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The Business AnalystThe Business Analyst TheThe Pivotal IT Role Pivotal IT Role
of the Futureof the Future
Presented by:Presented by:
Kathleen B. (Kitty) Hass, PMPKathleen B. (Kitty) Hass, PMPProject Management and Business Analysis Practice LeaderProject Management and Business Analysis Practice Leader
[email protected]@managementconcepts.com
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1. The Past – Challenged Projects
2. The Future – High Stakes
3. The Project Performance Partnership
4. The Professional Business Analyst
5. Business Analyst Development Program
6. Requirements Engineering Considerations
AgendaAgenda
3
The Past – a Dismal RecordThe Past – a Dismal Record
Over Time or Budget: 53%
Failed: 18%
Succeeded:29%
71%
I.T. Projects in the United States, 2004 Survey *
* Source: The Standish Group, 2004 Third Quarter Research Report
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The Present – Still TroublingThe Present – Still Troubling
Succeeded:35%
Failed: 19%
Over Time or Budget: 46%
65%
I.T. Projects in the United States, 2006 Survey *
* Source: The Standish Group, 2006 Chaos Report
Nearly ⅔ of all projects fail or run into trouble.
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What the Experts Say – The Root Cause is Poor Business What the Experts Say – The Root Cause is Poor Business RequirementsRequirements
Meta Group Research - “Communication challenges between business teams and technologists are chronic - we estimate that 60%-80% of project failures can be attributed directly to poor requirements gathering, analysis, and management.”
Forrester Research - “Poorly defined applications have led to a persistent miscommunication between business and IT that largely contributes to a 66% project failure rate for these applications, costing U.S. businesses at least $30B every year.”
James Martin - “56% of defects can be attributed to requirements, and 82% of the effort to fix defects.”
Source: www.iiba.com/events.cfm#pww
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Change is the norm
Fierce competition is the driver
Lean thinking is the latest call to action
Success is the only option
Strategy depends on projects
The Future – Fierce CompetitionThe Future – Fierce Competition
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Projects are essential to the growth and survival of today’s organizations
Projects create value by responding to changing environment, competition, marketplace to
– Improve business processes– Eliminate waste & drive inefficiencies out of operations– Offer new products and services– Flow higher value to customers
Often business needs can only be satisfied by large change initiatives that have a significant IT component
Result: a never-ending demand for new IT systems
– IT is viewed as a value provider– IT is faced with an extraordinary combination of pressures – How can we eliminate most of the challenged and failed projects?
The Future - IT is at the Heart of Business StrategyThe Future - IT is at the Heart of Business Strategy
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Executives have their eyes on the IT portfolio to ensure that they:– Understand their capacity to deliver– Invest in the right mix of projects– Develop expert capabilities & optimize their
resources – Cancel high-risk, under performing projects– Deliver flawlessly– Flow value through the business to customers
The BA role is now about value!
Achieve Strategy Through ProjectsAchieve Strategy Through Projects
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Can You Relate?Can You Relate?
How has the past been for you?
How critical are the projects you are working on?
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A bridge is built between the business and technical communities
The business need is understood before solutions are developed
The customer is involved in the project throughout the life cycle
Breaking the Cycle of Challenged ProjectsBreaking the Cycle of Challenged Projects
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The New Project LeadersThe New Project Leadersare Strategy Executorsare Strategy Executors
In the past, PMs were primarily implementers of solutions
– Narrow orientation focused on technical implementations– Skills narrow focused on budget, schedule, specs
Role undergoing major transformation due to new business realities
– Effective project management tantamount to effective business management
– Skills broadened, encompassing all aspects of business management Business Analyst role professionalizing
Project leadership teams emerging
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How Well Do We Execute Strategy?How Well Do We Execute Strategy?
Studies indicate that less than 10% of strategies successfully formulated are effectively executed
– 85% of executives spend less than one hour per month on strategy
– 95% of the workforce don’t understand their organization’s strategy
– 60% of organizations do not link strategies to the budget– 70% of organizations do not link strategies to incentives
Source: David Norton, Project Balanced Scorecards – a Tool for Alignment, Teamwork and Results.
