Minneapolis, MN, December 13, 2006 – http://www.watermarklearning.com – Watermark Learning, a leading business analysis and project management training firm, is addressing the biggest challenge facing today’s business analysts.

Many companies today understand the benefit of growing the business analysis functions in their organization. While business analysis can add much value to organizations by increasing corporate efficiency and helping to launch new products and services, there are emerging challenges to be addressed.

“I believe the biggest challenge in projects today is defining requirements,” said Richard Larson, Co-Principal of Watermark Learning. “Business requirements analysis is a recurring challenge and getting requirements right is harder than ever.”

According to Larson, the main issues surrounding requirements definition are:

• Lack of time to gather and analyze requirements
• Clients provide solutions in the guise of requirements
• Finding necessary stakeholders and getting them to consensus once they are found
• Clients cannot articulate their requirements or provide incomplete requirements
• Changing and volatile requirements

“With the evolution of technology and global business, there are even more complications added to the requirements definition mix,” said Larson. “Cross cultural relations and geographically dispersed stakeholders all contribute to the challenge.”

Minneapolis, MN, June 21, 2006 — http://www.watermarklearning.com/businessProcessLdg.html — Watermark Learning, a leader in project management, business analysis and business process modeling training, recently spoke about the necessity of Business Process Modeling (BPM) at the PMI Honolulu Chapter’s Professional Development Day.

Richard Larson, PMP and Watermark Learning Principal, spoke to members of the PMI Honolulu chapter about how they could most efficiently use Business Process Modeling in their organization.

“Watermark Learning is dedicated to providing organizations with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively manage themselves,” said Richard Larson. “Without these skills, organizations are simply unable to adapt to the rapid changes of the business world.”

Watermark Learning believes there are five steps to implementing business process management within an organization:

1. Identify
2. Define
3. Refine
4. Implement
5. Manage

Watermark Learning insists that the secret to successful business process management lies in the development of mechanisms within an organization that enable easy replication of processes as they are developed.

“Ad hoc process makes replication extremely difficult,” said Richard Larson. “When a process is not repeatable, it is out of control.”

The replication and control mantras touted by business process modeling are helping organizations establish ongoing structured processes that are dedicated to achieving corporate efficiency.

Minneapolis, MN, May 25, 2006 — http://www.watermarklearning.com – Watermark Learning, a leader in business analysis, project management training and skill development, is responding to a recurring dilemma facing project managers and business analysts – how to gather business requirements for a reluctant client or sponsor?

Watermark Learning Co-Principal, Richard Larson, PMP, will deliver a presentation on business requirements analysis at the upcoming Delivering Project Excellence event in Scottsdale, AZ, June 5 – 7, 2006.

“Obtaining customer requirements is one of the most difficult stages of project management,” said Richard Larson. “Oftentimes, customers are reluctant, unavailable or simply unable to define their business requirements.”

Larson will directly address this common dilemma facing project managers and will provides tips on how to respectfully question key stakeholders about their real needs and provide recommendations that best meet their business objectives.

In his presentation “Want to Be a ‘Star’ in Requirements Planning?” Larson will share a set of professional interviewing techniques to help project managers and business analysts properly gather business requirements.

These techniques will include:
• How to summarize your findings & recommendations
• How to feel good about asking questions
• How to get stakeholder buy-in and interest