Analyzing BA

Business Analysis as the world knows it, is based solely on requirement gathering from a client and transferring them as information to the service providers. But, what most don’t realise is that the BA is also required to identify potential business threats and provide solutions to eliminate them.

Working as a Business Analyst with an undying aim to implement Web 2.0 principles in most project scopes, I found some challenges which were way beyond the extent of my functional spectrum. The failures that we had in reaching successful Project Closures give us a chance to understand the complicacies surrounding the deliverables of a project.

In my following posts I will be trying to analyze the challenges of Business Analysis (BA) and its impacts primarily on a Web 2.0 product.

Meanwhile, you can see this comic but meaningful representation of a ‘Project Failing Life Cycle’.

Mission: Silence Tweets

I maybe wrong but this certainly seems like Google’s answer to Twitter. Latitude, the latest offering from Google is out and is already catching on. It lets you track locations of your family and friends on the run without relying on calls or anything. Latitude is BIG!! And more so because it’s a real time social networking tool. I used it and felt great initially. Cashing in on its existing contact building applications like Gmail and Gtalk, this is the new networking tool that Google could have offered effectively. And so it did.

It still is a bit clumsy in some aspects though. The OS and Browser dependency shall not really popularize it wholesomely and spread the fire as soon as they would have wanted it to. For Mobile phone users, it again is restrained to some few models. But, Google promises to expand the application’s mobile usability reach soon. It’ll be interesting to see how Google propagates it and makes this its primary social networking tool.

What’s most interesting about this application is the ownership rights that a user exercises over publishing their location details. They can opt out of this feature whenever they want. Also, interestingly, the Gtalk status message will now be competing directly with the tweets and I bet Twitter will be hurt if Google gets rid of the compatibility issues.

So now the CEOs will have a perquisite for their managers. Give them a phone with Latitude enabled. And with answer already known, here comes the call from the CEO, “Where are you?”

Social Media Search.. Way to go !!

A great thing about the enormity of the web is that, it never ceases to amaze you. Every fortnight there is a website with a fresh and attractive new concept to churn the minds of the avid netizens. I am no exception. What these sites also do is that they reassure Tim O’Reillys concept of Web 2.0 which keeps the user want to come back to a website with more than one requirement.

Recently, I came across this social media search engine which is presently tracking millions of conversations, taking place across in more than tens of thousands blogs and social media sites. User-generated discussions are not indexed by major search engines, such as Google, Yahoo etc. The reason is because; user updated data does not reside on static pages. This site converts these discussions into web pages, or permalinks, and organizes them within a tag cloud. These Tag clouds become a point where all discussions on a specific topic are accumulated.

This is a great idea and more so because Web 2.0 emphasizes on user’s ownership of their data and most users of social media portals want their data to be popularized via any online medium. A major source of online information would be coming out of the knowledge sharing exercise that all the major social networking portals provide for their users. Now with this site, it will be easier for users to specify their searches based on these online conversations. I like the idea wholesomely and hope that this site has a strong and robust enough algorithm to build up on the wonderful idea that they want to propagate. Try... www.samepoint.com

UI 2.0 : Guide to be a Site Owner

You might have been startled and amazed by the new sites that are releasing almost everyday and grabbing your attention big time. You just might think “Gosh!!! How did these guys visualize such a cool site…?” Here’s the little secret.

UI 2.0 as the design parameters are called these days, is based just and just on ease of usability. While visualizing and planning for the designs you need to ask ourselves these 3 simple questions:

Where the user is? – This is because the users should be happy with their present location in the site. The navigational pattern as well as the page content should be such that the users’ need can be presumed and portrayed accordingly on every of their landing pages. Also, some real good developers make their users do things as they want to. Like, giving a flashy interactive application or a tag cloud with admin specified large tags; you can pull in the attention of a user and then lead them to their designated flow of activities.

The next question would be; where the user is coming from? – This is because by no means the users should be allowed to leave shores... read that as website. The user might not be satisfied with their current location due to lack of content or any other factors and in that scenario they should have an option to go back to the previous page(s). Not only this but to envisage the users’ imminent movement within the site, it’s always important to keep track of their path in the website. To hunt a Tiger you need to keep track of its pug marks…right.