ProjectWorld & The World Congress for Business Analysts Conference Proceedings, November 2005
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Combining disciplines leads to success
– Business analyst– Project manager– Business visionary– System architect/technical lead
Each taking the lead depending on the project needs
Determined to break the cycle of challenged projects
The Project Performance PartnershipThe Project Performance Partnership
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Traditional Project TeamTraditional Project Team
Business Team &
End-users
IT Architecture
TeamTest Team
Project Manager
Business Sponsor
BusinessAnalyst
Team Leads
Test Manager
Architect
BusinessVisionary
DevelopmentTeam
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Core Project Team ConceptCore Project Team Concept
Business Team &
End-users
IT Architecture
Team
Test Team Project
Manager
Business Sponsor
BusinessAnalyst
Team Leads
Test Manager
Architect
BusinessVisionary
DevelopmentTeam
SMEs
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A senior position in the enterprise placed either in
– Business units– IT organization
As IT moves beyond efficiency to business effectiveness
– BA becomes the central figure on the project team who is “bi-lingual” – i.e., speaks both business and technical languages
Differs from traditional IS analysis in that it focuses almost exclusively on adding value to the business
Enter The Professional Business AnalystEnter The Professional Business Analyst
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Typical Business AnalystTypical Business Analyst
40 years old
Well educated
Paid $78K per year
Hails from IT
More than 5 years experience performing BA functions
– 36% > 10 years
Analysis skills acquired on the job
Disturbingly, they report
– Most of their projects do not deliver all requirementsSource: The New Business Analyst: A Strategic Role in the Enterprise,
November 2006 Evans Data Corporation Research Study
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Ambiguity in the BA RoleAmbiguity in the BA Role
Business Analysis 29.3%
Project Management 18.7%
Developer, Engineer, Development Lead
15.4%
Subject Matter Expert, Domain Expert 13.5%
Tester, Test Lead 10.1%
Other 13.0%
Source: The New Business Analyst: A Strategic Role in the Enterprise,
November 2006 Evans Data Corporation Research Study
Conclusion: there is a need for Business Analyst competency and career path definition
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Business Analyst Career PathBusiness Analyst Career Path
Level Proficiency Responsibilities Competencies
Strategic Ability to perform strategic tasks with minimal direction
Strategic PlanningEnterprise AnalysisMentoring
Business & IT StrategyProgram and Portfolio Mgt.Systems Engineering, BPR, Six SigmaEnterprise ArchitectureBusiness Case Development
Senior Ability to perform complex tasks with minimal coaching
Elicit, Analyze, Specify, Validate, Manage Requirements
Business & IT DomainsProject & Program Mgt.Systems Engineering, BPR, Six SigmaRequirements Engineering
Intermediate Ability to perform simple-to-moderately complex tasks with minimal assistance
Elicit, Analyze, Specify, Validate, Manage Requirements
Business &/or IT DomainProject ManagementBPR, Six SigmaWorkshop FacilitationRequirements Modeling
Associate Ability to perform simple tasks with assistance
ScribeSimple modelsHelp Desk support
PM/BA PrinciplesBPR, Six Sigma PrinciplesBusiness Writing
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Technical Analytical Business Leadership
• Systems engineering concepts and principles
• Fundamentals of business analysis
• Business process improvement and reengineering
• Fundamentals of project management
• Complex modeling techniques
• Ability to conceptualize and think creatively
• Strategic and business planning
• Capacity to articulate vision
• Communication of technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Techniques to plan, document, analyze, trace and manage requirements
• Communication of business concepts to technical audiences
• Organizational change management; management of power and politics
• Testing, verification, and validation
• Requirements risk assessment and management
• Business outcome thinking
• Problem solving, negotiation, and decision-making
• Technical writing • Administrative, analytical, and reporting skills
• Business writing • Team management, leadership, mentoring, and facilitation
• Rapid prototyping • Cost / benefit analysis • Business case development
• Authenticity, ethics, and integrity
• Technical domain knowledge
• Time management and personal organization
• Business domain knowledge
• Customer relationship management
Staffing Surveys Reveal Increasing Demand for Senior Staffing Surveys Reveal Increasing Demand for Senior BAs Who are Multi-SkilledBAs Who are Multi-Skilled
