BA Brew - A Business Analysis Podcast

What is Target Operating Model (TOM) Design, and what role can business analysts play in shaping the future of an organisation?

In this episode of BA Brew, Jonathan Hunsley and Carlos Pullen-Ferreira welcome Joanne Gray-Joseph to discuss the principles and practical challenges of designing target operating models.

From defining the future state of an organisation to considering how people, processes, technology and business capabilities might be aligned, the conversation explores why TOM design requires collaboration across multiple disciplines.

The team also considers how operating models can remain valuable beyond individual transformation projects, and...

How do you build rapport with stakeholders, and why does it matter so much for successful business analysis and service design?

In BA Brew Episode 127, Lisa Hudson, Carlos Pullen-Ferreira and Michelle Little from AssistKD discuss why building rapport goes beyond being friendly or liked. It's about creating trust, communicating openly and developing relationships that help people work together effectively.

Discover practical approaches to stakeholder engagement, including active listening, finding common ground, keeping commitments and rebuilding trust when previous projects have gone wrong.

In this episode:

How do you build a Business Analysis Community of Practice that people actually want to be part of?

Jonathan Hunsley and Carlos Pullen-Ferreira are joined by Mahvish Khurum, Principal Business Analyst at the Home Office, who leads a community of more than 400 BAs.

They discuss how Communities of Practice can build capability, improve consistency, encourage collaboration and support professional development.

Mahvish shares practical lessons from growing and sustaining the Home Office BA community, including why consistency matters, how to create different ways for people to participate, the importance of volunteers and why successful...

What is the ‘secret stakeholder’ in Business Analysis, and how can organisational culture influence your stakeholders, projects and change initiatives?

In this episode of BA Brew, Jonathan Hunsley and Lisa Hudson are joined by Danny Kalkhoven to explore a stakeholder you won’t find on your power-interest grid: organisational culture.

Culture can influence how people behave, how information is shared, how decisions are made and how your work as a Business Analyst is perceived. But how do you identify and manage something that can be difficult to see or define?

Danny shares practical exampl...

What is it like to work as a business analyst with a hearing impairment?

In this episode of BA Brew, Kerry is joined by Abi and Mike, who share their personal experiences of hearing impairments and how it has affected their working lives.

For business analysts, meetings, workshops, stakeholder conversations and collaborative sessions are a fundamental part of the job. But hearing impairments can make those situations significantly more challenging.

Abi and Mike discuss:

What does it take to become a Senior Business Analyst, and how can you prepare for the next stage of your business analysis career?

In this episode of The BA Brew, Mike, Lisa and Iurii discuss what being a Senior Business Analyst really means, the skills and experience needed to progress, and the career opportunities available to experienced BA professionals.

They explore the importance of strong core business analysis skills, stakeholder engagement, communication, negotiation and conflict management, as well as the experience and business knowledge that distinguish a senior BA.

The conversation also...

Why do so many organisations still struggle to deliver great customer experiences?

In this episode of BA Brew, Stuart Mullinger speaks with Dr Debra Paul and Jonathan Hunsley about their new BCS book, Service Design: A Practical Guide to Creating Customer-Centric Services, and explores why service design has become an essential discipline for organisations seeking to improve customer experience and business transformation.

The discussion covers practical service design techniques, professional standards, collaboration across change professions and how organisations can design services that create better outcomes for customers.

In this episode you'll learn:

Technical skills are only part of becoming a successful Business Analyst.

Learning how to communicate with confidence, influence stakeholders and ask the right questions is what helps great Business Analysts stand out.

Jonathan Hunsley is joined by Emily Saunderson, Head of Profession for Business Analysis at the Department for Education, and Dr Carlos Pullen-Ferreira, Principal Consultant at AssistKD, to discuss how Business Analysts can find their voice, build confidence and increase their influence.

Whether you're new to Business Analysis or an experienced Business Analyst, this discussion explores practical ways to increase your influence...

Service frameworks are a powerful yet often overlooked tool that can fundamentally change how teams understand, collaborate, and achieve outcomes.

In this episode of BA Brew, Jonathan Hunsley from AssistKD is joined by Chris Pyatt and Victoria Banner to discuss how service frameworks help business analysts, business architects and service designers clarify their value, improve collaboration and navigate complex organisational change ecosystems.

The discussion covers:

Once you learn business analysis skills, do they ever really switch off?

In this episode of BA Brew, Mike, Ruth, Kerry and Stu discuss how BA thinking becomes embedded into everyday life - shaping how we solve problems, make decisions and interact with others.

