Presentation
Five tips to creating dynamic presentations

1. Begin with a hook: Grab their attention!
2. Create emotional engagement right away: They need to relate to the

problem
3. Tell a story with your facts and data: Stories are more memorable than
research and hard evidence
4. Use imagery: Create word pictures in the minds of your audience. Ask
yourself, What is the picture I want them to see?
5. Facilitate emotional investment from your audience: Make them want

to own the issue
Three Types of Stories
Three kinds of stories you can use to make your point
1. Stories directly related to your organization and the issues that affect it
Real anecdotes from colleagues and customers
2. Hypothetical stories
Not real, but realistic in that they could happen
3. Metaphorical stories
Stories that are symbolic and illustrate the point that you want to make
Activity 2.3: Formal Presentation
Meet with your group to develop and deliver a business need presentation
from the example business need you created
Review the slides in this chapter as a guideline to help gather the information
and develop your presentation
The presentation should be no longer than seven minutes
Refer to the Presentation Secrets slide in Section 3 of your Workbook to
guide you in the activity
Practice the presentation
Use a timer
Activity 2.3 Debrief Instructor-Led
What was hard about developing your group presentation?

1.
2.
3.
What made it easier?

1.
2.
3.
Chapter Contents
Critical Thinking: Turning a Problem Into a

Business Need
Formal Communication: Presenting the

Business Need
Informal Communication: The

Elevator Pitch
What Is an Elevator Pitch?
An elevator pitch is very simple
You use it to explain why this project exists
You deliver the essence of the idea in one minute or less (30 seconds is
better)
You deliver your elevator pitch on the flywherever and whenever necessary
Examples:
A high-level stakeholder stops you in the hallway and asks what you are
working on
A SME begins an elicitation interview with this question: Is this meeting
really necessary? I have three deadlines to meet and the only reason I am
here is because Harry (boss) made me meet with you
The elevator pitch may last under one minute, but it takes considerable
time to develop
The elevator pitch is the edited version of the business need statement
it requires careful editing and practice
Every word counts!
It is primarily delivered informally, usually when you are caught off-guard
Checklist: Four Key Elements of an Elevator Pitch
Objective: The problem/opportunity and desired
outcome are described
The hook
Rationale: The key point(s) that describe(s) why
the project exists
Be careful! Too many points and your audience
loses interest
Solution: The preferred outcome
Action: Why their time or support is necessary
Activity 2.4: Shark TankThe Elevator Pitch Do Now
You now have a formal presentation and a business

need statement
Review both
A key stakeholder has stopped you in the hallway and
asked you why this project needs her time (she is very
busy)
You cant get away
Describe the business need in under one minute (Hint:
Practice this pitch two or three times before you
present it to the class)
Use a timer
You only have 30 seconds to convince this
important stakeholder that your project is worth her
time
Stakeholders need to leave this mini-session
motivated and with a sense of urgency
Your Presentation Secrets slide (2-19) is your
best friend
The Business Need Reference
Citizens must be able to receive benefits in a timely manner. It currently

takes up to a year for the average applicant to receive a benefit decision
from the agency. 68 percent of applicants experience a decline in their
condition while waiting for a decision from our agency
Our case management system is outdated and contains too many manual
procedures, which causes significant data errors. The entire application-
to-intake process is a manual procedure
This one-year wait period must be reduced to less than four months
We have eight months to correct this situation. If improvements are not
made in this time frame, the agency will likely be placed under
government oversight
Chapter Summary
You are now able to turn a problem into a business need
Explore formal communication by developing and delivering a business need
presentation
Turn the business need statement into an elevator pitch that can be
delivered informally to any stakeholder at any time
My Summary
An elevator pitch is a great example
of ___________ ___________
Critical-thinking activities Communication during the
when developing the Uncovering the Business
business need begin with Need process is both
_________________ _________
_________
Examples of formal Communicating

communication include: the Business Need Studies have shown that only
___________ ___________ ___________ of the initial
___________ ___________ message you convey is
___________ ___________ verbal
Informal communication
explains to stakeholders why:
The first step in business Formal communication ___________
need development is to involves _________ or ___________
__________________ _________ for the need ___________
Chapter 3
Developing Dynamic Elicitation Skills

Chapter Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to define elicitation
Investigate strategies to gain access to stakeholders by sharpening your
persuasion skills
Develop effective questioning strategies to enhance collaboration with
stakeholders
Explore active listening strategies to enhance elicitation sessions with
stakeholders
Analyzing the
Enterprise
Requirements
Communication
Active
Facilitation
Listening
Influence &
Leadership
Conflict
Negotiation
Resolution
Collaboration
Requirements
Elicitation
Analysis
Chapter Contents
Elicitation
Gaining Access to Stakeholders
Collaborating With Stakeholders Through
Effective Questioning Strategies
Prototyping and the SCAMPER Model

Active Listening: The Key to Dynamic Elicitation
About Elicitation
Elicitation sessions are perhaps the most critical, time-consuming activity
for the business analyst
Elicitation activities bring all soft-skills competencies into play for BAs
It is often said that elicitation is where the rubber meets the road for the
analyst because these activities ensure that requirements, on all levels, are:
Complete
Clear
Correct
Consistent
Through elicitation sessions, BAs meet with stakeholders from all levels of the
organization
It is during these sessions that the analyst has the best opportunity to
demonstrate leadership and influence ability
Common Techniques for Elicitation
Individuals
Interviews
Observation
Surveys/
questionnaires
Groups Systems
Focus groups Document
Brainstorming analysis
Requirements Interface
workshops analysis
Prototypes
Wrap up/
Prepare Conduct
analyze/report
Activity 3.1: Key Challenges in Elicitation Instructor-Led
Review the previous slide

Prepare to discuss the key challenges you face in elicitation sessions
Key challenges you face in elicitation sessions
Chapter Contents
Elicitation


Gaining Access to Stakeholders: Persuasion Skills
Persuasion is a special type of communication skill
Definition
The act of causing people to do or believe something
To convince
To convert
Activity 3.2: Why Stakeholders Resist Elicitation Sessions Instructor-Led
Factors That Cause Stakeholder Resistance
Common Objections to Meeting Requests
1. I dont have time for this.
2. I will meet with you but not this week; call me next Thursday.
3. You really should meet with Bobbie McGee; she is in a better position
to answer your questions.
4. My manager handles these requests; go see him/her.
5. I am not aware of this project; I dont know why you are contacting
me.
6. We already met last week/month; I dont have any more time for you!
Other objections?
1.
2.
3.
4.
The Dos and Donts of Gaining Access to Stakeholders
Do Dont
Listen to your subject to understand Try to sound smarter than your
their interests, beliefs, and concerns subject
Understand their preferred way of Argue against their responses
thinking (data driven, story driven,
principle driven, goal driven)
Frame your needs to their interests Obsess about your argument, beg
(why it is important to them to or plead
meet with you)
Be open-minded and patient; search Make promises you cant keep
for common ground
Offer to share something in Make your reason to meet to have
exchange for what you need from coffee
them
Empathize that you both can learn Frame your request from your
from each other perspective (I have a deadline)
Understand their problems; offer a Tell them their boss or your boss
solution or teach them something told you to meet with them
Activity 3.3: Role PlayHandling Objections to Meeting Requests
In groups of three, conduct a role play exercise (there are three roles)
1. Subject/domain SME
2. BA who is requesting the meeting
3. Observer
The exercise should run this way
1. BA will request a meeting
2. Domain SME will raise an objection
(from Common Objections slide3-11)
3. BA will counter; domain SME should object to the first request
Refer to the Dos and Donts slide3-12
4. BA should make a minimum of two to three requests for the meeting
Refer the Dos and Donts slide
5. Domain SME should agree to meet if the BA effectively counters his/her
objections
6. Observer reviews Dos and Donts slide and takes notes
7. Switch roles until each individual has played all three roles
8. Choose a different objection each time you change roles
Activity 3.3: Debrief
Please discuss your observations:
Positive Negative
How many times should you ask for the meeting before you give up?
Chapter Contents
Elicitation