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Business Analyst Organizational PlacementBusiness Analyst Organizational Placement
Level Organizational Placement
Strategic Part of an enterprise-wide PMO or center of excellence with a strategic focusWorking on pre-project analysis, serving as BA for strategic initiatives, and managing projects for value
Senior • In IT (67%)• The business may not take ownership of problems
• In BU (10.8%) • Difficult for BAs to feel like a “community of practice” and hard
to manage BA standards and improvements
Intermediate Usually placed in IT
Junior Usually placed in IT
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BA Role - The PastBA Role - The Past
Elicitation AnalysisElicitation Specification Validation andDocumentation
Requirements PhaseRequirements Phase
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For the system architect, poor requirements results in– A disconnect between what IT builds and what the business
needs For the project manager, inadequate requirements lead to
– Poor estimates– Time and cost management becoming virtually impossible
For the business– Challenged/failed project– Business needs not met
Getting Requirements RightGetting Requirements Right
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BA Role - The FutureBA Role - The Future
EnterpriseAnalysis
Strategic Planning Requirements Design
Construction Test DeliverOperations
andMaintenance
Deactivate
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What do Today’s BAs Really Do?What do Today’s BAs Really Do?
Enterprise analysisBusiness architecture
Opportunity analysis
Problem analysis
Solution feasibility analysis
Business case development
Solution assessment and validation
Benefits measurement and management
Requirements managementPlanning
Elicitation
Analysis
Specification
Validation
Change management
Communication
Organizational changeOrganizational readiness
Organizational change management
Business artifacts: business policies, procedures, rules, training, retooling, restructuring
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EnterNew Mkts
Increase
Quality
GrowMarket Share
ReduceCosts
ImproveShopper
Experience
Certify 1000 Reps
Coaching
Job-related
e-learning
HigherHiringStds
LearningManageme
ntSystem
TMMNAITF*
In-storeLearningKiosks
ContentAcquisitio
n
Training
Policy
etc.
DB Boxes Apps etc.
Certificate
Process
The BA Drives Strategic AlignmentThe BA Drives Strategic AlignmentThe BA Drives Strategic AlignmentThe BA Drives Strategic Alignment
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Strategic Business Analyst Role: Strategic Business Analyst Role: Managing the Business ValueManaging the Business Value
1. During the project life cycle
– Once projects are funded, they must be managed throughout the project life cycle to ensure that the business case remains valid and continued investment in the project is still warranted
2. After solution delivery
– Once the project delivers the new business solution, the Business Analyst ensures organizational measurements are in place:
– Actual benefits that are achieved vs. – Benefits promised in the business case
3. For solution enhancements
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Business Solution ValueBusiness Solution Value
Cost to Develop, Operate and Retire the Solution
Business Value
Deployment
Value = Benefits – Costs to Develop, Operate, Retire
Project Costs
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The BA & PM partner to conduct requirements phase planning and to
Understand (or create if non-existent)– Business vision, drivers, goals and objectives – Business needs, environment & constraints– Business case, project charter, and scope definition
Assemble and educate the requirements team
Define the requirements artifacts to be produced (documents, graphs, models, matrices)
Develop the requirements management plan– Use your PM to help plan requirements activities
Requirements PlanningRequirements Planning
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Discovery– Interview management and end users– Review current business process, supporting systems,
studies– Document business problem and opportunity
Current Vs. future business architecture– Develop/refine current state models (“As Is”)– Develop/refine future state models (“To Be”)
Scope statement, WBS and scoping models– Start with information in the business case– Build to clearly defined and approved scope– Use Problem Domain (aka Conceptual Domain)
models to describe the context in which the business solution will operate
Business Planning & Scope DefinitionBusiness Planning & Scope Definition
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Conduct requirements gathering sessions with customers, users, and stakeholders
Requirements gathering techniques include– Requirements workshops– Discovery sessions– Interviews– Surveys– Prototyping– Note taking and feedback loops to customers, users, and
stakeholders Acquire/hone your facilitation skills!
