BA Bites - From 5G to Smart Cities: Finding Business Opportunities in Connected Data and Processes

In this episode, Benjamen Walsh breaks down how advanced connectivity — from 5G and 6G networks to IoT and edge computing — is reshaping the world of business analysis.
Discover where the biggest opportunities lie for BAs and strategic leaders: in connected data, process optimisation, and the new skills that will define digital transformation in the decade ahead.

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
We're diving into one of the biggest shifts happening in IT
right now, the rise of advance connectivity.
I'm talking about 5G6, GI, OT, edge computing, and smart city
technology, but not as buzzwords, but as a massive

(00:21):
enabler of process change and data-driven opportunity.
The Better Business Analysis Institute presence, the Better
Business Analysis Podcast with Kingman Walsh.
Welcome back everyone to the Better Business Analysis podcast

(00:44):
with your host Benjamin Walsh. And today we are going to be
talking about the topic about 5G, about smart cities, finding
business opportunities and connected data and processes.
Now here's the thing, most people hear 5G and think faster
downloads or better mobile coverage.

(01:07):
But if you look at it through the lens of a business analyst,
you start to see a web of data and connected processes that can
transform industries, operations, and customer
experiences. So today we're going to unpack
one, what advanced connectivity really means for businesses, 2,

(01:29):
how business analysts can identify opportunities in
connected data flows and automation.
And three, the new types of analysis and skills we'll need
as connectivity scales. Let's start with the connected
opportunity. 5G and 6G networks are creating ultra low latency

(01:53):
connections, meaning basically that data can move between
devices, sensors and systems andnear real time.
So if you combine that with IoT,which are sensors, so Internet
of Things is what it stands for,but they're sensors effectively
you can buy them off express if you want to, billions of sensors

(02:13):
and cameras and smart devices. That's why IoT, you've suddenly
got live operational data everywhere, and then if you had
an edge, computing which processes that data locally
rather than sending everything back to the cloud.
And that's very important. This means faster insights,

(02:34):
lower costs, and new levels of automation, right?
It sounds a bit technical, but here's the B aliens.
Every sensor or device is part of a process.
Every data point is a potential decision maker or trigger.
Every connected system creates an opportunity to add or lose

(02:59):
value. So the role of the BA is to map
out where this connectivity meets the business.
Where does new data appear? How does it change decisions
that are being made, services that are delivered, or risks
that need to be mitigated? OK, there's some questions for

(03:20):
you. Let's dive into Segment 2, which
is finding opportunities in thatdata and the processes is really
where it gets real. So we'll take 2 examples here
though. Utilities and energy.
So smart meters, you've probablygot one in your house that
measures the electricity usage you've got and IoT sentences

(03:40):
consistently stream usage and fault data.
The opportunity, massive predictive maintenance, dynamic
pricing and customer transparency.
ABA can define the data flows, map the processes and I guess
qualify the business impact by putting those in, right.

(04:00):
So if we do this flip side, you used to have a meter person who
had to come around and took yourmeter.
Well, that's going to cost money.
You know, you can get rid of that, but smart meters are going
to cost a lot of money to run. So is that a positive business
case? And, and it was and a lot of
people are starting to do that. And then if you turn to local

(04:21):
government or smart cities, which is totally an era that I'm
getting more and more interestedabout, you've got traffic
sensors, you've got waste bins like GPS on them, knowing where
they are, lighting systems, theyall generate operational data,
right? And so the opportunity is that
there's prices improvement, fewer like I go truck routes,

(04:45):
lower costs, reduced emissions. the BA ours is BAS can connect
their data to performance metrics and deliver service
delivery goals for making, I don't know a city smarter or
managing traffic better or making sure we know when lights
are out. And in healthcare, you dipped

(05:06):
into this again, I have AI have a ring that measures everything,
which is interesting. And I find it much better than
the wearable watch that I've hadpreviously.
The wearables, remote monitoringand connected diagnosis, There's
an opportunity there. It shifts us from reactive to
preventive care, which saves a lot of money.

(05:28):
And for the BA, it's about analyzing stakeholder needs,
patient journeys and the data that's dependencies between
them. You know what, what data can we
collect and sharing that. And obviously security and all
that are, are really key in thisas well.
So when we talk about 5G or IoT,what we're really talking about
is the ability to sense, decide and act faster, OK, sense,

(05:52):
decide and act faster. That's a process story.
And the B as job is to identify which process benefit most from
that speed and that visibility. So you can think where are
manual decisions still slowing things down?
Where can data remove guesswork or delay?

(06:13):
Where can predictive analysis orautomation improve outcomes?
These are prime BA opportunities, and they set
light at the intersect between business process, technology,
capability and custom value, which is where BAS love to play.
So what does this mean for BAS and leaders, right?
What does this mean for us? Firstly, data literacy becomes a

(06:36):
core skill for BA, so I've talked about it often.
I've done two years of data dataproject.
You don't have to be a data scientist, but you need to
understand data flows, sources, latency, value, process steps
where the data is generated, APIs.
Secondly, process modelling needs to evolve.
So we do process modelling, but you don't just map human

(06:57):
activities, but the digital onestoo now.
So including sensors and bots and APIs and events, you need to
incorporate that. We used to not put technology,
which was the solution. And now if that, that used to
just be a data store or a place that you had your engine.
Now you've got sensors and that might be a data source.
So I'll give you a great examplethat I've just had.

(07:18):
Does that user need to fill in aform about their address or does
the mobile phone already know their address?
OK, that's AIT effectively. Thirdly is collaboration.
So BAS can now sit between IT architects, operations and
strategy. You'll need to connect those
business outcomes to the the actual network and data

(07:40):
capabilities underneath them. So if you're thinking about a
big process diagram, all the different levels, having
introducing a level of data was something we started doing a few
years ago should definitely havea data area there.
And now you might even have network and sensors think like a
value designer and we talk aboutvalue engineering.
It's something that I want the word to to, to take off.

(08:04):
Every connected device is an opportunity to measure and
improve something. And every data stream can fuel a
new service, a better customer experience or a cost saving
initiative if we analyze it properly and use, you know,
those technologies and those data sources.
So as we move further into this connected world, the best BAS

(08:25):
won't just capture requirements,they'll think transitioning
connectivity into capability, turning streams of sensor data
into smart decisions and Better Business outcomes.
If you're working in BAIT strategy or digital delivery,
now's the time to ask these three questions.
What data do we already have? What can we collect or what's

(08:48):
coming that we're not using yet?And how can we turn that data
into insights, automation, or value?
Because that's where the next wave of Business Innovation will
come from, not just from the tech itself, but what we do with
it. To start looking at this
technology, start understanding how it can affect your processes
today, and I'll speak to you next week.