Collaborating With Stakeholders Through Questioning Strategies
Effective questioning drives stakeholder engagement
Questions
Open up dialog
Ease difficult communications
Direct the focus of conversation
Enhance the outcome quality
Elicitation Question Types
Detail
questions Directive
questions
Research
questions
Meta
questions
Closed-ended Open-ended
questions questions
Starting Questions
Starting questions begin discussions
Help the analyst research a topic/problem,
etc.
Starting questions
Prime the pump
Get the group to participate
Should not put participants on the spot
Great starting questions
Invoke a vivid image of their answers
Get the group into a receptive and creative
mode
Transport the group from the meeting room to
the place of change
Great Starting QuestionsA Comparison
Which question is better and why?
1. Weve got the New York Expo coming up. What should our booth be like?
2. Imagine our booth at the New York Expo next month. It is 40 feet by 40
feet, and over 750,000 people will pass by us during the three-day event.
Imagine walking up to our booth and entering it. What is it like? How is it
laid out? What do you visualize in that space? What is the experience like?
Questions to Expand on the Information you Seek
Control interaction with directive questions
Targeted
Directed at an individual
Can be threatening
Group
Directed at all meeting participants
Good for eliciting ideas and contributions
around a point
Re-direct
Move the group or individual away from one
topic and over to another
Rhetorical
You intend to answer the question
Drill down with detail and meta questions
Gather more detail
Clarify information
Question Types
Open Questions
Open questions
Elicit a nonspecific
response
Encourage elaboration
Example:
This application is
designed to increase
productivity in the
distribution process.
Please explain how that
could enhance your role
in operations
Closed Questions
Closed questions
Elicit a specific answer
Limit elaboration
Answer is usually
verifiable
Example:
On a scale of 1 to 5,
how would you rate
these five features?
Activity 3.4: Developing Questions for a Requirements Workshop
Work in your groups
You have been asked to develop the requirements for a new app for
mobile devices that are in use by truck owner/partners in your
organization. Your organization owns food trucks in major cities. The app
is designed to monitor operations of this new business
The app needs to collect data on menus, locations, sales, event types, and
other aspects of food truck operation
You have a meeting with stakeholders from the Marketing/Ops group who
want to develop an app that truck owner/partners can use to both pull and
push data to and from headquarters
The VP of Marketing/Ops has been vague in defining what he wants from
this app
Your team needs to help clarify how they can best use an app to gain a
better understanding of what is happening out there on a daily basis
Develop a first set of elicitation questions for a scheduled workshop with
a preselected set of Marketing/Ops SMEs
Group Activity 3.4
Review the questioning techniques we just covered in the Course Notes
and in your Workbook
Develop a set of questions for this first requirements workshop
Activity Debrief: Persona Types to Consider Instructor-Led
From your experience, which question techniques can help you work with
the personas represented below?
Introvert
Extrovert
Engaged
Disinterested
Angry
Different (or hidden) agenda
Concerned/nervous
Holds back information
Shoots from the hip
Avoidance; takes you off topic
Expanding Your Questioning Skills
Effective questioning enhances
Creativity
Collaboration
Clarity
Engagement
And most importantly: key stakeholders willingness to re-engage in future
elicitation sessions
Enhancing Questioning Effectiveness in Elicitation Sessions
Use Osborns SCAMPER Model* to encourage creativity during elicitation
sessions
Substitute? Who else instead? What else instead? Other ingredient? Other material? Other process? Other power?
Other place? Other approach? Other tone of voice? Other time?
Combine? How about a blend, an alloy, an assortment, an ensemble? Combine units?
Adapt? What else is like this? What other idea does this suggest? Does the past offer a parallel? What could I
copy? Whom could I emulate?
Modify? New twist? Change meaning, color, motion, odor, taste, form, shape? Other changes?
Magnify? What to add? Larger? More time? Greater frequency? Stronger? Higher? Extra value? Plus ingredient?
Duplicate? Multiply? Exaggerate?
Minimize? What to subtract? Smaller? Condensed? Miniature? Lower? Shorter? Narrower? Lighter? Omit?
Streamline? Split up? Understate? Less frequent?
Put to other New ways to use as is? Other uses if modified?
uses?
Eliminate? Remove elements? Simplify? Reduce to core functionality?
Rearrange? Interchange components? Other pattern? Other layout? Other sequence? Transpose cause and effect?
Change place? Change schedule? Earlier? Later?
Reverse? Transpose positive and negative? How about opposites? Turn it backward, upside down, inside out?
Reverse roles?
*Source: Osborn, Alex F. Applied Imagination: Principles and Procedures of Creative Problem Solving.
New York: Scribner, 1957.
Chapter Contents
Elicitation
Prototyping and the SCAMPER

Model
The Power of Prototyping
Eliciting information from your users by showing them a prototype of the
proposed product
The best way to capture emergent needs
Features that your users would like but perhaps dont know are possible
Show it to them!
Yes! Thats pretty much what I wanted. But seeing that has made me
think of some other things were going to need*
Yes! Well, kind of. Well actually, not really. Seeing this now, I realize that
I really wanted something completely different*
*Source: www.softwarereality.com/design/early_prototyping.jsp
Activity 3.5: Blending Prototypes With SCAMPER Instructor-Led
Which SCAMPER model questions could help evolve this product

development progression?
iPod iPod iPod
? nano nano nano
? iPhone ?
iPod
? ?
Enhancing Questioning Effectiveness in Elicitation Sessions
Use Osborns SCAMPER Model* to encourage creativity during elicitation
sessions
Substitute? Who else instead? What else instead? Other ingredient? Other material? Other process? Other power?
Other place? Other approach? Other tone of voice? Other time?
Adapt? What else is like this? What other idea does this suggest? Does the past offer a parallel? What could I
copy? Whom could I emulate?
Magnify? What to add? Larger? More time? Greater frequency? Stronger? Higher? Extra value? Plus ingredient?
Duplicate? Multiply? Exaggerate?
Minimize? What to subtract? Smaller? Condensed? Miniature? Lower? Shorter? Narrower? Lighter? Omit?
Streamline? Split up? Understate? Less frequent?
uses?
Rearrange? Interchange components? Other pattern? Other layout? Other sequence? Transpose cause and effect?
Change place? Change schedule? Earlier? Later?
Reverse? Transpose positive and negative? How about opposites? Turn it backward, upside down, inside out?
Reverse roles?
*Source: Osborn, Alex F. Applied Imagination: Principles and Procedures of Creative Problem Solving. New York: Scribner, 1957.
Design vs. Define Dilemma
There is a danger that the use of prototypes can lead to a focus on design
Rather than a focus on definition
What the product should do is most important
Techniques for avoiding this
Let them design!
You dont want to interrupt people in flow in a workshop process
Use root-cause analysis to dig down into the process
Perform why-why analysis
Model cause-effect relationships
Chapter Contents
Elicitation
Active Listening: The Key to