Requirements Elicitation and DiscoveryRequirements Elicitation and Discovery
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Requirements Analysis ProcessRequirements Analysis Process
2. Decomposingrequirements
4. Studying and assessingrequirements feasibility
5. Prioritizingrequirements
1. Modelingrequirements
3. Confirming Scope
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Structure requirements information into various categories
Evaluate requirements for selected qualities
Represent requirements in different forms
Derive detailed requirements from high-level requirements
Negotiate priorities
Determine function and performance characteristics
Define context of implementation
Identify stakeholder constraints, measures of effectiveness, and validation criteria
Requirements are first stated in simple terms, then decomposed, restated and captured to:
Requirements Analysis – The KeyRequirements Analysis – The Key
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What is Requirements Modeling?What is Requirements Modeling?
Describes requirement using specialized notation, languages, and symbols
Goal:
– Simplify reality and filter out “noise”– Aid understanding of complex systems and processes– Provide different views and perspectives on what is important to different
audiences– Assure that all aspects of problem are considered– Translate more easily into solutions
Because you have multiple models that you can apply, you need to know their strengths and weaknesses to be effective in their use.
Since each modeling technique has its pros and cons, to be effective you will want to have several requirements modeling techniques in your toolkit.
Source: Scott W. Ambler 2005
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Modeling CategoriesModeling Categories
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What is Requirements Specification?What is Requirements Specification?
Process of documenting a system’s requirements in a structured, shareable, and manageable form
Structures functional and supplemental requirements
Provides structured requirements repository with attributes specified
Source: Karl E. Wiegers, Software Requirements
Business Need
WrittenFunctional
Requirements
Graphical Functional
Requirements
SupplementalRequirements
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The Importance of Requirements SpecificationThe Importance of Requirements Specification
The amount of information we must manage increases rapidly as we move lower down the pyramid
Prepares for requirements allocation
Provides foundation for requirements traceability (ability to follow a requirement forward and backward)
Accomplishes cross-referencing of project deliverables
Needs
Features
Business Solution Requirements
Modified from Dean Leffingwell
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Identifier – a unique reference
Acceptance criteria – nature of the test to demonstrate the
requirement has been met Author
– who wrote the requirement Complexity
– how hard the requirements will be to implement
Ownership – the individual or group that needs the
requirement Performance
– how the requirement must be met
Priority – the relative importance
Source
– who requested the requirement Stability
– how mature the requirement is, to determine whether the requirement is firm enough to start work on
Status – indicating whether it is proposed,
accepted, verified with the users, or implemented
Urgency
– how soon the requirement is needed
Assign Requirement Attributes for ManageabilityAssign Requirement Attributes for Manageability
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How Do I Recognize “Good” Requirements?How Do I Recognize “Good” Requirements?
“Good” Requirements The requirements have been specified
uniquely in well-written, unambiguous language
Absent duplicate or overlapping requirements
Stated in their entirety
Do not make assumptions about how the requirement will be implemented – solution free
Not outside the capability of current technology
Used to conduct further analysis
Reduced rework caused by defects in requirements
Invalid Requirements: Incomplete in some way
Vague
Ambiguous
Inconsistent
Incorrect
Un-testable or not measurable
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Requirement Guidelines and PitfallsRequirement Guidelines and Pitfalls
Guidelines: Use natural non-technical
language
Text Vs. diagrams:– Use clearly written text Vs.
