I was going along, minding my own Business Analyst business, when it happened. One day, I looked up, and for all intents and purposes, I was managing a project. When I looked back on it, I could see that it started out slowly. ‘So and so, has another priority project. Can you attend these weekly meetings?’ We need a project schedule. The stakeholders started calling me for PM-type things. The developers wanted to meet with me about the estimates. Pretty soon, I was the BA wearing the PM hat. This is not territory I would have ever pursued. In fact, it is territory I purposely avoided. I never felt that I had the PM personality. I was always content to make sure that the show was running smoothly. I definitely did not want to be the one who ran the show. Reality check: It’s not the first time that it has happened in the history of the BA and it won’t be the last.
There will be times as BA’s that for whatever reason we will be tasked with running a project. This will not change, but there are a few things that I found that have helped me in these situations. The most important thing to do is don’t be afraid to ask for help. Although you may be perfectly capable of running a project, there are going to be aspects of the task that you have no clue about. Find an experienced Project Manager that you can use as a sounding board and seek advice from and utilize them.
Don’t be afraid to take issues up the chain of command. I had a situation with a team member who was, let’s say, less than cooperative. I don’t do well with personnel issues. I’ve become better with experience, but this situation tested me. I had to make sure that those above me were aware of the situation. I made sure to keep notes of what was going on, and give regular status of the situations to the higher-ups. When the situation got out of hand, I deferred to my Manager to handle it. You have to be careful to not let unexpected situations distract you. Do what you can. For those things that are out of your realm of responsibility, pass them on to those who need to handle them.
Finally, take it as a learning experience. The first time that I was pushed out of my comfort zone and into a management role, I was reluctant. I had my own prejudices about the task and more than a little self-doubt. But, I learned from it, and now can do it with no problem. Just think of it as one more undocumented feature of the Business Analyst role.
