5 ENABLING A HIGH-PERFORMANCE BA SERVICE

INTRODUCTION

The BA Service has a broad portfolio, as discussed in Chapter 2, so requires business analysts to be proficient in using a wide range of business analysis frameworks and techniques. This demanding context presents performance challenges for practising business analysts and managerial challenges for BA leaders as they endeavour to support business analysts to perform their role successfully.

The staff responsibilities landscape was introduced in Chapter 4, which covered the development of business analysts. This landscape is shown again in Figure 5.1.

Figure 5.1 Staff responsibilities landscape

This chapter covers the following topics related to the final two elements of the staff responsibilities landscape:

• appraisal and performance management;

• mentoring and coaching to facilitate improved performance;

• providing performance feedback;

• removal from the BA Service or the organisation.

APPRAISAL AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

The terms ‘appraisal’ and ‘performance management’ can sometimes have negative connotations, implying a formal intervention or process that has the aim of identifying or addressing perceived problems with an individual’s performance. However, it is possible to reframe appraisal and performance management to encompass the activities needed to ensure that a team, and the individual members within that team, are meeting the predefined performance objectives and are conducting their work in an effective and efficient way.

While appraisals and performance reviews inevitably identify where an individual’s performance is not of the required standard and improvement is needed, a more positive view of appraisal and performance management may be developed if the process is used to do the following:

• guide performance;

• enhance and extend individual competence;

• identify factors that are hindering performance but are outside the individual’s control;

• recognise people for their performance;

• provide reassurance that objectives are being met;

• celebrate milestones and achievements;

• design team building activities;

• provide supportive challenges for team members;

•inform reward and recognition of individuals and the team.

Benefits of performance management

Annual performance appraisals can seem like an overhead, a distraction or a tick-box exercise. They are often perceived to be onerous tasks that distract employees from delivering service. However, good quality, continuous performance management offers many benefits to organisations, teams and individuals. Adopting an ongoing approach to performance management can ensure that any issues are resolved quickly and can prevent the development of isolated incidents into poor performance habits.

Within a BA Service, effective performance management can help realise the following benefits:

• identify anyone who is overloaded, overwhelmed, not working effectively or failing to contribute;

• allow evidence-based decision making for new assignments, additional support and progression opportunities. BA leaders often ‘know’ who their best and worst performing business analysts are but can’t pinpoint why or provide tangible evidence;

• clarify objectives, responsibilities and expectations;

• establish who likes to do what, who is good at certain tasks and where development needs exist (which may or may not be recognised by the individual business analyst);

• increase overall accountability and productivity. Many business analysts need a level of pressure (both time frame and appropriate attention) to be able to do their best work. Some are demotivated when there is no visibility or recognition for the work they do;

• form part of an ongoing commitment to seek and act on feedback;

• provide an opportunity to identify exemplar pieces of work and inform best practice that may be shared with other business analysts;

• improve transparency. By sharing appropriate detail and aggregate information from the process, everyone can see who is assigned to what and where team strengths and development areas lie. This can foster collaborative working and sharing of work;

• answer questions such as: ‘Are we improving?’ and ‘Are we meeting our objectives?’

Managing the performance of the BA Service requires a focus on the particular needs of the business analyst role. It requires BA leaders to recognise the skills, behaviours and attitudes required to deliver an effective BA Service and to manage the business analyst’s performance accordingly. This work may be supported in part by a comprehensive skills development framework, as it will provide a basis for identifying where required skills are lacking or needing enhancement. Well-defined competency levels for each skill will also help to identify which aspects need further work. Approaches such as the GROW model, described later in this chapter, can help BA leaders to manage and improve their team’s performance.

Some people are keen to improve their performance, while others seem to avoid this at all costs. This avoidance sometimes results from a belief that the current level of performance is adequate and does not need further improvement, although this is likely to be a misplaced belief. Other reasons for avoidance are that the business analyst does not see a need to achieve certain performance targets or possibly does not understand why certain skills are required. Ultimately, some business analysts may shy away from striving for better performance because of a fear of failure. BA leaders have to address all of these reasons if individuals are to understand what is expected of them and the BA Service is to achieve the level of performance required to support the organisation effectively. It is also vital that performance management is applied consistently to the business analysts, irrespective of grade, seniority or contractual basis. Contracted business analysts should be evaluated in the same way, and against the same benchmarks, as those employed by the organisation.

