10 BA Revolutionaries that Changed Your Life-EN

It’s July 4th this week in America and we had a thought, “What better way to celebrate than to recognize the true revolutionaries in our industry?” These are the people that forged the sometimes lonely road with their determination and passion to make the business analysis profession what it is today, a recognized valued asset to organizations.

While B2T Training (now Netmind) was there every step of the way since 2001, we weren’t the only ones. These extraordinary individuals (in no particular order) were, in my opinion, responsible for the recognition of the business analysis profession, pushing the industry to develop standards and accepted practices, and encouraging all those practicing business analysis to be better.

	Barbara Carkenord
	When no one knew what a business analyst was or what they should be doing, Barbara was training people on the criticality of business analysis. Her book, Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis, is considered one of the most respected books on business analysis and attempts to stop the madness of continuing to do the same things and expecting different results. She has the incredible ability to take the very complex discipline of business analysis and simplify it.
	Ellen Gottesdiener
	Ellen was talking about collaboration and facilitated workshops as an effective means of understanding and solving problems before most in the profession even knew what a JAD session was. Her approach was less formal and “just enough” to get the job done. She and her business partner, Mary Gorman, are consultants, coaches, instructors, and authors with many highly rated books and publications.
	Kitty Hass
	When I think of Enterprise Analysis, the first name that comes to mind is Kitty Hass. Her passion for business analysis and strategic project management is unmatched. She is an accomplished author and industry speaker. A real pioneer in the area of assessments.
	Karl Wiegers
	There is no other definitive resource on the subject of Process Improvement than Karl. If you don’t have a copy of Software Requirements, 3rd Edition, it’s out and is an excellent resource. He’s written and coauthored many other books as well as developed training seminars and other learning products. A real inspiration in his field.
	Kathleen Barret
	The American turned Canadian explosion. Determination and drive are two words that come to mind when I think about Kathleen and the early days of the IIBA. Her ability to lead and collaborate with the community was a huge factor in the IIBA becoming an organization. She reached out to the international community and made it happen. “NO” was not in her vocabulary. Instead she said, “That may be difficult, but let’s do it anyway.”
	Glenn Brule
	How many chapters did he really help get started for the IIBA? I stopped counting at 100….all over the world. Glenn’s enthusiasm for the role was catching and helped fuel the grass roots efforts required for an organization to thrive. His presentations at conferences were always standing room only. Some are on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.
	Elizabeth Larson
	Author, trainer, speaker, industry advocate. Elizabeth has worked tirelessly in this industry to have the business analysis discipline recognized as a critical role in project success and not just a stepping stone to become a project manager. She’s been extremely instrumental in bringing together the PMI and IIBA organizations to understand and appreciate each other’s roles. She has done this along with her partner, Richard Larson ;).  You know what they say, every successful woman has a man behind her!
	Robin Grace
	Embodies the passion and determination to ensure that individuals, organizations, and corporations understand the complexities and value of business analysis. Robin is an author, instructor, presenter, and most importantly a coach and mentor with IndigoCube, he continues to influence the South African, as well as, international community.
	Kevin Brennan
	A charter member of the IIBA, Kevin is credited with the organization and development of the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK). Developing a standard for a  newly defined profession was a huge undertaking, one which included managing a large volunteer community and gaining consensus among his peers (whom by nature are prone to analysis paralysis). If that wasn’t enough, he also developed a certification program with a different volunteer group to recognize competence in the principles and practice of business analysis.
	Scott Ambler
	Every cause needs an enemy or at least an antagonist to rally the troops and Scott was a willing, if not misunderstood, participant. At the beginning, the BA community was all about the Business Analyst, and while Scott knew you needed business analysis, he didn’t buy into the individual role aspect. The latest BABOK is much more focused on the complete analysis process rather than the individual role. Maybe Scott was just one of the first to recognize that business analysis should be a team activity in order to realize true business value.

From this group so many more thought leaders have emerged around the world. They have seen the value that the discipline of business analysis has on organizations and every day try to improve how organizations implement these practices. Which revolutionary did we miss that changed your life?