Fall 2008
Seven Steps
to Mastering
Business Analysis
Grassroots Excellence: The Right Business Requirements Activities
Creating a BA Community Analyst,The Right Project for Agile Development
in Your Organization Projects
letter from the editors
all often evokes memories of heading back-to-school, complete
F with new pencils, pens, paper and books in tow! And speaking of
books, we are thrilled to announce publication of Barb’s first book,
Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis. The book serves as a ‘how-
to’ manual for business analysts of every skill level. We are confident
this reference will find a spot in your must-have career library.
Congratulations to Barb!
In light of the new book, our feature article offers a sneak peek at
those seven steps. Learn what they are with a brief overview of each
one and why you must obtain this knowledge in order to truly
BARBARA CARKENORD and TINA JOSEPH
master business analysis. Build further on those seven steps with a
brief overview of one of the profession’s buzz topics: Service-Oriented Architecture, in Lost in Translation.
Mastering business analysis is a personal goal, but should also be an organizational one. This issue contains
an article on creating a BA Community of Excellence within your organization by a Lead Process Analyst at
GlaxoSmithKline, Lila Rosa. In the first of this two-part series Lila has outlined what a BA community is and
why it is important. Jeff Martin, founder of Collective Genius, has contributed a look at how to get the right
BA on the right project. He maps out the vital stages a business must go through to ensure that a BA’s skills
and experience meet the needs of a particular project.
Keeping up with the IIBA? IIBA President Kathleen Barret delivers a look back on the organization’s five
year history and how it continues to grow and provide valuable benefits to its members. Finally, be sure to
check out Part II on agile BAs by Jacqueline Sanders of Success Architechs. This article focuses on the various
requirement activities seen on a daily basis in agile projects, based on Jacqueline’s extensive experience.
B2T Training is sponsoring two upcoming conferences this fall, the Project Summit and Business Analyst
World in Chicago, Ill. from November 10 -13 and the Project World and World Congress for BAs in
Orlando, Fla. from November 18-21. We hope to see you there!
The IIBA and IIBA logo are trademarks belonging to the International Institute of Business Analysis. The Business Analysis Body of Knowledge and
BABOK are registered trademarks belonging to the IIBA. PMI and PMBOK are registered trademarks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
the
Fall 2008
TM
volume 5 l issue 2
table of contents
4 Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis
by Barbara Carkenord
8 Lost in Translation
SOA - A low tech discussion
by Angie Perris
14 IIBA Update
by Kathleen Barret
authors who contributed To subscribe to the bridge or view issues online visit www.b2ttraining.com.
their time and talent to
this issue of the bridge.
B2T Training • 11675 Rainwater Drive, Suite 325 • Alpharetta, GA 30009 • 866.675.2125
Design and Production
Design: B2T Training offers a business analysis training curriculum that focuses on proven skills and techniques to
Mendenhall Design define and scope the business problem, elicit and analyze requirements, document the requirements, model
Print Production: the requirements, and follow through with the development of business requirements test plans to ensure the
Douglas W. Lesher project has met its defined objectives.
Printed in the USA
Our training is offered nationally and on a limited international basis. Most of our classes are taught onsite
©2008 B2T Training and are tailored to the unique environments of each organization. Public classes are also available in various
All Rights Reserved. cities around the US.
Reproduction of content CEO President Vice President, Client Solutions
is not permitted without Tina Joseph Barbara A. Carkenord Angie Perris
prior written permission.
problem solving. work as a liaison among stakeholders in The meaning and importance of the term
requirement is central to business analysis.
order to understand the structure, policies,
and operations of an organization, and Requirements are complex and come in
recommend solutions that enable the many types and levels of detail. This
organization to achieve its goals.” makes requirements difficult to elicit,
Business analysis involves: analyze and communicate. Master BAs are
I Identification of business problems and able to explain complex requirements to
opportunities various audiences. In addition they can
What is SOA? Okay let’s break down an the popular building blocks play set.