Dynamic Elicitation
Active Listening Enhances Elicitation
Active listening is a learned 6. Paraphrase, summarize what the
behavior subject has said
7. Validate the subjects emotions
Key tips
8. Maintain eye contact
1. Focus on being interested, not
9. Let go of your own agenda
interesting
10.Use your ears (2) twice as much
2. Start by asking questions
as your mouth (1)
3. Look for something you have in
common with your subject
4. Tune in, not out
5. Acknowledge your subject by
being expressive
Facial/hand gestures
Sounds
Dont shy away from being
animated; use your eyes
Active Listening vs. Hearing
Listening and hearing are different
Hearing Listening
A one-way processthe act of Includes demonstrating your
perceiving sound via your ears understanding of what
the other person is saying
Unless you are hearing-impaired, Listening is a learned behavior; it
hearing simply happens requires discipline, interaction, and
follow-up
Listening leads to learning

People are often hard of listening rather than hard of hearing
The SCAMPER Model Supports the Principles of Effective Listening
Actively listening to subjects and adjusting with the SCAMPER Model

encourages dynamic conversation and promotes creative engagement
Substitute: What if we did this with that?
Who else instead?
Combine: Blending roles?
Modify: Is there a new twist?
Magnify: Strengthen? Duplicate?
Minimize: Condense? Narrow the focus?
Put to other uses: New ways of doing things?
Eliminate: Simplify?
Reverse: What is the positive? Negative?
Your goal should be to provide your subject with

an elicitation experience that they have never had
before. They feel engaged, creative, and want to
come back for more
Chapter Summary
You are now able to define elicitation
Investigate strategies to gain access to stakeholders by sharpening your
persuasion skills
Develop effective questioning strategies to enhance collaboration with
stakeholders
Explore active listening strategies to enhance elicitation sessions with
stakeholders
My Summary
Elicitation ensures that For the business analyst, Elicitation techniques for
requirements are: elicitation sessions are working with groups include:
______________ ______________ ______________
______________ ______________ ______________
______________ ______________
______________
Elicitation techniques for working When trying to get access to a

with systems include: stakeholder, dont try to sound
______________ Developing ______________
______________ Dynamic
______________ Elicitation Skills
Elicitation techniques for working

Active listening is a
with individuals include:
_____________
______________
______________
The ________ Model ______________
encourages creativity Detail and meta questions help the
during elicitation sessions analyst ________ into an issue
Chapter 4
Facilitating Meetings
Chapter Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to define facilitation
You will also
Recognize what it means to be a complete facilitator
Learn how to facilitate meetings
Explore how to document meetings you facilitate
Use active listening strategies to enhance your facilitation skills
Close meetings and set the stage for future interactions with your audience
Analyzing the
Enterprise
Requirements
Communication
Active
Facilitation
Listening
Influence &
Leadership
Conflict
Negotiation
Resolution
Collaboration
Requirements
Elicitation
Analysis
Activity 4.1: Meeting Types BAs Facilitate Instructor-Led
What types of meetings do BAs typically facilitate?
Meeting types BAs facilitate
Chapter Contents
What Is Facilitation?
The Complete Facilitator
Documenting Meetings
More on Active Listening
Closing the Meeting
Facilitate
To make easier
To help bring about
Forms of business facilitation
We are facilitating all the time
Water cooler conversations
The power lunch
Meetings as a meeting leader
Meetings as a participant
Group and team management
Requirements workshops
Video Activity 4.2: Identify Facilitation Characteristics
You will view two videos
1. Ineffective facilitation
2. Effective facilitation
Use the following slide to detail what you see as ineffective techniques vs.
effective techniques to facilitate meetings
Video Debrief: Facilitation Characteristics
Ineffective facilitation observations Effective facilitation observations

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Chapter Contents

Closing the Meeting
1 4
Exceptional personal skills Neutral to content
Insight into achieving

a desired result
Acute skills of observation
3
2
Exceptional Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal skills pave the way to successful meeting outcomes
1
Verbal communication
Choice of words
Tone of voice
Controlling the verbal flow
Questioning techniques
Visual communication
Creation of media
Use of media
Kinesthetic communication
Use of body language
Understanding emotion
Managing emotions
Self
Meeting participants
Acute Skills of Observation
Observation of self and group is critical to
achieving meeting objectives
2
Step 1: Self-awareness
What are my interests?
What are my filters?
Step 2: Group awareness
Individual and group interests
Individual and group filters
Body language
Interpersonal interactions
Understanding individual and group subtext
Keeping focused on group need
Step 3: Understanding group dynamics with consideration of ones own
interests and filters
Tells what is really happening
Insight to Achieve the Desired Results
Activity 4.3: Neutral to Content of Meeting Instructor-Led
Class brainstorm
From your experience, what are some key points to remaining neutral
4
and objective in workshop sessions?
Chapter Contents
Closing the Meeting
Create an Assertive Climate
Assertiveness: A form of behavior that demonstrates your self-respect
and your respect for others
Assertiveness can be established at the beginning of a meeting
Set the stage for
Equality: Everyone in the group is equal
Partnership: Participation of all is key to best outcomes
Acceptance: Respect others ideas
Encouragement: Reward participation and ideas
Tip: How you start is critical in setting the tone for the entire meeting!
Presenting the Meeting Agenda, Outcomes, and Objectives
Your agenda is your road map to success
Your agenda should be
Pre-circulated
Available in hard copy at the meeting
Present the agenda
Review meeting outcomes
Introduce objectives to achieve outcomes
Present your plan to achieve the objectives
Get agreement from group to proceed
Creating Ground Rules
Ground rules help
Specify group behavior
Get agreement on how session will run
Show how you will maintain group control
There are three options for creating
1. Group creates Ground Rules
2. Facilitator creates
One conversation at a time
3. Hybrid of above
Consensus is I can live with
it and will support it.
Share relevant information
Hard on ideas and concepts,

