baf - module 1a

8/8/2019 BAF - Module 1a

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Foundations of Business AnalysisModule 1 - Introduction


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A Walk through the course outline


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Welcome Introductions

Outline of the Course Content

Week 1 Introduction to Business Analysis Week 2 - BA Underlying Competencies

Week 3 BA Strategic / Fact Finding /

Information Knowledge Techniques

Week 4 BA Process Knowledge / SolutionKnowledge Techniques

Week 5 Enterprise Analysis

Week 6 Mid Term Examination


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Welcome

Outline of the Course Content (contd)

Week 7 BA Planning & Monitoring Week 8 - Requirements Elicitation

Week 9 Requirements Analysis

Week 10 Requirements Mgmt.& Communication

Week 11 Solution Assessment & Validation Week 12 - Final Examination


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Case Study Work Due Week 8

Teams of 5-6

Create a BA requirements andcommunication plan for small start up

business


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BA Tools & Techniques

Strategic

AnalysisFact Finding

Information

Knowledge

Solution

Knowledge

Process

Knowledge

Benchmarking

Brainstorming Decision Analysis SWOT Analysis

Focus Groups Interviews Observation Requirement Workshops Root Cause Analysis Structured Walkthrough Surveys/Questionnaires

Acceptance Criteria

Estimating Lessons Learned Process Metrics & KPIs Non-functional Requirements Problem Tracking Prototyping Risk Analysis Scope Modeling Vendor Assessment

Data Dictionary/Glossary Data Flow Diagram Data Modeling Organization Modeling

Document Analysis Business Rules Functional Decomposition Interface Analysis Process Modeling Scenarios & Use Cases Sequence & State Diagrams

User Stories


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Discussion Board Assignment

Identify subject, and lead a discussion forum

with 4-5 others


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Introduction to Business Analysis

Learning Outcomes:

1. What is a Business Analysis?

2. The Business Analysts responsibilities

3. How does the BA relate to the PM?


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Business Analysts Why are they growing in importance?

Delivery of business solutions in an orderly, cost

effective manner NEEDS trained Business Analysts

to succeed Cost overruns, poor performance of business solutions are

usually caused by poorly understood and loosely managed

requirements

With outsourcing there is a greater need to effectively

document requirements that are universally understood

The formation of the BABOK is proof that the profession has

come into its own


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What is a Business Analyst?

BAs come with many titles.

Business Systems Analyst

Systems Analyst Requirements

Engineer

Process Analyst

Product Mgr.Enterprise

Analyst

Business

Architect


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Where do they fit?

BAs act as a bridge between the business

and the delivery team to ensure usability of

the product

Business

Analyst

Domain

SMEs Project

Manager

TestingGroup Information

Architect

Quality

Assurance


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What does a BA do? Works within the business domain (the business

area undergoing analysis) to produce solutions(create capability for the business) from business

requirements within the constraints of time, cost andregulations

The goals of the Organization are sometimesdocumented in a Business Case The BA musttransform those goals into detailed requirements

Wait a minute doesnt that sound like what a projectmanagement does?


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The Big Picture

Time Cost

Scope / Performance

Quality


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What does a BA do?

The Big Difference:

The Business Analyst elicits, analyzes,

validates and documents requirements

The Business Analyst focuses on the solution

(Product or Service) to ensure that it meetsthe needs of the organization


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What is Business Analysis?The set of tasks, knowledge, & techniques required to identify business needs& determine solutions to business problems. Solutions often include a systemsdevelopment component, but may also consist of process improvement ororganizational change.

Source: Business Analysis Body of Knowledge


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How does the BA relate to the PM?

Throughout the life cycle of a project theBusiness Analyst and the Project Manager

will work closely to deliver the project underthe constraints of time and cost. The ProjectManager will rely heavily on the Business

Analyst in relation to the scope

(Requirements) of the project since theBusiness Analyst must ensure that thestakeholders of the solution are satisfied


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Comparison ofCertifications

Project Manager

PMI Proj. Mgmt. Inst.

PMP + CAPM

designation

Thousands of PMPs

PMBoK version 4

Experience Reqd

Professional Dev. Reqd

Certification Exam

Maintain standing

Business Analyst

IIBA Intl. Inst. of Business

Analysis

CBAP designation

Hundreds of CBAPs

BABoK version 2

Experience Reqd

Professional Dev. Reqd

Certification Exam

Maintain standing


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Comparison of Knowledge Topics

Project Manager

Integration Mgmt

Scope Mgmt

Time Mgmt

Cost Mgmt

Quality Mgmt

Human Res. Mgmt Communications Mgmt

Risk Mgmt

Procurement Mgmt

Business Analyst

BA Planning + Monitoring

Elicitation

Req. Mgmt. + Comm.