Service-Oriented Architecture or SOA example: Rather than build separate, custom
(which rhymes with boa – yes, the snake) Let’s say you have a sub-process named applications for each department or
is one style of business and systems Check customer account that belongs to enterprise (as was done in the past) today’s
architecture that promotes process your CRM which is part of your sales businesses, operating in an interconnected
efficiencies, reduced operational and business area. This particular service can world “flattened” by the Internet, need
maintenance costs, and the ability to be reused in many other standard blocks of
respond faster to changing business needs applications, such as your functionality that fit
with high quality software solutions. custom marketing system, with each other and
Much hype and misunderstanding have your accounts payable can be easily
swarmed SOA in the last few years; this and accounts receivable integrated and
article is an introduction that answers applications. Each configured.”
some basic questions pertinent to business application is Think
analysis professionals and provides some written in a about how
high level concepts and key points geared different language our global
specifically for a less technical audience (COBOL, .NET, expectations
than developers and technical architects. Java, C++, etc.) for software
One caveat: SOA is a complex subject and and on a different interoperability
cannot be fully explained in a short hardware platform. have changed in
article. SOA allows you to use the same code the past 15 years. It’s
every time you want to check customer mind boggling. People
account. expect systems to talk to each other. If your
SOA terminology organization is piloting a SOA approach,
SOA involves the discovery and the business analyst is a pivotal role that
development of reusable, shareable business Truths, myths and metaphors needs to be aware of SOA fundamental
services that are less costly to maintain and Service-oriented architecture begins with concepts.
deploy. A service is defined as a business business architecture and affects how
task that can be reused (such as search business process and application logic,
employee, check customer account, data, and rules are viewed, segregated and Is SOA a passing fad?
authorize credit). Multiple services usually automated. SOA is NOT synonymous with Gartner research shows SOA was used to
make up a business process. A service object-oriented (OO) design, business some extent in more than 50% of large,
provider is whoever allows the service to process management (BPM), web services, new applications and business processes
be shared. A service consumer (similar to or enterprise commercial applications such designed in 2007. Additionally the
a use case actor) is who uses the service. as SAP and Oracle but each of these majority of SOA projects succeed and
There is a service registry which is a technologies has a relationship to SOA. companies that have started with SOA are
catalog that displays and describes each Unfortunately SOA has been defined many sticking with it. Gartner estimates that by
service. There are also terms and conditions different ways, especially by software 2010, 80% of large, new systems will use
on how a service may be used which are vendors who attempt to define SOA from some aspect of SOA. Gartner analysis
called a service contract or agreement. the perspective of their software. One summarizes that “SOA is a durable change
Services are chunks of code. The main writer greatly simplified SOA concepts in application architecture, like the
business benefits to implement SOA are using LEGO™ toys as a metaphor. Several relational data model and the graphical
reuse, easier development, simplified references to LEGOs were listed in a blog user interface” (Abrams and Schulte). Even
maintenance, reduced operational costs, posting asking, “Why are we building software giants such as Microsoft, SAP and
increased speed to market and software ‘enterprise’ SOAs with ‘LEGO blocks’?” by Oracle, are using SOA in the way their
portability. SOA is completely Joe McKendrick. (http://blogs.zdnet.com/ proprietary applications communicate with
programming language and platform service-oriented/?p=777) A clever reference assorted applications and technology
agnostic: plug and play. is quoted below: infrastructures.
“A pertinent analogy for SOA is LEGO, Identifying a need for a SOA can be a
New BA Certified
TM
We are pleased to highlight the newest individuals who have earned the recognition of BA Certified since the last issue
of the bridge. To date, we have more than 6,000 students in our program, with over 300 who have completed and
received certification. We have an additional 499 candidates who are BA Associates and are in the final stage of the
certification process. Individuals who are BA certified have firmly demonstrated knowledge and application of business
analysis. We congratulate them on their success!
