On projects, it often feels like our stakeholders expect us to be magicians. They expect us to carry out high quality work with far less time and resources than we really need. We have a broad and varied toolkit, but sometimes it feels like we need some real magic to make our projects work. But what if we really could use magic? Or at least the techniques from a magician's toolbox? In this interactive session Adrian Reed explains how a chance meeting with a Magician challenged the way he thought about Business Analysis. You'll hear: - A range of techniques from magic, conjuring and mentalism that have parallel applications in the world of business analysis - The importance of audience management, and what this means for BAs - How to avoid "magic for magicians" (or "analysis for analysts") You'll take away practical tips and techniques, whilst seeing some magic tricks too.

1. “And then the magic happens”
What BAs can learn from the world of magic
Adrian Reed
adrian.reed@blackmetric.co.uk
@UKAdrianReed

2. What/
How?
Why?Why?

4. “Magic for Magicians”

5. “Analysis for Analysts”

6. “Project”
“We’ve already
chosen a solution”
“The vendor says
it’s ‘lift and drop’”
“We haven’t
allocated any
budget…”
“And we need it
next month…”

7. “And then the magic happens!”

8. What/
How?
Why?

9. Trick (Design & Execution)
Constraints
Constraints
Magicians
Assistants
Set Designers
Audience Insight
Audience
(Some friendly,
some disruptive!)
Outcome/Effect
Define
Effect
Design, Build & Test
Trick
Perform

10. Project
Constraints
Constraints
BAs
Solution Designer
Subject Matter
Experts
Users
Other Stakeholders
Stakeholders
(Some friendly,
some disruptive!)
Outcome/Effect
Define
Outcome
& Reqs
DeliverDesign, Build & Test

11. Trick (Design & Execution)
Constraints
Constraints
Magicians
Assistants
Set Designers
Audience Insight
Audience
(Some friendly,
some disruptive!)
Outcome/Effect

12. The Berglas Effect: Constraints
Yet it has been performed thousands of times!?!

13. What if it
was 1 week
later but half
the cost?
What if we
delivered
incrementally?
What if it
was a month
sooner but
lower
quality?

14. Project
Business Unit
Organisation
Domain
The BA Berglas Effect
Constraints, Opportunities, Threats
Constraints, Opportunities, Threats
Constraints, Opportunities, Threats

15. Trick (Design & Execution)
Constraints
Constraints
Magicians
Assistants
Set Designers
Audience Insight
Audience
(Some friendly,
some disruptive!)
Outcome/Effect
Define
Effect
Perform
Design, Build & Test
Trick

16. It’s not just the effect, what they see,
it’s also what they experience during
the trick, and the way that they feel
when the trick is over. The illusion,
often that’s the easy part—the art is
in the whole performance.

17. Projects are about more than the
immediate change.
It’s also about the way we get
there…and what is left after.

18. Outcome/Effect
Problem /
OpportunityCustomer
Financial
Internal
processes
Innovation
“Sustain”

19. Outcome From Whose Perspective?
User
Customer
Owner
Beneficiary
Who uses the end product?
(Economic Customer )
Who pays?
Who owns and maintains
the product?
Who benefits?

20. Outcome +
Outcome/Effect
See/Hear?
Feel?
Remember?

22. Outcome +
User Customer Owner Beneficiary
Financial
Customer
Internal
Processes
Innovation
“Sustain”
User Customer Owner Beneficiary
See/Hear
Feel
Remember
Desired Outcomes
Desired Project Experience

23. “Magic” Outcome Elicitation:
Cold Reading
Barnum
Statements
Fuzzy Fact
Greener
Grass
Veiled Question
… Can be flipped/reversed and used (* openly, with rapport)

24. Trick (Design & Execution)
Constraints
Constraints
Magicians
Assistants
Set Designers
Audience Insight
Audience
(Some friendly,
some disruptive!)
Outcome/Effect
Define
Effect
Perform
Design, Build & Test
Trick

25. There are many ways of achieving an effect

26. Three ways to make something vanish:
PER
Prevent
Embrace
Rectify
Do our stakeholders always consider
different options when wanting a problem
to vanish?

27. Trick (Design & Execution)
Constraints
Constraints
Magicians
Set Designers
Audience Insight
Audience
(Some friendly,
some disruptive!)
Outcome/Effect
Define
Effect
Perform
Design, Build & Test
Trick

28. Audience Management

29. The willing saboteur!
Overt Subtle

30. Trick (Design & Execution)
Constraints
Constraints
Magicians
Set Designers
Audience Insight
Audience
(Some friendly,
some disruptive!)
Outcome/Effect
Define
Effect
Perform
Design, Build & Test
Trick

31. It’s all in the
performance...

32. “Always leave
them wanting
more”
* Analysis

33. ?

34. • Where in your organisation are your business
analysts located ?
• How are you adding value?
• Where do you think the BA adds most value?
• How do we measure that value?
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