Behaviours of business analysts

While it would be reassuring to assume that all business analysts are dedicated professionals who are determined to develop their skills on an ongoing basis, unfortunately, in the real world, this is not always the case. Anecdotal stories about business analysts who do not perform at the required level abound within the business analyst community – in particular, during discussions amongst senior or managerial business analysts. Empirical research undertaken in 2018 (Paul 2018), uncovered criticism by senior business analysts about some of their colleagues. The following comments were made:

• There are good BAs and there are bad BAs.

• Some BAs are happy to just take the notes.

• Some BAs are not competent.

• I can do this work, but others just can’t.

A more detailed view of unhelpful behaviours that have been observed or commented upon by senior business analysts is shown in Table 5.1.

Table 5.1 Unhelpful behaviours demonstrated by business analysts

Behaviour name	Behaviour description
Self-limiting	Use of limited range of business analysis skills such as process modelling and facilitation
BA in name only	Job title is business analyst, but the individual does not reflect the business analyst role or the required skills and experience
Subject matter expert	Conducts work through application of specific business or application knowledge rather than through the use of the business analysis skill set
‘I know the business’	Entered business analysis via a business route, so makes assumptions, doesn’t ask questions, has out-of-date business knowledge
Pedantic	Inappropriate focus on less relevant detail, leading to inability to meet deadlines; focuses on finding mistakes
Maverick	Will not conform to defined standards, templates and ways of working. Does not contribute to the development of the business analysis service. Thinks they ‘know better’
‘Told you so’	Unable to move on, accept current situation/chosen option. Enjoys issues materialising
Just a BA	Unable to influence and does not try to analyse; happy to just take notes or document what is said
Negative	Wants to say no; everything has been tried, nothing will work Us and Them; causes or contributes to divisions
Stepping stone	Not invested in business analysis but sees it as a move towards a role perceived to have more seniority or authority
Superior	Does not display empathy for other roles and regards other roles with disdain

The impact of poor business analysis on the perception of the entire BA Service – or even the business analyst role itself – was discussed in Chapter 1. Table 5.1 highlights behaviours for which BA leaders should be vigilant, as they have the potential to diminish the performance of business analysts and result in a poor perception of the BA Service.

Growth mindset for business analysts

The key differentiator between a good business analyst and a great business analyst often derives from the attitude towards personal and professional development. The Growth Mindset theory, developed by Professor Carol Dweck (2017), identified that people who believed their intelligence and abilities could be developed (a growth mindset) outperformed those who believed their intelligence and abilities were fixed (a fixed mindset). Table 5.2 shows the impact of a growth or fixed mindset on different areas of the BA Service.

Table 5.2 Impacts of fixed and growth mindsets

These examples show how a growth mindset helps people to move forward. BAs with a fixed mindset may plateau in their career, whereas those with a growth mindset are more likely to be able to continue to develop and reach their potential. Understanding the differences between a fixed and a growth mindset can be invaluable when managing performance as it helps to identify where a fixed mindset is preventing individuals, and by extension the BA Service, from achieving performance objects. This is a key aspect of enabling effective performance, as mindset can have a significant impact on performance improvement.

If a problem with a fixed mindset has been identified, the BA leader should aim to encourage a growth mindset. There are several ways to do this, including conducting the following actions:

• Instigate a discussion about the concept and implications of the growth mindset.

• Provide internal learning and development opportunities.

• Provide opportunities to try new skills in a safe-to-fail environment.

• Champion training and professional certification.

• Build a culture of sharing work and peer review.

• Provide supportive challenge of fixed-mindset behaviours.

• Offer a role model for personal and professional development.

• Protect time for development activities.

• Discuss limiting beliefs and share success stories.

Each of these actions can help the BA leader to encourage individual business analysts to adopt a growth mindset. In turn, this can help to address some of the unhelpful behaviours listed in Table 5.1 and support business analysts with their professional development.

Evaluating the business analysts

It is important to consider the entire range of required skills across the personal, business and professional dimensions when evaluating business analysts. It is also important to identify where unhelpful behaviours are evident, analyse the root causes of the behaviours and decide how they may be addressed.

The performance management matrix shown in Figure 5.2 can help with the performance evaluation of business analysts. It considers performance in the light of two axes: technical performance and behavioural performance.

The four quadrants of the performance management matrix help BA leaders to evaluate the performance achieved by individual business analysts and offer high-level strategies to improve their work. Table 5.3 describes the quadrants within the performance management matrix and the related strategies.

APPROACHES TO FACILITATE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

The performance issues that emerge from using the performance management matrix are likely to require action. These actions may require the creation of development plans for individual business analysts, which may prescribe training or other formal development approaches. However, it is often helpful to consider supplementing formal development with other approaches such as mentoring, coaching or buddying.

