Prologue It was not that loud, in fact it could be mistaken for the sound of someone furiously slamming a door nearby. Hence, I did not pay much attention to it but just went back to my workstation. Shortly after I got a call from someone in Lagos informing me of a bomb blast less than one kilometer from where I was. I rushed to the window and realized that our 12 floor office building was practically empty. The United Nations (UN) office nearby had been attacked by a suicide bomber and our office complex was evacuated because ECOWAS (with an office in building) got information that they could be targeted also. I got to the ground floor in less than 45 seconds (Even Usain Bolt could not have beaten that record), and drove my car to a safe distance. Introduction I am a Nigerian and I am proud of my heritage and nationality, but it really hurts to hear Nigeria being mentioned in the same breath as Iraq, Afghanistan and even Somalia. After the recent Nyanya bombing and the mass abduction of the Chibok girls, it seems our great Country is back to square one. But are we that helpless as a nation? I do not think so. The analyst in me believes much can still be done to turn this nation around. Many things have been said by many people, and majority of the commentators are asking for (or proffering) solutions. However, the path to our turn around as a nation lies in our ability to proffer an answer to the question - “How did we get here?” If you are the highest shareholder in “Nigeria PLC” what will you do to turn around your troubled organization? Let us take a look at some (not all) useful Business Analysis tasks necessary for reinventing a struggling organization and how these can be deployed to rejuvenate our Country. Conduct Naija Stakeholders’ Analysis The key to turning around an ailing organization is to get an in-depth understanding of the stakeholders (both positive and negative), their expectations (and if they can be met), the Enterprise Environmental factors, etc. It is surprising how little Nigerians know about Nigeria. The average southerner sees a northerner as lazy and uneducated group of people with born-to-rule mentality. While an average northerner sees a southerner as morally bankrupt, proud and cocky. But I have met and known quite a number of northerners with multiple degrees from leading universities from all over the world, hardworking people, while many people from the south do not fit the “mould” mentioned above, just as I also know so many southerners with morality that cannot be faulted, yet very humble. To understand your stakeholders, you need to move away from “hearsay” and assumptions to verifiable information backed with valid data gathered from well planned elicitation activities. Defining Naija Constraints The productivity of a nation is the sum total of the productivity of her citizens, I wouldn’t say Nigeria is a highly productive country (this statement is not an indictment on our abilities as individuals but it highlights the failure of the government to properly harness the potentials of the people). I bet many Nigerians can mention tens, hundreds or even thousands of impediments, ranging from nepotism, corruption, lack of social amenities, etc. All of these affect our productivity, and make it difficult for us as a Nation to attain our full potentials. This task is probably the easiest of the three tasks highlighted in this write-up. Assess proposed Solution(s) The primary reason why this task is important in business analysis activities is because it allows the business analyst to determine to what extent the deployed solution(s) meets the business need(s). Many of the challenges we are currently facing as a nation did not start yesterday and are not likely to disappear within a day. Investing resources to investigate potential solutions before settling down for the right one, is never an investment in futility, hence should be critically explored. Conclusion I admit that we need more than three tasks to turn an organization around (usually it would be result in a large project and could involve many professionals), but I believe that the above mentioned tasks will always make the grade. If you are asked to lead the project of reinventing Nigeria, which business analysis task(s) will you add to the three that have been mentioned already? I will love to have your feedback. Epilogue I experienced a cocktail of emotions when I heard the news of the recent bombings in Abuja and the abductions of the school girls, we really are contending with so much as a nation. Recently a neighbor could not pay for power (with the pre-paid meter system of Power Holding Corporation of Nigeria, PHCN) because there was no paper to print out the receipt. Some of the pot holes on our roads can best be described as death traps; it seems that nothing is working. Yet I strongly believe that ours is not a hopeless situation. Nigeria PLC can (and will) be profitable for all again! Dayo is the President of IIBA Nigeria Chapter and also sits on the IIBA Europe, Middle East and Africa, EMEA, Regional Board.
Posted on: Wed, 07 May 2014 20:17:45 +0000
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