My Daily Thoughts
KPIs is short for key performance indicators. In order for you to know if you are making progress towards your vision and your goals, you
Make it a practice to take at least one picture a week that captures your life at that time. Seeing your life in pictures allows
When creating your PBOK know the major themes in your life. Your themes will be the topics that you will organize your information around. Themes
When we create a vision for our life we need to recognize that we are living some of that vision today. It is far easier
Defining and containing scope is always a difficult part of any project. One method and perspective for handling scope is capabilities and the traceability of
What can you do now that brings you joy and fulfillment? What can you do now that brings you a sense of flow? What can
Wisdom is the connection between ideas and experiences. If we forget experiences we lose opportunities to create wisdom. If we forget ideas we lose opportunities
Capture your life as you live it. Your life, your experiences, your reflections have value for others who will be on a similar journey. A
A life plan is simply a map for your life. As you move through life you know more about your life and your environment and
Everyone should have a financial plan from where you are until you are 100 years old. The financial plan is a simple one. Determine the
A business analyst is a change agent on behalf of their clients. Everything a business analyst does is in collaboration with the client to help
One perspective on creating your vision is opportunity. The goal of your vision is to create more opportunities or choices for you to feel what
Everything comes down to what we experience. Within that experience is how we interpret and therefore feel about the experience. We have the ability to
The internet has changed everything. With the internet, you have direct access to a worldwide audience In the old world, the number of connections you
Life is a process of constantly discovering and creating yourself. The more you discover of what you are good at and what you love the
As business analysts, we need to look at a situation from all perspectives. If we look at the big picture, the forest, we may miss
When you are creating your personal book of knowledge there are five domains. Life Design – Designing a life is your greatest activity Life Experience
What we value gives us clues to what our purpose is. If we value discovery there must be an element of discovery in our purpose.
Take the time to document the vision you are living. Having a written account of your vision will increase your focus. Once your vision is
Life is an iterative process. You can always know your purpose at a deeper level. You can always refine your vision for your life. You
The relationship between purpose, vision, and mission is one to many to one. Purpose is why Vision is what Mission is how You have one
Many people have to-do lists, backlogs, not to do lists. One thing that I find very helpful is a friction list. A friction list is
Business is just a collection of processes. The first step in creating a business process is gaining clarity of what the outcomes of the processes
An athlete practices as if they are in the big game, we should do the same for our vison. The first step is to define
Connections are what build a joyful and meaningful life. There are many kinds of connections. There are connections to people such as your family and
One of the values I have in life is peacefulness. Peacefulness generates the space for me to be introspective and contemplative. Patience is lost when
I am back from vacation. New perspectives and a refreshed body and spirit. Continuously create the life you want Live today within your plan for
What went well? I am continuing to add knowledge to the FIT framework and learning new design patterns for organizing the information. My daily blogging
Today I am leaving for summer holidays. For me, a big part of vacationing is cutting the bonds from all the daily responsibilities. It is
A life principle to live by is to focus on what brings you joy. This is easy to understand but hard to put into practice.
Your practice is the practical day-to-day activities that you are doing that move you towards your vision. Your practice is the details of your mission.
Living a balanced life requires an awareness of all life areas. Living a balanced life does not mean equal time and effort is given to
A key component of thinking is understanding connections. How does one idea, fact, or interpretation relate to another? The more we practice trying to figure
To create real value takes effort. Most people don’t feel they have the time, they have too many responsibilities, too many other things they need
When you are starting any new endeavor, begin with defining your processes. Understand the processes and how those processes will lead to the outcomes you
Build your practice with the point of view that your days are for flow. Days are for just doing, for accomplishing your life. They are
Another formula to help understand value. Value of the outcome divided by work to create the outcome = perceived value Work is a function of
Creating an elevator pitch for any project you are working on is a good practice to get into. Even if the project is small such
This may not be a popular opinion, but I find too many people these days using the Analysis Paralysis concept as an excuse not to
A decision matrix consists of criteria, weightings, and scores for the purpose of making a decision. At least that is what it appears to be
We all get the same amount of experience, we all get the same 24 hours in a day. To create wisdom, we need experiences that
A user story is a short sentence of the form: As a role, I want to do something in order to create an outcome User
To live a fulfilling meaningful life means that we can’t ignore any aspects of our life. All aspects are important and contribute to our lives.
We all have experiences, both personal and work-related. Take the time to capture these experiences as stories. Add emotion, color, and flair to your stories.
We make think that everyone can brainstorm, that it is not a skill it is just an activity that we do. I believe brainstorming is
What went well? I am continuing to add knowledge to the FIT framework and learning new design patterns for organizing the information. My daily blogging
This is a little philosophical. Any system that takes place within a larger system will align with the larger system. Local weather patterns will align
Understand the whole context before examining the parts. The overall context gives us the understanding and the big picture for understanding the details. When we
One perspective to help live a better life is to be attentive to friction. What are those things that annoy, frustrate, and slow you down?