Enterprise Analysis

Requirements Analysis

Solution Assessment +Validation

Underlying Competencies

Techniques


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PM/BA Interactions Integration Mgmt.

Project Manager

Develop the Project

Charter

Develop PM Plan Direct/Manage Exec.

Monitor/Control Work

Perform Change

Control Close Project

Business Analyst

Involved in Strategy

Involved in Business Case

Involved in Feasibility Activities are usually on the

critical path

Evaluates the impact of

change requests recommends alternatives

Involved with lessons

learned


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PM/BA Interactions Scope Mgmt.

Project Manager

Collect Requirements

Define Scope

Create WBS

Verify Scope

Control Scope

Business Analyst

Elicits Requirements

Manages Requirements

Analyzes Requirements

Involved in Defn of Scope

Involved in trade-off

analysis for change requests

Develop WBS for BA

activities


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PM/BA Interactions Time Mgmt.

Project Manager

Define Activities

Sequence Activities

Est. Activity Resources

Est. Activity Durations

Develop Schedule

Control Schedule

Business Analyst

Develops the BA Approach

Defines BA Activities

Sequences BA Activities

Estimates BA Activities

Reports status of BA

Activities

Identifies time impacts of

change requests


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PM/BA Interactions C

ost Mgmt.Project Manager

Estimate Costs

Determine Budget

Control Costs

Business Analyst

Involved in initial

cost/benefit analysis

Provides BA costs

Involved in costs impacts of

change requests


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PM/BA Interactions Quality Mgmt.

Project Manager

Plan Quality

Perform Quality

Assurance Perform Quality Control

Business Analyst

Establishes performance

criteria (user advocate)

Establishes acceptancecriteria

Monitors product/service

adherence to criteria

throughout the project

Identifies impact of change

requests

Leads testing activities


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PM/BA Interactions HR Mgmt.

Project Manager

Develop HR Plan

Acquire Project Team

Develop Project Team

Manage Project Team

Business Analyst

Identify key resources

(Stakeholders, SMEs)

Ensure that project

performance and

acceptance criteria is

understood

Lead information sessionsregarding interactions with

other business processes


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PM/BA Interactions - Communications

Project Manager

Identify Stakeholders

Plan Communications

Distribute Information

Manage Stakeholder

Expectations

Report Performance

Business Analyst

First to deal with

Stakeholders

Prepares and

communicates requirements

Addresses Stakeholder

concerns and requests

Develops product/serviceperformance reports for PM


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PM/BA Interactions Risk Mgmt.Project Manager

Plan Risk Mgmt.

Identify Risks

Perform Qualitative

Risk Analysis

Perform Quantitative

Risk Analysis

Plan Risk Responses

Monitor + Control Risks

Business Analyst

Identifies internal and

external risks

Participates in Qualitative

and Quantitative Risk

Analysis

Identifies alternative Risk

mitigation scenarios Participates in Risk

monitoring


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PM/BA Interactions Procurement Mgmt.Project Manager

Plan Procurements

Conduct Procurements

Administer

Procurements

Close Procurements

Business Analyst

Identifies Procurement

requirements

Evaluates alternative

sources

Evaluates performance of

product/service vs

acceptance criteria


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PM/BA Attributes and Abilities

Project Manager

Organized

Problem Solving

Leadership

Decision Making

Open Communicator

Thorough Methodical

Walk the Talk

Business Analyst

Analytical Thinking

Problem Solving

Behavioral Understanding

Business Acumen

Trusted Advisor

Methodical Analyzer


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Data Dictionary and GlossaryData Flow Diagrams

Document AnalysisEstimation

Business Rule Analysis

BrainstormingBenchmarking

Data Modeling

Focus Groups

Decision Analysis

Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria Definition

Metrics + Key Performance Indicators

Non-functional Requirements Analysis

Lessons Learned Process

Risk Analysis

Interviews

Root Cause Analysis

Interface Analysis

Observation

Prototyping

BA Techniques Tools of the Trade

Functional Decomposition

Organizational Modeling

Problem Tracking

Process Modeling

Requirements Workshops

Scenarios and Use Cases

Scope Modeling Sequence Diagrams

State Diagrams

Structured Walkthrough

Survey/Questionnaire

SWOT Analysis

User Stories

Vendor Assessment


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BA Techniques Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria Definition:

To define the requirements that must be met in order for a solution to be

considered acceptable to key stakeholders.

Benchmarking

Benchmark studies are performed to compare the strengths and

weaknesses of an organization against peers and competitors

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is an excellent way to foster creative thinking about a

problem. The aim of brainstorming is to produce numerous new ideas, and

to derive from them themes for further analysis.