diagrams for the precise definition of concepts
– Use diagrams to express structure and relationships
Pitfalls: Incomplete understanding
– Failing to ask for clarification Incorrect interpretation
– Applying personal filters to the information that alter the intent
Writing about implementation (the how) instead of requirements (the what)– Implementation decisions should be deferred to
as late a point in the requirements gathering process as possible
Using undefined acronyms
Using incorrect sentence structure
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Requirements ValidationRequirements Validation
Benefits
– Defect reduction: avoid errors before they propagate to later development phases
– Reduce project risk– Reduce ambiguity in requirements– Improve planning – Avoid insufficient involvement from
development team– Address issues of minimal specifications
Understandability
Ambiquity
Sweet Spot
Requirements validation is the process of evaluating requirement documents, models, and attributes to determine whether they satisfy the business needs and are complete enough that the technical team can commence work on system design and development
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Requirements Phase ExitRequirements Phase Exit
Prepare for Phase Exit:
– Conduct requirement risk identification, analysis and risk response planning
– Develop detailed plans for design and construction phases
– Update business case– Conduct phase exit control gate
reviews
Prepare for Requirements Management:– Baseline requirement specifications– Ensure requirement documentation
is structured and easily accessible
– Develop requirements change management plan, process, and tools
– Communicate need for requirements change management process, change control board (CCB), roles and responsibilities
– Begin to build the requirements traceability matrix and process
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Allocating requirements to different subsystems or sub-components of the system.
Tracing requirements throughout system design and development
Managing changes and enhancements to the system to add, delete, and modify requirements during all phases of the solution development life cycle
Continue validating and verifying requirements to:– Ensure the system satisfies the
customer – Determine whether the system
satisfies specifications and conditions imposed upon it by the requirements
Requirements ManagementRequirements Management
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Organizational Change ManagementOrganizational Change Management
Planning for the organizational change is often overlooked by IT-focused project teams, including:
– Business unit knowledge and skill assessment– Training/retooling/acquiring staff for skill gaps– Reorganization– Communication– Managements’ role in the championing the change– Updated policies, procedures, business rules
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Requirements Best PracticesRequirements Best Practices
Stakeholders actively participate Confirm scope with customers and sponsors Focus on how, not what Prioritize needs, wants and desires Deliver in increments Speak business and user terminology Ensure management support Choose the right size modeling and documentation effort
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Ranks of IT and the business– As the IT development role is being outsourced, business
savvy IT staff are transitioning into the role of BA Expertise
– Conventional business knowledge – Supplemented by IT domain knowledge
As with any leadership role, competency comes from:– Acquiring education and training– Seeking mentoring and coaching– Leveraging organizational support– Jumping in headfirst to learn the discipline
Where do Exceptional Business Analysts Come Where do Exceptional Business Analysts Come From?From?
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Business outcome thinking
Ability to conceptualize and think creatively
Capacity to articulate vision
Interpersonal skills, ethics, and integrity
Negotiation and conflict management skills
Customer management skills
Analytical and communication skills
Broad (not deep) IT technical knowledge
BA Development Program: BA Development Program: It’s More About the Business than ITIt’s More About the Business than IT
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It’s a difficult and risky business
– Requirements definition is difficult – Estimation of IT projects is often unreliable until requirements and the
solution are well understood
Requirements change because:
– Difficult to articulate – always unclear in the beginning– Iterative nature of requirements definition– Dynamic business environment
Concepts to consider
– Firm basic requirements – not expected to change– Iteration – the best defense against ambiguity– Agile requirements – allows requirements to emerge– Scalability – barely sufficient is enough to move on
Final Words: Final Words: Requirements Engineering ConsiderationsRequirements Engineering Considerations
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Lean methods alone will not ensure project success
Follow the Recipe For Project Success
– Ingredients:Ingredients: minimization, communications, standards– Mix withMix with: full-time core team (business analyst, project
manager, business visionary, lead architect/developer) coached by an involved project sponsor
– Bake:Bake: no longer than six months, no more than six people, at no more than $750,000
Source: Standish Group International, Inc., Unfinished Voyages, A Follow-Up to The CHAOS Report (1999)
Recipe for Project SuccessRecipe for Project Success
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Kathleen B. (Kitty) Hass, PMPKathleen B. (Kitty) Hass, PMP303-663-8655303-663-8655
[email protected]@managementconcepts.com
For Further InformationFor Further Information