Gathering User Requirements Using Logic From The Obama Camp

Fall 2008 - St. Louis Missouri

Ahhhhh the feelings of fall. One of my most favorite times of the year; even the leaf raking. Well, earlier today, i sat and watched Chris Wallace (fox news sunday); as he interviewed the elusive David Plouffe ( Obama camp). When Chris asked David “What was your strategic insight for the general election?” David then stated “we find ourselves two days out from the election with a lot of different wayts to get to 270 electoral votes.” Clearly, having more than one way to reach the ultimate goal is less stressful and shows better leverage of company resources. This quote got my business analysis juices to going; ultimately leading to the following question;

As an Business Analyst, do you have more than one way to connect with your users?

Depending on the stakes, users can make or brake the project. Case in point, my most recent project involved a legacy user group. Veteran employees with 30+ years. Keepers of all inner workings of the department. These union-protected users knew their self worth and value to the department; nothing could be done without their blessing. The usual frontal attack; stating how helping would increase job security did not work. Why would it? So the question becomes…

What’s another way to gain buy-in from a group of users who maybe near retirement, have nothing to lose and could care less professionally about the companies future?

Try food with a side helping of frank honesty.

Employees listening to a spiel

I tell you, after my frontal approach fell on deaf ears, at the next meeting i brought pizza and a different spiel. I sat down, rolled up my sleeves and ate pizza with the masses. I then explained, between bites, how i knew they didn’t have to help but, by helping, they would help ensure the ongoing viability of the company for their future significants (children, wives, husbands, partners, etc) that were not about to retire. By eating a little humble pie i was able to move a solid mountain. Of course there wre those that hated the company and hated feelings of being bought with food. But most understood and appreciated the honesty and straight talk. It opened doors that every academic class in organizational behavior, psychology and change management did not and would not.

So try a little food and frank honesty. By the time people reach the age of retirement, they know “game” when they hear it; but they also know straight up honesty.