Business Rules Analysis

To define the rules that govern decisions in an organization and that

define, constrain or enable organizational operations.

Data Dictionary and Glossary

A data dictionary or glossary defines key terms and data relevant to a

business domain.


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BA - Techniques Data Flow Diagrams

To show how information is input, processed, stored, and output from asystem.

Data Modeling

The purpose of a data model is to describe the concepts relevant to adomain, the relationships between those concepts, and information

associated to them.

Decision Analysis

To support decision-making when dealing with complex, difficult, oruncertain situations

Document Analysis

Document analysis is a means to elicit requirements by studying available

documentation on existing and comparable solutions and identifyingrelevant information.

Estimation

Estimating techniques forecast the cost and effort involved in pursuing acourse of action


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BA - Techniques Focus Groups

A focus group is 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.

Functional Decomposition

To decompose processes, functional areas, or deliverables into their component parts

and allow each part to be analyzed independently.

Interface Analysis

To identify interfaces between solutions and/or solution components and define

requirements that describe how they will interact.

Interviews

An interview is a 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.

Lessons Learned Process

The purpose of the lessons learned process is to compile and document successes,

opportunities for improvement, failures, and recommendations for improving the

performance of future projects or project phases


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BA - Techniques Metrics and Key Performance Indicators

The purpose of metrics and key performance indicators are to measure theperformance of solutions, solution components, and other matters of interest tostakeholders.

Non-functional Requirements Analysis The purpose of non-functional requirements is to describe the required qualities of a

system, such as its usability and performance characteristics. These supplement thedocumentation of functional requirements, which describe the behavior of the system.

Observation Observation is a means of eliciting requirements by conducting an assessment of the

stakeholders work environment. This technique is appropriate when documentingdetails about current processes or if the project in intended to enhance or change acurrent process.

Organizational Modeling Organizational Modeling is used to describe the roles, responsibilities, and reporting

structures that exist within an organization and to align those structures with the

organizations goals. Problem Tracking

Problem tracking provides an organized approach to tracking, management, andresolution of defects, issues, problems, and risks throughout business analysisactivities. Management of issues is important so they can be resolved in a timelymanner to ensure success.


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BA - Techniques Process Modeling

To understand how work that involves multiple roles and departments is performed

Prototyping

Prototyping details user interfaces requirements and integrates them with otherrequirements such as use cases, scenarios, data and business rules. Stakeholdersoften find prototyping to be a concrete means of identifying, describing and validatingtheir interface needs.

Requirements Workshops A requirements workshop is a structured way to capture requirements. A workshop

may be used to scope, discover, define, prioritize and reach closure on requirementsfor the target system. Well-run workshops are considered one of the most effectiveways to deliver high quality requirements quickly. They promote trust, mutualunderstanding, and strong communications among the project stakeholders andproject team and produce deliverables that structure and guide future analysis

Risk Analysis To identify and manage areas of uncertainty that can impact an initiative, solution, or

organization

Root Cause Analysis

The purpose of root cause analysis is to determine the underlying source of aproblem.


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BA - Techniques

Scenarios and Use Cases

Scenarios and use cases are written to describe how an actor interactswith a solution to accomplish one or more of the actors goals, or torespond to an event.

Scope Modeling

Scope models are used to describe the scope of analysis or the scope of

the solution.

Sequence Diagrams

Sequence diagrams are used to model the logic of usage scenarios, byshowing the information passed between objects in the system through theexecution of the scenario.

State Diagrams

A state diagram shows how the behavior of a concept, entity, or objectchanges in response to events.

Structured Walkthrough

Structured walkthroughs are performed to communicate, verify andvalidate requirements.


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BA - Techniques

Survey/Questionnaires

A survey is a means of eliciting information from many people, sometimes

anonymously, in a relatively short period of time. A survey can collect

information about customers, products, work practices and attitudes. A

survey may also be referred to as a questionnaire.

SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis is valuable tool to quickly analyze various aspects of the

current state of the business process undergoing change.

User Stories

User Stories are a brief description of functionality that users need from a

solution to meet a business objective.

Vendor Assessment To assess the ability of a potential vendor to meet commitments regarding

a product or service.


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What is a requirement?

Definition:

A condition or capability needed by astakeholder to solve a problem or achieve an

objective

(Source IIBA BABOK)


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Who do BAs Support? The BA works with a number of different

stakeholders:

BACustomer Domain

SMEsEnd

UserImplementation

SMEs

Developers,Systems Arch.

