IIBA® UK - Scotland Branch Event (BA Communities of Practice)
Another well attended IIBA branch event, hosted by Lloyd’s Banking Group, went down in Edinburgh this week.
7 (ish) Considerations for Business Analysis Communities of Practice (CoP) was the topic of discussion. A popular topic as it seemed many BAs were keen to explore the key elements for setting up, developing and growing a BA CoP.
Be Positive’s Vicky Di Ciacca presented the topic and began by imparting her own wide-ranging knowledge and research about CoPs. Vicky reminded us that a strong community really does foster interactions and encourages a willingness to share ideas. In small groups we debated the why and why not, particular groups could be classed as a CoP. From the BA’s lunching and learning to the hip hop dancers who do their thang twice weekly, to the fin-tech start up peeps that often link-up.
This reinforced that CoPs come in all sorts of forms but what they all have in common, is that they each involve groups of people who “share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly” (Wenger, 2005).
In groups we gathered examples of common activities, resources and tips & tricks helpful for a BA CoP – here’s what came out of those discussions:
Next up, in different small groups, we captured the top 10 brand values for a BA CoP. I’d made me chuckle that most attendees shared an urge to categorise and prioritise the lists we were creating; we just can’t help ourselves.
One group got carried away and added an 11th Value, passion and enthusiasm.
Passion is a recurring theme from these events; ultimately it’s a passion for the BA profession that drives people together after a day’s work.
