David Strong

Want to master the skills to drive customer and business outcomes in an #Agile enterprise? Our SAFe® Product Owner / Product Manager (POPM) course, run by CGI UK Agile Digital Services, gives you the tools and certification to: - Define and prioritise work for maximum value - Collaborate effectively with teams and stakeholders - Apply a customer-centric approach to product development - Work efficiently in remote and distributed environments Learn how product owners and product managers can align strategy with execution to build better products and deliver more value, faster. Join the course and start delivering more impact today: https://bit.ly/44LrQYQ. Next courses: 12-17 June | 4-9 September #WeAreCGI #CGIUK #SAFePOPM #AgileProductManagement #BusinessAgility

17

Test automation plays a critical role in building reliable, user‑centred digital services. Ajit explains how DWP Digital is evolving its test automation approach to support large, complex services used by millions. https://lnkd.in/eAjhRz9g

113

1 Comment

The different BA requirement types… (Do you actually know the difference) I use this requirements pyramid to keep alignment from start to finish. ⇢ Business Requirements = the WHY The outcomes and value we’re chasing (solution-agnostic). ⇢ Stakeholder Requirements = the WHAT What each group needs so the business outcome is achievable. ⇢ Functional Requirements = the HOW (capabilities) What the solution must do (behaviours, rules, workflows). ⇢ Non-Functional Requirements = the HOW WELL (constraints) Performance, security, availability, compliance, usability, etc. ⇢ UAT Test Cases = PROVE IT Evidence the solution meets the requirements in real scenarios. ⇢ Transition Requirements = the BRIDGE Temporary needs to move from the current state to the future state. Quick timing guide: Business + Stakeholder requirements come in early, Functional + Non-Functional get detailed through analysis/design, and UAT confirms it before release… but the key is traceability back to the WHY… If you can’t trace a UAT test back to a business outcome, you’re testing the wrong thing. If you want to learn more, we post detailed lessons as part of our BA mentoring community. If you want to get real experience, we also have a full Mock BA Project, covering the full BA lifecycle… including over 43 deliverables that you can keep. If you found this valuable, give me a follow, and reshare.

99

18 Comments

What’s the difference between a BA and a Senior BA?   It’s definitely not about title or time in the role... It’s about how you think... and the impact you make.   At a high-level, they can look the same. Both join workshops. Both write stories. Both help shape change.   But in practice, their focus is very different.   Business Analyst → Brings clarity to what’s needed → Captures requirements and supports delivery → Focuses on accuracy, structure, and clear communication   Senior Business Analyst → Focuses on why the work matters → Shapes direction and drives alignment across teams → Connects business outcomes with delivery decisions   My post breaks it down side-by-side across the key areas: Analysis, Strategy, Communication, Delivery, and Leadership. We'll be posting a new mini-lesson this week on specific, actionable things to work on to level up from a BA to a Senior BA.   So if you’re ready to stand out as the BA stakeholders want to work with... the one who’s trusted, adds value, and makes things easier...   Then join our BA community 👥   If you found this comparison valuable, give me a follow → Matthew Thomas Holliday and reshare ♻️   #businessanalyst #seniorBA 

1,376

89 Comments

An employment law case — but with big IR35 implications? In Shanks v SQA, an invigilator was found to be a worker due to a fettered substitution clause (usable only if she was ill). It wasn’t a tax case — but the tribunal’s view on personal service is a clear warning for ‘outside IR35’ contractors. Kingsbridge’s advice? ✅ Don’t rely on illness-only RoS ✅ Revise the clause ✅ Or exercise it — even briefly 👉 Full breakdown: https://lnkd.in/e6B6tZx8

22

4 Comments

Isio has connected its first pension scheme to the Pensions Dashboards ecosystem, advancing efforts to transform how savers access and manage retirement savings through collaboration with trustees and technology partner Equisoft. While the industry focuses on the October 2026 technical deadline, Isio urges trustees to view dashboards as more than compliance, instead, a catalyst to enhance data quality, member engagement and financial literacy. Read the story here: https://lnkd.in/eKb2Wrhz #Pensions #PensionsDashboard

