As an Agile business analyst, you think analytically
A passion for technology is undoubtedly a plus for an analyst. But in truth, you don’t even have to be able to program. You don’t need an IT degree. Peter Heyns studied social work but thinks analytically, has insight, is eager to learn, and has great social skills. All that makes him the perfect EqualMinds Agile business analyst.
Peter was bitten by the computer science bug at an early age. “I still remember how my brother and I used to program together during the summer. Or how we tried to install Linux on a PC.” But Peter didn’t choose to study IT at college. “No. I trained as a social worker, with a specialization in art and culture mediation.”
Analysis in function of digitization
After graduating in 2008, Peter briefly worked at a jewelry workshop in Antwerp, after which he worked for almost 10 years at the Flemish Department of Culture, Youth, and Media. “In the beginning, I assessed subsidy applications there. From 2010 I started thinking about how the government could digitize its subsidy operations and how the department could standardize parts of the application process.”
Over time, Peter became almost exclusively focused on analysis. “I had become the specialist in the field, and everyone came to me with their questions about digitization and subsidy processes. At the same time, I was also part of a network of Flemish government services, and together we digitized the subsidy process throughout the Flemish government.”
Key moment in thinking and doing
Peter took several courses and experienced a kind of revolution in his thinking. “I understood that we didn’t just have to digitize, we also had to remain customer-friendly. That meant reviewing, streamlining, and improving processes across various Flemish government services.”
This resulted in an ambitious and exciting digitization project, but the government was still taking a very traditional approach to the work. “First analyze everything and then execute everything in one fell swoop. That approach sometimes frustrated me because it just doesn’t work for every project. I think we stopped then.”
It can be done differently…and faster
At a networking event, Peter learned about a different way of designing processes. “Within the department, we still drew processes according to the BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) standard, in which you lay out all the process steps in succession as much as possible and the process follows that path. The new way of modeling — using the CMMN (Case Management Model and Notation) model — allows a much more ad hoc approach.”
The Agency for Home Affairs was eager to get started with CMMN. Peter got the opportunity to work there for six months and he became familiar with the CMMN approach. “They also worked very agilely at the agency, which was a huge relief for me. With the agile approach, you deliver something new every few weeks. And if a problem turns out to be too difficult, you break it up into pieces and solve it little by little.”
Looking for something new
Peter had been commuting from the Kempen to Brussels for 10 years, which became exhausting. He worked for a while for the De Hoge Rielen youth center in Kasterlee but soon missed the link with IT. So he decided to look for a new job as an analyst. “It was a role I had practical experience in but for which I had no formal training. So in 2022, I started training as a functional business analyst.”
Equal minds meet…again
At a recruitment event, Peter met with EqualMinds for the first time. “We had a 10-minute speed date, but after two minutes we’d already clicked. EqualMinds’ expectations matched my profile very closely. And I really liked that the company worked so agilely. I was sure EqualMinds could find projects that would fit my background.”
And so it happened that Peter rejoined the project at the Agency for Domestic Administration where he had worked previously. “The circle is complete! But I work as a consultant now, which offers me variety as I get work on lots of new and different projects.”
Interested in becoming an Agile business analyst too? Contact us!
Eager to know all about our services? Click here.