The discussion covers:

Informal networks are one of the most powerful – and often overlooked - forces in organisations. For Business Analysts, understanding how information really flows can make the difference between struggling with change and successfully influencing it.

In this episode of BA Brew, Jonathan Hunsley is joined by Michelle, Fiona and Carlos to explore the role of gossip and informal networks in the workplace – and how they impact organisational change.

The discussion covers:

Informal networks are one of the most powerful – and often overlooked - forces in organisations. For Business Analysts, understanding how information really flows can make the difference between struggling with change and successfully influencing it.

In this episode of BA Brew, Jonathan Hunsley is joined by Michelle, Fiona and Carlos to explore the role of gossip and informal networks in the workplace – and how they impact organisational change.

The discussion covers:

Active listening is one of the most valuable skills a Business Analyst can develop — and one of the easiest to get wrong.

In this episode of BA Brew, Jonathan Hunsley from AssistKD is joined by Craig Rollason and Corrine Thomas to discuss how active listening helps business analysts build trust, improve stakeholder conversations and gather better requirements.

The discussion covers:

What’s it really like starting out as a Business Analyst - and how do you avoid feeling isolated, overwhelmed or “behind” in your early career? In this episode of The BA Brew, Mike is joined by Joe and Jo from the Young Business Analysts (YBA) - a fast‑growing, volunteer‑led community designed to support Business Analysts aged 35 and under.

They discuss:

What does it really mean to be a “professional” Business Analyst? In this episode of BA Brew, Kerry is joined by Laurens and Lisa to explore professionalism in business analysis – from preparation and mindset to qualifications, growth, and career progression.

They discuss:

If you're considering the BCS Advanced Diploma, CITP, or the Expert BA route, this conversation is packed with insights from real practitioners who’ve been...

Being part of a Community of Practice allows BAs to share knowledge and best practice, mentor or be mentored, and have a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities. But some of the benefits are less tangible.

In this lively chat, Anthony Thompson and Mark Thompson of Close Brothers discuss the value of Communities of Practice with the Brew Crew.

Anthony Thompson and Mark Thompson are both Lead BAs at Close Brothers.

FURTHER RESOURCES 

BA BREWS

ARTICLES

In this informative BA Brew Adam Pearson talks to the Crew about why BAs need to develop an accessibility mindset and how he, as a registered blind person, has used his BA skills to help to make it easier to both generate and consume accessible content.

Topics discussed: why accessibility must be considered from the start of every project; useful tools for generating accessible content and for consuming content; the difference between usability and accessibility; how AI tools can support accessibility; why making mistakes and learning means you are doing it right; and more.

As...

Helen Holder developed an idea to help her children talk about their fears during lockdown – and it proved to be highly effective. Now Helen is using the same powerful visualisation technique to help business change professionals name, and tame, their self-limiting beliefs.

In this mindset-challenging BA Brew, Helen and the Brew Crew discuss common 'Mental Monsters’ and share some practical strategies for challenging them.

See the resource list below for a link to Fiona Kiss’s ‘Problem Solving Duck’ article.

Helen Holder is Head of Business Analysis at RICS. She is also a volunteer...

If you have relevant transferable skills, it is possible to change careers at any time of life. In this thought-provoking episode, Lisa Croft of Herd Consulting and AssistKD’s Amanda Christianson talk about transferable skills with host Jonathan Hunsley.

Relevant skills discussed include: stakeholder engagement; customer service; teamwork; data analysis; problem-solving; taking a holistic view; and documentation.

RESOURCES

CAREER PLANNING

COURSES

ARTICLES

If you’ve ever considered applying for the Business Analyst of the Year Award, this BA Brew special is for you. Current BA of the Year Mark Cross and 2024 winner Kay Hardy discuss what inspired them to apply, and some of the unexpected benefits of taking part.

FURTHER RESOURCES

In this stressbusting BA Brew, special guest and yoga teacher Jennie Macdonald talks to the Brew Crew about how yoga, mindfulness, and something as simple as a breathing technique can foster balance, calm and resilience in your work and home life.

Jennie and Ruth recommend the following online Yoga and Mindfulness resources:

Bad service appears to be on the increase… why? Could it be because organisations are forgetting about the needs of the customer or are not sufficiently involving BAs, Service Designers or Business Architects?

Debra Paul, Jonathan Hunsley and Mike Williams share a few ‘tales of woe’ and discuss some of their favourite trouble-shooting tools and techniques.

