The ‘HOW’ of business analysis is probably even more important than the ‘WHAT’. While the ‘WHAT’ focuses on models, methods, techniques, and deliverables, the ‘HOW’ determines how much impact you can really have. In this session, we explore the crucial mindset and soft skills required to connect with customers, end-users, stakeholders, partners, and technical people. Because the quality of your intervention depends on the level of consciousness with which you connect with your environment.

1. Four Dimensions
BEING A CONSCIOUS BUSINESS ANALYST
Tuesday 13 October
Johan Merckx

2. DOING
BEING The inner place from which we operate
OUR INTERNAL SOURCE
Our outer visible behavior
WHAT APPEARS EXTERNALLY
Four Dimensions

3. Four Dimensions

4. Four DimensionsFour Dimensions
Business analysis is about connecting people

5. Connect with yourself
Four Dimensions

6. Presence
Access all of your inner ‘tools’ from presence
Open Mind
Open Heart
Open Will
Curiosity
Empathy
Courage
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Ignorance
Hate
Fear
Closed Mind
Closed Heart
Closed Will

7. Presence
Follow your breath
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8. Think outside the box
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Curiosity

9. Step into the shoes of your stakeholders
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Empathy

10. Integrate head, heart and hand
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Courage
Only head
Action-less mind
Analysis
paralysis
Only heart
Blah-blah-blah
Talking without
embodying
Only hand
Mindless action
Doing without
learning

11. Four Dimensions
“BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO
SEE IN THE WORLD.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Four Dimensions

12. Bring all of your inner ‘tools’ in line
IF
it is my talent to
<think about these types of challenges>,
and my passion is to
<relate to people in this way>,
and I feel most fulfilled when
<I do this type of work>,
THEN
I have everything available in my life to bring out the
best in me, and that is
<my purpose in life>
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13. Connect with others
Four Dimensions

14. Listen Four Dimensions
Observe & Sense
Co-create
Crystallize
Retreat & Reflect
Initiate
Tap into the intelligence of the universe

15. Listen
The art of listening
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16. 16
Uncover shared intention
Initiate
We forget past patterns.
We suspend our voice of judgment, cynicism and fear.
We look at the situation with fresh eyes.
Four Dimensions
Sy
nc

17. Travel to the places of most potential
Observe
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Take on a journey of learning
• What challenges are we confronted with? Why do they exist?
• What are the systemic bottlenecks in the current system?
• What would a better system look like?
• What changes would have a positive impact on the system?
• What can the current situation teach us about our possible future?
• What are your most important sources of success and change?

18. Four Dimensions
Connect to your challenge as a “living system”
Retreat
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Context
How do you see what you describe
as being part of a bigger picture?
Change
If you think about this situation,
what do you see happening next?
Relationships
How do you think that elements are
related and influence each other?
Transformation
How might what you describe
adapt, shift, collapse or breakdown?

19. Identify possible solutions
Four Dimensions
Reflect
How might we envision the system in the future?
What ideas can we generate to improve our system for the future?
How can we remove existing bottlenecks?
What initiatives can we identify to prototype our future?

20. Develop a vision for the future
Four Dimensions
Through validation and feedback, we crystallize our vision for the future.
We build connections with customers, stakeholders and partners from the field.
We develop one or more prototypes and get feedback from the field.
We bring together a multi-disciplinary team to create the solution.
Crystallize

21. Bring together multidisciplinary teams to create the future
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Co-create

22. Listen
Four Dimensions
Co-create the future by listening to what emerges
Observe & Sense
We travel to the places of most
potential.
We sense from the field.
• What challenges are we confronted
with? Why do they exist?
• What are the systemic bottlenecks in
the current system?
• What would a better system look
like?
• What changes would have a positive
impact on the system?
• What can the current situation teach
us about our possible future?
• What are your most important
sources of success and change?
Co-createCrystallizeRetreat & Reflect
We listen to the challenge through the eyes of the other. We open your mind and our heart.
We listen to the whole surrounding ecosystem. We listen from the new that wants to emerge.
By entering a moment of stillness,
we learn from what we observe
and sense.
• What insights did we learn from our
observations?
• How do we see our system as being
part of a bigger picture?
• If we think about the situation, what
do we see happening next?
• How do we think that elements are
related and influence each other?
• How might our system adapt, shift,
collapse or breakdown?
We connect to the future.
• How might we envision the system in
the future?
• What ideas can we generate to
improve our system for the future?
• How can we remove existing
bottlenecks?
• What initiatives can we identify to
prototype our future?
Through validation and feedback,
we crystallize our vision for the
future.
We build connections with
customers, stakeholders and
partners from the field.
We develop one or more
prototypes and get feedback from
the field.
We bring together a multi-
disciplinary team to create the
solution.
Initiate
We forget past patterns.
We suspend our voice of judgment.
We suspend our voice of cynism.
We suspend our voice of fear.
We look at the situation with fresh
eyes.
We uncover shared intention
We create the future by doing.
We implement the new.
We review, measure and get
feedback to learn.
We share our learnings.
We refine to improve.
We embody the new into the
existing.

23. Four Dimensions
• Write down the most important challenge that your are facing today as
business analyst.
“My challenge is to … “
• Then write down your next action (meeting/workshop/interview/
discussion/…) that is related to this challenge.
“On Thursday I will have a meeting to …”
• Don’t make it too big, take something small and very specific.
• Guided meditation
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Guided meditation - The power of intention

24. Four Dimensions
It is my intention that the impact of your
next business analysis action takes your
project to the next level
because it arises from a deeper
connection with yourself, your
team, your stakeholders and your
ecosystem environment.
THANK YOU
Four Dimensions

25. Four Dimensions
“THE SUCCESS OF AN
INTERVENTION DEPENDS ON THE
INTERIOR CONDITION OF THE
INTERVENER.”
Bill O’Brien, former CEO of Hanover Insurance
Four Dimensions

26. Four Dimensions
FOUR DIMENSIONS
A VALUE CREATING COMPANY
Driving digital innovation from within
www.fourdimensions.be
VRIENDEN VAN HET HART
by Four Dimensions
Proeven van persoonlijke ontwikkeling
www.vriendenvanhethart.be