Remote Stakeholder Collaboration: Navigate Your Way to Success

Excellent stakeholder collaboration has been cited as one of the key success factors in optimizing and managing projects. It is critical to our success that we understand and navigate stakeholder collaboration effectively. The problem is, how do we do it? How do we overcome inherent problems such as zoomed-out, stressed out stakeholders who don’t participate? What are the different types of stakeholders and how do we deal with each of them? What are the best techniques for each stakeholder type? Join us to learn the top techniques for effective stakeholder collaboration from Pamela Paterson, an expert and international best-selling author in business analysis.

Requirements Elicitation Like a Pro!

Widespread research tells us that effective requirements is the most critical factor in the success of an IT project, yet it's also the most significant failure point. Why can't we create effective requirements, when we know what a requirement is? Because of problems in elicitation, including dealing with stakeholders who don't know what they want. Effective requirements elicitation is both an art and a science requiring specific communication techniques. Join us to learn the top strategies for effective requirements elicitation from Pamela Paterson, an expert and international best-selling author in business analysis.

Interviewing Stakeholders: How to Get the Most (and Best) Requirements

Interviewing is a key technique to elicit information from stakeholders on IT projects. Whether a single stakeholder or a group, knowing how to conduct a professional interview will get us the information and data we need to create requirements, develop processes, and do our other work. The more our stakeholders can trust in our skills, the more information they will contribute. We all know of excellent interviewers, but how do we do it ourselves? What kinds of questions do we ask and when, and for which stakeholder and scenario? Are there some question types that are better used with individuals than with groups? At the same time, how do we document responses accurately and efficiently? Join us to learn the answers from Pamela Paterson, an IT business analyst and best-selling author.

60 min talk that can be adjusted by event

How to Get Through the HR Robot from the Best-Selling Author of Get the Job

IT experts are known to be strategic and analytical thinkers, adept at analyzing current state and defining future state, but how do we do that with our careers? How do we move from where we are, to where we can be? Just as we do for our stakeholders, we need to be able to assess risks and define our change strategy but for our own careers. We need to understand the job market and the skills needed by employers. We also need to get through the dreaded HR robot known as the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Join Pamela Paterson, international best-selling author of Get the Job: Optimize Your Resume for the Online Job Search, to learn how you can apply strategy analysis to your own career and bring it to an entirely new level.

Get Rid of the Waste! How to Lean Six Sigma Your Stakeholder Communication

Did you know that 80% of meeting attendees are doing something else? How many times have you found yourself sitting in a meeting and tuning out part way through, hoping for the end? There is a better way to prepare and run meetings by capitalizing on Lean Six Sigma techniques applied to a communication context. Learn how to run effective meetings that result in better outcomes with less time wasted. Get rid of the communication waste that weighs you down, and join Pamela Paterson, a senior IT business analyst consultant, who has designed unique communication methods that work with stakeholders on IT projects.

Cognitive Science Techniques for Presentations to Increase Stakeholder Success

Have you ever sat through a boring presentation, and mentally "checked out" before the end? It's likely the presenter was unaware of the latest research in cognitive studies and how to engage stakeholders visually. Given that workshops and presentations are very key to our IT work in requirements, process development, and other deliverables, it is critical that IT workers are able to incorporate cognitive theory strategies into the planning, design, and delivery of presentations for effective stakeholder engagement. Building this capability as a visual presenter is guaranteed to lead to increased stakeholder engagement and effectiveness in elicitation and collaboration, which ultimately leads to project success.

Write a Request for Proposal (RFP) the Smart Way for Your Project

Learning how to write procurement documents such as RFIs, RFPs, and RFQs is not easy, especially if you're new to writing these documents or the project is very complex. There are so many approaches and challenges that need to be considered, including strategy, requirements, and evaluation methodology. How can we collaborate with our stakeholders in the best way to get this job done? How can we avoid the pitfalls and risks of this major endeavor that could represent millions or billions of dollars to an organization? Join Pamela Paterson, senior IT business analyst and expert in procurement documents who has written +100 RFIs, RFPs, and RFQs for large federal government projects.

Improve Quality in Requirements Using Business Analysis Techniques

Poor requirements are the number one reason IT projects fail, yet how do we create high-quality requirements when stakeholders don't know what they want? Through proven business analysis strategies. Business analysts are specialists in requirements and have well-honed strategies to improve quality at the requirements stage, creating efficiencies throughout the entire SDLC. Not only will stakeholders be more pleased with the requirements, but they will also be more satisfied with the end solution.

Business Analysis 101: BA Strategies for IT Team Members

Business analysts are the requirements experts on IT projects, but what do you do when there is no BA? In this session, you will learn the fundamental International Institute of Business Analysis methodologies to communicate with stakeholders, elicit high-quality requirements, and validate stakeholders' needs. You will learn how to elicit meaningful information from various stakeholder types and "translate" it for the requirements management tool. Need to be the BA on the project but don't have time to take an entire certification? Join this session.

Working with Other Cultures: Jump Over the Barriers to Project Success

Technology has created global work environments, and working with other cultures is essential for personal and professional success. Conquering cultural clashes and embracing diverse perspectives can drive innovation, creativity, and problem-solving. This session offers valuable insights and practical strategies to enhance your cross-cultural competence needed in today's diverse work environments. We explore the concept of culture, and how it shapes our values, beliefs, and behaviors. We will also explore communication styles and managing conflict that will assist you in cultivating an inclusive and thriving work environment and project success.

Co-presented with business leader Tarek Hussein.

Essential Communication Skills for Successful Stakeholder Engagement

In the dynamic world of information technology, effective communication skills are indispensable for IT professionals seeking to thrive in their roles. Whether collaborating with colleagues, presenting technical solutions, or interacting with clients, the ability to communicate clearly and convincingly can significantly influence project outcomes and career advancement. This presentation is tailored for IT professionals and explores the essential elements of communication skills that can empower them to excel in their field.

Unleashing the Power of Positive Stakeholder Management

Managing difficult stakeholders is a critical skill for tech workers. Stakeholders can have competing interests, priorities, and expectations. Navigating these relationships can be challenging, especially if our stakeholders need to be more engaged and are continually multi-tasking in our workshops. In this session, we will explore practical strategies for managing difficult stakeholders and discuss the importance of building strong relationships, establishing clear communication channels, and addressing stakeholders' concerns. We will also discuss how to tailor your communication style to the stakeholder's needs. Join us to learn how to overcome the challenges of managing difficult stakeholders with Pamela Paterson, CBAP, PMP, an international best-selling author in business analysis and project management.

Creating Requirements with Stakeholders in a Remote World: Overcoming Barriers and Finding Success

Working with stakeholders and creating requirements for IT projects is one of the biggest challenges we have in a remote environment. What do we do, when we can’t rely on “hallway” networking and face-to-face interpersonal skills? A completely remote or hybrid environment can block the flow of communication with our stakeholders. There is a need for us to have a sense of personal agility, whether their workplace culture is agile or not. So, how can we, whether remote or not, continue to deliver the value expected in requirements creation and maintenance amid this constant change? Join us and learn the answers.