BVUG Blueprint Virtual Users Group

1. BVUGBlueprint Virtual Users Group 2/8/2011 Achieving True BA Competency:  Focus on the Organization, Not Just the People Douglas Jackson, Vice President Doreen Evans Associates

2. Today’s Presentation Purpose: Show how Business Analysis Competency can be justified and established within your organization. Presentation Goals: • Show how you can “make the case” for BA Competency • Show why the findings and business case should become the charter for your BA Competency effort • Emphasize the value of communication mechanisms to realize BA Competency. Limit: 1 hour: 35 minute presentation, 25 minutes for Q/A

3. About Doreen Evans Associates, Inc. • Founded in 1992 with a single focus to provide a solution to the requirements problem • DEA’s only business (20 years in February) is as a provider of Business Analysis Solutions • Providing experienced business analysts to work on client projects • Helping our clients establish a business analysis best practice discipline • Endorsed Education Providers (EEP) of the IIBA • Blueprint Strategic Partner Presenter: Douglas Jackson, CBAP Vice President www.doreenevans.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/douglasjackson

4. What is BA Competency? Business Analysis Competency is the set of people, process, technology and organizational capabilities which will be need to effectively implemented to ensure mature business analysis practices within the organization.

5. Why is BA Competency Needed ? If you are on this webcast, you likely are a competent business analyst, Because you are a Blueprint client, you have a strong technology foundation in place, Good things are happening…

6. BA Competency Benefit …so BA Competency is really about getting your organization to adopt the business analysis discipline to achieve its organizational objectives in a consistent, repeatable, and scalable way

7. “The Requirements Mess” “Analysts report that as many as 71% of software projects that fail do so because of poor requirements management, making it the single biggest reason for project failure – bigger than bad technology, missed deadline or change management fiascos…” 7

8. Project Risks 50 – 60% of projects fail to meet the needs of the business costing US businesses at least $30B every year!!! 53% of projects cost189%of their original estimate 56% of software defects can be attributed to requirements • Standish Group’s 2009 CHAOS Report • Forrester Research

9. People– Making sure the right people are continuously educated on the latest practices Process– Ensuring a defined process for requirements definition, collaboration and management in is place Technology– Ensuring a common set of tools is in place for requirements and that there is education approach which supports the toolset Products – Managing product information (rules, lifecycles, etc) are when changes are made within the organization Organization – Ensuring integration takes place between the BA roles and those of the PMO, Architecture team, Strategy, and product management (governance) A Holistic, Integrated Approach

10. Establish BA Competency: A Proven Roadmap Pilot Projects Pilot Projects Projects Discovery / Planning Making the Case BA Competency Improvement Institutionalization Area of Focus Today- If this part is done right, rest will be much easier BA Competency Development BA Competency Improvement Program BA Competency Establishment Project

11. User Experience Product Management Enterprise Architecture PMO Development Testing BA Community Compliance Fill in blank here ___________ BA Competency Assessment - Stakeholder Checklist Very Important! Why? Because getting these folks involved early sets the foundation for BA Competency governance – a critical component to ensure success for the program.

12. Common Business Challenges

13. Step 2: Elicitation / Verification Pilot Projects Pilot Projects Projects Discovery / Planning Making the Case BA Competency Improvement Institutionalization Quantify the effect BA Competency will have on these objectives BA Competency Development BA Competency Improvement Program BA Competency Establishment Project

14. Understand the Project Portfolio Determine the causes of project failure / abandonment (causal factors) Map the business analysis practices that should be done and how they would reduce the risk to the related causal factor(s) Determine the cost to implement the practices Techniques for Project Risk Analysis • Which costs less? • Same approach, or • Spend money to implement a BA discipline, reducing risk of additional project cost

15. Use a Survey to Get Relevant Metrics from Stakeholders • Key Questions to Ask: • How many projects are abandoned? • What was their value? • How many ran significantly over budget? • On average, by how much? • How many ran significantly behind the promised delivery date? • When are software ‘anomalies’ (bugs, defects, etc.) found in the software development lifecycle? • When project are abandoned, what would you think are the likely causes? Note: Need to link to goals