soft on people
Ground rules are not the teams until the team accepts them
Are there any other ground rules that the group would like to add?
Can everyone live with these ground rules and support them in our meeting?
Some suggested rules
One conversation at a time
Consensus means: I can live with it and will support it
Share all relevant information
Be specific
Look to accept views of others
What is said here stays here
Absence or silence is agreement
No phone calls, texting, or other electronic distractions
The group creates the outcome
You may have the floor for up to three minutes on a topic
What are other ground rules you have used?
Ground rule implementation tips
Introduce just before first agenda item
Limit to fewer than six rules
Avoid draconian rules or rules aimed at individuals
Pete will not be allowed to speak while Darcy is in the room
If you are not back within two minutes, you will be locked out of the
meeting
Get group approval
The StartupA Summary
The steps
1. Welcome to meeting (start on time)
2. Cover meeting outcomes and objectives
3. Review agenda
4. Introductions
Allow each participant to introduce
themselves
Name
Department/area
How session outcomes relate to their departments
5. Ground rules
6. Segue to first agenda item
Plan out your first five minutes
Practice it on your own before the meeting
Keep it crisp
Chapter Contents
Closing the Meeting
Is Documenting Essential?
Benefits of Documenting
Key benefits
Assures a checkpoint to agreement on key topics/decisions made
Documents what was done
Moves emotional issues off the table
Always ask permission to post agreements
Dont assume; ask!
So, we have consensus that the primary areas to improve functionality
are in visualizing data streams and administrating alerts. Do I have the
groups permission to post this decision on the board?
Documenting the Meeting
Decisions Made Issues Action Items
Documenting the Meeting
Three critical things emerge from most meetings
Decisions made
Decisions achieved through group consensus
Posted with the permission of the group
Action items
Based on decisions
Item assigned
Unresolved issues
Items that came up but were not resolved
Potential issues or barriers to decisions made
Provide structure with three sheets
Decisions made
Issues
Action items
In addition to other charts for brainstorming, etc.
Chapter Contents

Closing the Meeting
Active Listening Considerations
Active listening is
1. Absorbing the whole message
Intellectual content
Emotional content
2. Analyzing what was said
Words
Tone
Body language
3. Thinking before responding
Acknowledge what youre hearing
Stay centered, neutral
Maintain balance
4. Responding (to emotion) with empathy first
Getting the message behind the text
Understanding and putting emotion in context
Active Listening Process in Meetings
1. Pause; no need to answer right away
2. Respond to the emotion first with empathy
Extending sprint deadlines three times must have been frustrating for the
whole team...
I can see how you felt a sense of accomplishment after completing that
effort...
3. Add your intellectual response
Expending sprint deadlines three times must have been frustrating for the
whole team. Im hoping that you will find this new process for backlog and
sprint management more predictable and manageable.
Consequences of Nonactive Listening
What happens if you dont incorporate a response to emotional content?
Reading and responding to the nonverbal channel is essential

Even more important than words
Chapter Contents
Closing the Meeting
The Importance of Closing
Closing provides
Psychological closure for the
participants
Endpoint for the topic
Four components of closing
Review
Evaluate
End
Debrief
Tip: Make sure to reserve time to close completely!
Reviewing Completed Activities
Review all completed activities
from the meeting
Use posted flipcharts
Decisions Made Issues Action Items
The steps
1. Confirm decision list
2. Document decision benefits (optional)
3. Create list of potential barriers and
strategies (optional)
4. Clear issues
5. Assign actions
Evaluating the Session
Feedback is critical to your improvement as facilitator
Feedback can be written or oral
Use round robin to ask
What did they like about the session?
What might they change about how future sessions are run?
For suggestions for improvement, get a show of hands to support for each
Ending the Session
Ending provides final closure
The steps
1. Thank the participants for their participation
2. Restate how the outcomes of meeting fit into the business whole
3. Mention next steps
Who will document the session (maybe you)
Results distribution
Next potential meeting
4. Formally end meeting
Debriefing With the Project Team
Debriefing should be done soon after the
session with the project manager and sponsor
Closes the loop started with the project team
Transfers some points of authority back to the
sponsor
Debriefing points
1. How did the session go?
2. Were the outcomes achieved as expected?
3. Were there additional outcomes?
4. How did the participants react?
5. What is the follow-up action plan for action
items?
6. Were there any unresolved issues?
Chapter Summary
You are now able to define facilitation
You can also
Recognize what it means to be a complete facilitator
Learn how to facilitate meetings
Explore how to document meetings you facilitate
Use active listening strategies to enhance your facilitation skills
Close meetings and set the stage for future interactions with your audience
My Summary
Exceptional personal Three communication
skills are part of being attributes you should
a _______________ be aware of are:
__________
__________
__________
Observation of ______ Facilitating

and ______ is critical Meetings To improve the quality of
to achieving meeting meetings, you should
objectives create an
_______________
The three critical things

The four components of Ground rules for meetings can
that emerge from
closing are be created by:
meetings are:
__________ __________
____________
__________ __________
____________
__________ __________
____________
__________ __________
Chapter 5
Advanced Facilitation
Strategies and Techniques
Chapter Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to lead a group to
consensus by sharpening your influence skills
You will also
Understand how to become an assertive facilitator
Know how to deal with difficult people and resolve conflicts
Analyzing the
Enterprise
Requirements
Communication
Active
Facilitation
Listening
Influence &
Leadership
Conflict
Negotiation
Resolution
Collaboration
Requirements
Elicitation
Analysis
Video Activity 5.1: The Reluctant Facilitator
Facilitation sessions can be difficult and stressful
Issues are raised
Opinions are expressed
Disagreements occur
The goal of reaching some kind of group consensus can be challenging for
the facilitator
Watch the next two videos and compare the results
Video Debrief: The Reluctant Facilitator
What went wrong in the first video What made the second session a better
session? experience for all participants?
Chapter Contents
Building Consensus
The Assertive Facilitator
Dealing With Difficult People
Building Consensus
Groups are seldom unanimous about anything
Goal of consensus is win-win
With consensus, your meeting can progress
Consensus is the bridge between objectives
Facilitators definition
I will live with it and support it
This is a ground rule for startup
Consensus is not
I think this is the best possible solution
Everyone agrees on this option
Consensus Types
Facilitative consensus types
Majority
Super majority
Simple consensus
Five-finger consensus
Consensus type must be defined
at meeting startup
Agreed on in ground rules
Majority Consensus
Simple majority rules (51%+)
49%
51%
Simple
Advantages Disadvantages
Quick May miss other issues or concerns
Easy May affect achieving outcomes
Significant minority may oppose decision
Super Majority Consensus
Same as simple majority, but with
higher percentage
Typically 60 percent majority
or more
Defined at outset
40%
60%
Super
Better support than majority consensus May still miss issues
Benefit of additional discussion Minority may still block
Simple Consensus
Group agreesI can live with it
and will support it
Simple
Discussion continues until consensus May create diluted decision
achieved
Effective decision (group creates,
understands, and supports it)
Five-Finger Consensus
Five-finger provides a quick way to get simple consensus
The steps
1. Discuss alternative
2. Facilitator calls for
consensus check
3. Based on vote, continue
or work more for consensus
Consensus check criteria
5 = strongly agree
4 = agree
3 = can see good and bad, but will follow and support group majority
2 = disagree
1 = strongly disagree and will not support
When Consensus Can Fail
Consensus fails if people cannot agree
People disagree for various reasons
Three primary disagreement levels
Level 1: Lack of shared information
Most common
Easy to fix
Level 2: Differing ideals or experiences
Next most common
Harder to resolve
Level 3: Disagreeing based on outside
factors
Personality
Interpersonal history
Other outside factor
Least common type
Most difficult to resolve
Level 1 Disagreements
Level 1: Lack of shared information
Identify by Causes Fixes
Participants in violent Participants not hearing Use question

