values driven career planning - iiba atlanta · about ryland • ryland leyton, cbap, pmp, is a...
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Values Driven Career Planning
Ryland Leyton
About Ryland• Ryland Leyton, CBAP, PMP, is a business analyst, speaker, educator, Agile coach, and
technology translator. He has worked in the technology sector since 1998, starting off with database and web programming, gradually moving through project management and finding his passion in the BA field.
• Ryland is passionate about strong analysis practice and prefers Agile environments where possible. He has built both Agile and waterfall SDLC processes for development teams, customizing each one to the challenges facing that particular client group.
• Ryland is an active member of the Atlanta Chapter of the IIBA, speaks at local and national conferences, and serves as an Agile coach and educator. His early experiences as a developer have been advantageous when serving as the bridge between business and technology groups. He is well positioned to understand the needs of disparate teams all striving to ensure business success from their own point of view.
• Ryland’s book, “The Agile Business Analyst” has received excellent critical reviews.
• Recently, Ryland has extended his hobby of improv comedy to create distinctive learning experiences for teambuilding, Agile, and BA professional development.
• Ryland is employed in Atlanta by Slalom Consulting. (https://www.slalom.com/)
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A Local Partner with Global Scale
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A business and technology consulting firm with
more than 3,400 consultants across
17 offices in North America and London.
Slalom Consulting 2015
We design, build, and implement
strategies and systems to help
our clients solve their most
critical business challenges.
Our Offerings
Goals for today
• To take a few moments and consider what we will be doing in 2016 to advance our careers and build our skills.
• Build a connection between your:• Personal values
• Career goals
• Self-assessed skills
• Action plan for this year.
Context of career in our life
• Our career, like any “large” topic, touches many parts of our lives.
• It’s worth spending the energy to develop career management skills.
• Sometimes you have to choose which thing to focus on.
Health
Career
Family
Friends& Hobbies
Spirit
Why think about values?
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ONE: Identifying your values
Exercise: What are your values?
• Pick four to six items that are meaningfully important to you.
• If you don’t see what you’re looking for, write it in.
• These are values as examined through the lens of the workplace.
• 5 minutes to think about this
How would I know these are your values?
• What practices & actions do you take because of your values?
• Is anyone willing to share an example?
TWO: Identifying your goals
The profession of business analysis
• What kind of BA do you want to be?• Business focused
• Technology focused
• Business rules analyst
• Agile specialist
Or something else that is uniquely yours!
Where do you see your career going?
Where do you want it to go?
For your consideration: The environment and world of work
DOMAIN FOOD FOR THOUGHT & EXAMPLES
Professional trends What tools, skills, experiences are becoming standard/desired/exceptional in my profession?How is my profession changing? Who are leaders in my profession? What are they doing?
Organizational trends How is your organization changing over the next 1-2 years? What opportunities & challenges does this present you with?What do these trends mean for you?
Industry trends What industry are you in? …could you be in? …what industry do you want to be in?How is your industry changing? What do the directions mean for you?
Economic trends Is the economy speeding up or slowing down?How does this impact your industry?What opportunities is this creating, or closing for you?
QUESTION: What do these trends mean you’ll need to grow & nurture your career?
Conceptualizing high-level career goals
LIFESTYLETravel, job stress, stability
CONNECTION TO VALUESWorking with nonprofit or
socially-oriented group
SPECIFIC SECTOR WORKBanking, constr., gov’t
Goals can relate to “obvious things”
Goals can relate to “not as obvious things”
INCOME STATUS, PRESTIGEJOB TITLE
Something to think about
• Conceptualizing your goals strictly from the things I’ve labeled “obvious” may constrain your possibilities.• I want to become a bank president!
• Conceptualizing your goals from the “less obvious” things may provide more options than you think.
“I want to have work I enjoy every day, with
people I think are great, which is financially
rewarding.”
versus “On Monday I get to go to work I love to do!”
Pyramid concept
Next year
This year
5-10 years
3-5 Years
Fact Modeling Skills
Business RuleSkills
Find specific jobs I’d like to work towards having
Serve formally as a mentor or coach
Teach Workshops
Competent to teach Business Rules and Fact Modeling
Employable as highly paid BR
consultant
B2T Certification
Complete Second B2T course
Complete first B2T course
Attend IIBA meetings
Improve my attitude
Pyramid concept
• Are your long and short term goals aligned?
• What needs are most pressing?
• What is most important?
• What is most achievable and immediate?
• What fits your mid-to-long-term goals the best?
• Are there any opportunities you have now that may disappear?
Exercise: Filling in our goals
• Fill in a items in the pyramid, at whatever level you are able to do so.
• Try to tie things together, but don’t obsess about it.
• This is a tool, not a contract.
THREE: Making your action plan
Business Analyst Self Assessment from B2T
• Use this to perform a for-real and only-for-you assessment of your skills.
• What are you good at, and not so good at?
• Use the self-assessment form to consider your identified strengths & weaknesses.
STRENGTHS• How will you show these are strengths?• If talking to a new employer what can you say
about these things?• Are your strengths aligned with your overall goals?• Can you use your strengths as differentiators?
WEAKNESSES• What would help you eliminate this drawback?• How would you show a prospective employer that
this area is not a problem for you?• Are your weaknesses holding you back from
anything in your overall goals?
Now, about where you work today…
• Consider your current workplace in the context of your own goals & values.
• Pursue goals that align with the company’s goals• You’ll get more out of your goals & accomplishments
• You’ll be more interested in your work
• Your company will see you more positively
• If there is nothing in your workplace that aligns with your own interests….
…why are you there?
Exercise: Skill Self Assessment
• Identify your strengths and weaknessesfrom your B2T assessment.
• Connect these to your Goals.
• Brainstorm a tactical action you can take.
• These can become SMART goals in your PMP & IDP, but they don’t have to meet that standard yet.
One final thought about exploration and discovery
Go look online for jobs you’d like to have.
• Do you meet the requirements for the job?• Are you OK with the salaries that are offered?
Interview people who occupy those kinds of positions.
• Does it match their expectations? • What do they like/hate about the position? • How did they get the job? What does their day look like?
Interview people who hire for those kinds of positions.
• What do they look for in an applicant? • Can you get a copy of an anonymized resume for a successful hire in the past?• How does your resume compare with theirs? • What accomplishments and skills do you need to be successfully hired for this
kind of position? (Think “Gap Analysis”.)
Brief review of today
• Values• Identified what is important to you in your workplace
• Goals• Considered industry, business and economic trends & impacts
• Identified near term, mid term, and long-term goals
• Assessment• Looked over the B2T Business Analysis Self Assessment
• Considered our strengths and weaknesses
• Action plan• Identified steps you can take in the near future
This session was fast!
Go through this again at home.
Remember to go through the B2T Assessment!
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Bibliography & Additional Resources
• “Get Hired”, by Paul C. Green, Ph.D.
• “Zen And The Art Of Making A Living”, by Laurence G. Boldt
• “What Color Is Your Parachute?” by Richard Nelson Bolles
• The Agile Business Analyst: Moving from Waterfall to Agile• Sold on Amazon.com, or direct from me.
• Signed copies available today at the conference.
• Order 5 (or more) copies directly from me and I’ll do a2-hour Q&A session with your team.• In person if you’re in or near Atlanta.
• Contact me a [email protected] or [email protected]
• www.RylandLeyton.com
Hey – what was that about your book?
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