The ecosystem of business analysis practice is important in shaping the practice and ensuring a vibrant market for analysts. This month we had a productive time connecting with one of our key stakeholders in the ecosystem - Partners. IIBA defines "Partners" as all the stakeholders in corporate, government, academia, and education provision. Although the Chapter is not directly responsible for looking after partners, we see Partners as key stakeholders in building a robust and vibrant business analysis industry in South Africa.
Welcome to my August newsletter, here is what I want to cover today:
- The 2nd Annual Corporate Engagement Roundtable
- The importance of mental health for practicing business analysis professionals
- Celebrating our women leaders
- BA Summit SA 2024 update
- Shared Growth Initiative update
The 2nd Annual Corporate Engagement Roundtable
Our main ambition as the chapter is to become the home of business analysis in South Africa. It is our North Star. Our guiding light. Last year, as part of making this ambition real, we realised that for many years we were talking to individual members only, and ignoring everyone else who considered us "home". Partners are a key cog in the business analysis ecosystem. They do most of the heavy lifting through hiring, training, supporting, purchasing membership, and sponsoring our events and the greater business analysis community. But we were not serving them. There are many reasons for that, but I am glad we are now finding each other and having great conversations. This year we met again for the second time to discuss the progress we have made since the last roundtable and to co-create new frontiers we would like to reach, together. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the partners who joined us at the event and to thank IQbusiness for the sponsorship. The conversations were honest, mindful, and gave us a clear direction as to what we need to focus on for the next 12 months.
The importance of mental health for practicing business analysis professionals
When I started work many years ago, very few people talked about mental health. Those who did would point to how being known as a mental health "case" was bad for your career. It was a dark time. I am proud that one of our strategic choices this year was to focus on the importance of mental health for the business analysis professional and provide a functional toolkit to navigate the daily stresses of life and work. I was impressed by the recent event we hosted on the topic of mental health and the turnout thereto. This affirmed our belief that mental health should remain an important topic and program, now and in the future. We aim to mainstream the topic and to join the fight against the stigma. Mental health conversations must, eventually, be as common as topics about the weather.
Celebrating our women leaders
I am incredibly privileged to be able to do the work I do, but it is made even more special by the women in our chapter - both past and present. I get to interact and learn from powerful women all the time. I dare say that our success is because of our women leaders. I enjoyed the women's day event held recently and got a front seat to listen to some of the most powerful stories I have ever heard. As the curtain falls on South Africa's Women's Month, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our women leaders and volunteers - past and present - who have contributed positively to making us a vibrant and champion chapter through action, sponsorship, and mentorship. Malibongwe (Praise unto you all)!
BA Summit SA 2024 update
The Business Analysis Summit preparations are at an advanced stage and we will be announcing the final program in the next few days. There are great speakers on the line-up including Fabricio Laguna - The Brazilian BA - who will be headlining our Day 1 program. Fabricio is an accomplished leader, business analyst, and speaker who will be sharing great insights with the attendees, I am expecting a great conference. Our organiser tells me that there will also be a few delightful elements added to this year's edition to enliven the showpiece. Early bird tickets have sold out, and I expect the next batch of tickets to sell out just as quickly - don't wait, get yours today at basummit.co.za.
Shared Growth Initiative update
With the BA Summit SA being our largest procurement program, I am excited to announce our rollout of the first Shared Growth Initiative program. We know that our community is very entrepreneurial as much as it is analytical - which is why we are democratising the process of procuring some of our services from our community. If you have a business that can satisfy any of the listed procurement requirements on our supplier page, I urge you to submit your details here or contact us for any inquiries.
Conclusion
Business analysis is not practiced in a vacuum, we realise this and that is why we place a premium on understanding and building relationships with our partners. The 2024 Partners Roundtable gave us a clear direction on areas of focus for the next 12 months and we will be focusing on this.
While we are not experts in mental health, we cannot fold our hands and not do anything about this silent pandemic, which is why we have adopted the program on mental health as an important strategic choice. Business analysts are not immune from mental health challenges and we have to help them build a functional toolkit to manage their mental health.
The board of the South Africa Chapter has 7 powerful women who ensure our relevance to issues of business analysis and building a vibrant and winning chapter. As the president, I am very privileged to have the opportunity to learn from and work with them.
Be on the lookout for the program announcement for this year's much-anticipated Business Analysis Summit Southern Africa in Durban. Early bird tickets have closed, but normal tickets are available for sale. Be quick, they are selling fast!
Our Shared Growth Initiative is a transformative policy that encourages us to support the people who support us. I am excited to see us making real on this promise and encourage those who are eligible to participate.
Until next time,
Tshepo Matjila | Chapter President