SoftServe Conducted the First International BA Virtual Conference—Unlocking BA Capabilities

This brand new event format energized our Business Analysis (BA) community, bringing back to life opportunities for knowledge sharing, networking, and cooperation for business analysts affected by the COVID-19 lockdown.

To our surprise, the online mode was not a blocker. In actuality, it helped us reimagine the conference concept and experiment. When you follow your dreams and do good things, you’ll encounter people who share the same values. We were lucky to interact with the best of the best thought leaders on our way, and our dream came true. What are the chances to meet such great superstars in the Business Analysis world at your home and ask them fundamental questions?

‘It's great to see initiatives driven from the grassroots of an organization. The BA team at SoftServe was looking for ways to liven up the lockdown and so created an online conference for their fellow BA's’ — said Jane Piper, CEO at Pipsy GmbH, one of the speakers.

Experts from nine countries attended the conference. Around 300 BAs and many of SoftServe’s employees had a chance to watch live sessions, interact, ask questions, and join the Zoom Afterparty or collaboration games with their colleagues and speakers. Among starring speakers included Joe Newbert, Non-Executive Director IIBA® South Africa Chapter, Andrej Guštin, Vice President IIBA® Slovenia Chapter, Stefan Bossuwé, Joint President IIBA® Brussels Chapter, Reiner Wendt, President IIBA® Germany Chapter, Doug Goldberg, Business Architect, and Lead Business Analyst, Avanade, Milena Mileva, Vice President IIBA® Bulgaria Chapter, Debra Paul, Managing Director, Assist Knowledge Development Ltd, Suzanne Robertson, Principal, The Atlantic Systems Guild Ltd, Sarah Williams, Business & Usability Analyst, Linklaters LLP, David White, VP Digital Platforms, SoftServe, Mykola Kotliarenko, Senior BA, SoftServe, CCBA, Dessislava Solakova, Senior BA, SoftServe, CCBA, Nati Nazar, BAO Director, SoftServe.

“This is the time when people lack communications, networking, visiting live events, and conferences. Everybody misses that and is only focused on work and sitting at home. Our goal was to show that WFH is not the end, and we can keep moving forward and develop ourselves using different online tools, network, enthusiasm, and passion for the BA profession”, — says Nati Nazar, SoftServe BAO Director.

The main topics discussed include strategic business analysis, holistic business analysis, usability analysis, agile and agility, business analysis, AI and cybersecurity, workplace culture for BAs, selling services to enterprises, BA value proposition, and other topics.