Title Page -- Copyright -- Dedication -- About the Author -- Contents -- Foreword -- Preface -- Introducing the Value-Based BA Practice Framework -- 21st Century Challenges -- Breakthrough Practices for the 21st Century -- Emerging View of Business Analysis -- BA Practice Implementation and Sustainability Framework -- Putting It All Together -- Part I Readiness: It's All About the Culture -- Chapter 1 Is Your Organization Ready? -- Assessing the Culture in Your Organization -- Building the Business Case for the BA Practice -- The Anatomy of a Business Case -- Establish the BA Practice Governance Structure -- Manage to the Business Case -- Firmly Establish the BA Practice Lead Role -- Putting It All Together -- Chapter 2 Are You Ready to Be a Value-Based BA Practice Lead? -- Be a Positive Politician -- Create Your Political Management Plan -- Build and Maintain Your Network of Supporters -- Assess the Environmental Risks -- Use Experts to Help -- Where Does the BA Practice Lead Reside? -- Where Does the BA Team Reside? -- Putting It All Together -- Part II Implementation: It's All About the Fit -- A Home for Your BA Practice -- A Capable BA Team -- Effective BA Practice Standards -- Chapter 3 Establishing a Home for Your BA Practice -- The Business Analysis Center of Excellence -- Implementing the BACOE -- BACOE Models -- The Formal BACOE Model -- Where to Start? -- Putting It All Together -- Chapter 4 Building Your BA Team -- Step 1: Assess the Complexity of Projects and Programs -- Step 2: Determine the Mix of BAs Needed to Build Your Capable BA Workforce -- BA Workforce Supporting Competencies -- Build Your Capable BA Workforce for Levels 1 and 2: Low to Moderately Complex Projects -- Build Your Strategic BA Workforce for Levels 3 and 4: Highly Complex Programs and Projects -- Step 3: Establish/Refine Your Formal or Informal BA Career Path.

Putting It All Together -- Chapter 5 Determining the Current State of Your BA Practices and Closing the Gaps -- Step 1: Assess the Maturity of Your Current BA Practice Standards -- Step 2: Develop a Two-Year Roadmap and 12-Month Plan to Close Gaps and Build Effective, Lean BA Practices -- Step 3: Conduct Periodic BA Practice Maturity Assessments and BA Workforce Capability Assessments -- Putting It All Together -- Part III Sustainability: It's All About the Value -- Chapter 6 Running Your BA Practice Like a Business -- Visioning: The Inspiration for Your BA Practice -- Planning: The Beacon for Your Journey -- Modeling: The Blueprint of Your Practice -- Growing: Continually Increase the Maturity of Your BA Practice -- Valuing: Your Scorecard for Performance and Strategy Management -- Putting It All Together -- Chapter 7 Measuring the Effectiveness of Your BA Practice -- Project Performance Measures -- Quality Performance Measures -- BA Process Performance Measures -- Putting It All Together -- Chapter 8 Focusing on Innovation -- Embrace Creative Leadership -- Welcome Change -- Foster Innovation -- Leverage Complexity -- Become an Inspiring Business Analyst -- Tap the Wisdom of Innovation Teams -- Nurture Innovative Leadership -- Implement Innovation Metrics -- Adopt New Technologies -- Putting It All Together -- Chapter 9 Changing the Way We Do Projects -- Focus on Value-Based Decision-Making -- Relieve the Burden of Analysis -- Lead Projects Collaboratively -- Manage Complexity -- Maximize Business Value -- Putting It All Together -- Chapter 10 Communicating Strategically -- Thinking Holistically -- Crafting Powerful Messages -- Drafting a Strategic Communication Plan -- Influencing Positive Decision-Making -- Putting It All Together -- Chapter 11 Leading Your High-Performing Team -- High-Performing Teams.

High-Performance Team Leadership in the World of Business Analysis -- Lead Your Team to Distinction -- Jumpstart Your Team to Build Momentum -- Sustain High Performance to Make Lasting Change -- Maintain Inspiration and a Culture of Discipline -- Leverage the Advantages of Virtual Teams -- Putting It All Together -- Looking Ahead: BAs of the Future -- BA as Strategist -- BA as Business Process Expert -- BA as Architect -- BA as Rules/Decision Analyst -- BA as Technology-Driven Change Expert -- BA as Business/Technology Optimization Expert -- BA as Value Creator -- BA as Agilist -- BA as Virtual Team Leader -- BA as Transformational Change Agent -- Putting It All Together -- Epilogue -- Case Study: Unleashing the Potential of Your BA Practice -- Appendix A: Sample Business Case -- Appendix B: Innovation Process Checklist -- About the Contributors -- Index.