As a frequent camper I use the time I am camping for reflection. Camping simplifies life into the basics: food, shelter, and activities. The reflecting
Gratefulness is not just a practice for our personal pursuits. Gratefulness is also a practice for our business and work pursuits. Taking the time to
We are all on a journey through life, trying to make it as far as we can. What we experience, what we learn, and the
Opportunity is a function of knowledge that can be combined. Everything is interconnected, everything has some effect on everything else. You can understand these effects
As an entrepreneur, there are two types of value you can create. You can create something that has value in and of itself or you
Equations are a great way of looking at life. They reduce things down to mathematics which then lends itself to other calculations you can do
User stories are one-sentence requirements that are very effective at capturing stakeholder requirements. The sentence is of the form: As a <role> I want to
The one thing you have that no one else has is your life experience. There is value in that life experience, value that only you
In our interconnected world, you are competing with everyone. Don’t play other people’s games, figure out what your game is. What is it that you
The practice of gratitude is an essential practice for everyone. The practice is not always easy. Sometimes because of events or circumstances, it is hard
Your practice is what you do on a daily basis. Figure out what your practice is and then practice doing your practice. By viewing it
One principle to have a fulfilling life is to create focus. You can create focus by minimizing the number of things you do and then
There are two overarching world views that influence all of our decisions. These views affect our personal lives and they affect how we view other
One mistake that entrepreneurs make is in the determination of value. Value is a judgment that is made by the person receiving the goods or
An effective technique for creating a better life is to write notes to your future or your past self. Writing notes to your past self
Creating new outcomes in life takes work. If we focus on the outcomes it is sometimes overwhelming. Focusing on the outcomes means we don’t get
User stories are a business analyst tool that are also effective for creating a designed life. A user story is a sentence with the following
The chances of you being born are astronomical. Happiness is a reflection of how deep you are living life. As human beings, we are meant
Life is full of instances of unfairness, of instances where there are issues because of the actions of others or even from your own actions.
My main strategy for dealing with fear is curiosity. The only thing to fear is the unknown or the uncontrollable. If something is unknown, curiosity
Knowledge is readily available at the tips of our fingers on devices we carry with us everywhere. The use of that knowledge is not. It
One key to life is to always be growing. The only way to grow is to continuously learn new things. When creating your practice always
Everyone should be creating content. If you are building your career build content for what you know. Life is a journey. Create content about your
When you are grateful you realize all the different experiences that come your way that you are grateful for. Many of those experiences involve other
Gratitude is the practice of focusing on the good things you have in life. Focusing on the good things provides input to your reticular activating
What you choose to think about matters. Your reticular activating system seeks out what it thinks the brain wants and filters out everything else. In
What went well? I am continuing to add knowledge to the FIT framework and learning new design patterns for organizing the information. My daily blogging
To create anything worthwhile takes work. Changing your life is creating something worthwhile. What you create with the life that has been given you is
Knowledge is a commodity. Anything you need to know can be searched for on Google. The time when knowledge was power is over. Everyone has
Newton figured out the laws of motion. At the time it was a great mathematical accomplishment. Now my kids did the math he figured out
One key to design is to relieve co-dependency between components. The design of a car is less complicated because it has been reduced to components.
What you focus on increases. When you practice gratitude you are training your mind to look for things to be grateful for. A gratitude practice
When building your online presence there are three messages you need to communicate to your audience Who you are What you do Your encompassing vision
Calculating the motion of one body such as a falling rock is easy. It is something you learn in grade seven science. Calculating the motion
When building your practice ensure you are doing something that moves every life area forward. We all have limited time in our day so I
What you do on a daily basis is your practice. I use the term practice because it means that you are constantly trying to improve
A great question to ask yourself every morning is how am I going to be better at the end of the day. If we are
Your practice is what you are committing to follow on a daily, weekly, monthly basis Create that practice so that it builds momentum. If part
Choosing a future state requires us to have a perspective to judge the future state by. What are the criteria for determining the best future
Choosing a course of action comes down to the creation of options to choose from. Those options are simply different future states. Construct the potential
Change is the result of decisions. Business analysts are change agents. Part of our role is to help facilitate good decisions. A good decision is
No matter where you are, create space in your life for something that makes you happy. Schedule happiness first so that it is always the
Know your outcome and celebrate any small step towards that outcome. If your goal is one million dollars, celebrate every dollar you make along the
Metrics are a key ingredient for making decisions. When the metrics don’t match the outcomes the metrics are supposed to measure poor decisions may result.