agreement* due to clearly techniques
missing information Participants not (see Workbook) and
Participants making expressing clearly active listening to
assumptions surface/share
Assumptions in information
Participants Incorrectly understandings
connecting the dots Retest for consensus
All of the information
has not come to light
*Violent agreement: When people think they are

arguing, but fail to realize they actually agree.
Level 2: Differing ideals or experiences

Participants are It is normal for people to Understanding is there;
understanding value options differently need to deepen
Participants value Often caused by Confirm understanding
elements differently departmental biases with delineation
Example: Value of geek technique
factor of product vs. Move to strengths and
practical usage by weaknesses technique
customers Move to
synthesis technique
The Delineation Technique
Delineation technique exposes the pros and cons of alternatives
Goals
Encourage listening
Ensure participants clearly understand others options
Controlled by facilitator
Delineation Technique Example Instructor-Led
Lets use a requirements prioritization facilitation session as our example

and integrate a basis for prioritizing requirements into our example:
Criteria Criteria definition
Business value Prioritizes requirements based on cost-benefit analysis of their relative value to the
organization, with the most valuable requirements targeted for development first; common for
enhancements or when delivering a solution incrementally
Business or Selects requirements that present the highest risk of project failure; those requirements are
technical risk investigated and implemented first to ensure that if the project fails, it does so after minimal
expenditure
Implementation Selects requirements that are easiest to implement; often selected during the pilot of a new
difficulty development process or tools, or when rolling out a packaged solution
Likelihood Focuses on requirements thought to produce quick and certain successes; commonly used
of success when a project is controversial and there is a need to produce early signs of progress to gain
support for the initiative
Regulatory Prioritizes requirements that must be implemented to meet regulatory or policy demands
or policy imposed on the organization; may take precedence over other stakeholder interests
compliance
Relationship A requirement may not be high-value in and of itself, but it may support other high-priority
or other requirements and, as such, may be a candidate for early implementation
requirements
Stakeholder Requires the stakeholders to reach a consensus on which requirements are most useful or
agreement valuable; often used in combination with one or more of the other approaches described
Urgency Prioritizes requirements based on time sensitivity
Delineation Technique Steps Instructor-Led
The steps
1. Confirm disagreement source
2. Identify alternatives
3. Use delineating questions
4. Summarize
5. Begin with agreement
6. Seek consensus
Step 1: Begin with agreement
Find common ground to bridge a solution
Let me confirm my understanding. You both seem to agree that developing a
quick win is your highest priority. Is that correct?
TIP Use seem in your sentence
Step 2: Confirm disagreement source

Shows how far parties need to move
Often, move is minor
So, it seems that you disagree on which is more important, but it seems it
is between business value and implementation difficulty? Am I correct?
Step 3: Identify alternatives
Identify each of the alternatives
Clarify through playback question to each alternatives champion
Liam, you are saying that the business value is the next highest priority?
Right? [Liam agrees or clarifies] And Doc, you feel implementation
difficulty should be next? Is that correct? [Doc agrees or clarifies]
Step 4: Ask delineating questions for each alternative

Answered by an audience member and documented
Ask
Who is involved in regulatory issues?
How much will it cost to meet this regulation?
When are we required to meet this compliance standard?
Is the risk greater in the implementation or in business continuity?
Is it more cost effective to comply, or can we get away with a warning in
Year 1?
Dont ask Why?
Step 5: Summarize
Summarize each alternative
Visually highlight key points
Step 6: Seek consensus using the data you elicited
Strengths and Weaknesses Technique Instructor-Led
Strengths and weaknesses technique

Seeks group input identifying
Strengths
Weaknesses
Creates a simple comparison list
Documented on a flipchart
The steps
1. Identify strengths
2. Identify weaknesses
3. Seek consensus
Step 1: Identify strengths
Randomly select one alternative
Group contributes strengths
Repeat for other alternatives
Strengths and Weaknesses Technique Instructor-Led
Step 2: Identify weaknesses

Select one alternative
Champion or advocate identifies weaknesses
Group contributes to list
Repeat for all alternatives
Step 3: Seek consensus
What is the benefit of having the alternatives champion or advocate
identify the weaknesses?
Synthesis Technique Instructor-Led
When delineation and strength and weaknesses techniques fail

Create a new option
Creates an alternative by synthesizing
key strengths of current alternatives
The steps
1. Identify key strengths
Supporters of each alternative identify two
key strengths of their respective option
2. Create alternatives
Brainstorm with the SCAMPER Model questions to create a hybrid
3. Use delineation technique to refine new alternatives
4. Seek consensus
Which SCAMPER Model questions would you use to develop alternatives?
The SCAMPER Question Model
Substitute? Who else instead? What else instead? Other ingredient? Other material? Other process?
Other power? Other place? Other approach? Other tone of voice? Other time?
Adapt? What else is like this? What other idea does this suggest? Does the past offer a parallel?
What could I copy? Whom could I emulate?
Magnify? What to add? Larger? More time? Greater frequency? Stronger? Higher? Extra value?
Plus ingredient? Duplicate? Multiply? Exaggerate?
Minimize? What to subtract? Smaller? Condensed? Miniature? Lower? Shorter? Narrower? Lighter?
Omit? Streamline? Split up? Understate? Less frequent?
uses?
Rearrange? Interchange components? Other pattern? Other layout? Other sequence? Transpose
cause and effect? Change place? Change schedule? Earlier? Later?
Reverse? Transpose positive and negative? How about opposites? Turn it backward, upside down,
inside out? Reverse roles?
*Source: Osborn, Alex F. Applied Imagination: Principles and Procedures of Creative Problem Solving. New York:
Scribner, 1957.
Level 3: Disagreement based on outside
factors
TIP Level 3 disagreements are often spotted in
preparation interviewshandle it before the
meeting

Reasons seem unrelated Disagreement is not Typically not solved by
to issue or irrational relative to topic facilitation techniques
No commitment to any Personality-based Disagreement may need
alternative Issue with past history to go to higher source
Emotion in interaction Antagonist had bad day, Move to issues list
Disconnected body week, etc. Take it offline
language
Chapter Contents
Building Consensus

