Business Analysis Defining the Optimal Solution

Presented by

Jennifer Colburn,
CBAP, PMP July 21, 2010

http://www.stellman-greene.com/2007/08/03/qahow-to-get-ahead-in-business-analysis-withoutreally-trying/

Jennifer C. Colburn, CBAP, PMP

Senior Business Analyst at Kindred Healthcare CBAP (Certified Business Analysis Professional) by the IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis) PMP (Project Management Professional) by PMI (Project Management Institute) VP of Education for Louisville Chapter of the IIBA Member of the IIBAs Business Analysis Competency Model Committee Just returned from European vacation- London, Brussels, Germany, and Croatia.

Business Analysis Defining the Optimal Solution

Overview of Business Analysis Profession Key Terms- Solutions and Requirements BABOK Knowledge Areas Elicitation Techniques

Presentation material from the BABOK 2.0 (unless otherwise stated)

International Institute of Business Analysis

Vision
The world's leading association for Business Analysis professionals Develop and maintain standards for the practice of business analysis and for the certification of its practitioners

TM

Mission

The IIBATM is an international not-for-profit professional association for business analysis professionals. Founded in 2003
www.theiiba.org
KBa 4

Business Analysis Body of KnowledgeTM

Analogous to the PMI and the PMBOK, the IIBA has authored the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) reflecting generally accepted practices in the Business Analysis community. Released in 2005 Version 2.0 released March 31, 2009

BABOK Knowledge Areas

CBAP Certification
Certified Business Analysis Professional 7,500 hours business analysis work experience in last ten years Experience and expertise in four of six knowledge areas 150 question multiple choice exam Almost 1000 CBAPs internationally At the end of 2010, the IIBA will also offer Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA), an intermediate level designation.

Value of a Business Analyst

Anyone who has ever worked on a complex and lengthy software development project knows that the involvement of a business analyst can mean the difference between success and failure.
~ Thomas Wailgum, CIO http://www.cio.com/article/343013/

Everyone agrees on the importance of the business analyst role, but few know exactly what it is that business analysts do.
~ Carey Schwaber & Rob Carel, Forrester Research April 2008

What is A Business Analyst?

Works as a liaison among stakeholders in order to understand the structure, policies, and operations of an organization, and to recommend solutions that enable the organization to achieve its goals. Understands how organizations function to accomplish their purposes.
Definition of organizational goals How those goals connect to specific objectives Determining courses of action that a business has to undertake to achieve those goals and objectives Defining how various organizational units and stakeholders within and outside the organization interact.
(from the Business Analysis Body Of Knowledge v. 2.0, p. 3)

Why a Project Needs a Business Analyst

http://developer.motorola.com/fromfasttrack/February_09/agile_versus_waterfall.gif/

Business Analysis
Understanding: How an organization works Why the organization exists What are the organizations goals and objectives How does an organization accomplish those goals and objectives How does an organization need to change to better accomplish those objectives and/or overcome challenges Defining the scope of the solution

(from the IIBA A Primer to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge presentation)

Solution Definition
A solution meets a business need by solving problems and/or enabling the organization to take advantage of an opportunity. System of interacting solution components such as: software applications, web services, business processes, business rules that govern that process, an IT application, revised org structure, outsourcing, insourcing, redefining job roles or any other method of creating a capability needed by an organization.

Business Analysis and Solution Scope

Business Analysis helps organizations define the optimal solution for their needs, given a set of constraints (time, budget, regulations, etc) under which that organization operates. Solution Scope- the set of capabilities a solution must support to meet the business needs. Project Scope- the work necessary to construct and implement a particular solution

Complimentary Roles
Project Manager Project Scope: resources, budget, schedule, plan, risks, quality. Business Analyst Solution Scope: business risks/issues, requirements related tasks in WBS, solution quality, represent business.

Why a Project Needs a Project Manager and a Business Analyst

PM responsible for ensuring product delivered to customer on time and within budget. BA responsible for ensuring product built according to requirements and built correctly. Difference in focus is reason that both roles on team are critical.
~ Barbara Carkenord, President B2T Training

Requirements Definition
A condition or capability needed by a stakeholder to solve a problem or achieve an objective. A condition or capability that must be met or possessed by a solution or solution component to satisfy a contract, standard specification or other formally imposed documents. A documented representation of a condition or capability as in 1) or 2).

