Agreed - requirements specs and functional specs are often written by business analysts, with no reference to the end users. It's absolutely vital to involve users before the requirements phase finishes, and the design work starts. And, of course, those same users can be involved in all the testing phases, but particularly User Acceptance Testing (UAT). If what you implement sucks, you may all get a pat on the back, but will have utterly failed to fulfill the business need.
It's an afternoon at the video arcade! The arcade is packed with kids, some even forming long lines as they wait for a game to become free. Martin plays one of the more intellectual games.
Video Man: Thirsting for a way to name the unnameable, to express the
inexpressible?
Martin: [entranced] Tell me more! -- Martin plays "My Dinner with Andre",
People skills certainly help in a Business Analyst role (I am one, btw), but essentially what businesses (particularly sales and marketing areas) want is someone who understands both the needs of the business (drive sales, increase revenues etc) and has the technical ability to assess the feasibility of those requests. From an IT point of view, I've met programmers who come out with stuff like "I fucking hate salesmen" - totally missing the point of working in a commercial environment(er, perhaps you'd rather teach?). It's a "never the twain" kind of role - both business people and IT departments each think the others are dickheads/impossible to work with/have no idea about the real world - and while a BA is not exactly going to orgamise a group love-in, there is always a need for that kind of interface in order to achieve goals and finish projects.
One word - PROFESSIONALISM. That's what TFA is talking about - you might have piercings, or facial tattoos, or just a bad attitude to people who you percieve to be "corporate suits" - but at the end of the day, they earn more money than you, and do you know why? Because they know how to talk to people, and understand that business is not about the championing of a methodology or product, but about meeting the NEEDS of a business.
Is the main problem for most of the elderly in this world the fact that they have problems opening doors? Ok, my Grandma admittedly suffers from having to fumble with keys, but then she's lucky to have a door to open, and a home on the other side. In fact, she's pretty overprivileged, when you think about it - does anyone here's Grandma not have a door at all?
I think that what we're mising here is that applications SERVE the needs of a business. "Let's build it right in the first place" is pretty much a no-brainer, but if a business has a need for a particular application, whether that app is hack-proof or not is not something that senior business managers tend to give a flying fuck about, in my experience.
The requirements phase of any project tends to include a "don't let this app take it up the ass" clause, but that's subservient to the overall aim of the project - whatever it may be.
Slashdot Mirror
Agreed - requirements specs and functional specs are often written by business analysts, with no reference to the end users. It's absolutely vital to involve users before the requirements phase finishes, and the design work starts. And, of course, those same users can be involved in all the testing phases, but particularly User Acceptance Testing (UAT). If what you implement sucks, you may all get a pat on the back, but will have utterly failed to fulfill the business need.
most conversations either directly involve or segway into this
A conversation on a segway? Now that I'd like to see!
How did you get modded more than the parent for that???
Must be holiday time soon...
I like my coffee like I like my women - hot, strong, and with a spoon in...
"This makes a viscous sort of cycle."
Man, I'd hate to be stuck in one of those!
If you think you can't afford to have kids - you can't. If you think you *can* afford to have kids - well, guess what?
It's an afternoon at the video arcade! The arcade is packed with kids,
some even forming long lines as they wait for a game to become free.
Martin plays one of the more intellectual games.
Video Man: Thirsting for a way to name the unnameable, to express the
inexpressible?
Martin: [entranced] Tell me more!
-- Martin plays "My Dinner with Andre",
People skills certainly help in a Business Analyst role (I am one, btw), but essentially what businesses (particularly sales and marketing areas) want is someone who understands both the needs of the business (drive sales, increase revenues etc) and has the technical ability to assess the feasibility of those requests. From an IT point of view, I've met programmers who come out with stuff like "I fucking hate salesmen" - totally missing the point of working in a commercial environment(er, perhaps you'd rather teach?). It's a "never the twain" kind of role - both business people and IT departments each think the others are dickheads/impossible to work with/have no idea about the real world - and while a BA is not exactly going to orgamise a group love-in, there is always a need for that kind of interface in order to achieve goals and finish projects.
May we see the "aesthetics" of your "wife's" website? They may have a positive "impact" on me...
One word - PROFESSIONALISM. That's what TFA is talking about - you might have piercings, or facial tattoos, or just a bad attitude to people who you percieve to be "corporate suits" - but at the end of the day, they earn more money than you, and do you know why? Because they know how to talk to people, and understand that business is not about the championing of a methodology or product, but about meeting the NEEDS of a business.
"Make an action movie without guns"? How about HALF A KAZILLION (at least) martial arts movies?
Are we not men? We Are Devo!
Is the main problem for most of the elderly in this world the fact that they have problems opening doors? Ok, my Grandma admittedly suffers from having to fumble with keys, but then she's lucky to have a door to open, and a home on the other side. In fact, she's pretty overprivileged, when you think about it - does anyone here's Grandma not have a door at all?
I think that what we're mising here is that applications SERVE the needs of a business. "Let's build it right in the first place" is pretty much a no-brainer, but if a business has a need for a particular application, whether that app is hack-proof or not is not something that senior business managers tend to give a flying fuck about, in my experience. The requirements phase of any project tends to include a "don't let this app take it up the ass" clause, but that's subservient to the overall aim of the project - whatever it may be.
You know that bit where Obi-Wan says "It's like...she's lost the will to live"? She wasn't the only one.
I too was routinely humiliated as a child - now I get great satifaction from annihilating Tiger Woods on my X-box...
I worry about it falling on my head, like SkyLab...I am old though...