94

🎬 Today’s take on Agile It’s January, and you’re likely having conversations with your team about the year ahead. Goals. Expectations. How you want to show up. And you might be tempted to tell them to give 110% this year. That’s understandable. It’s also really bad advice. I don’t believe in 110%. 100% is already the ceiling. And honestly? Operating at 70–80% most of the time is how great teams actually perform. Agile teaches us this — even if we don’t always say it out loud. We don’t plan teams at 100% utilization. We don’t run systems at max capacity. We don’t fill WIP to the limit and expect flow. So why do we expect humans to do exactly that? “110%” isn’t excellence. It’s burnout with better branding. Sustainable teams leave slack. They preserve energy. They keep capacity for when it actually matters. That’s not laziness. That’s professionalism. Agile isn’t about constant intensity. It’s about creating conditions where people can do great work — repeatedly — without breaking. ❓ What advice are you giving your team this year? ✨ Let’s build better products by putting people first!

31

11 Comments

🚨 Leading a PMO isn’t just about keeping the lights on - it’s about driving real business impact. We deliver the UK’s only APM Accredited PMO Leader course which is designed for experienced PMO practitioners ready to tackle the toughest challenges in our profession. Through Project Based Learning and 2 months of mentoring, you’ll learn how to master the “dark arts” of PMO, from Benefits Realisation to Building PMO Culture and implement change that sticks. 👉 Swipe through to see what you’ll learn, who it’s for, and what makes it different. 📆 Public course – 14 - 16 October 2025 ➡️ Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eBgBcaE4

16

“𝑺𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒔” That was the conversation I had today with Katy Gooblar 🐝 and Rebecca Herbert🐝 of Rebel Hive . The assumptions we don’t challenge. The things we think are “obvious”. The expectations we never actually say out loud. They’re rarely malicious, but they are incredibly powerful. Over time, they erode trust, create invisible barriers, and leave people feeling excluded, misunderstood, or blamed for rules they didn’t even know existed. Healthy cultures aren’t built on mind-reading. They’re built on clarity, curiosity, and the willingness to surface what’s unsaid. If something matters, say it. If something feels off, ask it. If something’s assumed, challenge it. Because culture doesn’t usually fail loudly. It shows up quietly, in disengagement, silence, and people slowly switching off. #Leadership #Culture #PsychologicalSafety #InclusiveLeadership #WaysOfWorking #BeMoreDawn

32

4 Comments

🤝 Insurance Leaders - I’d Really Value Your Take For those of you leading underwriting, claims or transformation teams: How are you approaching new skills and capability around data and emerging tech inside your organisation? I keep seeing the same pattern: ❌ Tools are being bought… but not embedded ❌ Transformation is sat in IT… rather than owned across the business ❌ Teams are leaning on vendors… instead of building internal confidence The companies making real progress are doing things differently: • Upskilling actuarial and ops teams in data-led decision making • Hiring people who understand both insurance and technology • Creating roles inside the business to drive adoption, not just implementation 🛑 Big question for 2025: Is this still viewed as an IT initiative - or are you treating it as a core capability the whole organisation needs? I’d genuinely love to hear what’s working (and what isn’t) in your world.

10

1 Comment

You may be looking at change the wrong way up. No matter where you are on your agile journey, one thing is clear: organisations must get better at managing continuous, people-centred change. Delivering faster is no longer enough, you need to deliver sustainably, ensuring your people, processes, and operations can adopt, own, and embed new ways of working at pace. In our latest article, Simon Kane shares 5 core principles to help structure your enterprise approach to change management. Because change isn’t an add-on, it’s the capability that makes transformation stick. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ehGPJxH6 #ChangeManagement #AgileTransformation #changeexperts #managementconsulting

6