Types of Requirements
Business- high level goals, needs, objectives of enterprise Stakeholder- needs of a given stakeholder and how they interact with solution Solution
Functional Non-functional

Transition - implementation requirements such as data conversion

Knowledge Areas

Enterprise Analysis
Understanding the big picture Define business goals the solution must meet Integrate requirements into larger business architecture Support initiatives and long term planning Strategic planning, business case development, Cost Benefit Analysis, feasibility studies Why are we doing this?

Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring Focus on planning for the BA processes and activities. What do I need to do? Specify the how the business analysis tasks will be performed Identify the deliverables produced Describe how changes will be controlled and managed

Requirements Management and Communications Focus on presenting and communicating documented requirements to all stakeholders, including project team members, to bring the group to consensus on project scope. Identify and manage change Does everyone understand and agree?

Elicitation
Focus on gathering requirements from various stakeholder groups Identify the tasks, knowledge and techniques for capturing requirements What do the Stakeholders need?

Requirements Analysis
Focuses on analyzing the data Defines the methods, tools, techniques to structure raw data collected during elicitation Identifies gaps in requirements Defines the solution capabilities and can serve as the foundation for selecting among solution alternatives. What must the solution do?

Solutions Assessment & Validation Focus on ensuring the best approach is chosen, that the solution will meet stakeholder objectives, that the solution is feasible, and guides solution verification. Does the solution do what it is suppose to do?

BA Underlying Competencies
Analytical Thinking & Problem Solving Creative Thinking Decision Making Learning Problem Solving Systems Thinking

Behavioral Characteristics- ethics, personal organization, trustworthiness Business Knowledge Communication Skills Interaction Skills- facilitation &negotiation, leadership & influencing, teamwork Software Applications

Elicitation Techniques:
Brainstorming Focus Groups Interviewing Observation Prototyping Requirements Workshop Survey/Questionnaire Document Analysis Interface Analysis

Brainstorming
Brainstorming is an excellent way to foster creative thinking about a problem. The aim is to produce numerous new ideas, and to derive from them themes for further analysis. Best applied in a group - it draws on the experience and creativity of all members of the group. Participants are encouraged to use new ways of looking at things and free associate in any direction.

Focus Groups
A means to elicit ideas and attitudes about a specific product, service or opportunity in an interactive group environment. The participants share their impressions, preferences and needs, guided by a moderator.
Pre-qualified individuals Homogenous or Heterogeneous groups

Interviewing
Systematic approach designed to elicit information from a person or group of people in an informal or formal setting by talking to an interviewee, asking relevant questions and documenting the responses.
One-on-one or Group Structured pre-defined questions Unstructured open-ended discussion

Observation
Means of eliciting requirements by conducting an assessment of the stakeholders work environment. Also known as Job Shadowing
Documenting details about current processes Enhance or change a current process Passive/Invisible Active/Visible

Prototyping
Horizontal prototype
Demonstrates outer layer of human interface only, such as menus and screens; no logic behind the visualization

Incremental prototype
The final product is built as separate prototypes. At the end, the separate prototypes are merged into an overall design

Throw-away prototype
Simple, quick approach - can be paper & pencil or screen mockups Discarded when final system is developed

Evolutionary (Breadboard) prototype

A system that is continually refined and rebuilt until it is a fully functioning system

Requirements Workshop
A structured way to capture requirements. A workshop may be used to scope, discover, define, prioritize and reach closure on requirements for the target system.
Effective way to deliver high quality requirements quickly Promote trust, understanding, and communication among the stakeholders/team Produce deliverables that structure and guide future analysis

Surveys/Questionnaire
Collect information about customers, products, work practices and attitudes from many people in a relatively short period of time Can be Anonymous Closed - Respondent selects from predetermined choices
Easier to analyze, limited responses Useful when ranges of response is understood, but strength of response needs to be determined

Open - Respondent is free to answer as they wish

Wider range of responses, difficult to quantify Useful when issues known but range of responses is not

Document Analysis
A means to elicit requirements by studying available documentation on existing and comparable solutions and identifying relevant information Gathering detail of AS-IS SMEs not available Enhancements to existing system Existing system to be included in new system

Interface Analysis
Purpose - identify interfaces between solutions and/or solution components and define requirements that describe how they will act.
AL RN S E T EX TEM SYS
USER INTERFACE
Target System HR System

EXTER NA DEVIC L ES
Hardware Device

Benefits Support Desk

Summary
BA has a variety of techniques available to elicit requirements depending on situation Goal is to deliver a feasible quality solution that meets the business needs- the optimal solution Help prevent scope creep and reduce project risks, including rework Provide traceability to business goals Business Analysis is a formally defined profession Internationally acknowledged certification program