Great BA fallacies #1

A fallacy is a component of a justification which is logically flawed and so makes the whole justification invalid.

This first fallacy I want to draw attention to is called "argument from authority" and is the argument that goes "it must be true because so-and-so said so". Because some one - or loads of people for that matter - or everyone - says something is true does not by itself make it true.

The use of this fallacy is staggeringly common - I've lost count of the JFDI requirements given to me because a Director of Something wants it and therefore it must be right. And then there is that Subject Matter Expert Who Knows Everything (or does he?)...even Einstien is often brought in to a discussion to try and prove a point.

ABC - ask, believe nothing and no-one, check: that's what a user told me this week. So beautifully put!

The bit that is relevant for this Great BA Fallacy is "believe no-one" - that doesn't mean everyone is a liar, it just means don't accept anything on face value, without checking and proving to your satisfaction that it is - actually - true.

The point is that it should not matter who's saying what, what matters is whether it is true. I mean, Einstien seemed to know his stuff about relativity but not (apparently) when it came to quantum mechanics: this illustrates no-one is infallible (well no-one I have ever heard of or met). In every day living this is not as important but as a Business Analyst analysing change requirements it is vital that I can prove that every change requirement I define is actually required - so unless I understand the logical reasoning that justifies a change requirement I will not accept what someone says just because it is them saying it.

I apply that principle even when it is another Business Analyst telling me something. Or a BA guru...in fact especially a BA guru! Unless I can understand the chain of reasoning and can not fault it, I should not (rationally) agree with it.

ABC.