Advice Line | Bob Lewis » Measuring business analysts

July 23, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Measuring business analysts

TAGS: General

Dear Bob ...
 
 Do you know of any metrics for measuring the performance of a business analyst?
 
 My wife is applying for a business analyst position at a company that's metric crazy, and they're looking for the metrics for judging someone in a business analyst role.
 
Now my wife and I share the same opinion - that this is pretty subjective - things like user satisfaction, effectiveness of the revised process, etc. can potentially be measured, but they more reflect on the overall project rather than just one of its members. We'd value your thoughts.
 
 - Metriculating

Dear Metriculating ...

Well, this is cheating of course, since your wife is taking the test, and I'm providing an answer. But what the heck. Metrics are overrated anyhow.

Here's what your wife shouldn't say: You get what you measure, which means that if you can't measure you can't manage. It also means that if you mis-measure you mis-manage; that if you measure the wrong things you get the wrong things; and that anything you don't measure you don't get.

It's valid, but she shouldn't say it. She won't persuade anyone in the job interview, and it will ensure they hire someone else.

Here's how she might answer, in a way that will avoid disqualifying her:

I think the best approach is to answer a question with a question. Which is to say, whoever is hiring her presumably has some goals for the position. If they do, they should be sharing those goals with your wife, and if they aren't, then as a good business analyst she should be asking what they are ... as a way of demonstrating that she's qualified for the position, if nothing else.

The point is this: Metrics only make sense when they're a translation of goals into math. Otherwise, all they do is to establish a second, conflicting set of goals, and your wife will be faced with this: "We want you to accomplish a, b, and c, and we'll be assessing your performance using industry standard metrics for business analysts that have no connection to a, b, and c."

So the right answer to the question is to ask what they want her to accomplish, then ask how they'll know if she's succeeded. Once they answer that question, she can smile brightly and say, "I guess we both now know what the right metrics are for this position."

Or words to that effect.

- Bob

Posted by Bob Lewis on July 23, 2006 01:18 PM

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