The Business Analysis Framework

Wendy WakerStand 138

Why do we still have these sort of problems with Change Projects….

• The average project exceeds its planned schedule by 120%

• 52.7% of projects will cost 189% of their original estimate

• Only 16.2% of projects will be completed on time & on budget

• 30% of projects are cancelled before completion

*Source: Calculating your return on investment from more effective requirements management IBM article Dec 2003

The Standish Group “Chaos Report” (1994)• 365 executive managers• 8,380 applications • all major industry segments including: banking, retail and wholesale.

Reasons for problems with change projects…

Some of the contents of this slide were taken from www.it-cortex.com

Business Analysis mitigates the top 6 reasons for project failure

• Incomplete requirements– Measure of success for Business Analysts! Target: Zero.

• Lack of user involvement– BAs scope a project including who is impacted and therefore who

needs to be engaged• Unrealistic expectations

– Poorly defined? Open to misinterpretation? Blame the BA!• Lack of senior exec support

– If the project objectives don’t matter to the exec, they won’t support– BA must ensure the exec define SMART measures and targets– SMART – the ‘T’ is To-Die-For!

• Changing requirements– Measure of success for Business Analysts! Target: minimise.

• Lack of planning– At least the analysis should be planned properly!

Business Analysis – the analytics engine of your projects

Business Analysis Proverbs

•Delivery is not the best time to analyse requirements Urban Wisdom

• A factor present in every successful project and absent in every unsuccessful project is sufficient attention to requirements.

Suzanne & James Robertson

Requirements-Led Project Management

RequirementsAnalysis

Design Code/test

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Average actual effort spent on each stage of the development cycle*

*based on a study by Staffordshire University

What is “sufficient attention to requirements”?(I)

RequirementsAnalysis

Design Code/test0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Average Proportion of Errors Built in During Development*

*based on a study by James Martin

What is “sufficient attention to requirements”?(II)

ReqtsDesign

ProgramTest

AcceptLive

0

20

40

60

80

100

13

5 14 33

100

Relative Cost of Relative Cost of Correcting Requirements Errors*Correcting Requirements Errors*

*sourced from Barry Boehm

What is “sufficient attention to requirements”?(III)

How Much Poor Analysis can £Cost*

• Half of all bugs can be traced to requirement errors• fixing these errors consumes 75% of project rework costs

Maybe that’s why:

• The average project exceeds its planned schedule by 120%

• 52.7% of projects will cost 189% of their original estimate

• Only 16.2% of projects will be completed on time & on budget

• 30% of projects are cancelled before completion

*Source: Calculating your return on investment from more effective requirements management IBM article Dec 2003

The typical project……expends least effort on change

requirements analysis……which is where most errors originate……and whose errors cost most to fix!

So – projects are all doomed?

The tool for discovering new knowledge is the Scientific Method

• Construction of ‘theories’– Observation and experimentation of isolated facts and results– Creating generalised hypotheses– Testing hypotheses through observation and experimentation

• Methods and approach vary by discipline– Physics Vs Psychology

• The top level process remains the same

The tool for defining change requirements is...?

There are many methods and approaches all for defining change requirements

Definition of terms for “Business Analysis”

Business: why “Business”? …should it be Change Requirements???

Analysis:“the process of breaking a concept down into more

simple parts, so that its logical structure is displayed” (OED)

So how do you do analysis?

• You can pay your money and take your pick of the various methods & approaches

• Our Training Taster Day gives examples of documentation for – Problems/opportunity analysis– Objectives analysis– Requirements Analysis

• …but how is not the issue, proving that the analytical products deliver project objectives is

Stakeholders

Drivers

Objectives Objectives Objectives Objectives Objectives

Drivers Drivers Drivers

ChangeRequirements

ChangeRequirements

ChangeRequirements

ChangeRequirements

ChangeRequirements

Chain Of Reasoning:

Change Requirements must be assumed to be wrong until they are proved to be right

Scope of analysis of change requirements

• Change requirements can be for– Processes– Organisation units– Locations– Data – Applications– Technologies– Non-functionals…oh – and the valid intersections!!!