Techniques discussed include scenario analysis; business continuity; the ‘Zone of Tolerance’; exploring the voice of the customer; and the POPIT™ technique.

FURTHER RESOURCES

BOOKS

Could BAs be the new digital solutions superheroes? This week’s BA Brew, which features special guest Catherine Plumridge, looks at how the skills of BAs plug into digital solutions across every element of the BA Service Framework.

Questions addressed in the chat include:

Catherine Plumridge is a BA Leader at Kensington Mortgages and was a key early reviewer of the ne...

In this music-themed BA Brew, three piano-playing business analysts identify and draw parallels between business analysis and music, highlighting interesting similarities and connections.

Claire Chaundy compares mentoring in music and in business analysis. AssistKD’s Stuart Mullinger discusses BA tools and techniques and the musical standards. And Dominic Ready (who also performs the intro and outro) finds some surprising common ground between performing live and the POPIT™ technique. 

FURTHER RESOURCES

BA Brews

Books

In this week’s BA Brew, Kerry Adams chats to avid beekeepers Mike Williams and Mick Brian about what business analysts can learn from the organisation of a beehive – including how the bees communicate, make decisions, and allocate their resources.

Interesting facts include the many different jobs of the worker bees (they don’t just collect pollen) and the intricacies of the ‘waggle dance’.

FURTHER RESOURCES 

BA Brews 

Book

Articles 

Ready for some BA toolbox inspiration? This BA Brew is all about business analysis techniques, and how to apply them.

Podcast guest Carlos Pullen-Ferreira waxes lyrical about the Requirements Traceability Matrix and User Stories; Debbie sings the praises of Data Models, the CRUD Matrix and a good Value Stream Diagram; and finally Jonathan puts a word in for GAP Analysis and can’t resist talking (or is it ranting?) about RACI.

Other techniques mentioned include: Swimlane Diagrams; SWOT Analysis; PESTLE Analysis; Use Case Diagrams and Context Diagrams; BPMN and UML; Capability Models; POPIT; Customer Journey Ma...

According to Simon Platt, every one of us, regardless of our age, job, title or background, has it within us to inspire others – even if we don’t always realise it.

Simon lived in the same village as Sir Captain Tom Moore, and observed close at hand how a simple idea lifted the nation’s spirits in lockdown and raised £39 million for NHS charities. In this uplifting BA Brew, Simon talks to the Crew about the skills, traits and beliefs that can help us inspire ourselves and others in the BA community and beyond.

The Brew cr...

AssistKD’s Product Strategy Director Pete Thompson is the author of the new BCS Digital Solutions series. In this BA Brew Pete, explains how he saw the need for an up to date, comprehensive body of knowledge for business and IT professionals, and talks about the process of writing the three books – Defining Digital Solutions, Designing Digital Solutions and Delivering Digital Solutions.

Topics discussed include:

hat is Business Service Architecture, and why is it important to business change professionals? In this BA Brew, Debra Paul and Jonathan Hunsley, authors of Business Architecture: A Comprehensive Guide, answer these question, and more. All too often, services and products just don’t work, resulting in poor outcomes for customers and other stakeholders. Business Service Architecture takes an ecosystem view, looking at how the architecture of a product or service can be better designed.

Topics discussed in this BA Brew include:

For the 100th Brew we decided to do something completely different. Fabricio Laguna joins the Crew for an in real time SWOT analysis of the BA profession – captured heroically by Jonathan on Mural – and available to download as a PDF here.

Watch out for when everyone shares the one thing they would do to take the profession forward… (did anyone say ‘Empress of Business Analysis’?)

Fabricio Laguna is a highly experienced BA, Business Consultant, and international speaker. He is the former President of IIBA Brazil Chapter and is currently Senior Adviser to the IIBA CEO.

If yo...

Everyone who watches this leadership focused BA Brew with Byron Morrison can think of someone they’d like to share it with. It’s packed with nuggets of wisdom from the author of ‘The Effective CEO 2.0’, including…

At 2’ 41 – how to deal with overwhelm

At 7’ 19 – moving from ‘doing’ to ‘leading’

At 14’ 01 – are you setting your team up for success… or failure?

At 20’ 37 – what is your ‘Zone of Genius’?

At 21’ 49 – why ‘Push’ and ‘Pull’ days help you avoid burnout

At 27’ 23 – how to empower (and trust) your team

At ️31’08 - how to become an effective leader

And...