Change Agents,

Trainers,

Usability Pros

Project

Manager

Tester Sponsor

Supplier Regulator


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Definitions and Roles

The Requirements describe WHAT needs to be

delivered (Provided by the BA)

The Requirements are then handed over to a technical deliverygroup in order for them to develop technical specifications

The Specifications describe HOW it will be delivered

(Provided by the Technical Solution Team)

The BA must then confirm that all of the requirementshave been included in the Specifications

(This is called Allocation)

(This is the first step in Requirements Traceability)


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What is a requirement?

Requirements come in many forms: Business Requirement a higher-level statements of

goals, objectives or needs of the organization

Stakeholder Requirement statements of needs forparticular stakeholders or classes of stakeholders

Solution Requirements describes the characteristics of asolution that meets business and stakeholder requirements. Functional describes the behavior and information that the

solution must manage

Non-Functional describes the environmental conditionsunder which the solution must remain effective and qualities

that the systems must have Transitional Requirements describes the capabilitiesneeded to get from the current state of the enterprise to thefuture state that will not be needed once the transition iscomplete


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The BAs Role (Master of Requirements)

To act as the intermediary between the

business unit(s) (clients), stakeholders and

the solution delivery team

Solutions usually are focused on:

Improving efficiency

Addressing customer expectations Delivering necessary capability


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The BAs Responsibilities - Needs Understands the business capability that the

organization needs to develop in order to achieve itsgoals (what is needed) (Enterprise Analysis)

Understands the stakeholders who need toparticipate in the development of this capability

Participates in Business Case Development

Gathers, analyzes, documents requirements andpresents them in a meaningful form to allstakeholders to ensure completeness (Elicitation,

Analysis)

Prepares the formal Business RequirementsDocument

Tailor the documents so they are understood by theresources who are charged with developing anddelivering the solution


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The BAs Responsibilities - Delivery

Determines the Solution approach to be followed(Requirements Mgmt.)

Facilitates the development of the solution with thesolution delivery team

Ensures that the solution remains consistent with theformal Business Requirements Document(Traceability)

Participates actively in solution risk assessment,

prototyping, testing and change management Monitors the solution to ensure that it achieves the

desired performance characteristics (Validation)


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The BAs Responsibilities - Deliverables

Business Case development

Sourcing Activities RFPs

BAs Activity planning - Estimating

Requirements documents - BRD

Modeling Data Flow

Charting Process Flow (As is, To Be)

Ensure Requirements are satisfied thrutesting

Acceptance of the solution


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Requirements Management

Composed of 8 Activities: Enterprise Analysis Week 5

Requirements Planning Week 7

Requirements Elicitation Week 8

Requirements Analysis Week 9

Requirements Documentation Week 10

Requirements Communication Week 10 Requirements Implementation Week 11

Requirements Management Week 11


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Enterprise Analysis

Look at the Big Picture

Analyze what the business needs to satisfyits goals

Look into potential options and evaluate

them for profitability and do-ability

Provide the initial scope statement to directfuture activities


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Requirements Planning

Stipulate the deliverables that the BA will be

responsible to produce

Identifies the time and cost elements for the

project plan

Outlines how the requirements will be

tracked and managed after the initial scopehas been approved


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Requirements Elicitation

Identifies the types of elicitation activities to

be performed

Gathers requirements by executing against

the elicitation plan

May require many repeat activities to ensure

that all stakeholders are interviewed


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Requirements Analysis

Review the requirements to ensure that they

are complete and comprehensive

Ensure that any conflicting requirements are

resolved between the stakeholders

Organize the requirements into logical

groupings and prioritize the requirements intoacceptable phases for delivery


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Requirements Documentation

Produce understandable requirements informats relevant to each type of stakeholder

Breakdown a large topic into building blocksshowing relationships and dependencies

Produce diagrams and charts wherenecessary to convey complex information

Process models, Activity diagrams, Use cases,

Data Flow Diagrams, Entity RelationshipDiagrams


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Requirements Communication

Inform the stakeholders using

demonstrations, presentations and any other

means necessary to ensure that they each

commonly understand the requirements

Ensure that sign-off is achieved prior to

commencing the next stage of work


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Requirements Implementation

Ensure that outsourced functionality is

verified

Ensure that adequate testing is performed

Ensure that risk assessment is performed

Provide support for data conversion and

other transition activities


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Requirements Management

Conduct traceability activities to ensure thatthe all requirements are delivered throughout

the project phases Ensure that no extra functionality is allowed to be

included in the scope without going through thechange management process

Engage in Trade-off assessment whenmultiple options for delivery of a solution areavailable


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Recap:

What is a BA

How the BAs role is compared to the PM role

What knowledge a PM is required to possess

Where the BA fits in the project environment

baf - module 1a

Documents