BA Brew - A Business Analysis Podcast

How do you build a Business Analysis Community of Practice that people actually want to be part of?
Jonathan Hunsley and Carlos Pullen-Ferreira are joined by Mahvish Khurum, Principal Business Analyst at the Home Office, who leads a community of more than 400 BAs.
They discuss how Communities of Practice can build capability, improve consistency, encourage collaboration and support professional development.
Mahvish shares practical lessons from growing and sustaining the Home Office BA community, including why consistency matters, how to create different ways for people to participate, the importance of volunteers and why successful communities need to keep listening to their members.
If you're building or running a Business Analysis or change community, this episode is full of practical ideas you can use.
In this episode: what a Community of Practice is; making the business case; getting people involved; maintaining engagement; creating a regular rhythm; supporting volunteers; measuring success; and keeping the community relevant.

What is the ‘secret stakeholder’ in Business Analysis, and how can organisational culture influence your stakeholders, projects and change initiatives?
In this episode of BA Brew, Jonathan Hunsley and Lisa Hudson are joined by Danny Kalkhoven to explore a stakeholder you won’t find on your power-interest grid: organisational culture.
Culture can influence how people behave, how information is shared, how decisions are made and how your work as a Business Analyst is perceived. But how do you identify and manage something that can be difficult to see or define?
Danny shares practical examples from his own experience, including a carefully planned workshop that failed because the culture of the organisation made open information sharing almost impossible.
They discuss:
✔ What the ‘secret stakeholder’ means for Business Analysts
✔ How organisational culture affects stakeholder management and engagement
✔ How to spot informal networks and hidden influence
✔ Why proven Business Analysis techniques can fail in different cultures
✔ What everyday behaviours can reveal about an organisation
✔ How to adapt your BA approach to different organisational cultures
✔ Why finding an organisational ‘tour guide’ can help you understand how things really work
The conversation builds on the ideas Danny presented at the European Business Analysis Conference 2026.
If you work in Business Analysis, stakeholder management or organisational change, watch the full episode to discover why understanding the culture around your stakeholders can be just as important as identifying the stakeholders themselves.
➡️ Explore more BA Brew episodes: https://www.assistkd.com/learning-zone/ba-brew-podcast
➡️ Explore Business Analysis training from AssistKD: https://www.assistkd.com/our-business-training-courses-classes
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What is it like to work as a business analyst with a hearing impairment?
In this episode of BA Brew, Kerry is joined by Abi and Mike, who share their personal experiences of hearing impairments and how it has affected their working lives.
For business analysts, meetings, workshops, stakeholder conversations and collaborative sessions are a fundamental part of the job. But hearing impairments can make those situations significantly more challenging.
Abi and Mike discuss:
The different ways hearing impairments can affect people
The unexpected importance of lip reading
Following conversations in busy meetings and workshops
Why background noise can create a “wall of noise”
The additional concentration and fatigue hearing loss can cause
How hearing loss can affect confidence at work
Hearing aids and assistive technology
Using captions, transcription and AI tools
The UK Government's Access to Work scheme
Reasonable adjustments for training and examinations
How colleagues and facilitators can make meetings more accessible
Abi also shares how Access to Work (https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work) helped her obtain assistive technology that sends voices directly to her hearing aids, helping her participate more confidently in collaborative environments.
And their advice isn't only for people experiencing hearing impairments. Mike encourages anyone who can advocate for people with accessibility needs to “step up and support other people.”
Find out more about AssistKD and business analysis: assistkd.com
📩 Have an idea for a future BA Brew? Contact babrew@assistkd.com
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What does it take to become a Senior Business Analyst, and how can you prepare for the next stage of your business analysis career?
In this episode of The BA Brew, Mike, Lisa and Iurii discuss what being a Senior Business Analyst really means, the skills and experience needed to progress, and the career opportunities available to experienced BA professionals.
They explore the importance of strong core business analysis skills, stakeholder engagement, communication, negotiation and conflict management, as well as the experience and business knowledge that distinguish a senior BA.
The conversation also covers practical ways to progress from Business Analyst to Senior Business Analyst, including:
Developing and broadening your BA skills and experience
Taking on challenging projects and additional responsibility
Building strong stakeholder relationships
Developing communication, negotiation and conflict-management skills
Collaborating effectively with senior stakeholders
Identifying gaps in your skills and experience
Mentoring and supporting other Business Analysts
Building your professional network and engaging with the wider BA community
Exploring career paths beyond the Senior BA role
The panel also considers where a career in business analysis can lead, from BA management and mentoring to product management, consulting, training, business architecture and other roles that draw on business analysis capability.
Whether you're a junior Business Analyst, an experienced BA preparing for promotion or already working at senior level, this episode offers practical advice for taking greater ownership of your professional development and planning your next career move.
Ready to take the next step in your business analysis career?
Whether you're building your core BA skills, working towards a recognised professional qualification or developing the advanced capabilities needed for a more senior role, AssistKD offers business analysis training for every stage of your career.
Explore our Business Analysis courses, BCS qualifications and professional development training, available through live virtual classrooms, face-to-face training and self-paced eLearning.
👉 Find the right Business Analysis course for you: https://www.assistkd.com/our-business-training-courses-classes
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Why do so many organisations still struggle to deliver great customer experiences?
In this episode of BA Brew, Stuart Mullinger speaks with Dr Debra Paul and Jonathan Hunsley about their new BCS book, Service Design: A Practical Guide to Creating Customer-Centric Services, and explores why service design has become an essential discipline for organisations seeking to improve customer experience and business transformation.
The discussion covers practical service design techniques, professional standards, collaboration across change professions and how organisations can design services that create better outcomes for customers.
In this episode you'll learn:
✔ Why service design matters more than ever
✔ How to improve customer experience through service design
✔ The Service Design Framework explained
✔ Why business analysts, service designers and business architects work better together
✔ Practical techniques including the Service Definition Canvas and Minimum Viable Service
✔ How AI is influencing the future of service design
✔ Where the profession is heading over the next decade
Whether you're a service designer, business analyst, business architect, digital transformation leader, customer experience professional or change manager, this discussion offers practical insights into creating better organisational services.
Learn more about Service Design
➡ Service Design Guide: https://www.assistkd.com/Why-AssistKD/service-design-training
➡ Service Design Courses: https://www.assistkd.com/courses/service-design-courses
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