16. Analyze Organizational Process

17. Analyze the Process Do have a defined process that allows each work effort to define roles and responsibilities, determine usage of existing templates, evaluate best approach for business analysis activities given project characteristics ? Sure Project Challenge Risk-o-Meter

18. Analyze the Process Can you show it to me? Oh….then maybe we don’t have a defined process… Project Challenge Risk-o-Meter

19. Step 3: Solution Requirements Pilot Projects Pilot Projects Projects Discovery / Planning Making the Case BA Competency Improvement Institutionalization Determine the BA Competency practices that fit the needs of your organization BA Competency Development BA Competency Establishment Project BA Competency Improvement Program

20. Document Risks

21. Creating the Link BA Practice Implementation Will Reduce Risks to Identified Project Challenges

22. Compare to Benchmarks $15,647,161 $9,589,680 -------------- $25,236,841

23. Establishing Business Analysis Competency Business Case Table of Contents Sample  Executive Summary – BA Competency Project Business Problem Summary Anticipated Outcomes from Proposed Project Recommendations for Implementing Proposed Project Project Justification Business Case Analysis Team Core Team Stakeholders Problem Definition Problem Statements Organizational Impact – Findings BA Competency Recommendations Project Overview BA Competency Project Description (People, Process, Technology, Organization) Goals and Objectives Project Performance/ Measurement Project Assumptions Project Constraints Project Risks/ Mitigation Strategy Major Project Phases/ Milestones Discovery/ Planning BA Competency Development Pilot Projects BA Competency Improvement BA Competency Institutionalization Strategic Alignment – BAC and the Organization Cost Benefit Analysis of Project – Metrics/ Justification for Undertaking Project Project Alternatives Analysis Approvals Create Discovery and Planning Deliverables • Process analysis findings • Roadmap for moving forward • Business case

24. DEA has found a key difference between success and failure of a BA Competency effort is related to one thing: A communication plan that is approved and used. Communicate!

25. Step 4: Solution Assessment / Verification Pilot Projects Pilot Projects Projects Discovery / Planning Making the Case Implement practices incrementally on projects, while Creating a BA Competency “asset” for that can be applied on other projects BA Competency Improvement Institutionalization Benefit: BA Competency is being developed while projects are being executed – minimizing cost and political scrutiny BA Competency Development BA Competency Establishment Project BA Competency Improvement Program

26. Communicating BAC Improvements • Set up requirements governance bodies • Use business case as charter • Follow an accepted communication plan • Use status reports to show incremental improvements • Periodically reassess risk

27. Step 5: Solution Optimization Pilot Projects Pilot Projects Projects Optimize the BA Competency practice asset from Lessons Learned and integrate it as part of your organization’s requirements process Discovery / Planning Making the Case BA Competency Improvement Institutionalization Note: Project is considered completed when all practices identified are in place and optimized. BA Competency Development BA Competency Establishment Project BA Competency Improvement Program

28. Risks Drive BA Competency Improvements Communicate incremental strategy improvements via status reports

29. Step 5: Solution Optimization Pilot Projects Pilot Projects Projects Discovery / Planning Making the Case BA Competency Improvement Institutionalization Note: Project is considered completed when all practices identified are in place and optimized. BA Competency Development BA Competency Improvement Program BA Competency Establishment Project

30. Keys to Establishing BA Competency • Treat the establishment of BA Competency as a project • Need to make the case with the team that will govern • Make sure to quantify expectations in the form of a business case • Incrementally show progress against the agreed expectations using progress reports and your governance team. • Communicate the good word!

31. Q&A For questions after this webcast, join the community on Linked in: RequirementsFIRST

32. For more information contact me at djackson@doreenevans.com or call us atDoreen Evans Associates, Inc.31 St James Ave Suite 1007Boston, MA 02116617-482-4444 Thank You!