Figure 5.2 The performance management matrix (reproduced with permission from Maura Shields, Human Edge Consulting)

Table 5.3 The performance management matrix strategies

Quadrant	Description
High technical performance, high behaviour performance	The expert: the business analysts who possess the required skills across all three categories. These are the role models who may be able to support or motivate those who are not performing at this level. They may be able to mentor less experienced colleagues or encourage improved behaviour from the maverick business analysts The business analysts within this group should be deployed as ambassadors for the team and as mentors and role models
Low technical performance, high behaviour performance	The new business analyst or misplaced talent: the business analysts who demonstrate the required ability to engage with stakeholders and a desire to learn Where new to the role, these business analysts need to develop the required technical skills. This may be achieved through the development approaches discussed earlier, coupled with the allocation of a mentor (from within the expert category) However, some business analysts in this category may not have the innate ability to develop the technical skills. While it is wise to deploy development strategies and mentoring, ultimately this may prove ineffective. BA leaders need to recognise where this is the case and decide on the best outcome, both for the team and the individual. It is possible that a more limited area of business analysis might be helpful. However, a move to another role may be more beneficial both for the individual and the organisation
High technical performance, low behaviour performance	The maverick or specialist: the business analysts who have excellent technical business analysis skills but fail to work well with stakeholders and colleagues. This can be a serious failing for a business analyst, given the need to work effectively with stakeholders in often challenging situations. A business analyst who has low behavioural performance may cause problems for the entire BA Service despite the accuracy of their technical work Expert business analysts may be able to support development work for maverick or specialist business analysts. They may be able to uncover the reasons for poor behavioural performance and achieve improvements through demonstrating their proficiency. An expert business analyst role model or mentor may be able to move a maverick or specialist towards the expert quadrant However, for some individuals, behavioural issues may be deep-seated, and improvement may be limited, short-lived or impossible. In these situations, the options are to either accept the behavioural issues and limit the assignments to which an individual is allocated, or to facilitate a move to another role where technical excellence is required but there is less emphasis on behavioural performance
Low technical performance, low behaviour performance	The under-performer: these business analysts are sometimes the most difficult people to manage. While some genuinely may have difficulty in performing the business analyst role, the lack of behavioural skills indicates that they may lack interest in business analysis or may be content to perform at a lower level than that required BA leaders need to explore the reasons for poor performance with these business analysts and decide if a development strategy is appropriate. It may be that the under-performer business analyst does not have an affinity for business analysis so does not wish to improve, or it may be that there is a genuine misunderstanding about the needs of the business analyst role (which is an easier problem to address). However, it may be that there are other problems – perhaps of a personal nature – that are affecting performance Ultimately, BA leaders have the responsibility for addressing performance issues. In the case of the under-performer, a development strategy may address the problems, although low behavioural performance suggests that this is unlikely to be sufficient. Where there are external issues, this may require a longer-term approach, perhaps involving colleagues from HR. Where a business analyst is disaffected and content to perform poorly, it may be necessary to consider disciplinary action and removal

Mentoring and coaching: differences

The terms ‘mentoring’ and ‘coaching’ are often used interchangeably. While similar, they have a different focus and intent and the method adopted will depend upon whether a person is being mentored or coached.

Mentoring has been defined as enabling:

The purpose of mentoring is to provide access to knowledge and experience within a supportive professional relationship. A mentor is usually at a more advanced career stage than the person to be mentored, but this does not mean that anyone mentoring a business analyst has to be a senior business analyst and possess business analysis skills. The role of a mentor is to help an individual understand their development needs and performance challenges, but this does not necessitate that the mentor has expertise within the particular discipline.

The mentor should enable the mentee to define the actions needed to develop and may set goals and milestones to monitor progress. A mentor has to be able to apply active listening in order to support the mentee and should be professional and non-judgemental during discussions.

Coaching is often conducted by the manager of the individual whose development is to be supported. The specific areas addressed by a ‘coach’ have been defined as follows:

Coaching should not be viewed as only a ‘deficit’ development activity for under-performing business analysts. Many organisations use coaching to enable performance improvement for high-performing individuals.

Mentoring is a relatively informal approach to personal development. It is typically additional to the professional development plan for business analysts, so a mentor would not be expected to provide feedback on progress or provide input into a performance review. This is not the case with coaching where there is likely to be a specific focus on meeting performance objectives, so a coach may provide input to a performance review. Whichever the case, it is helpful to agree the terms for the mentoring or coaching arrangement so that both parties are clear about the objectives to be achieved. Appendix 5 provides a template for a coaching or mentoring agreement.

Mentoring and coaching: approaches

The GROW model

The GROW model (Whitmore, 2009) was developed originally in the 1970s and is one of the most popular approaches used to mentor or coach colleagues or staff. This model is represented in Figure 5.3.