All the Links in the Chain Of Reasoning

The problems / opportunities that the business face

The measures and targets that will enable us to declare the

change project has been successful

Driver

ProjectObjective

ProjectRequirement

Business Rule

Addressed asmeasured by

Delivered by

Enforces

Definitions of what changes are required that will affect the measures of success

(objectives) sufficiently for the project to be declared successful

What rules must be implemented by the changes specified in the

requirements

Change requirements

How to forge links in the Chain Of Reasoning

Problem / opportunity analysis

SMART objectives

Business…Functional…

Non-functional…

…high level…mid level

Process modelProcess specification

Non-functional specificationsData model

Attribute specification

…low level

Driver

ProjectObjective

ProjectRequirement

Business Rule

Addressed asmeasured by

Delivered by

Enforces

Specific – there is a precise definition of the objectiveMeasurable – there are units that the objective will be measured inAchievable – the measures can be achieved ‘in the real world’Relevant –this project will actually affect this objectiveTo-die-for – the project has failed if it does not achieve the objective

Change requirements

If…

If you can map all your analysis to components in the Chain of Reasoning

If there are no gaps AND no breaks in the chain

If those who can kill your project agree with your

analysisThen your analysis is correct and what’s more

you are a Business Analyst my (per)son.

Sorry Rudyard!

The secrets of doing Business Analysis

1. Agree the analysis method and approach (if any!) you will use

2. Get some trained Business Analysts 3. Plan how, when and who to do the

analysis4. Do the analysis5. Use the analysis products to develop and

implement the solutions6. Er – that’s it.

So – Business Analysis is needed……what next?

There are a number of steps to take to establish an operational Business Analysis function:

Mentor and Support the

B.A. Function

Design theB.A. Function

Recruit the B.A. Function

Train the B.A.Function

Equip theB.A. Function

How can BA Solutions help?

Mentor and Support

BA Function

DesignB.A. Function

RecruitB.A. Function

Train B.A.Function

Equip B.A. Function

Recruitment of permanent and contract analystsSource candidates internally and externallyQualify CVsInterview – conduct them or just assist with themAssessment centresManage contracted analysts placed by BAS

Training courses for analystsTraining needs analysisFundamentals of Business AnalysisProcess ModelingData ModelingISEB accreditation Introduction to TestingBPMNEssential soft Skills for Business Analysts including Workshop Facilitation & Conflict resolution Taster Day training – an intensive 1 day introduction to Business AnalysisRefresher day training based around your projects

CASE tool recommendation - independent Assessment of requirementsRecommendations and benefits assessment

Mentor and Support for analystsPhone and email post trainingRefresher trainingFacilitated workshopsMentoringQ/A reviews of analysis deliverables

Design of the Business Analysis functionTerms of referenceBusiness Analyst Profile …and we

can bespokesolutions forindividual

clients

…try before you buy: BA

Solutions Training

Taster Day!

Who Are Business Analyst Solutions?

• BA Solutions are highly experienced Business Analysts

• We have extensive practical experience in a wide range of industry sectors including retail, banking, utilities, software houses

• We have worked in IT departments and within Businesses at every level from Majority Shareholder/Owner to Managing Director to shop floor workers

…and what is the Business Analyst Solutions vision?

To support the whole Business Analyst ‘life cycle’ and provide whatever services clients need in order to set up and run an effective Business

Analyst function.

Why choose Business Analyst Solutions?

• Training material development and training delivery is all done by highly experienced and active Business Analysts

• We are a niche supplier for all things related to Business Analysis and provide support end-to-end, not just training

• We have a track record of high customer satisfaction (92% average) and references are available

• We have worked in all major industry segments • We are adaptive to client requirements bespoking

solutions as required• We know the value of doing effective Business Analysis• We care! We care about Business Analysis and do

whatever we can do to get it being done effectively.

Come and see us on Stand 138

If you would like to discuss anything further: mail: Guy@BA-Solutions.co.ukphone: 07793 231428 web: www.BusinessAnalystSolutions.com