Passive and Aggressive Behaviors
Assertive facilitator
Facilitative spectrum
Meeting participants
Passive Aggressive
Passive and Aggressive Behaviors
Behaviors (facilitator and participant) can be classified as:
Passive Assertive Aggressive
Passive and aggressive characteristics have roots in

Lack of self-respect
Lack of respect for others
Passive Statements
Directly or indirectly passive statements
Sorry to bother you
Sort of, perhaps, possibly
You know what I mean
Could you, if you have the time
Dont expect me to understand
Ill never make this work
Dont take any notice of me
Im probably wrong
Passive Behaviors
Directly or indirectly passive behaviors
Avoiding conflict
Bottling things up (inwardly tense)
Indecision
Apologetic
Putting others needs first
Not expressing preferences
Not expressing feelings
Not doing what they want
Negative, self-pitying
What is the general result of
A passive facilitator?
A passive participant?
Aggressive Statements
Directly or indirectly aggressive

statements
Im right
Youre wrong
Why did you do that?
Why cant you understand?
Everybody should do this
You need to look at it this way
This is too easy
It always works this way
Never mind whyjust do it
Aggressive Behaviors
Directly or indirectly aggressive behaviors
Winning at all costs
Using sarcasm
Interrupting
Being intimidating, pompous, overbearing, threatening
Making people do things they dont want to do
Ignoring peoples opinions
Putting people down
Manipulating, controlling, or tricking people
Denying the above characteristics
What is the general result of
An aggressive facilitator?
An aggressive participant?
Picking Your Continuum Position
Assertiveness
A form of behavior which demonstrates your self-respect and your respect for
others. It is concerned with expressing your own feelings and allowing others
to express their feelings in an honest and respectful way that does not insult
people, and standing up for your rights and the rights of others, while knowing
that each individual expression may not be the only truth
In terms of facilitation
Manage feelings
Manage and build self-esteem
Recognize the rights of all
You pick your position in context with meeting need
My Stressful Times Do Now
1. Imagine you and your team have been working for several weeks on a
very difficult assignment, and are now working extended 19-hour days.
You feel like the project is on the verge of chaos and may fall apart at any
moment. Meetings have been stressful, long, and often unproductive. Its
Friday afternoon, and you are about to start another long meeting
2. Review the slides on passive and aggressive behaviors/statements, then
pick out and list below any behaviors or statements that you might exhibit
under these difficult conditions
Chapter Contents
Building Consensus
Typical Group Dysfunction
Dysfunctional behavior
Any behavior or actions that impede or limit the groups ability to create
meeting outcomes
All meetings will have a level of dysfunction
Some individuals like to bring dysfunction to meetings
Anticipate, plan for, and manage it!
Use to your advantage!
Predicting Dysfunctional Dynamics
Dysfunctional behaviors can often be predicted before the event
Being aware during interviews will help surface potential issues
Ask:
Who is coming to the meeting?
Do any participants have negative past history?
What negative relationships exist?
What can you learn about why this dysfunction exists?
Build a preventative action plan
Creating a Remediation Plan
Allocate planning time
Dysfunction will exist before, during, and after meeting
No planning = failure
For potential issues
Select facilitation tools to mitigate
Delineation tool
Strengths and weaknesses tool
Team-building tools
Handle offline before the event
Work with sponsor
Let parties know you
wont allow it during
the meeting
Anticipate point in meeting when
dysfunction might surface
Consider adding ground rules
Activity 5.2: Dysfunctional Behavior Instructor-Led
What are the typical types of dysfunctional behavior that stakeholders

exhibit in your organization?
Dysfunctional stakeholder behavior Mitigation strategies
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Chapter Summary
You are now able to lead a group to consensus by sharpening your
influence skills
You also
Understand how to become an assertive facilitator
Know how to deal with difficult people and resolve conflicts
My Summary
Consensus is the ______ Using sarcasm and interrupting are
between objectives examples of __________________ Why did you do that?
is a good example of
___________
Three primary disagreement
levels:
_____________ The delineation technique
_____________ exposes the ____________ of
_____________ Advanced alternatives
_____________ Facilitation
_____________ Strategies &
_____________ Techniques
The steps of the delineation

Facilitation consensus tool are:
types include: 1. _________________
_____________ 2. _________________
_____________ 3. _________________
_____________ Sorry to bother you 4. _________________
_____________ is a good example of 5. _________________
a _______________ 6. _________________
Chapter 6
Moving From Elicitation

to Analyzing and Validating
Requirements
Chapter Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to understand the
difference between stated and real requirements
Enhance your negotiation skills
Uncover and handle issues from stakeholders
Use visualization techniques to enhance communication
Analyzing the
Enterprise
Requirements
Communication
Active
Facilitation
Listening
Influence &
Leadership
Conflict
Negotiation
Resolution
Collaboration
Requirements
Elicitation
Analysis
Chapter Contents
Moving From Stated to Real

Requirements
Negotiation
Uncovering and Communicating Issues
Visualization to Enhance Communication
Moving From Stated to Real Requirements
Stated requirements are the key output of elicitation sessions
They are the desires, requests, needs, and hopes that we gather from users
Real requirements are the output of structured analysis
Structured analysis is accomplished through modeling the stated
requirements and performing gap analysis. The output of structured analysis
is requirements that are real
Real requirements are requirements that are
Verified and validated by stakeholders 315 447 218
Benchmarked against the business need
and solution scope by the business analysis team
Baselined by the project team
+ =
Key soft-skills topics that are
important for BAs to master as we
move into requirements analysis
and validation activities Negotiation
Communicating
issues
Visualization
to enhance
communication
Chapter Contents
Negotiation
Negotiating With Stakeholders
Principled negotiation is the practice of aligning negotiating strategies
with stakeholder interests and the needs of the project team
What are your interests?
What are the stakeholders interests?
Can these be linked for mutual benefit?
Focus on outcome, not position
Examples of outcomes to consider
Realistic deadlines for tasks
Prioritized requirements
Four Steps for Effective Negotiation*
Step 1: Share information
Dont be too guarded
Show some information right away
The goal is to gain trust, so offer it first
Example: Negotiating deadlines with the project manager
Share metrics from past projects
Provide an estimate on number of SME interviews required for interview

sessions
Average time it takes to set up, schedule, and execute a single interview
Total number of interviews that are required
Provide total time estimate for interviews
Know your outcome (how much time you need for this single task) before
you go to the meeting!
*Grant, Adam. Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success. Penguin, 2013.
Four Steps for Effective Negotiation
Step 2: Rank and order your priorities
Rank all of the issues
Be transparentthis facilitates trade-off decision making
Example: Prioritizing requirements with stakeholders
Rank and order these elements as first task in the
meeting:
Business value Implementation difficulty