Figure 5.3 The GROW model

The four stages of the GROW model are applied as follows:

• Goal: define where the mentee or coachee wants or needs to be.

• Reality: define to what extent and in what way the mentee or coachee needs to develop to achieve the goal.

• Options: identify and develop ideas to achieve the goal.

• Will: define and commit to a plan.

The GROW model provides a basis for helping individual business analysts to improve their performance. It sets out a similar process to that often applied in business analysis whereby a target situation is defined, the current situation is understood, the gap is analysed and the actions to move towards the target are agreed.

This model remains one of the most popular and widely used performance development models. It provides a questioning framework for the mentor or coach to help the person set a goal (G), objectively consider the current reality (R), discuss potential options (O) then define what they will (W) actually do. In practice this is an iterative conversation, where new options emerge that refine the goal, or the reality of the situation becomes clearer, resulting in adjustments to the original goals set.

Mentoring and coaching requires active listening, insightful questioning and supportive challenging; three key skills for business analysts. Therefore, the GROW model should be straightforward to adopt within a business analysis setting and should equip business analysts to help staff or peers with their personal development.

When adopting the GROW model, BA leaders need to be open to supporting individuals through exploring their current skills and identifying their development needs. An example usage of the GROW model when supporting the development of a business analyst is as follows:

• Goal: where does the individual want to be as a business analyst? What career path is envisaged? Possibilities include becoming a highly skilled professional business analyst, a consultant specialising in business analysis or a BA leader.

• Reality: using a benchmark such as a profile of the desired role or the T-shaped business analyst definition, what business analysis skills does the individual need to develop? Is this possible and, if so, what would be the required time frame?

• Objectives: what are the specific business analysis development objectives? Identifying the ‘skill gaps’ to be addressed will provide a basis for defining the business analyst’s development objectives.

•Will: when and how might the business analysis skills development be achieved? Possibilities include attendance at formal training events to enable learning about specific frameworks and techniques, achievement of certifications, and application of skills within practical contexts. This can then be defined within a plan of action; this plan will also provide a basis for monitoring the business analyst’s progress towards achieving the objectives and the overarching goal.

The Johari window

The Johari window (Luft and Ingham, 1955) is another framework that may be used within a coaching or mentoring context. It provides a basis for exploring an individual’s performance needs and identifying skills, attitude or knowledge gaps. The Johari window is shown in Figure 5.4.

The Johari window helps to explore what is known and recognised about an individual and what may not be known or recognised. The aim in using the Johari window is to encourage self-discovery by the individuals within the team. The possible combinations of ‘known’ and ‘not known’, represented in the four quadrants of Figure 5.4, support the discussions described in Table 5.4.

Figure 5.4 The Johari window

Table 5.4 The Johari window quadrants

Known to others; known to self	This is labelled the open/free area and is where an individual’s skills, attitudes, knowledge, opinions and behaviours may be discussed. The aim is to develop this area so that the team members are able to discuss their performance openly and productively, with feedback being given and received in a constructive manner
Known to others; not known to self	This is the area where an individual may be unaware of their shortcomings to the extent that there is a blind spot. Their colleagues are aware of the lack of skills or knowledge, or problems with behaviour, views or attitudes, but may also identify hidden/unrecognised strengths. The aim is to foster a culture where feedback may be given sensitively so that the individual is able to accept it and consider how to improve. Mentors, coaches or team colleagues may need to help each individual achieve this level of acceptance and can facilitate this process by offering guidance and providing non-judgemental advice
Not known to others; known to self	This is the area where individuals may conceal areas where they feel they are not as skilled or knowledgeable as required. It is also possible that there may be hidden agendas or action plans. Mentors or coaches should foster an atmosphere of openness and constructive discussion in order to decrease the hidden area and increase the open area
Not known to others; not known to self	This is the area where skills or other abilities are unknown or not recognised. This requires strategies that will help to discover an individual’s potential or latent abilities and move them into the other areas. Depending upon the situation it may be that knowledge about ability may move into the hidden, blind or open area. Mentors or coaches may offer an individual the opportunity to work in a particular area in order to uncover unknown ability. Care needs to be taken in this area as some unknown abilities may be of a sensitive nature

The performance known/unknowns matrix

The performance known/unknowns matrix, shown in Figure 5.5, offers a similar approach to the Johari window. The matrix shows four combinations of ‘known’ and ‘unknown’ and helps to uncover where an individual’s performance issues might lie and which actions may be helpful.