Introduction BA practitioners across the organization. A • Explicit – have support of a senior level
In July 2005, one business unit in our BA community is also a low-cost sponsor, ideally someone on your
organization launched a business analysis mechanism for ongoing training and skills organization’s leadership team who is
community that included a recommended transfer for BAs, and can include a focusing BA continuity and/or
framework, an excellence recognition mentoring program for less experienced improvement, or their delegate
program, a mentoring program, a website, analysts. It also creates advocacy for BA • Implicit – each BA Community core
and regular community events. This career planning within an organization. team member has her or his manager’s
created a new sense of identity and support Depending on the BA profile of your support and access to budget
for business analysis practitioners. This BA organization, creating a BA community • General – have general support of your
community model and activities have now will provide high, significant, or good leadership team for time and budget
spread to other business units with equal benefit, see Figure 1. invested
success.
Part I looks at how to get started. Steps for Beginning a Next, you must have agreement with
BA Community management as to what a BA community
What is a BA Community? First, you must have management support is expected to accomplish. Develop goals
First of all, what is a BA community? For at some level: and objectives for management approval
the purpose of this by identifying key or representative BA
discussion, a BA practitioners and having them articulate
community is defined as the problems they face in doing business
an internal “volunteer” analysis. This list of problems should be
network, supported by prioritized with a management level
management, which serves sponsor or steering group. Then do a root
the business analysis cause analysis on these problems, and
community in an create goals and objectives that address
organization. highest priority problems first. Present
A BA community is not these to management as problem
restricted to those in IT statements with value-based solutions to be
with “BA” in their title. accomplished by the BA community
Depending on the needs network, see example in Figure 2.
and profile of a specific Be sure to use good business analysis
project or support group, practices for good problem definition first.
business analysis activities may be Figure 1 - Benefit Level by BA Profile
performed by developers, business users, Organization’s Business Analysis Profile Benefit Level of a
project architects, systems analysts, BA Community
technical leads, quality analysts, or project
• No standard BA process High
managers, as well as by those designated as
• BA done in silos
BAs. It’s the business analysis role and
• BA resources separated by distance
activities, rather than a particular job title
and/or organization boundaries
that are supported by a BA community.
• Mostly inexperienced BAs
• Several different “standard” BA processes Significant
Why Have a
– or, BA process is ill-defined and/or undocumented
BA Community? • BA resources distributed across workgroups
There are a number of excellent reasons for • A mix of experienced and inexperienced BAs
having a BA community. First, a BA
community helps prepare business analyst • Shared, documented standard BA processes Good
practitioners for success. It aids in • Centralized BA resources
identifying and communicating with other • Mostly experienced BAs
Figure 2 - Example Problem Statement with Value-Based Solution Part II will detail how to set up your BA
The problem of: Inconsistent BA practices across IT community core team, the elements of
solutions areas outstanding BA community events, and how
Affects: The software development team, the quality
to stay successful and relevant over time.
assurance team, and the business customers
Acknowledgements:
The Impact of which is: Projects are not consistently delivered on Three articles by Renee Saint-Louis, Sr.
time and on budget due to missing or Systems Analyst, The Schwan Food Company
inconsistent requirements (source: www.requirementsnetwork.com)
A successful solution would be: To provide a BA framework of best practices • Building an Analyst Community through a
for all of IT to follow Center of Excellence
• Creating and Sustaining a Sense of
Resulting in the benefit of: A standard approach to business analysis
Community through a Center of Excellence
that delivers better quality projects, on time • An Analyst Center of Excellence - Lessons
and on budget Learned One Year Later
n October 30, it will be five years the IIBA has over 66 chapters (with an and options will continue to grow as the
O since the inception of the IIBA. At
that time, 23 individuals met to create an
additional 70 in progress). The Web site
continuously undergoes updates to improve
IIBA can afford to invest in these products.