BA Brew guest Danny Kalkhoven warns against sticking too strictly to business models (such as the BA Service Framework) and recommends adapting them to context.

Jonathan is impressed by Danny’s inspired analogy – applying a business model without context is like turning up at a building site with a shiny new drill and asking where you can use it.

Danny quotes British Statistician George E.P. Box: ‘All models are wrong, but some are useful’.

And Debbie gets straight to the point with: ‘Always switch your brain on’!

Danny Kalkhoven is a business a...

What AI tools do you use as a BA? Business change consultant Mick Brian is an early adopter and expert on the subject. In this thought-provoking BA Brew, he discusses the challenges and rewards of introducing an LLM (Large Language Model) into a large organisation.

Topics covered include: why the input of BAs is essential when introducing AI tools; the intangible benefits of LLMs; why you need to prompt AI to your level of expertise; the government’s ‘AI Playbook’ and more.

As promised in the BA Brew, Mick Brian has shared these useful links for BA...

Have you ever wrestled with a box of tangled cables and leads… or tried to get the knot out of the chain of a necklace? Some business change problems can be as challenging. Change expert and BA leader Karen Newnham joins the crew to discuss engaging with stakeholders to tackle complex, persistent problems (otherwise known as ‘Mischief Management’.)

Karen Newnham was also the special guest on BA Brew 25: The Solution Standoff.

If you liked this BA Brew, you may also enjoy the following articles and blogs:

The Problem Solving Duck

Stakeholder Engage...

What’s all the fuss about cybersecurity? And why do business analysts need to understand it? Cybersecurity and business analysis expert Bindu Channaveerappa is the special guest on this week’s BA Brew, where she argues that an understanding of cybersecurity is now integral to the work of the BA.

“When we create the value, why leave the security to someone else?”

Bindu Channaveerappa is a highly respected author, trainer and international speaker on business analysis and cyber security. Her book, ‘Cyber Security and Business Analysis: An essential guide to secure and robust systems’ is available fr...

This BA Brew focuses on the newly published ‘Business Architecture: a comprehensive guide.’

Authors Jonathan Hunsley and Debra Paul and contributing author Victoria Banner discuss the ‘why’ of the book; the joy of collaborating and sharing ideas; and some of their favourite content including:

- leveraging capability to meet goals and outcomes using the CALM model

- comparing the business architecture service framework to the business analysis service framework and other service frameworks for role clarity

- information concepts including data protection and security

- case studies showing the positive...

Difficult stakeholders or colleagues? Help is at hand! How we (and others) react in response to challenging situations at work – especially where there is resistance to change – is explained by the Transactional Analysis model.

This week’s special guest, and an expert on #transactionalanalysis, is Leadership Development Consultant and MD Mandy Green.

Watch the Brew to find out more about the ego states of (Critical) Parent, Adult and (Fractious) Child and how insight into those states can help us break free of the ‘Drama Triangle.’

You may be interested in the following BA Brews,

In AssistKD’s latest Business Analysis podcast the team discuss why every touchpoint of the customer journey matters... and how a deeper understanding of the customer experience can only benefit organisations and the wider economy.

Kerry, Mike and Jonathan get some serious mileage out of a restaurant analogy and Mike gets extra brownie points for mentioning POPIT™️within the first two minutes of the podcast.

Topics covered include: what is the customer experience; the difference between CX and UX (User Experience) and which elements of POPIT™️relate to each; plus useful techniques such as empathy maps, cust...

Are you a Business Analyst considering your next career move? Our latest BA Brew considers an academic route for BAs and how a Master of Business Administration (MBA) postgraduate degree could revitalise your career.

AssistKD’s Debbie Paul and Lisa Hudson are joined by IIBA UK Director and Transformation Consultant at Burendo Christina Tan to talk about their respective MBA journeys.

They discuss the rationale for studying towards an MBA, the different business subjects typically covered, learning methods, time management, challenges, valuable takeaways and networking opportunities.

If you enjoy this BA Brew, the fo...

In AssistKD’s 2024 BA Brew Christmas message the Crew discuss what they are most looking forward to about Christmas and share some very cheesy jokes. Lisa and Kerry are excited about Christmas Day; Mike (or is it Santa?) is going to parkrun, Pete does not need any more socks, and Jo is looking forward to playing Cards Against Humanity with her 90-year-old Grandad! #merrychristmas #BABrew #businessanalysis #businessanalyst #servicedesign #businesschange