Figure 5.5 Known/unknowns matrix for personal development

This matrix shows the desired development paths towards the ‘known knowns’ quadrant, from ‘unknown knowns’ to ‘known knowns’ or from ‘unknown unknowns’, to ‘known unknowns’ and then to ‘known knowns’. These pathways may be traversed through applying many different learning approaches, which, for a business analyst, include the following:

• attending business analysis training courses and learning events;

• requesting and listening to feedback and reflecting on how business analysis skills may be improved or development objectives may be achieved;

• shadowing a colleague who is more experienced in a particular business analysis service;

• conducting independent research. For example, using online business analysis learning resources such as those available at www.assistkd.com/knowledge-hub;

• reading background information;

• receiving coaching from a BA leader or another colleague in a leadership or managerial role;

• being mentored by a senior business analyst, possibly from a different organisation; IIBA UK offer a business analyst mentoring scheme at www.iibauk.org/mentoring;

• participating in a buddy scheme (see next section).

It is often the case that having awareness of performance shortcomings can help development and improvement. The Johari window and the known/unknowns matrix offer a basis for exploring awareness and identifying where this is lacking.

Buddy schemes

The purpose of a buddy scheme is to create a supportive connection between individuals and does not necessarily relate to seniority or experience. Buddying can help with personal development and performance improvement in a less formal way than mentoring or coaching.

A buddy scheme can be used within a BA Service to:

• help new business analysts settle into the organisation;

• legitimise and encourage peer-to-peer relationships across the business analysis team;

• connect business analysts with different levels of experience and strengths so that they can learn from each other.

Levels of formality of a buddy scheme can vary. Some may offer little or no structure or guidance on the role of buddies and will allow people to define their own relationships; others may provide guidance on the role of a buddy and will make recommendations about areas such as the frequency of meetings, the content and focus of discussions, and the expectations regarding outcomes.

An effective buddy needs to be supportive and open to sharing knowledge. A buddy should also be willing to ask and answer questions, and should be able to prioritise sufficient time to work with the other person.

Randomised Coffee Trials (RCTs)

For a large BA Service, or one with dispersed locations, the concept of Randomised Coffee Trials, developed by Nesta¹ in the UK and popularised by the Red Cross, is another approach that may be used to create connections with colleagues. These connections can provide a basis for discussion, support and learning.

The idea is very simple to apply in practice. Individuals who do not know each other (or who have not worked together) are paired up randomly and encouraged to arrange a real or virtual coffee break. They discuss their roles, their work, previous experience, ideas and inspiration – anything they wish. The RCT allows people to expand their internal network, share ideas, identify and explore shared issues, and build the sense of a professional community. There is no expectation of an ongoing relationship, but connections are often maintained and used to ask questions or facilitate introductions at a later date.

RCTs can be beneficial when trying to establish a sense of community within the BA Service; the advantages associated with the community concept were discussed in Chapter 4. Some business analysts are able to build their internal network without a framework to help them, but the use of RCTs involves everyone, legitimises the time commitment and removes the awkwardness that may be associated with ‘networking’.

UNDERSTANDING PERSONAL MOTIVATION

Business analysts have varying attitudes towards producing analysis deliverables and the desired level of quality. Some of the less desirable behaviours displayed by business analysts were described in Table 5.1. The underlying reasons for these unhelpful behaviours can be difficult to understand, as individuals have different attitudes and motivations. The examination of personal motivations can help to make sense of a business analyst’s approach to the work and can assist BA leaders when they are managing the performance of the team.

Kahler’s 5 drivers

Kahler’s 5 drivers (Kahler, 1975), shown in Figure 5.6, provide a framework for understanding personal motivations and can be invaluable when considering the most appropriate way to support an individual business analyst.

Understanding the drivers that may motivate the behaviours demonstrated by business analysts can help to clarify the positive and negative impacts of that driver on the quality of the work. Listening to the language used by business analysts about their tasks, deliverables and workload, and how they feel about the work of their colleagues, provides clues about their drivers. It may be a useful exercise to consider the business analysis team in the light of the 5 drivers to analyse how the drivers may be affecting the quality of the work. Table 5.5 defines the performance management approach relevant to each driver when aiming to improve performance.

Figure 5.6 Kahler’s 5 drivers

Table 5.5 The impacts of Kahler’s 5 drivers

Impact-behaviour cycle (the Betari Box)

It can be tempting to discount how our own attitudes and behaviours contribute to the behaviours displayed by others. The Betari Box, shown in Figure 5.7, defines the cyclical relationship that happens during interactions and can help BA leaders to analyse and adjust their behaviours where necessary.