Business and/or technical risk Relationship to other requirements
Quick wins Stakeholder agreement
Regulatory issues Urgency
Creating this basis for prioritizing requirements will

facilitate trade-off decision making in the meeting
Step 3: Go in knowing your target
(what is acceptable)
Do your research ahead of time
Base research on firm data
This will provide you with more confidence
to push back when necessary
It reduces the tendency to agree to
unrealistic demands
Example: Use variance analysis data on
BA tasks for similar project types
Point to the corrective and/or preventative
action that was taken on past projects that
were similar in scope, budget, etc.
Paint a picture (cautionary tale) of the risk
of creating deadlines that may be
unrealistic based on your evidence
Measure Performance of BA Tasks: Variance Analysis
Analyze the discrepancies between planned and actual performance
Determine the magnitude of those discrepancies
Recommend corrective and preventive action as required
Capture metrics
Variance Analysis Model

Preventive actions
BA task _____________________ BA task
_____________________
Planned _____________________ Actual
outcome Corrective actions outcome
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Step 4: Practice the principle of anchoring
Be the one to raise the first issue
Whatever is on the table first sets the stage for the discussion
Both parties will start working around this first issue; it forms the basis for
the entire discussion
Activity 6.1: Negotiating a Group Vacation
Think about taking a group vacation next year to a coastal resort town
The trip involves a group of four to six
The destination is over nine hours away by car, shorter by airplane; the airfare is very
volatile, as is the price of gasoline
Other considerations involve possibly renting a car, staying in a resort vs. motel,
activities your group enjoys (this may involve bringing and/or renting equipment)
Create a vacation plan

Use the four steps!
Negotiate the kinds of decisions you need to make about the trip
List and rank the issues that will help your group prioritize issues you must negotiate to
complete your vacation plan
Follow the four steps for effective negotiation to create the outcome that best suits your
group
Hint: You may want to start this exercise by making a set of assumptions to guide you
as you consider your options
Example: Each group member assumes a role in the group; your budget for the trip
is $2,000; your groups interests include wine, beer, golf, wine, tennis, dancing,
wine, beer, etc.
Chapter Contents

Negotiation
Uncovering and Communicating

Issues
Uncovering Issues
BAs are on the front line
We are often the only point of communication with the users until final review
sessions
BAs often uncover the thorny issues that can derail projects
Stakeholders providing information must feel their needs, wants, and desires
are being taken seriously
Project team must openly consider stakeholder requests
At the end of the day, it is all about user acceptance
Communication to stakeholders during/after meetings and the project team
throughout the endeavor must be clear and precise
Transparency is key; it is all about managing expectations
BAs need a process for uncovering and handling
issues
An Issues Handling Communication Process
Issues Management Communication Process
A three-step process for handling issues
Step 1: Capture and vet issue with stakeholder(s)
Informal communication Carefully set expectations
Step 2: Present issue to Project Team: Log the issue

Present impacts and assess risk
Formal communication
to solution (requirements)
Step 3: Inform stakeholders of decision(s)

Involve Project Manager or
Informal or formal communication
Sponsor if necessary
Step 1: Capture and vet the issue with stakeholders
Informal communication with stakeholders
Capture, discuss, and fully vet issues with stakeholders during elicitation
sessions
This means you simply allow stakeholders to state their case openly with no
judgment
Set expectations:
You wish to uncover the full scope of their issue
Inform them that the issue will be presented to the project team for
consideration, so now is the time for them to fully express their desires
Offer no promises except that the information will be presented to the team
and you will inform them when key decisions are made
Therefore
They need to be accessible to you at a later date
Maintaining an open-door policy with stakeholders is key
You must negotiate an agreement for access
Step 2: Present issue(s) to project team
Formal communication with project team
Present an impact analysis
A 360-degree view of the problem
Describe the risk to the requirements
Project manager can then assess
project risks
Sponsor can then assess
organizational risks
Step 3: Inform stakeholders of decision(s)
Manage expectations before formal review sessions
Give stakeholders time to absorb the decision to mitigate emotional reactions
in formal group settings
You may want to involve the project manager or sponsor in this discussion
Why may this be important?
Additional Considerations
Issues management brings out
other important skills that BAs
Conflict
must possess to be key Resolution
influencers/leaders on projects
Dealing With
Nonverbal
Difficult
Communication
People
Issues
Management
Active Communicating
Listening Bad News
Handling
Sensitive
Information
Chapter Contents

Negotiation
Visualization to Enhance
Communication
Using Visualization to Enhance Communication
A picture is worth 1,000 words
Pictures encourage stakeholders to think critically about the
information
Gaps or holes in information are discovered more easily
Visualization triggers more active brain activity on the part of your
audience
Facilitates active investigation vs. passive listening
Pictures are more engaging than words
Visualization = clarity
Clarity saves time and money
Visualization Techniques: Charts and Graphs
Social media datatable format*
Social media dataline chart*
What patterns do you see in the chart that are hidden in the data?
*Source: Smiciklas, Mark. The Power of InfoGraphics: Using Pictures to Communicate and Connect
With Your Audiences. Que Publishing, 2012. p. 22.
Charts and Graphs: Telling Stories
Charts and graphs help to tell Patterns become visible
the story of the data Facebook engagement
increases at weekends
Some of the stories in the chart
Twitter engagement declines
on the previous slide include
Facebooks audience Both Facebook and Twitter are
more active between Tuesday
engagement increases over the
and Thursday
month
Twitter engagement is flat
There is an engagement spike
on Facebook in the third week of
the month
Visualization Techniques: Mind Maps
Visualization Techniques: Models
Visualization Techniques: Flow Diagrams
Optional Group Activity 6.2: Visualizing a Requirement
Think of a requirement Write a user story that
(from your experience includes three to five steps
or from a common
activity) Associate a visual model
of the steps in your story
Model the requirement
using words and visual Present to the class
techniques
Present the visualized
requirement to the class
Chapter Summary
You are now able to understand the difference between stated and
real requirements
Enhance your negotiation skills
Uncover and handle issues from stakeholders
Use visualization techniques to enhance communication
My Summary
The four steps of Visualization triggers more
_____ requirements
effective negotiation are: ___________ on the part
are the output of
______________ of your audience
structured analysis
______________
______________
______________ Visualization
techniques include:
______________
______________
_____ requirements Elicitation ______________
are the key output to Analyzing &
of elicitation sessions Validating
Requirements
The three-step process
for handling issues is:
______________ 1. ______________
is the practice of aligning 2. ______________
negotiating strategies 3. ______________
with stakeholder interests
and the needs of the
Charts and graphs help to
project team
tell the _____ of the data
Chapter 7
Course Summary
Soft Skills Competency, Influence, and Leadership
[Soft skills are] tough, but absolutely necessary if one is to achieve

high performance. Using these soft competencies is not easy, but
whoever said excellence came easy? The question for you as a leader is,
Do you want to be comfortable or do you want to be effective?
David L. Bradford and Carole S. Robin
Source: Bradford, David L. and Carole S. Robin. Leadership Excellence and the Soft Skills: Authenticity,
Influence and Performance, Working Paper No. 1999, Stanford Business School, 2004.
https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/working-papers/leadership-
excellence-soft-skills-authenticity-influence-performance.
Soft Skills Competency, Influence, and Leadership
Creating effective working relationships is one of the most powerful ways

to get things done at work. People skills are often described as soft skills,
but theres nothing soft about the impact they can have on your business
performance. As a manager or leader, using your influence positively,
working with others and getting things done through other people are
critical to delivering your business objectives.
Mike Brent and Fiona Dent
Source: Brent, Mike, and Fiona Dent. The Leader's Guide to Influence: How to Use Soft Skills to Get
Hard Results, Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2010.
Course Summary
Thank you for taking this course. You are now able to
Align powerful communication and elicitation soft skills with business
analysis activities
Make presentations to stakeholders
Develop dynamic elicitation skills
Effectively facilitate requirements workshops and other meetings
business analysts run
Explore advanced facilitation strategies
Explore and develop communication skills aligned to requirements
analysis and validation activities
Expand your influence and leadership potential in your organization
Appendix A
Review Wheel Answers

