After a long time

Ah! Writing a post after long time. Various reasons.. primary being "There was nothing happening to write about". Here is what happened in last 2 weeks.
1. Dad got operated and cured.
2. Joined Twitter ( after resisting it for long).
3. Completed a long list of pending things.
4. Installed Windows 7

and now Writing this post.

Here is something I wrote today morning while driving to office .
जाने क्या ढूँढता हूँ मैं इस दयार में
शायद एक रौशनी की तलाश है इस दरार में
वादों को टूटे हुए देखता रहा हूँ तमाम उम्र में
फिर भी एक उम्मीद है इस करार में
Do not draw any conclusions .. it is just a rambling .

One more article is following this one ..

Why Are Projects Failing?

In an online poll of 2,000 business professionals, the question was asked, “What are the key challenges in translating user needs into system specifications for mission critical projects?”  50% stated poor requirements definition as the key challenge.  Inadequate risk management (17%), poor scope control (15%), and communication problems (14%) followed far behind as key challenges. 

If a project fails, it’s often assumed to be the project manager’s fault. More and more, however, research is showing that this is not the case. In this survey, with an overwhelming 50% of respondents citing poor requirements de?nition as their biggest challenge, it seems to raise a new question. When projects fail, most organizations are quick to blame the project manager. But what about the business analysts? What role do they play? More importantly, what role should they play?

Role of the Business Analyst

At the most basic level, a business analyst acts as a translator or liaison between the customer or user and the IT person or group attempting to meet this user’s needs. According to the International Institute of Business Analysis, business analysts are “responsible for identifying the business needs of their clients and stakeholders, to determine solutions to business problems.”

The follow-up question, therefore, is “what competencies does a business analyst need to accomplish these tasks successfully?”  ESI’s white paper presents the following eight competencies as key for the business analyst.

Competency #1: Eliciting Requirements

On the most basic level, we know that a big part of a business analyst’s job is to gather and document user requirements. Requirements can be conditions, functionality, products or services for internal or external use.  They are needed by a user or client to solve a business problem or achieve a business activity, and they are tied to the needs of business, rather than the constraints imposed by technology. This means that the business analyst’s job has more to do with identifying the desired results than the actions or resources required to reach these results—that’s someone else’s job.

Competency #2: Creating the Business Requirements Document

A business requirements document (BRD) is an exhaustive written study of all facets of regulatory, business, user, functional or non-functional requirements and provides insight into both the as-is and to-be states of the business area.  It is a detailed pro?le of primary and secondary user communities. It comes directly from the requirements the business analyst has already gathered. It only makes sense, then, that the BRD should be written by the business analyst.  After the document is completed, the business analyst and the client or user meet for a formal review and for approval of the BRD. The document is then shared with the rest of the development team, including the project manager.

Competency #3: Structured Analysis

Structured analysis refers to the art of modeling.  In business analysis, modeling is used to support and enhance text-based requirements, help identify and validate requirements, document and communicate requirements and, ?nally, organize information into coherent ideas. The most common types of business analysis models include business models, process models, data models and work?ow models.

Competency #4: Object-Oriented Analysis

Within a business context, an object model is an abstract representation of the process and data requirements of a system, based on decomposing the system into units called objects. Each object encompasses the data and operational characteristics of one business item. Object-oriented analysis is particularly important to business analysts as a business planning tool to depict the hierarchy of business functions, processes and sub-processes within an organization.

Competency #5: Testing

When it comes to testing in business analysis, the ?rst thing to understand is that the term applies to several di?erent levels of work. First, business analysts are looking to test the products to validate whether the requirements have been met.  They develop test scripts, test plans and test scenarios based on the as-is state as well as the to-be models. Testing requirements should be done in iterative stages to ensure that, by following the requirements, the desired deliverables will be met.

Competency #6: End-User Support

It’s a common misconception among project teams that the project ends when the deliverable is completed. Not so. Business analysts, speci?cally, should be aware that end-user support after the product is delivered is almost as important. It should be stated, too, that the role of the business analyst is not to act on behalf of the training team, but to complement the training team’s e?orts with their knowledge of the business requirements.

Competency #7: IT Fluency

How much knowledge is enough for a business analyst? With regards to IT knowledge, this has been a long-standing debate. In reality, the answer is as varied as it would be for any other professional. The amount of necessary IT knowledge is truly based on the project. The IT background for a competent business analyst depends entirely on the environment and possibly the industry vertical he or she works within.