Figure 5.7 The Betari Box

This model provides a useful representation of the cycle occurring within all communications. It shows the impact an individual’s attitude and behaviour may have on the motivation and productivity of other team members, and on the customers of the BA Service.

The Betari Box may be used to analyse where the attitude or behaviour of a business analyst has affected another member of the team or a stakeholder. This model offers a basis for reflection about the behaviour displayed and the impact this has had. It can also support behavioural skills development; for example, when participating in high-emotion interactions such as engaging with a stakeholder who is perceived to be ‘difficult’. The Betari Box can help business analysts as follows:

• to reflect on the beliefs and values that underpin their attitudes towards colleagues and stakeholders;

•to analyse how these attitudes can influence their behaviour and, in turn, affect the attitudes and behaviours of others.

PROVIDING FEEDBACK

In line with the phrase ‘performance management’, the term ‘feedback’ also has negative implications for many people. Given the implications of poor performance on a role set (discussed in Chapter 1), BA leaders need to be able to provide feedback and help individuals to take necessary actions in response.

Individuals need to believe that the motivation for providing feedback originates from a desire to see them succeed. Within the BA Service, this means helping them to be the best business analyst they can be. Where individuals accept, reflect and act on feedback, performance improvements should result, and their actions and behaviours should improve the perceptions of the role and the BA Service.

Feedback can be broadly categorised as appreciative, evaluative and coaching feedback (Stone and Heen, 2014):

• Appreciative feedback concerns providing specific praise and thanking the feedback recipient for their work and support.

• Evaluative feedback concerns reporting on how well or how poorly the work has been done.

• Coaching feedback concerns raising awareness of how actions or behaviours may be improved.

Good feedback does not necessarily equate to positive feedback. It is often the case that negative feedback is necessary to prevent the continuation of problems or difficulties arising in the future. For example, it may be important to provide feedback to an individual business analyst that may be perceived as negative because improvements are required. Without this feedback, though, the business analyst may continue to struggle with the role and may not achieve their performance or career objectives.

Constructive, specific feedback can be invaluable in helping an individual improve their performance and develop their career. Deciding not to give feedback can be relevant if this is warranted by the particular individual or circumstances, but this can reduce the opportunities available to the individual. If feedback is considered to be necessary, it needs to be direct, specific, timely and actionable.

Feedback frameworks

It can be challenging to request and to provide feedback, and there are a number of frameworks that can help both the person giving the feedback and the recipient. Table 5.6 shows a number of feedback models that can help to guide a feedback conversation or present written feedback.

Table 5.6 Frameworks used for performance feedback

Emotional intelligence

Many aspects of personal and professional performance, and how people perceive and relate to each other, are influenced by emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is defined as:

BA leaders require significant emotional intelligence when managing the performance of individual business analysts and the business analysis team.

Business analysis is at its core a profession about communication and relationships. The more an individual is able to develop their EI, the greater the chance they have to improve and succeed as a business analyst. In particular, the ability to empathise and see different perspectives are elements considered to be central to the role of a business analyst. Therefore, senior business analysts are likely to have developed a significant level of EI during their career, which should prove extremely helpful when providing feedback to the business analysts working within their teams. Individual business analysts are also likely to be more receptive to feedback because of the EI they have developed as part of their role.

The ability to give and receive feedback is closely linked to the Emotional Intelligence Competencies model defined by Goleman (2013), a version of which is shown in Figure 5.8. Through actively seeking feedback, and then reflecting upon this, business analysts can improve their self-awareness and gain a more accurate picture of their strengths and development needs.

Figure 5.8 Emotional Intelligence Competencies model (after Goleman, 2013)

Recognising the need for change is often a key first step to increased emotional awareness and intelligence. Taking time to reflect on feedback can be instrumental in gaining self-awareness, accepting the need for improvement and then seeking ways of achieving this. BA leaders can support business analysts who need to improve their emotional intelligence through the following actions:

• highlighting the relevance of emotional intelligence, possibly through identifying situations where this has benefited the BA Service;

• ensuring that performance or behavioural feedback is provided in a supportive and constructive manner;

• explaining the process of receiving feedback, reflecting on the feedback and determining actions to address the feedback;

• offering support for actions to improve the business analyst’s emotional intelligence;

•maintaining contact through regular discussions to review performance, identify further actions and celebrate successes.

Active listening

Active listening is a technique that aids effective communication and is a skill that business analysts need to possess. Business analysts need to develop this skill where they do not have a natural listening ability as it is a pre-requisite for effective communication – a vital component of the business analyst skill set.

Active listening helps to build trust and relationships, provides a framework for helping people to solve their problems, ensures understanding and enables conflict to be resolved. The technique also helps to avoid assumptions, misconceptions and misunderstandings.