The three essential qualities Business leaders and experts
of soft skills are that: feel soft skills are as important
1. The rules are abstract as hard skills
2. The skills are transferable
3. Proficiency is an ongoing
process Examples of hard
skills include:
Math
The Value of Grammar
Soft Skills for Measurement
Business Coding
Analysis
The top two reasons

Examples of soft skills include: projects fail to meet user
Communication expectations are:
Facilitation 1. Incomplete
Negotiation requirements
Collaboration Lack of soft skills competency 2. Lack of user
Conflict resolution can cause significant risk to involvement
Persuasion product/solution development
Learning Tree International, Inc. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced without prior written consent. A-2
An elevator pitch is a great example
Critical thinking activities when of informal communication
developing the business need
begin with problem analysis
Communication during the
Uncovering the Business
Need process is both
Formal
Informal
Examples of formal
communication include: Communicating
Business case the Business Need Studies have shown that
presentations only 7 percent of the
Structured walkthrough initial message you
Normal requirements convey is verbal
reviews
The first step in business Informal communication explains to

need development is to stakeholders why:
capture the problem Formal communication involves The project exists
selling or advocating for the need Their time is needed
Elicitation ensures that For the business analyst, elicitation sessions
requirements are: are
Complete Critical
Clear Time-consuming Elicitation techniques for
Correct working with groups include:
Consistent Focus groups
Brainstorming
Requirements
Elicitation techniques workshops
for working with systems
Developing
include:
Dynamic
Document analysis When trying to get access
Elicitation
Interface analysis to a stakeholder, dont try to
Skills
Prototypes sound smarter than them
Active listening is a
Elicitation techniques for working
learned behavior
with individuals include:
Interviews
The SCAMPER Model Observation
encourages creativity during Detail and meta questions help the Surveys and
elicitation sessions analyst drill down into an issue questionnaires
Exceptional personal skills are
part of being a good facilitator
Three communication
Observation of self and attributes you should
group is critical to be aware of are:
achieving meeting Verbal
objectives Visual
Kinesthetic
The three critical things
that emerge from
meetings are: Facilitating To improve the
Decisions made Meetings quality of meetings,
Issues you should create an
Action items assertive climate
The four components of Ground rules for meetings can

closing are be created by:
Review The group
Evaluate The facilitator
End A hybrid of group
Debrief and facilitator
Using sarcasm and interrupting are
Consensus is the bridge
examples of aggressive behavior
between objectives
Why did you do that?
is a good example of
Three primary disagreement
an aggressive
levels:
statement
Lack of shared
information
Differing ideals
or experiences Advanced The delineation technique
Disagreement based Facilitation exposes the pros and
on outside factors Strategies & cons of alternatives
Techniques
Facilitation consensus The steps of the delineation
types include: tool are:
Majority 1. Confirm disagreement
Super majority source
Simple consensus 2. Identify alternatives
Five-finger consensus 3. Use delineating questions
4. Summarize
Sorry to bother you is a good 5. Begin with agreement
example of a passive statement 6. Seek consensus
The four steps of Visualization triggers more brain
activity on the part of your audience Real requirements
effective negotiation are:
are the output of
Share information
structured analysis
Rank and order your priorities
Go in knowing your target
Practice the principle of
anchoring Visualization
techniques include:
Mind maps
Elicitation Models
to Analyzing & Flow diagrams
Stated requirements Validating
are the key output of Requirements
elicitation sessions
The three-step process
for handling issues is:
1. Capture and vet issue
with stakeholder(s)
Principled negotiation is the
2. Present issue to
practice of aligning negotiating
Charts and graphs project team
strategies with stakeholder interests
help to tell the story 3. Inform stakeholders
and the needs of the project team
of the data of decision(s)

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Course 3504

Soft Skills Training

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

Copying software used in this course is prohibited without the express

Chapter 1 The Value of Soft Skills for Business Analysis

Chapter 2 Communicating the Business Need: Making Presentations

Chapter 3 Developing Dynamic Elicitation Skills

Chapter 4 Facilitating Meetings

Chapter 5 Advanced Facilitation Strategies and Techniques

Chapter 6 Moving From Elicitation to Analyzing and Validating

Chapter 7 Course Summary

SME = subject-matter expert

The Value of Soft Skills

About Soft Skills

The people you

Hard skills (black and white)

Soft skills (gray area)

UML = Unified Modeling Language

An individuals ability to manage relationships with others is twice as

Are soft skills underrated in your department?

Industry Data on Soft Skills

(PMBOK Guide)Fifth Edition, Project Management Institute, Inc., 2013.

The BA Interaction Model

Next week, the things I will do differently at work are:

Communicating the Business Need:

Critical Thinking: Turning a

Informal Communication: The Elevator Pitch

1. Capture the problem

Government regulators have determined that our current

Identify what change in outcome the users would like to see

2. What change in outcome would 3. How can the problem be

b. Reduce the benefit decision process time

c. Reduce the case backlog to less than

Developing the Business Need Statement

Iterate as necessary and

Citizens must be able to receive benefits in a timely manner

Formal communication Informal communication

Activity: Business case presentations Activity: Business analysis planning

Activity: Structured walkthrough Activity: Elicitation sessions

Can you see any potential problems with this?

Critical Thinking: Turning a Problem into a

Five tips to creating dynamic presentations

2. Create emotional engagement right away: They need to relate to the

5. Facilitate emotional investment from your audience: Make them want

What was hard about developing your group presentation?

What made it easier?

Critical Thinking: Turning a Problem Into a

Formal Communication: Presenting the

Informal Communication: The

You now have a formal presentation and a business

Citizens must be able to receive benefits in a timely manner. It currently

Next week, the things I will do differently at work are:

Examples of formal Communicating

Developing Dynamic Elicitation Skills

Prototyping and the SCAMPER Model

Review the previous slide

Key challenges you face in elicitation sessions

Gaining Access to Stakeholders

Prototyping and the SCAMPER Model

Factors That Cause Stakeholder Resistance

Collaborating With Stakeholders Through

Prototyping and the SCAMPER

Which SCAMPER model questions could help evolve this product