For any new process, the first step is determining how you will measure how well the process is working To do this you need to
One lesson from golf that applies to your practice is “practice slow” When I play golf I have a tendency to try to do a
Fit for purpose is a term that is becoming more important to business analysts. COTS and SAAS software are becoming more prevalent. When you can
Two vital characteristics of a good project are transparency and traceability You want buy-in from all stakeholders. The best way to do this is with
Creating and living your vision requires work. There are two kinds of work. Work that drains you, and work that gives you energy. We work
Find a way of capturing your life whether with a diary, or photo albums, or video. Most of us live a life that is constant
Many people get caught up thinking they want something but when they get it they don’t enjoy the experience. You want the big fancy home
When creating a vision focus on the experiences you want to have. From those experiences determine the feelings you want associated to those experiences. Then
As a business analyst we need to understand the whole and the parts. We need to understand the details and how the details fit together
Project management comes down to scope, time, and money. You are the project manager of your life. Your scope is your vision. Your time is
View your life as your work of art. Your vision is your glimpse of the art you are creating. Your vision will be created based
There are three perspectives when determining if a solution is a fit for purpose. The first perspective is business functionality. Does the solution provide the
Providing traceability on a project is a key activity for a business analyst. High-level business requirements to stakeholder requirements to solution requirements to test scenarios
What went well? I am continuing to add knowledge to the FIT framework and learning new design patterns for organizing the information. My daily blogging
Life long learning is a practice that provides many benefits. Life long learning increases the opportunities in your life, allows you to make better decisions,
If you don’t know how to proceed in a situation reframe the situation as an experiment. In an experiment there is no right or wrong,
In order to determine your life goals, you need to understand your values. The total of your life goals is your life design. Without a
One trait we should all strive for is embracing uncomfortableness. It is through stepping into that boundary where we become uncomfortable that we experience the
Twenty years ago was just after the turn of the century. Do you have experience and wisdom from back then that you apply today? Most
In life, there are many unknowns and many things that are not in our control. We don’t always get the outcome we are looking for.
The first step in organizing anything that is unorganized is to determine the questions you want to be answered from the resulting organization. If you
When in difficult interpersonal situations focus on determining the right action before focusing on your feelings. In most situations the actions you should take are
A difficult engagement is similar to a difficult problem. The key is to break the engagement into those parts that can be handled and those
Ikigai is a Japanese framework for living a fulfilling life. The Ikigai framework identifies a fulfilling life as the intersection between what you love, what
There is a balance between personal responsibility and social responsibility. Some of these decisions are black and white. Many of these decisions are in the
The prime focus of a business analyst is the creation of value. In the end, value is realized by the customer, therefore taking a customer-centric
When making decisions, the more input we have related to the decision, the better the decision we will make. This pertains equally to decisions being
Imagine a hypothetical world. In this world, 1 out of 1000 people make a million a year and everyone else makes $50,000 a year. That
There are life lessons everywhere. You need to cultivate a belief or a mindset that allows you to see those life lessons. When you experience
Your life is a story whether you are aware of the story or not. There are ups and downs, characters, setting, and all the parts
There is so much information that comes to our five senses. Everything we see, hear, touch, feel, and smell. It is far too much information
Life is a series of decisions or choices that we make. Each decision increases or decreases our quality of life. Our quality of life is
Business requirements are statements about the outcome the client is looking to achieve. Without these statements, the engagement has no basis for determining if it
The more complex something becomes the more organization is required to handle the complexity. When writing became more complicated it required chapters. When non-fiction writing
The ultimate focus of a business analyst is client value. Since context is required to determine value, a business analyst has to have a very
When you have come to a conclusion based on the facts and interpretations at hand continue to collect more information and continually test the conclusion.
Build into your practice a review of what you create. Going through the process of reviewing your PBOK will identify structure that is required to
Journaling is a skill. Saying that since you can write you can create an effective PBOK is like saying you can write a book because
When we die we don’t get to take anything with us. The goal is to maximize how we feel during this life. Feelings come from
Life is a process. You are living the process, not creating the outcomes. You are not creating health, you are living a process that results
A key to a fulfilling life is knowing what you want to experience. Material things come and go, but you get to keep your memories
Your path in life is unique. You need to figure out what works for you. There are two main questions you need to ask to
Everyone has biases that affect their decisions either for the good or the bad. Understanding that we have biases emphasizes the need for a strong
What went well? The content on the JournaledLife site has been converted. There are now 598 notes in my FIT framework. I am continuing to
The key to creating an effective brainstorming session is freedom. Freedom to create without judgment. Freedom to create without friction. The freedom to create without
No matter the situation you get to choose the context. You can decide the context is a learning experience. You can decide it was completely
If you spend your life trying to be the same as someone else you are interchangeable, you are a commodity. Embrace your uniqueness and design
Practice requires three things: A clear understanding of the outcome you are practicing producing. A process for creating that outcome. Motivation for continually practicing until
Your personal book of knowledge (PBOK) can potentially fulfill many tasks that a personal assistant would fulfill. Life is complicated, there is way too much
For many decisions in life, if we have strong values the decision is easy. A decision is simply the weighing of choices against our values.
Finding clarity in who we are and what we want to do with our lives takes courage. We can ponder what the best path is,