The strategic value is more abstract and
organization they hoped would drive the communications amongst its members. intangible. However, for participants in the
formalization and recognition of a Currently the IIBA Senior Leadership team BA community, that value is even more
profession that they had been practicing for (SLT) hosts a blog, members have access to important than the “physical” deliverables.
many years – Business Analysis. Little did members-only forums and information, What is this strategic value? Within the last
they realize how important this organization and the webinar series kicked-off last five years, the IIBA formally defined and
would be to Business Analysts all over the month with two sessions on the Evolution articulated the value of the Business Analysis
world: 23 has grown to 6,833; a single of the BA Role with additional monthly profession. That work was performed by
location has grown to 56 countries. webinars scheduled. IIBA members and supported by sponsors
During its relatively short existence, the The IIBA has made great progress – all and EEPs. Those individuals and the others
IIBA has also delivered on its that will continue their efforts
promise as an organization – to be Small opportunities are often the will further evolve and refine the
the world’s leading association for BA discipline. Rarely do
Business Analysis professionals, beginning of great enterprises. individuals have the ability to
responsible for developing and Demosthenes (384 BC - 322 BC) determine the direction of their
maintaining standards for the profession and its importance to
practice of business analysis and for the made possible through the efforts of our industry. The IIBA volunteers, drawn from
certification of its practitioners. Significant volunteers and the financial support of its membership base, are doing just that. By
milestones have been met for each of its our members, sponsors and Endorsed providing feedback and input to the
three strategic goals: Education Providers (EEPs). But it is only association responsible for their profession
the beginning. Our challenge as an and by engaging in the development of the
1. Define the Business Analysis Body of organization is to balance what we can Business Analysis Body of Knowledge®, they
Knowledge® (BABOK®). deliver with our limited resources. are defining the direction of their future.
While the BABOK will continue to evolve What is the value proposition to IIBA The IIBA is only in its infancy, and we
as the BA profession matures, the IIBA members, sponsors and EEPs? What makes have a long and exciting future ahead of us.
has already released three versions of the those groups continue to support an As respect and recognition for the profession
BABOK – 1.0, 1.4 and 1.6 – with version organization that is a “work in progress”? grows, demand for qualified Business
2.0 currently undergoing its final edit. There are two perspectives – the tactical Analysts will outpace supply. The IIBA will
2. Publicly recognize qualified practitioners and the strategic. help address this gap by further defining and
through an internationally acknowledged The tactical value is the immediate, refining BA standards and clarifying BA skill
certification program. physical deliverables the IIBA brings to its and competency requirements, working
The first certification exam was held stakeholders. For members, it is access to with businesses and training organizations
in November 2006 in a proctored our newsletter, online forums, tools and to put the tools and framework in place to
environment. On September 1, 2008, the templates, job postings, career road maps, make them successful in recruiting and
IIBA released its Computer-Based Testing webinars and discounts on current and preparing BAs. As the IIBA continues to
(CBT) version so that qualified BAs future products (e.g., publications, course grow, we will offer more products and
would be able to write the exam at offerings, and conferences). For sponsors services to our members, sponsors and
testing centers all over the world. To date, and EEPs, it is visibility on our Web site EEPs, continuing to deliver on the tactical
over 400 individuals have been certified. and access to members through our value promise of the organization. But these
3. Provide a forum for knowledge sharing. newsletters, webinars and other soon to be tactical deliverables will only be possible as
The IIBA reaches out to its members both offered membership communications (e.g., long as our supporters – members, sponsors
physically, through its chapters, as well as pod casts, monthly e-mail tips). They offer and EEPs – believe and support the strategic
virtually, through its Web site. As of today, immediate, obvious value and the selection value proposition of the IIBA. I
hether it’s allocating your internal the role the BA (or BAs) will play combination of skills and experience for
W resources, selecting a new hire, or
bringing in a consultant; organizations that
throughout the project. Having a specific
definition of the role, as well as
the project.
