Business Transformation Fellowship Welcome Guide | by BTF Coaches

Welcome to the Business Transformation Fellowship!

This Welcome Guide is here to help you navigate starting your apprenticeship journey successfully, by providing tips to consider your mindset and habits, paving the way for achieving your goals with confidence.

It provides you with guidance on how to make the most out of your apprenticeship, highlighting how to create great behaviours and opening your eyes to what’s possible for you over the next 13-15 months.

Embrace the Journey Ahead

"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire."

- Arnold H. Glasow

You have done it! You have taken the first step on your journey to becoming a qualified Business Analyst. We are very happy that you have joined us as part of the Business Transformation Fellowship (BTF).

Applying for and being accepted onto the programme is just the first step, and it’s an important one. Everything starts with a choice - you decide how much success you get out of this, by deciding what energy you put in.

In a world where digitisation is quickly reshaping every facet of our lives, this apprenticeship empowers you to proactively navigate the ever-changing business landscape and stay one step ahead of the curve in your career, adding value to your organisation. 

We encourage you to embrace and apply the tools and techniques that you acquire through this program, where we equip you with Business Analyst knowledge, skills, and behaviours (KSBs) needed to thrive in the digital era. Armed with the best practices and methods that you learn on this programme, you will become trendspotters for your organisations, while also playing key roles as efficiency drivers, cost-savers, and creative change makers. 

To help you start embracing and reflecting on what is possible for you, at this point of your apprenticeship find some time to consider the following questions, and note down your answers:

• What's your motivation for taking on this business transformation program?
• What is driving you to take on this challenge?
• Imagine yourself in 13 months, what you will have accomplished, what does that feel like?
• What do you need to commit to now to ensure that in 13 months you will feel a sense of accomplishment, joy and pride?

If you're unsure of the answers to these questions right now, don't worry. Your development is a journey, not a destination, and as Coaches, we're excited to be your guide on this path to your professional success. 

‘You will learn a lot on this course, provided you put the time and effort into it.’

-BTF Apprentice, Month 7

Creating Great Behaviours

‘It is not going to be easy, but it will be worthwhile and does not just assist with your working life and position but also your whole life in and out of work.’

- BTF Apprentice, Month 8

• Be Purposeful - commit at least six hours of the working week to the apprenticeship and its activities, whether that be workshops, coaching, applying the learning and/or Community events
• Be Proactive - look to plan out time to complete apprentice work such as your Activate e-learning and module projects
• Be Honest - with both yourself and your coach. If you are not sure about anything apprenticeship related or how you can fit everything into your working week, speak to your coach who can help you to make everything fit 
• Be Curious - learn new things, ask plenty of questions, and lean into that uncomfortable feeling as that is where growth will take place

Extra Coach Tip: 

• Understanding the KSBs - The knowledge, skills and behaviours (or KSBs for short) are what underpins the content within the BTF apprenticeship programme. Become familiar with each KSB as you go through each module of the programme, so you can consistently learn, practice and effortlessly apply skills to become Business Transformation experts, subsequently delivering significant change to your organisation. Your Coach will share more detail on the KSBs in due course.

Get Into the Apprentice Rhythm

"Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out."

- Robert Collier

To help live these behaviours, there is a rhythm to be built as you first join the programme, which may take two to three months to work out and may need to be adjusted throughout the apprenticeship. The basis of  ‘the apprentice rhythm’  is understanding the monthly schedule. On the BTF programme, you can expect the following schedule:

Week 1 - Activate e-learning to be completed (2-3 hours) and the remaining 3-4 hours to apply your learning, finish your module project, attend Community events, etc.

Week 2 - Live module workshop (3 hours)  and remaining 3 hours to apply your learning, explore further around the module topic, continue your module project, attend Community events, etc.

Week 3 and 4 - Coaching session (1:1 or group coaching) completed in one of these two weeks and the other time spent completing your module project, knowledge checks, attending Community events, working towards your objectives, and applying the learning.