Finally the most important question; where the user can go? – This is the million dollar question. Everybody wants to know this and trust me even the users wants to know the same, more badly than you do. This is where the real challenge and competition is. The business logic, stickiness factors, viral marketing attributes and all such other development aspects are directed to tap the users need from the website. As I mentioned earlier, smart people make their users follow the trail which they have prepared the best and thus increase their business prospects and that’s the best way to solve this question. Create an USP and sell it with maximum visualization. Wherever the user tries to go you should tend to make them arrive at the page(s) which are meant for more visits. There is a simple rule. Kill the users’ initial interest and help them grow the one which you intend to.

Battle won… You have your profit making website ready for the coders to integrate their flashy stuffs.

Blog Remoulded

Hello friends, here comes some serious stuff now. I have decided to give this blog a meaningful remould. So far all the issues that affected me personally and on which I had an opinion, was presented here. Here on, some professional stuff shall also be a part of this blog. Ill share with you all whatever issues relate to my professional experiences and I hope that your valuable comments help me and this blog to grow. Thanks, keep reading.

A Nation's Ordeal

Recently as I saw our Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh being felicitated at the Vishwabharti University, a thought crossed my mind. Isn’t this the same place from where Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel medal was stolen? So much security for a chancellor with political importance and so less for a prized possession of the nation. And what did we do about it, nothing. Neither the precious artefact has been restored nor have the miscreants been brought to law. The point I want to raise with this as an example is that we as a nation are of the forgiving kind and that is sad.

There was a huge hue and cry all over the national media, print/electronic, over issues such as Gujrat riots, Arushi murder probe or even this Nobel medal theft. But what happened henceforth? Our ever-competitive media goes about its habit of bringing into focus any one issue which more than attracting attention of the citizens attracts the other media agencies. Then there is a scramble for one exclusive news bite for the same and subsequently with that, drawing more viewers. It all comes down to that and not the importance and sensitivity of the news. once there is another piece of interesting news the older one is suddenly orphaned and we the news hoggers get engrossed in the recent updates losing memory of what was keeping us occupied in the last few weeks. Shameful indeed. We the people of this nation encourage this kind of numbed and insensate journalism which does no good for the nation. Public memory and their consequent anguish, anger or even joy is made to live short by the media and none of us care a damn about it.

I am not criticizing the media. It merely serves us in a plate what we love to eat. No nation can survive and prosper without maintaining a balance between tolerance and unacceptance of social, political and democratical undoings. And just merely showing dissent with a Bandh or a walk to the nearby city grounds doesn’t make a difference. We are a nation that showed non-cooperation to the world. we need to show that again. We make governments that rule over us, so we should also show our power and help make this nation a better place to survive and flourish. All of us must realise that India is so near yet so far from calling itself a world power. It has to evoke the fire from within and get rid of all its diseases once and for all.

Precisely, we have to be unforgiving and relentless to issues that affect our nation and affect us. Lets do it. Lets do it NOW!!!!

Bienvenido Maradona in the City of Joy

The people of Kolkata are suffering from an epidemic. Alarmingly it has gripped the city in no time whatsoever. From young to old, from rich to poor, from Hindu to Muslim everybody is bugged by the virus, the virus called Maradona-mania. Yes, the prince of football, the greatest in the game, the FIFA footballer of the century is in town and the city of joy has reasons to be joyful once again.

Diego Armando Maradona reached Kolkata early on Saturday morning only to be received by thousands of fans enchanting his name all through the journey from the Airport to his hotel, The ITC Sonar Bangla. The city seemed painted in blue and white and resembled more like Buenos Aires than the usual red/green flower clad city that we are accustomed to. Why not? This man and his art on the football field has enthralled one and all. He has inspired and mesmerised everyone who has ever seen him play. He led his nation to consecutive World Cup finals in 1986 and 1990, winning it in 1986. Arguably the greatest player ever gracing the game and the term arguable is only coined by the fools who dare to argue.

Traditionally the people of Kolkata are loyal fans of the Latin American nations Brazil and Argentina. On every occasion where there is a confrontation between these arch rivals, the loyalties are shared in this far off city. Though the Brazilian fans are fans of the style of football that they offer, the fans of Argentina are only Maradonians. They were inspired to watch and follow international football because of that one man. And now to see their god right in front of their eyes, they are simply awestruck.

Truly if Diego Maradona is god, Kolkata for one day today was heaven.