BBC 2017 Speaker Series – Practitioner:  Traci Onkst

In anticipation of her presentation at Building Business Capability in Orlando, Nov. 6-10, 2017, we asked Traci Onkst, Service Manager IV, at Cincinnati Insurance Company, a few questions about transforming the business. Check out this interview in relation to her BBC presentation entitled, From Standard to Stellar; High Performance Teams that Achieve Results.

Q: In what ways do you see your group helping your organization handle business transformation?

A: Our Company is focused on a major business transformation project which includes speed to market initiatives, business process improvements, new insurance product modeling techniques and new technology initiatives to support these efforts. The BAs in our organization are front and center of this entire project. They are leading the way in each initiative by learning and teaching new skills, building relationships and helping to lead our organization through this change. I’m so proud to work with each BA in our organization. We currently have 50+ projects in flight. Every BA in our organization works to build trust with our stakeholders, communicate effectively, apply sound BA practices and ultimately bring business transformation to realization.

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

A:  Prior to the establishment of our BACoE we had 12 business analysts in our company; working very independently and without a lot of support.  About six years ago we established our BACoE which has grown to include 80 BAs. If there was a challenge to be had, we probably faced it along the way! One thing I knew for sure- we needed to improve our skills if we were going to earn our position at the table and lead business transformation. As such, we initiated our own internal training program, used external training to close major gaps, instituted a BA coaching program and defined our standards. We also instituted a team approach for our BAs. Working as a team on each project allows our BAs to share skills, eliminates single points of failure, allows for better peer reviews and makes our elicitation sessions run more smoothly. Improving our skill set went a long way to helping our project partners see the value in BA participation. Now, we have more requests for BA support than we can fulfill!

Q: What are your short-term goals for becoming more agile?

A: Regardless of which methodology you adhere to, being agile is important. Every organization needs to flexible and able to quickly adapt to change. For us, education and skill improvement has allowed us to be more nimble as a BA organization. We try to anticipate the needs of both our IT organization and our company and prepare the team for these new opportunities.  So for us, skill improvement, anticipating trends and preparing our staff to support those trends has allowed us to be more agile as we adapt to change.

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

A: Invest in people! The best standards and processes will not help you transform your business if there aren’t good people behind the effort. People are the only assets that appreciate over time. Every other business asset depreciates. And, it’s not always the smartest people that take you there.  People with a passion to learn, collaborate and work hard will take you to places you never imagined. They don’t have to be great at everything because together they become great! That’s the premise of a high performing team. I’ve seen it in the BACoE and I’m watching it on our business transformation project. The right people with the right support system make the difference and are probably the best predictor of how successful an outcome will be.

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

A: The one thing I know for sure- change is going to happen. As a BA we sit on the cutting edge of business change and technology change. In addition, the BA industry is evolving and there is always a new way to think about problems and solutions. You can’t be bored as a business analyst! The most important goal is to keep learning, stay flexible and try new things. Trends will come and go, but as long as you continue to learn and adapt, there will be a role for you.

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

A: Product modeling has been one of our latest techniques that helped us better define insurance products. We have new tools and business processes on the horizon which will take our technique to the next level.

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

A: I would tell myself to take time to figure out who you are. Understand what drives you and makes you passionate. Once you know that, you are in a position to invest in other people and their growth. Focus on building relationships and really celebrate each other’s differences.   My journey of helping to build our BACoE helped me figure all that out. I’ve learned that I am passionate about helping others learn and become their best selves. True leadership is about investing in people and supporting them on their professional journey. At the heart of everything- people are my focus. I wish I would have figured it out 20 years earlier!

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: You will understand the key components of a high performing team, how to build one and coach through the difficult times. Not all teams are capable or even meant to be a high performing team, but every team can be better. You’ll be able to take these concepts and apply them to build better BA teams, better Agile teams or project teams.

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Don’t miss Traci’s presentation, From Standard to Stellar; High Performance Teams that Achieve Results, at Building Business Capability on (CHANGE DATES)   Friday, November 10, 2017 from 9:00 to 10:00 am. Click here to register for attendance.