Valuable lessons for the Business Analyst from the Matrix Movie trilogy.

1. What I learned about Business
Analysis by watching the Matrix movie
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2. What I learned about Business Analysis by watching
the Matrix movie
The Matrix Business Analysis
The Question: What is the Matrix? Why do IT Projects often fail?
The Truth: an enduring conflict; Man and The Truth: People tend to have great belief
Machines are at war. in stories that have very little evidence to
support them.
The Dream World (the Matrix): an A peculiarity of the human mind: the
illusion/simulation placed in our minds to confidence that people have in their
blind us from the Truth. beliefs is a judgment of the coherence of
the story that the mind manages to
construct with little or no sensitivity to the
information it does not have. The image of
reality that we keep in our minds can be
severely biased and can ultimately blind us
from the truth.
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3. What I learned about Business Analysis by watching the Matrix
movie
The Matrix Business Analysis
The Agents: Gate Keepers totally Each individual’s: background, personality,
dedicated to keeping humans enslaved goals, opinions, and expectations. These
inside the Matrix by making sure that characteristics work relentlessly to
they totally believe that the simulation is maintain an individual’s confidence in his
real. current beliefs.
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4. What I learned about Business Analysis by watching the Matrix
movie
The Matrix Business Analysis
Becoming the One: The One battled the The impact of effective Business Analysis:
Agents to death and through this painful Business analysts must face and overcome
process he gained intimate awareness of the natural predispositions of stakeholders
the artificiality of the Matrix. that hold them hostage to their individual
‘dream worlds’. Business Analysts must
bring to the surface all discrepancies
between stakeholders’ goals, opinions, and
expectations. Then it must skillfully lead
them to a proper consensus on what they
should be and what an acceptable solution
is.
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5. What I learned about Business Analysis by watching the Matrix
movie
The Matrix Business Analysis
The Power of the one: because of his Like the one, the Business Analyst (BA) must
intimate awareness of the artificiality of have a keen awareness of the natural tendency
the matrix, the one could exert of stakeholders to build somewhat ‘artificial’
stories in their minds that may not incorporate
unparalleled control over it.
accurate and pertinent information. The BA
must scrutinize any information provided to him
from stakeholders and facilitate an open
discussion around them to reach consensus. It is
such keen awareness from the BA that allows
him/her to guide Business Requirements
elicitation meetings to satisfactory conclusions.
It also allows him to later analyze, validate and
verify all information gathered.
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6. What I learned about Business Analysis by watching the Matrix
movie
The Matrix Business Analysis
The power of the One also allowed him to Furthermore, the BA’s awareness must
influence machines outside of the Matrix. include a substantial amount of Empathy
for each Stakeholder to really understand
them and accurately capture their
opinions. This also contributes to earning
long lasting trust from stakeholders that
spans beyond Business elicitation meetings
into other phases of the SDLC.
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7. What I learned about Business Analysis by watching the Matrix
movie
The Matrix Business Analysis
The One sees the future: the One evolved When Business Analysis is properly
to the point where he could see future performed its artifacts become powerful
events with remarkable accuracy inside planning tools. For example, by correctly
and outside the Matrix and timely specifying the Requirements of
an acceptable solution (a.k.a. scoping-the
first piece of the Project Management Iron
Triangle), it greatly improves accurately
planning delivery dates and cost (the other
two components of the Project
Management Iron Triangle).
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8. What I learned about Business Analysis by watching the Matrix
movie
The Matrix Business Analysis
The Architect: the Ultimate Agent and the The Architect represents a situation where
Embodiment of Control a Stakeholder is so deeply entrenched in
his/her dream world that the best Business
Analyst (and many before him) could not
reach out to him/her.
The Merovingian: when the One breaks When Business Analysis goes horribly
bad wrong -no further comments!
Déjà vu: When unexpected changes are Déjà vu is the Resistance to change
made to the Matrix by Agents to fight the Business Analysts face.
Truth
Cypher: embodiment of betrayal A stakeholder too afraid to embrace the
Truth for very questionable reasons
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9. What I learned about Business Analysis by watching the Matrix
movie
The Matrix Business Analysis
Morpheus: Faithful believer in the Pragmatic Cohesion among other Business
prophecy of the return of the One Analysis consulting organizations.
Trinity: the One’s true love Outstanding Business Analysts are Saints:
yes I said it!
Déjà vu: When unexpected changes are Déjà vu is the Resistance to change
made to the Matrix by Agents to fight the Business Analysts face.
Truth 
Zion: Hope for redemption IAG, IIBA, PMI, INCOSE
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10. For Comments and Questions contact didier@pragmaticohesion.com
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