truly value the role of the Business Analyst identification of the categories and tasks
(BA) frequently ponder what is the best each BA will perform, creates the baseline Attract the Best Business
process to match the right business analyst of skills and experience needed to match Analysts
to the right project. the right BA. One of the biggest mistakes Casting the net to identify the best people
Companies that want the right people organizations can make is assuming that for the project is often overlooked in this
in the right roles need to address four main BA’s role will be the same as in previous process, nor is it an easy task. There are
stages; defining the BA’s role in the project, projects. B2T Training’s Business Analysis fewer qualified BAs than projects that need
attracting the best talent, matching the best Maturity Model (see figure 1) seeks to them. Organizations in every market
BA to the project and finally, making the define and replicate the process, however it should design and implement a plan to
selection and continuing to support the BA does not mean that the BA will be playing market, attract and retain the best talent.
as needed. the same role in each project. Prospective employees or consultants
It is important to spend time most commonly view the job description
identifying the specific tasks within each of or project requirement. Often this
Define Business Analyst’s the following business analysis role document only lists the required and
Role in the Project categories, based on the knowledge areas in desired skills of the BA, with no
It is just as important to assess the project the BABOK®: Business Analysis Planning description of the project or type of
itself as it is the BA for the project. In the and Monitoring, Enterprise Analysis, solution they will be developing. Many
times the same job description is used
for each new BA. In one Collective
Organizations in every market should Genius study, over 80% of
organizations admitted to using the
design and implement a plan to market, same HR job description for all BA
job postings.
attract and retain the best talent. The project and potential solution
cannot be communicated enough.
first stage the Enterprise Business Analyst Elicitation, Requirements Analysis, Great BAs are motivated by being part of a
and Project Manager work to define the Solution Assessment and Validation, and collective team, creating and then
business case, high-level requirements, risk Requirements Management and implementing business driven solutions;
assessment, staffing, project plan, scope, Communication. These categories and communicating phrases such as these will
budget, timeline and the work plan. related tasks become the baseline to use trigger passion in and attract and the best
A deliverable at this stage is to identify when identifying the BA with the best BAs.
5
4 Managed
Optimizing
3 Defined Continue
2 Measurements
process
1 Repeatable Process is formalized collected and
improvement
Initial Standard practices (predictable) assessed
Business analysis and templates
performed
inconsistently Adapted from CMMI Maturity Model
book review
Getting it Right: Business Requirements Analysis Tools and Techniques
by Kathleen B. Hass, PMP ; Don Wessels, PMP ; and Kevin Brennan, PMP
® ® ®
etting it Right: Business Requirements identifying and supporting confusing to readers also
G Analysis Tools and Techniques is one of
a series of books that make up the Business
a strong, high-performing
project team.
learning these techniques
from other sources. In
Analysis Essential Library. Each of these The second part of the addition, the book includes
books covers a different area of business book covers the analysis and specific recommendations for
analysis work. This particular book specification process. There language to use when
presents current practices for analysis is an interesting discussion documenting requirements
supported by tools and techniques. about understanding scope with text.
The first four chapters of the book from the perspective of The last section of the
discuss setting up infrastructure, the project, product, and book, called Other
transition from requirements elicitation to business change. Several Considerations includes a
analysis and preparing for requirements different types of models are good description of change
management. There is an excellent section defined and a few examples are provided. management and an article by Kevin
on setting up the core team called However, some of the examples do not Brennan on selecting the right requirements
Organize for Success. This section presents show common, standard notations (context technique, which can also be found in the
ten concrete recommendations for diagram, data models) and may be Fall 2006 issue of the bridge. I
I
n the Spring 2008 issue of the bridge,
my article focused on the planning tasks a BA performs during development
activities that take place in Iteration iterations, based on my own experiences.