Six key behaviours that are required when applying active listening are set out in Figure 5.9.

Figure 5.9 Active listening behaviours

The behaviours shown in Figure 5.9 are described in more detail in Table 5.7.

Table 5.7 Description of active listening dimensions

Behaviour name	Behaviour description
Focus	Give the person your full attention. Consider all the aspects that feed into this: physical environment, distractions, technology, other people, eye-contact, body language
Question	Ask open-ended questions that follow on from what the other person has said
Probe	Ask for further detail, to help you and the person understand what they are really saying
Clarify	Request clarification on anything you feel is unclear or that potentially contradicts previous information or understanding. Be alert to anything you feel isn’t being said and test out anything you have ‘read between the lines’
Paraphrase	Play back what the other person has said, using your own words to validate and demonstrate understanding
Summarise	Provide a recap of key points of the conversation, check understanding and potentially move forward into further questioning or prompted problem-solving

Having awareness of the importance of active listening and then applying the behaviours defined in Table 5.7 can improve significantly an individual’s ability to listen. This is particularly relevant when a BA leader is conducting a performance review discussion.

There are certain communication behaviours that should be avoided when applying active listening. These behaviours diminish the quality of the listening and are described in Table 5.8 below.

Table 5.8 Listening behaviours to avoid

Behaviour name	Description
Being right	Listeners only hear anything that confirms that they are right. They listen to identify anything that supports their views and disregard anything else
Comparing	Listeners are focused on presenting information about themselves. They wait to respond so that they can explain how they are better in some way or have had worse experiences They may also attempt to minimise or dismiss the concerns or experience of the speaker
Derailing	Listeners are keen to eliminate their feelings of boredom, so interrupt the speaker by changing the subject or making a joke in order to derail them from what they are saying
Daydreaming	Listeners stop concentrating on what the speaker is saying and mentally drift into thinking about something else. This may also be done to alleviate boredom or anxiety
Filtering/advising	Listeners wish to ensure that their opinions are confirmed, so listen for evidence of this and then present their advice or quickly jump to suggesting solutions rather than listening
Mindreading	Listeners focus on working out what the speaker is really trying to say rather than what they are actually saying. They believe that they can uncover the meaning behind the words spoken. This behaviour manifests itself when people ‘search for’ words during pauses rather than letting the person think, or display a tendency to finish speaker's sentences
Rehearsing	Listeners are concerned with what they are going to say next instead of listening to the speaker
Impatience	Listeners want the speaker to ‘get to the point’, so give ‘hurry-up’ signals such as finishing the person's sentences, interrupting or circling hand gestures

Having awareness of these listening behaviours, and making attempts to avoid them, can be extremely helpful to business analysts.

Applying active listening, and being conscious of doing so, may cause some initial discomfort as it can require an unnatural conversation pattern. However, practising and maintaining active listening can help business analysts to achieve significant improvement in their ability to communicate with colleagues and stakeholders.

Active listening can turn a general conversation into an opportunity for a performance management conversation and can be beneficial for both parties. Gaining the ability to listen actively will help the BA leader to review performance and provide coaching or mentoring to staff. It is also a listening approach that has the potential to support many business analysis activities, including investigating business situations and eliciting requirements. Learning to apply active listening, and supporting business analysts to acquire this skill, can be highly beneficial for the BA Service.

Control, Influence, Accept model

Some aspects of performance may be genuinely outside the control of individual business analysts. For example, where an organisation dictates a particular approach or solution, even though it is apparent that an alternative would be more beneficial. The Control, Influence, Accept (CIA) model can help with feedback discussions, as they enable individuals to recognise where they should best concentrate their efforts and how they might proceed.

Understanding the aspects that fall outside the control of an individual business analyst can be extremely helpful. This is an area that affects business analysts’ performance regularly. Appreciating the limitations that are constraining a situation can ensure that the focus is on those areas where it is possible to exert influence.

Figure 5.10 The CIA model

Business analysts are trained to analyse situations but can become preoccupied with potential threats, such as external or organisational level changes that could impact on the project or work to which they are assigned. It can be very difficult for business analysts to understand where the boundaries lie between these areas of concern and, as shown in Figure 5.10, the boundaries are sometimes unclear and there are ‘grey areas’ to be explored. Table 5.9 describes the CIA areas and the implications for the business analysts.

REMOVAL

Organisations may employ some business analysts who under-perform and do not make a positive contribution to the BA Service. It is important to face this difficult situation head on, through feedback and use of appropriate internal processes, as it is unlikely that the person wants to perform poorly and may not realise that they are not working effectively. BA leaders should explore different avenues to facilitate performance improvement; many possibilities have been discussed earlier in this chapter.