Competency #8: Business Process Re-Engineering

Business process re-engineering (BPR) is a competency in which all levels of business analysts must be highly skilled. The junior business analyst’s responsibility is often to identify, using various modeling techniques, possible areas of improvement. The intermediate business analyst might have the job of walking the client or user through each step of the process, examining individual tasks that could potentially be improved. The senior business analyst begins to actually make suggestions for improvements.

My Summary

I can’t say that I agree 100% with this white paper, but I feel that it touches pretty well on the key responsibilities of the Business Analyst on an IT project. How those responsibilities line up with the phases of the project and who approves what differs from my over all project management methodology and approach, but the concepts are basically the same.

Wo din aur ye din

Raah dekhi thi is din ki kabse,
Aage ke sapne saja rakhe the naajane kab se.
Bade utavle the yahaan se jaane ko ,
Zindagi ka agla padaav paane ko .

Par naa jane kyon ..Dil mein aaj kuch aur aata hai,
Waqt ko rokne ka jee chahta hai.

Jin baton ko lekar rote the Aaj un par hansi aati hai ,
Na jaane kyon aaj un palon ki yaad bahut aati hai .

Kaha karte the ..Badi mushkil se char saal seh gaya,
Par aaj kyon lagta hai ki kuch peeche reh gaya.

Na bhoolne wali kuch yaadein reh gayi,
Yaadien jo ab jeene ka sahara ban gayi.

Meri taang ab kaun kheencha karega ,
Sirf mera sir khane kaun mera peecha karega.
Jahaan 2000 ka hisaab nahin wahaan 2 rupay ke liye kaun ladega,

Kaun raat bhar saath jag kar padega ,
KAUN MERI gaadi mujse pooche bina lejayega ,
Kaun mere naye naye naam banayega.
Mein ab bina matlab kis se ladoonga,
Bina topic ke kisse faalto baat karoonga ,

Kaun fail hone par dilasa dilayega,
Kaun galti se number aane par gaaliyaan sunayega .

Tapri mein Chai kis ke saath piyoonga ,
Wo haseen pal ab kis ke saath jiyoonga,

Aise dost kahaan milenge Jo khai mein bhi dhakka de aayein,
Par fir tumhein bachane khud bhi kood jayein.

Mere gaano se pareshaan kaun hoga ,
Kabhi muje kisi ladki se baat karte dekh hairaan kaun hoga ,

Kaun kahega saale tere joke pe hansi nahin aai ,
Kaun peeche se bula ke kahega..aage dekh bhai .

Movies mein kiske saath dekhhonga,
Kis ke saath boring lectures jheloonga ,

Kere farzee certificates ko raddi kehne ki himmat kaun karega ,
Bina dare sachi rai dene ki himmat kaun karega.


Achanak bin matlab ke kisi ko bhi dekh kar paglon ki tarah hansna,
Na jaane ye fir kab hoga .


Doston ke liye professor se kab lad payenge ,
Kya hum ye fir kar payenge,

Raat ko 2 baje poha khane station kaun jayega ,
Tez gaadi chalane ki shart kaun lagayega .


Kaun muje mere kabiliyat par bharosa dilayega,
Aur jyada hawa mein udne par zameen pe layege ,

Meri khushi mein sach mein khush kaun hoga ,
Mere gam mein muj se jyada dukhi kaun hoga...


KEH DO DOSTON YE DOBAARA KAB HOGA!!!

My two cents on Satyam+TechM

So, it’s almost official now that Tech-Mahindra is the chosen one. The board has selected latter being highest bidder or to say TechM has chosen Satyam to change the game. But then how does it matter.

All that matters is post 07-01, the IT industry has changed forever and ‘this’ is possibly the biggest resultant and evident effect. This acquisition, which might turn out be a merger later has changed many prepositions. Other then numbers and finances it has changed one very important thing. The proud of being a Satyamite, the feel of being part of Satyam.

With due regards to all companies, I believe in Indian IT space Satyam and Infosys are the only two big companies where the associates take proud and feel love ( LOVE) in being part of it .

The feeling did not even change post 07-01 though it got a jolt. I have worked for lot of biggies of the game including TechM but never fell in love with an organization like I did with this one and that too in just two years!!

