Mind the Gap and Business Technology

"MIND THE GAP AND THE ACCIDENTAL TECHNOLOGISTS" is the topic on which Andy Mulholland wrote an interesting note recently, and I so wish if this were a guest post on this blog, if only for the namesake.

Highlighting 'the gap', as he puts it, Andy describes the misalignment of Technology focus with Business needs. The problem is rather recent, cropping up only from 90's, because before that, nobody actually bothered. The flexibility of IT introduced by leaps and bounce of advances of the recent decades is the reason for this widening gap because previously the rigidity of how computer systems worked almost ensured that business accepted what (MIS) system owners dictated.

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Statistically...

AT TIMES IT SEEMS impossible to not to include statistics in my analysis while making a proposal for a client or to the higher management. This is also at the cost of pure brilliance of a point that need to statistical support but is rather a marvel of common sense.

Statistics and sensibility are supposed to be the right mix. Statistics are to be handed to the right personal, at the proper time and format, to be utilised in the appropriate manner in aid of the point rather than being the point themselves. This seldom becomes the case nowadays. I couldn't help but mutter to myself at such times the following:

"Statistics are like a lamp-post to a drunken man - more for leaning onto than for illumination."

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My Net-worth is in Millions Already!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE AMONG MILLIONAIRES? If you are in IT in India, perhaps you already are!

First, some bullet-points about the global and Indian IT industry that got me thinking:

• Indian Software Industry is approx 66% of Worldwide Software Services
• Top 6 Indian IT Companies makes of approx. 50% of total Indian IT Industry
  
• In terms of sales among these top six (in descending order of reported figures for 2007 - TCS, Wipro, Infosys, Cognizant, Satyam, and HCL), the first three clocks almost 60%

Now, a Forrester Research forecast reports says that the total Global IT spend (IT industry potential) is projected to be at USD 1.55 trillion in 2007-08.

Wow! A quick back of an envelop analysis reveals some pretty interesting monetarily figures. (above: rather front of the envelop; the back was already taken by the groceries' list...) Enjoy:

Global IT industry at USD 1.55 tn (2007)
↓
66% of it is served by companies in India
↓
50% of which is with the top 6 players of India
i.e. 33% of global IT services business is with 6 Indian cos.
↓
About 7% of Global IT business is with Infosys
and
they have about 70k employee-base
↓
therefore, an Individual net-worth could be 7/70,000 = 0.00001%
↓
applying a multiplying factor* p @ p = 3.5
0.00001% x 3.5 = 0.000035%
↓
net-worth of 0.000035% of Global IT business
↓
my net-worth could be 0.000035% of USD 1.55 trillion
=> USD 1.55 tn x 0.00000035 = USD 5425000
=> approx USD 5.5 million

* To account for the disparity of "value-add" across various levels and roles in a given organization and in the industry at large, let me introduce a 'premium' factor p, which takes into account factors such as experience, longevity and loyalty, value-add-over-tradition, client-relationship-quotient, niche skills/domain knowledge, roles/management abilities, innovations/leadership demonstrations, reputation/recommendations/published papers/blogs etc., I-am-the-best-attitude, and alike.

As the base, a 'pure' and productive software engineer in Infosys would have her contributions to the industry measured at p = 1.

For my p factor, I have considered value 1 for 10 years of industry experience, 1 for effectively delivering in client-relationship and value creation (business development) roles, added 1 to it for venturing into and bringing back 'goodies' from unchartered territories (business development, and successful greenfield projects), and 0.5 for doing more than 3 years at Infosys (longevity and loyalty), which makes my p = 3.5.

And, in terms of the Global IT industry, that brings my current 'Professional' net-worth at USD 5.5 million!

Now, that 'Feels' good!

How much is your worth? Aren't you a millionaire yet!

[For relevant Forrester Research forecast for 2007-08, go here.]
[For the corresponding NASCOMM story of 2007, go here.]
[For Forbes.com report on Ambani's 'costliest home in the world', go here.]

Edit:
Go here for npr podcast putting "Value On Life" at USD 6.9 million in 2008, which is a depreciation of nearly 11% over past five years.

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Crowded 'Facts'

Crowded 'Facts':

"I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it.
Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent.
Depend upon it - there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones."
-- Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes)

Quite interesting it is that the same context, when applied to the premise (mind attic) of Business Analysis, holds equally true. It is the weeding out of 'useless' facts from the assortment of information is what makes of an effective analysis.


Learning to Observe:

"Like all other arts, the science of deduction and analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study, not is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfecting in it.
Before turning to those mortal and mental aspects of the matter which present the greatest difficulties, let the inquirer begin by mastering more elementary problems. Let him, on meeting a fellow-mortal, learn at a glance to distinguish the history of man, and the trade of profession on which he belongs.
Puerile as such an exercise may seem, it sharpens the faculties of observation, and teaches one where to look and what to look for."
-- Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes)

It is much telling that the century-old master analyst has termed 'science of analysis' as an art.

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Is Analysis an art or a science?

Question: Is Analysis an Art or a Science?

Answer:

Part - I
Analysis is an art of keeping it strictly scientific,
until it starts defying itself against the known 'rules',
and that's when to push it towards the realms of 'Strategy'.

Part - II
Analysis is essentially an Art
{lavish, spendthrift and something to marvel about}
that needs to be enclosed within certain boundaries
{make it budgeted and time-bound}
that's when it becomes a Science.
{a tool to extract tangibility out of subtlety}

Part - III
Neither and Both.
The problem with this question is that it is holistic, which it should not be.
The answer would largely depends on the field and domain where the 'expertise' is required.
If the field is predominant with numbers, scientific approach should lead artistry;
Otherwise, let science and data support artistry.

What would be your answer?

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Best of a Business Analyst

SOMEONE RECENTLY POSTED A QUESTION to the BA community at large to the effect of identifying 'universal skill-set' for a Business Analyst.

A variety of responses were received in the public forum, some of which (including mine) were chosen under the 'good answer' category.


At the outset, the field of business analysis is far too wide, spread-out and pan-industry to have a single set-of-skills. However, in terms of 'universal' skill-set for analysis in business, a certain personality traits could contribute to the arsenal of an effective Business Analyst.

A Business Analyst is a management consultant in the making, and IMHO, basically you need a balanced personality between the ears and having:

• common-sense
• ability of seeing the Big (macro) picture in smaller (micro) details
• neutrality of judgement (having the effect of 'being' external)
  
• poly-point-of-views, with negotiation skills
  
• stakeholder management with the ability to provide (respective) 'views' to each party, with appropriate statistics
  
• domain knowledge (up to the required depth and degree)
• the skill of identifying and collating the correct data-set; separating facts from fictions
  
• ability to grasp the correct context/structure/'currents' surrounding the problem-at-hand
• accurate understanding of the criticality of time-management w.r.t. the problem-at-hand
  
• ability to anchor responsibility
• effective communication (especially astute listening skills)
• ability of blending intuition and insight with analytical abilities
• ability of quickly getting in sync with the 'economics' surrounding the problem-at-hand
  
• the idea of when and how to stop, and say 'No'
  

Other attributes, such as ability to break down the problem into manageable/logical categories; fluency with a given technology, tool-set or methodology; are likely to be important attributes, but are rather not 'universal'.

You are welcome to add to/comment upon the list above.

An effective Business Analyst would execute most of the attributes given above. An experienced consultant, however, would execute only the required attributes from this list - for his/her main skill is to accurately identify what is required the most among the skill-set for a given assignment.

The ultimate aim is to bring about 'customer delight' that may or may not include/depend upon the success of the given project.

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