Measuring BA Performance

  Business Analysis   ProjectsAtWork  

A new book provides practical guidance on improving the performance of business analysts by focusing on which measurements actually matter, and how to use the resulting data, instead of opinions, to identify problems and opportunities on the way to achieving performance gains.

As a reviewer of early drafts of Adriana Beal’s eBook “Measuring the Performance of Business Analysts” (2010), I approached the topic with a bit of trepidation. I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences and can relate to the “measurement wariness” that concerns many business analysts. Before diving into how Adriana’s book shifted my perspective, I’ll share a bit of my career background. It’s likely we have a lot in common.

I am currently an independent consultant, but my most recent full-time position was Director of Enterprise Solutions in a consolidated technology group supporting 5 independent business units. I was responsible for project management, business analysis, and quality assurance and built a 15-person team over the course of my three years with the organization.

But at heart I have always been and still am a business analyst.

One of my many challenges as an inexperienced manager was setting clear expectations with my staff. It was apparent to me how to evaluate the performance of my project managers and …

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