On the 27th April, the Hamilton Forth team was proud to sponsor the BA Life 2023 event, bringing together Business Analysts from across the globe, spanning Scotland to Munich to Toronto. Consultant, Rachel Sim shares details around the presentations she attended and some key takeaways below.
With over 200 attendees, it was great to catch up with both familiar and new faces. The virtual event consisted of talks from industry leaders and visitor stands where you could discuss Business Analysis practices with peers and likeminded people.
24 different speakers covered areas which would add value to both experienced and budding Business Analysts, covering a variety of topics including Next Generation Analysts, The Human Touch, and Modernising the Traditional BA. I was fortunate to attend four talks throughout the duration of the day, which focused on personal development.
The first talk I attended was “Self Development: Whose Role is it Anyway?” hosted by Alison Jurowski and Daniel Davies. The talk covered the common challenges around self-development and whose role is it, the barriers to people taking ownership of their own self-development, and tried & tested techniques to practise self-development.
Even hearing this talk without the Business Analyst perspective, it was great to gain insight into how individuals, organisations and business leaders can support people’s personal development with actionable steps that can be put into practice to bolster your career.
The second talk I attended discussed “The Power of Persuasion: How to Create Change Through the Art of Storytelling” with Grant Wright and Pardeep Dhanda. Outlining the key ingredients for a powerful presentation; a compelling message, visuals and influential delivery, this provided food for thought for my next business pitch or client presentation. Theories such as Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle were also discussed to demonstrate the importance of creating emotional connections with your audience.
The afternoon consisted of further talks including “Developing Unshakeable Confidence” with James Compton, which examined imposter syndrome and how to overcome fear of failure, fear of success and low self-esteem.
Finally, “Is there anybody out there: Using Social Analytics and Social Listening to Understand Your Users” with Rachel Drinkwater, considered how social listening and sentiment analysis can be utilised to understand customers and drive business decisions.
Summary and Key Takeaways
The event was insightful and provided actionable tips and strategies that BAs and tech professionals alike can utilise to ensure their continued personal and professional development. Firstly, we must all dedicate and block out time to focus on developing key skills which we are passionate about, or else personal development will be neglected. Don’t be afraid to ask your network for their insight into your key strengths and, more importantly, weaknesses to ensure they can help you identify areas for improvement.
Often, our self-perception may differ to those around us, and viewing your abilities through your networks’ lens may help you find opportunities that could have long-term benefits on your career. As with all careers, there are many paths to becoming a BA, so taking the time to understand the journey of those around you will not only help you develop deeper relationships, but also allow you to gain fresh perspectives on approaches to work.
Business Analysis has grown to become a highly regarded IT discipline for the positive impact it has on projects and organisational development. With its ever-evolving nature, learning and innovation is a key part of Business Analysts’ success, and BA Life is a fantastic platform to champion this. We look forward to attending BA Life 2024 on the 25th of April: for more details, visit the BA Life website.
If you’re a technology professional working across Scotland, considering your options and seeking career advice; please get in touch with Rachel for a confidential discussion: [email protected].
BA Life 2023 Event – Key Takeaways
On the 27th April, the Hamilton Forth team was proud to sponsor the BA Life 2023 event, bringing together Business Analysts from across the globe, spanning Scotland to Munich to Toronto. Consultant, Rachel Sim shares details around the presentations she attended and some key takeaways below.
With over 200 attendees, it was great to catch up with both familiar and new faces. The virtual event consisted of talks from industry leaders and visitor stands where you could discuss Business Analysis practices with peers and likeminded people.
24 different speakers covered areas which would add value to both experienced and budding Business Analysts, covering a variety of topics including Next Generation Analysts, The Human Touch, and Modernising the Traditional BA. I was fortunate to attend four talks throughout the duration of the day, which focused on personal development.
The first talk I attended was “Self Development: Whose Role is it Anyway?” hosted by Alison Jurowski and Daniel Davies. The talk covered the common challenges around self-development and whose role is it, the barriers to people taking ownership of their own self-development, and tried & tested techniques to practise self-development.
Even hearing this talk without the Business Analyst perspective, it was great to gain insight into how individuals, organisations and business leaders can support people’s personal development with actionable steps that can be put into practice to bolster your career.
The second talk I attended discussed “The Power of Persuasion: How to Create Change Through the Art of Storytelling” with Grant Wright and Pardeep Dhanda. Outlining the key ingredients for a powerful presentation; a compelling message, visuals and influential delivery, this provided food for thought for my next business pitch or client presentation. Theories such as Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle were also discussed to demonstrate the importance of creating emotional connections with your audience.
The afternoon consisted of further talks including “Developing Unshakeable Confidence” with James Compton, which examined imposter syndrome and how to overcome fear of failure, fear of success and low self-esteem.
Finally, “Is there anybody out there: Using Social Analytics and Social Listening to Understand Your Users” with Rachel Drinkwater, considered how social listening and sentiment analysis can be utilised to understand customers and drive business decisions.
Summary and Key Takeaways
The event was insightful and provided actionable tips and strategies that BAs and tech professionals alike can utilise to ensure their continued personal and professional development. Firstly, we must all dedicate and block out time to focus on developing key skills which we are passionate about, or else personal development will be neglected. Don’t be afraid to ask your network for their insight into your key strengths and, more importantly, weaknesses to ensure they can help you identify areas for improvement.
Often, our self-perception may differ to those around us, and viewing your abilities through your networks’ lens may help you find opportunities that could have long-term benefits on your career. As with all careers, there are many paths to becoming a BA, so taking the time to understand the journey of those around you will not only help you develop deeper relationships, but also allow you to gain fresh perspectives on approaches to work.
Business Analysis has grown to become a highly regarded IT discipline for the positive impact it has on projects and organisational development. With its ever-evolving nature, learning and innovation is a key part of Business Analysts’ success, and BA Life is a fantastic platform to champion this. We look forward to attending BA Life 2024 on the 25th of April: for more details, visit the BA Life website.
If you’re a technology professional working across Scotland, considering your options and seeking career advice; please get in touch with Rachel for a confidential discussion: [email protected].
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