Your Chapter Director of Member Services:  Maggie Xu

What motivated you to volunteer with IIBA® Calgary Chapter?

• In 2015, I joined IIBA Calgary Chapter in the Volunteer Coordinator position. During that time, I was thinking about applying to the Business Analysis Certification course at Mount Royal University. I like that it is a really good way to meet up with other Business Analysts in a new city.

What value does your Board position/portfolio provide to members of the Calgary Chapter?

• As the Director of Member Services, I develop and execute strategies for member engagement and retention, review membership activity, (new, expiration), and manage chapter enquiries from members and interested parties. I also issue volunteer callouts and coordinate the volunteer pool. Prepare and manage surveys for Chapter feedback.

What is your favorite past time or hobby?

• I have been taking Latin dance classes on the weekends for a couple of years, like Salsa and Bachata. It is a really good opportunity for me to burn calories! I am interested in learning other types of dance in the near future, maybe West Coast Swing or New Jazz.

What book/podcast would you recommend to our members?

•  'Writing Effective Use Cases' by Alistair Cockburn. More and more people are writing use cases, for behavioural requirements, for software systems or to describe business processes. This book contains the guidelines the writer uses in real use case writing and coaching; how a person might think, what he/she might observe, to end up with a better use case.

​What tip, trick or advice can you suggest that will help your fellow BA's succeed?

• Resourcefulness. Business analysts know how to find the answers to questions and don't wait for the answers to come to them. They find alternative paths through organizations and involve the right people at the right time. Good business analysts rarely get stopped for long and can often work through challenging situations to come through to a solution.
• Create Clarity. Business analysts bring a unique blend of critically important soft skills and analysis skills. And clarity does not simply mean that you get sign-off on the spec.  A good business analyst doesn't rely on sign-offs and hundred-page documents; they use analysis techniques to drill into details and ask relevant questions. They get buy-in, not just sign-off, during the verification and validation process. And they get the appropriate details to ensure true clarify emerges.