TCBAC Meeting – March 8, 2007 Business Analyst Role: A Moving Target? Finding your place in large and small projects

1. TCBAC Meeting – March 8, 2007Business Analyst Role: A Moving Target?Finding your place in large and small projects Presented by: Suchi Sairam Director-Channel Engagement, Americas & APAC Ergotron Inc., St. Paul, MN • 5:30pm Registration and Networking • 6:00-6:30pm Presentation • 6:30-7:00pm Small Group Discussion and Report-Back • 7:00-7:15pm Q&A • Hosted by: • Consulting Matters and Solutia Consulting Inc.

2. Presenter Background Suchi Sairam is a seasoned business professional with a wide range of experiences, including engineering, manufacturing, technical service, IT, project management, business development and marketing.  She began her career at Occidental Chemical Corporation, then had her first experiences in IT during 6 years at Imation Corp. in Oakdale, MN.  She recently joined the management team at Ergotron Inc. in Eagan as the Director-Channel Engagement, Americas and APAC, where she manages the channel marketing and event marketing teams.During her time at Imation, Suchi gained a breadth of experience in business analysis and project management, with expertise in international web projects, and other business process improvement initiatives around product management and channel marketing.Suchi holds a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from MIT, and an MBA from the University of Texas-Dallas.  In her "other" life, she has a passion for dance as well as crafts, in addition to volunteering time to mentor and teach young students in a variety of fields. The opinions expressed are the sole responsibility of the presenter and do not reflect the views or opinions of any employer either past or present.

3. Agenda • Introduction • Back to Basics: What is the Business Analyst’s role? • How do we define a “large” and “small” project? • “Cast of Characters” in large and small projects • Mechanics of a “large” and “small” project • Small group exercise/discussion/report • Concluding thoughts and remarks

4. Introduction So…. What does a marketing person know about Business Analysis?

5. Tangibles Inquisitor - Help the business customer answer the questions What do I think I want? vs. What do I actually I want? What do I need? When do I want “it”? What am I, the business customer, willing to do? Consultant – recommendations to business customer and IT colleagues Translator – “Business to Geek” Documenter - Needs and Wants Modulator – of change, of issues Manager – of expectations, of requirements Intangibles Liaison Leader Change Agent Negotiator Traffic Cop Peace Keeper What is the Business Analyst’s role? “The Glue”

6. What the Business Analyst’s role IS NOT • Business lead for decisions • Marcomm specialist – creating content • Content manager for ongoing process • Graphic designer/web designer • Developer And most importantly… you are not the Group Therapist!

7. But, it’s not always Black or White….. What about potential GRAY AREAS? Launch prep – Implementation • Test scenarios/cases • Testing / QA • Test Content/Data entry Launch prep – Business Launch • Final Content entry • Data review and cleanup • Internal communication • External Customer communication Launch prep - Training • Train the Trainer • Train the Users, if there is no Trainer • Develop materials for ongoing training Project Management • Scope • Timeline • Budget • Resource • Communications Other Gray Areas in your experience?

8. A Dilemma, no matter what size project

9. Discussion How do we define a “Large” vs. a “Small” project? Factors can include: • Timeline • Investment • Perceived value to company (e.g. revenue, margin, productivity, growth opportunities) • Resources • “New” vs. “Enhancement of existing” • Size of company • Size of company’s IT department Other factors in the perception of “Large” vs. “Small” projects?

10. Discussion Who is typically involved in “Large” vs. “Small” projects? • Executives • Middle Management • Execution-level personnel • External resources • IT resources Other people involved in “Large” vs. “Small” projects?

11. Discussion How does a “Large” vs. “Small” project get executed? Differences in: • Formality of processes • Formality of documentation • Thoroughness of evaluation • Thoroughness of communication Other observations or issues in execution of “Large” vs. “Small” projects?

12. Representative Components“Large” vs. “Small” Projects

13. So, what about those “Gray Areas”? Factors that influence a Business Analyst’s role in a project • Perceived and actual size of project • Is the BA viewed as “The Glue” by stakeholders? • Skill sets of available resources These are some factors will likely lead a BA to cover some of the Gray Areas on a project

14. Small group discussion topics • Under what circumstances would the following be “Large” or “Small” projects • Changing platforms • Internationalization of an application • Management engagement (or lack of) • What Gray Areas have you covered on projects? Why?

15. What’s the solution? Use your judgment… it could go really well.

16. Concluding thoughts to consider…. • There are no hard and fast rules • In general, the fewer data sources and resources involved, the more a business analyst can do on a project • Play to your strengths, and guarantee project success! • On smaller projects, assist or take the lead on more “Gray Areas” where you have (or want to develop) a core competency

17. BA Resources Get in the minds of your business customers… • Who Moved My Cheese?, Dr. Spencer Johnson • Blink, Malcolm Gladwell

18. QUESTIONS? For TCBAC information or feedback please contact TCBAC@solutiaconsulting.com Presenter Contact Info: Suchi Sairam Ergotron Inc. ssairam@ergotron.com 651-365-6683 Thank you! Future TCBAC Meetings:June 21, 2007 October 25, 2007