3 unusual books every good BA should read 📚

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INSIGHT
3 unusual books every good BA should read

I’m not talking about thick, dry textbooks (I’m looking at you, BABOK). I’m talking about these beauties ⬇️

Thinking Fast and Slow - by Daniel Kahneman

This book is all about two systems of thinking

1. Thinking intuitively or automatically (Fast)

2. Thinking deliberately or analytically (Slow)

Key learnings ⬇️

Dispel the myth that thinking fast is a MUST HAVE for this profession. You’re not dumb if you can not think on your feet! 

Keep this in mind if when feeling pressured to understand complex information, especially during meetings.

It’s usually far more effective to come back with a reliable answer once you’ve given yourself the headspace to think through the problem.

Thinking fast can do more harm than good. 
Thinking slow allows you to recognise any biases and will result in a more rational approach to decision making.

A large factor in a BAs success relies in their ability to remain impartial - to see things for what they are.

Productivity
Thinking fast often falls into the category of ‘things that feel productive, but actually aren’t’.

What’s the old military saying? ‘Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast’. 🪖

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F#ck - by Mark Manson

Here’s a few themes from the book that apply to BA work

Embrace Uncertainty
This is our whole schtick right? Dealing with ambiguous situations, complex requirements, changing scope etc. It’s also the number 1 trait I look for in BAs when hiring.

This is often a mindset shift for a lot people who are fresh to the profession. I wonder if the below feels familiar ⬇️

Seasoned BAs will know that most organisations are held together with duct tape

And actually, this is fine. Your whole job revolves around helping organisations make sense of it all. Embrace it.

Set Boundaries
This is simple stuff. But worth reiterating as it’s easy for fundamentals to be overlooked.

• Don’t spread yourself too thin.

• Don’t promise the world

• Learn to prioritise based on impact

Focus on what matters
Don’t get bogged down by minor details or distractions.

We’ve all done it - you’re several weeks into a Project and you’ve accidentally veered down a rabbit hole, discussing an edge case that is holding the whole project to a standstill.

Remind yourself of the project purpose, daily. It’ll keep you on track

Don't Make Me Think - by Steve Krug

This one’s for all of the BAs working in software teams. It’s all about UX and how this should be made a simple as possible for users (Clue is in the title).

Next time you’re wireframing on a new project, ask yourself the following questions

• Can the user navigate this flow without explicit instructions?

• Can users find essential features without unnecessary clicks or confusion?

• Have accessibility considerations been integrated into the design? (This is often seen as a ‘non priority’, but it shouldn’t be).

• Is the design consistent with other areas of the application?

WISDOM

'Unlike a prototype, which must accurately reflect the final product, a wireframe’s effectiveness should be determined by the conversations it creates.'

MEMES