This name and the feel has got something which binds you. Initially I used to wonder how come people are with this company since 10-12 years despite of faulty policies, erroneous appraisal policy and what not, but now I know why , may be I am unable तो explain still.

And this will change. . Going by Mr. Mahindra’s and indication, the name Satyam may change .With that, the living legend of Satyam will die. Though the company will stay and will grow, under a new name but it will be a big IT company without soul.

As for TechM , I did not come across a single guy who was passionate about the company for the sake of it . They must be best of employees but no one, I met, could put his hand on his heart and say TechM.

Coming back to Satyam, what it has gone through has been enormous jolt and, just wonder how it survived ?

With my limited knowledge of corporate world, I do not recall a single instance of such a big resurrection. Which company will have 48000 people standing tall and saying, come what may , we will not give up . People offering paycut voluntarily , showing solidarity , delivering products on time, maintaining SLA’s and doing a BAU ( Business as Usual) .

Could this have been achieved by corporate culture’s any lesson or theory. For me answer is no , it could only be achieved by a company with a heart and soul . And Satyamites live on with this soul and spirit consitently showing the grit they are made of .

Raju what ever you did , but then thanks for giving us Satyam .

“कुछ बात है के हस्ती mit-ti नहीं हमारी
सदियों रहा है दुश्मन दौर -ऐ -ज़माना हमारा "

Kya hua Kya hoga

जीवन में आगे बढ़ते हुए
सोचता हूँ क्या हुआ, क्या होगा

जीवन के ये झंझावत
ये रोज के झमेले
चारों ओर से घिरा हुआ
खुद को पता हूँ अकेले
इस महायुद्ध में मैं
क्या हुआ क्या होगा

कितनी लगामों को खींचता
कितने अश्वों को साधता
खुद से खुद के इस युध्ध में
हर एक दिशा में भागता
उस कृष्ण के संग बिना
क्या हुआ क्या होगा

मेरे प्रिय ही हें सामने
अपने खड़े हें पार्श्व में
कितने चक्रव्यूह हें संग में
इन सभी में खुद को झोंकता
बस यहीं मैं हूँ सोचता
क्या हुआ क्या होगा

अब हारने लगा हूँ मैं
उम्मीद भी हुई है मंद
तुणीर हो चुका है रक्त
तलवार हो गयी कुंद

सूर्य के इस ढलान पे
शाम की अजान पे
मरुतनन्द के चरण में
रख के अपने आप को
सोचता हूँ
जो होगा अच्छा होगा

नहीं होगा तो ॥

फ़िर कुछ न होगा

ना मैं रहूँगा न ये सोच

Holi Again

Lo aa gayee holi
Is baar bhi ho – li

Na koi chang hai na koi toli
Par bhi aa gayee holi

Na abeer ud raha na lag rahee gulal
Pardes mein baith ke pooch rahe ye sawal

Ye kya ho raha tyohaaron ka haal
Kaisi badal gayee waqt ki chaal

Na koi chang hai na koi toli
Par phir bhee aa gayee holi

doston ki Na masti rahee
wo thap , wo dhamaal bhee choot gayee

na jaane kahan gayee wo thandayee[1]
is baar kanji[2] ki mehak bhee na ayee

is sab ke beech aa gayee holi
har baar ki tarah is baar bhee ho-li

Na koi chang hai na koi toli
Par phir bhee aa gayee holi
Gujhiya ka swad bhool gaye
sakkarpare kahin gum gayee

Wo chantank[3] bhar gulal
Kar deti thi mastana haal
Anjane logon ko bhee holi ki badhai
Doston ko milke shor machati sahi

bas ye release ye review reh gayee
dost , masti, pyaar sab door choot gaye

in sab ke beech aaye aur chali gayee holi
Lo aaye aur chalee bhee gayee holi

[1] A popular sweet drink in northern India specially drank on festival of Holi.
[2] Very delicious sour/salty drink from central India.
[3] Pinch of

The First Post

Well , here it is. Planning to start a blog of my own since quite sometime, but then my basic characteristic laziness has been ruling .

So ladies and gentlemen ( Do they still make these ? ) , finally I have broken te shackels here I present "Rambling Through Thoughts". This would be my parking lot on my views on Politics, Technology , Finance and Creative Writing.I welcome all the bricks and brats(if any) in your comments and otherwise.

Before I sign off this introduction, big thanks for dropping in.