BBC 2017 Speaker Series – Consultant:  Stephanie Vineyard, Business Analysis Service Lead at Excella Consulting

In anticipation of her presentation at Building Business Capability in Orlando, Nov. 6-10, 2017, we asked Stephanie Vineyard, Business Analysis Service Lead at Excella Consulting, a few questions about transforming the business. Check out this interview in relation to her BBC presentation entitled, Discover Agile and Scrum through Games.

Q: In what ways do you help your client organizations handle business transformation?

A: Our clients come to us to solve their technology problems. In today’s business, technology is no longer a back-office support but a driver for business success. We support clients through modernization of legacy systems, Agile transformation of their organization, enablement of advanced analytics to drive decision making, and digitizing new or paper services.

Q: Can you describe the challenges you face or have already overcome in establishing more robust business transformation capabilities for your clients?

A: The biggest challenge is metrics. Companies are used to and comfortable with metrics which report output. While valid, this doesn’t speak to value delivered. In an agile environment, outcomes and value delivered are measured and reported. Once leaders see the impact of measuring outcome over output, they are onboard with the transformation.

Q: What are your top suggestions for companies looking to become more agile?

A: It starts with an openness to try new things and experiment. The changes can be uncomfortable for some people, and it is up to the leadership to set a clear vision of where they want to go and why agile principles and practices will get the company there.

Q: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned in the past year?

A: Every business is a technology business. There are many opportunities for those who are ready to take advantage of them.

Q: What do you see as the most important goal or trend for business analysts and other professionals to keep in mind?

A: Business analysis as a skill is critical to helping organizations thrive in the rapid change of digital transformation. Analysts should elevate themselves from back-end IT to business forward innovators.

Q: What’s the latest method/process/tool you’ve implemented to help your client’s business’s operate more effectively? Have you seen any results yet?

A: I recently implemented Job Story format as backlog items for a data warehouse project to good success. Learn more about this technique in the latest Agile Extension v2 to the BABOK (being released soon).

Q: If you could go back 5 years in time and give some professional insight or advice to yourself, what would it be?

A: Around that time, I chose to focus my career on the technology industry. That decision has lead me to great places, meeting with great people, and opened doors.

Q: Sneak preview: Please tell us a take-away that you will provide during your talk at the Building Business Capability (BBC) conference this year?

A: Agile mindset is key to successful transformation, regardless of your business. This session will explore the key concepts behind Agile and Scrum through games – an interactive, fun way to increase retention of learning.

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Don’t miss Stephanie’s presentation, Discover Agile and Scrum through Games, at Building Business Capability on Monday, November 6, 2017 from 1:30 to 4:30 pm. Click here to register for attendance.