Throughout your time on the BTF apprenticeship, your Coach will be on hand to guide you through the programme alongside supporting you to achieve your own professional and departmental objectives. Your Launch Meeting and initial 1:1 Coaching session is a great opportunity to plan and reflect on your apprenticeship rhythms early on with your Apprentice Manager and Coach. 

Understanding the rhythm, enables you to understand the minimum expectation of yourself and strike a balance between the ask from your day-to-day work and getting the maximum value from the apprenticeship. 

What are some ways you can create your own rhythm?

Top Tips from Apprentices

• ‘Start doing OTJ immediately, look up a few community events for the first few weeks.’ - Apprentice at Month 8
• ‘Consider a few projects before you start, so you can use them for the different module assignments.’ - Apprentice at Month 8
• ‘Keep communication consistently open with your apprentice manager and coach’ - Apprentice at Month 9

The Art of the Possible 

"Believe you can and you're halfway there."

- Theodore Roosevelt

As you embark on this apprenticeship, always keep in mind the art of what's possible. This is your chance to challenge the status quo in your organisation, bring fresh perspectives, and make a real-life impact.

Embrace innovation and creativity, for they are the driving forces behind transformative change. Approach each module and project with an open mind, asking questions, challenging conventions and pushing boundaries. Collaboration is key in business transformation, so cultivate strong relationships with your coach, fellow apprentices and your Apprentice Manager. 

We have seen the impact at different stages in the programme across individuals in roles varying from pure business analysts to PMO analysts to data analysts.  
Everyone already has tools from their previous roles and once you get a grounding in the BTF programme soon see the impact and benefits you can bring by sharing your learning, applying your newfound knowledge, and also working together with other apprentices on the programme.  

Here are 2 examples of the impact we have seen so far:

• An Apprentice Manager's view: "Being able to define monthly and quarterly objectives alongside the apprenticeship learning requirement has allowed the team to implement and see the benefit of the learnings up close.  Our team has recently taken the opportunity to redesign our internal recruitment process and I have seen my direct report really take the lead in conducting and leading a gap analysis and modelling the new process which has been in place for 4 months.   I felt involved in getting the objective set and discussing the successes in the quarterly progress review, which made for a rich conversation celebrating success. We are now looking to define the benefits of this work in terms of time saved and this will really show the impact fully.” 
• A BTF Coach view: “As a coach, I am lucky enough to meet with my apprentices a couple of times a month. My latest BTF apprentices started the Programme in March 2023.  During their launch meeting, most have been saying that following our Module 1 delivery they already have tools to use within their team and that they can’t wait to learn more. One in particular ran a session on the MOST analysis tool that we completed in break-out rooms and they with their colleagues were able to set better and smarter objectives as part of their team day for the next financial year.  A couple of apprentices are running workshops to shape a business case for 2024 and they have been able to utilise the swimlane processes to help them define the current state from Module 2 learning so that in June this year the Future state can be defined and requirements and use case written”. 

So now focus on what is the art of the possible for you.

We recommend as part of the apprenticeship you create a regular reflection practice to ensure you are achieving what you wanted to achieve and more importantly what you have learned and overcome. 

Take time out to reflect more, it's part of the Goal Setting and Alignment process you do at launch. 

• Write down your key wins - small and big as you go 
• Do you celebrate your success and if so how? 
• What challenges have you faced and overcome? 

What is your greatest highlight on your BTF Apprenticeship journey so far?

"Proving to myself that I can do it, I was very apprehensive at the beginning of the programme, but seeing that my role does fit the course and that there was a lot that I knew but a lot that I could learn to help me as a person. Branching out in my role so I can look ahead to achieve my goals, one step at a time.” - Apprentice, Month 9

Final Tip

Through this apprenticeship, you will need to embody resilience, adaptability, and perseverance. Importantly, never lose sight of your goals, starting with understanding your ‘why’. 

By forming good habits, nurturing your own professional development, and embracing the mindset of ‘what's possible’, you will achieve your potential.

This is just the beginning of an exciting journey, and we are happy to have you on board. Embrace every moment, and challenge the status quo on your Business Transformation journey.

Georgina Nellins-Venus, Natasha Kamson-Odoi, and Sean Patten are Multiverse Business Transformation Coaches based in the UK.