Ce billet est aussi publié en français sur mon blogue.
In a previous post (in French), I was telling you that my LinkedIn profile has generated some interesting opportunities, one of my HEC Montréal teachers asking me to go in one of her master class to speak about challenges the analyst meet in an integrated systems projet. The premises behind this idea are very interesting, and those of you who studied in IT at HEC Montréal will agree with me.
Indeed, no matter the interest coming from ERP-style software like SAP, and despite their growing popularity, ERP are rarely the unique solution to business problems in an organization. Actually, solutions to these problems are usually made of many systems (some of them being already in place) that need to interact closely, and among which we may find an ERP system.
Considering this, we might argue why IT programs at HEC Montréal (and probably in other universities) are so focused on teaching through SAP or other ERP systems (although I learned a lot through these classes). Based on that and on my last 5 years on two major non-ERP projects, I identified the 7 biggest challenges faced by a business analyst in a integrated systems (plural form) project.
- Expanded horizons: understand the organization and its systems
- Define a vision: create solutions without destroying the current one
- Communicate better: many systems means many friction points
- Teams work: many systems means many teams
- Meet commitments: commit to provide a stable solution
- Rush for success: go ahead in an iterative way to reach your objectives
- The IIBA to get it done: structure and methodology to succeed
These behaviors are not specific to this type of project, but are especially critical when you are in one of these. Check out my blog in the upcoming weeks; all these challenges will be covered by a detailed post. This list will get updated with links to these posts.
Have you ever found yourself in this situation? How did you get through it? Leave your comments!
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