Information systems provide value by capturing, analyzing, and reporting data—often lots and lots of data! Making sense of and using all that data challenges most organizations. Meaningfully converting and presenting data detail is key to gaining its value, to carry out work and guide decisions. Business intelligence (BI) dashboards can make overwhelming amounts of data visible in easily-understood formats. Often this involves complex and confusing software. However, Scott Helmers will show us how creating dashboards is easier than you think and probably can use tools you already have. For example, with Microsoft Visio and Power BI, either individually or jointly, you can create visual reports team members and leaders can use to gain insights, make better decisions, and deliver higher quality.

• Add data to shapes in a Visio diagram.
• Build BI dashboards using Visio.
• Build an interactive Power BI report that visualizes data in multiple wayss.

Scott is a co-inventor of TaskMap® (TaskMap.com), a Visio add-in that allows anyone to document, analyze, and improve their business processes. Scott has worked with clients in ten countries on projects involving process mapping and redesign, knowledge management, and technology training.

Scott has been named a Microsoft Valuable Professional (MVP) for Visio every year since 2008, one of only six people in the world to hold that distinction. He is a course author for LinkedIn Learning (bit.ly/LILearning-Author), a Senior Instructor with B2T Training, and is the author of four books from Microsoft Press, including Visio 2016 Step by Step (VisioStepByStep.com).

In February’s joint meeting with IIBA GBC, Tajoura (TJ) Davis, JouraD Enterprises LLC Founder and GBC IIBA President, presented, “Analysis Obsessed—Making Trouble for Quality’s Sake.” December presenter Alison McKendree commented, “I LOVE the speaker's eclectic background, experience and knowledge - it is often that kind of mix that really enriches the SDLC/STLC in my opinion.”

Tajoura Davis shared her professional journey working over 30 years at a health insurance firm. TJ credits joining IIBA with giving an identity (business analysis) to what she’s been doing and language to talk about it, realizing she’s not alone in doing it and her thinking about it, enabling her to explain the value she creates to others, and gaining three subsequent promotions!

TJ described challenges of being a "troublemaker" who identifies issues and proposes improvements, as well as the significance of building relationships, gaining domain knowledge, and leveraging experience to enhance one's role and influence. She encouraged attendees to trust their instincts, communicate effectively, and continue learning and sharing knowledge within their fields.

Using familiar movie and TV characters, she illustrated personality styles involved with and reacting to various aspects of business analysis. From several perspectives, she showed how business analysis terminology and techniques overlapped with Quality Assurance (QA).

Drilling down, she contrasted Analysis without Quality and Quality without Analysis. The two must go hand-in-hand. Business analysis identifies requirements--what needs to be delivered to achieve value. QA confirms that what’s delivered is what was intended to be delivered and has been delivered in an appropriate manner. QA specialists engage in analysis similar to business analysts when determining what to demonstrate and how to demonstrate it. Poor business analysis leads to numerous problems that are often incorrectly attributed to QA teams.

@Tajoura Davis shared her professional journey working over 30 years at a health insurance firm. TJ credits joining IIBA with giving an identity (business analysis) to what she’s been doing and language to talk about it, realizing she’s not alone in doing it and her thinking about it, enabling her to explain the value she creates to others, and gaining three subsequent promotions!

TJ described challenges of being a "troublemaker" who identifies issues and proposes improvements, as well as the significance of building relationships, gaining domain knowledge, and leveraging experience to enhance one's role and influence. She encouraged attendees to trust their instincts, communicate effectively, and continue learning and sharing knowledge within their fields.

Using familiar movie and TV characters, she illustrated personality styles involved with and reacting to various aspects of business analysis. From several perspectives, she showed how business analysis terminology and techniques overlapped with Quality Assurance (QA).

The two must go hand-in-hand. Business analysis identifies requirements. QA confirms they're met and in an appropriate manner. QA uses analysis to determine what to demonstrate and how to demonstrate it.