Table 5.9 CIA descriptions

Ultimately, it is important to recognise where a business analyst is not able or willing to develop in order that they may perform at the required level. The presence of unhappy or under-performing business analysts can have an adverse effect on other members of the team. In extreme circumstances, this can even lead others to decide to move to another role or organisation. In this situation, there are two possible courses of action: enable movement to another role within the organisation or deploy an exit process.

The process to remove a business analyst (or any other member of staff) will be defined by the employing organisation. It is likely that his process will be controlled by the HR Department as it will need to take account of relevant employment law and it is important that this process is followed carefully to ensure that no contraventions occur. Typically, the process will include opportunities for performance review and the development of a personal improvement plan, which will ensure that the business analyst has clear guidance on the areas to improve and the timescale for review.

It is possible that during this process, the business analyst identifies, and is allocated, an alternative role within the organisation. However, where this is not the case and the performance improvement process has not succeeded, the organisation’s removal process will need to be invoked.

CONCLUSION

This chapter has examined some of the issues associated with managing performance within a business analysis context. BA leaders have to consider many areas when developing business analysts in order to enable the successful performance of the BA Service. This may be helped through mentoring and coaching and by the use of tools such as the performance management matrix, the GROW model and the Johari window model. Sometimes, business analysts who are new to an organisation, or have grown used to a particular way of working, fail to appreciate the breadth and depth of the business analyst role and the extensive set of skills it requires. The use of the techniques and frameworks described in this chapter and in Chapter 4, can lead to interesting, unexpected and beneficial insights that should provide a strong basis for performance discussion and development.

CASE STUDY 3: MANAGING PERFORMANCE WITH EMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING

Sandra Leek, Financial services

Sandra Leek has been a business analyst for over 18 years. She works within the financial services industry, where she has led several business analysis teams. She was the IIBA BA of the Year 2014 and is a member of the organising panel for the BA Conference Europe.

Sandra approaches managing the performance of business analysts from two perspectives: the formal – what should be done from an organisational perspective; and the informal – what works for the individual? She believes that the individual has to believe in the process for it to work.

There are two key aspects that Sandra feels are important:

1. Regular reviews with each member of staff. This should include formal review points and also informal reviews. The latter may be at frequent intervals, such as on a weekly basis, but it is each individual’s decision as the informal reviews must work for them. While the formal reviews will require forms to be completed, this is not the case for the regular informal reviews, which should be more focused on understanding and getting to know each member of staff. Sandra feels that it is important to understand what is important to each person, such as the pressures they are under outside – as well as inside – work, and where their priorities lie.

2. Openness and transparency are paramount. Nothing should come as a shock when discussing performance, and the team members should know that you are trying to do your best for them. Where discussions are difficult – and they often are – it is important to be constructive and focus on what needs to be addressed and how this might be done.

Sandra believes that managing performance is extremely important because it affects everyone and everything: the individual’s input, the team’s input and organisational performance. If performance management is not done well, there is a risk of a detrimental impact upon the organisation. Also, a people-focused, flexible approach to performance management is highly beneficial. For example, an hour away from work when needed often results in two hours of extra effort. Basically, performance management is key to successful company performance.

In Sandra’s experience, barriers arise when formal performance management processes are put in place without any business analysis or understanding of the need for flexibility; every individual is different, so being flexible and adaptable is key. Trying to combine the use of formal objectives and processes while working within an Agile environment is also difficult. The limitations placed by formal processes on the performance assessment process can also be problematic. A typical issue concerns the use of quotas; for example, a quota for ‘good’ performers that limits accurate assessment and fails to focus on the desired outcomes for company success.

Sandra has found that it is often difficult to address formal process problems primarily due to a lack of understanding that performance management is not a black and white situation and there are likely to be shades of grey. Sandra tries to address challenges by working within the defined processes, while also attempting to be flexible where possible and adapting her approach to each individual’s needs. This sometimes means that, as a manager, she has to challenge her senior manager, but she sees this as part of her role and her responsibility to her staff.

Sandra does not believe in micro-managing her team. Instead, she works with her team to understand them, meet their individual needs and ensure that they are given the leeway to perform.

Sandra’s advice to anyone responsible for performance management concerns the need to understand the team and the individuals, asking what it is that they want that will help them to perform well. She believes that understanding each person’s worldview, challenges and personal situation is vital. Sandra also feels that organisations should not only focus on performance at work but also support people where they are contributing more widely to their profession.

1 See www.nesta.org.uk/blog/institutionalising-serendipity-via-productive-coffee-breaks