Zero (0) of an agile project. Iteration 0 is Those tasks included creating and sharing
the initiation phase involving the planning user stories, participating in the iteration
and scoping tasks done in an agile planning and daily stand-up meetings,
environment. The Business Analyst (BA) joining in open and ongoing discussions and
lays the requirements foundation during facilitating the testing and implementation
Iteration 0, prior to the launch of the phase.
development iterations. The development
iterations are where the design and build User Stories
activities take place simultaneously. Once To facilitate the fast pace of short agile
the development team launches into the iterations, there were always two BAs on my
fast-paced development iterations the BA projects. We alternated the responsibilities of
will rely on the groundwork established in initiating the next iteration. The initiation
Iteration 0 to stay organized, manage their of an iteration began with the creation of a
work and to quickly react to the needs of user story, the BA’s primary documented
the agile project team. artifact. A user story is similar to a use case
but usually represents one specific path or
The Development Iterations scenario within a use case.
The functions and features that make up a
solution are divided into small components The user story is typically 1 – 2
to be implemented within an iteration. The pages. Our template consisted
purpose of each development iteration is to of the user story name, a 1 – 4
demonstrate or deliver a feature or function sentence description, the primary
of a working system that provides value to user, required features, expected
the stakeholders. The length of iterations are benefits, a narrative and
based on the type of project. Whatever the acceptance criteria stated as
length of the iterations, the BA’s main scenarios.
responsibilities are remarkably similar to
those on a traditional, waterfall project. The
core components of software design are still Each user story was posted on a project
user classes, data, process and business rules. wiki™. The project wiki was our online,
The difference is that the BA has to become collaborative tool of choice and the informal
accustomed to applying these skills in an focal point of requirements information.
agile environment. The wiki allowed us to document significant
Although agile environments vary, this requirements, decisions and discussions, but
Online Communities
I BA Collective (www.bacollective.com)
I Business Rules Community
(www.brcommunity.org)
I Business Analysis Times (www.batimes.com)
I Business Process Management (www.bpm.com)
I Catalyze (www.catalyze.org)
I International Institute of Business Analysis (www.theiiba.org)
I Modern Analyst (www.modernanalyst.com)
I Project Management Institute (www.pmi.org)
I Requirements Networking Group (www.requirementsnetwork.org)
M
Core Courses
Our core training program covers fundamental and intermediate skills and
is appropriate for new or experienced business analysts. These courses
comprise a complete curriculum and are written for organizations looking
to level-set the business analyst role in their companies and for individuals
seeking a solid foundational skill set. Our certification program is based on
these three core courses.
• Essential Skills for the Business Analyst™ – 4 days
• Detailing Business Data Requirements – 3 days
• Detailing Process and Business Rule Requirements – 4 days
Advanced Courses
Our advanced courses are designed for students who have completed
the core courses and individuals who are experienced in business
analysis.
• Developing a Business Analysis Work Plan – 3 days
• Facilitating Requirements for Business Analysis – 3 days
• Requirements Validation – 2 days
• IIBA CBAP Exam Prep Boot Camp – 4 days
Specialized Courses
These courses are subsets of our core course curriculum and focus on specific areas of interest.
• Techniques for Eliciting Requirements – 1 day
• Scoping the Project – 1 day
• Business Process Modeling – 2 days
• Developing Use Cases – 1 day
Management/Technical Seminars
These seminars provide management and technical teams an understanding of the business analyst role
and business requirements documentation.
• Overview of Business Analysis – 1/2 day
• Developer’s Introduction to Business Analysis – 1 day
M
Enterprise Analysis
Identify business need
Determine solution approach
Define solution scope
Develop the business case
Elicitation
Prepare for elicitation
Conduct elicitation
Document elicitation results
Confirm elicitation results
Requirements Analysis
Organize requirements
Prioritize requirements
Specify and model requirements
Determine assumptions and constraints
Verify requirements
Validate requirements
Fundamentals
Software development methodologies
Negotiation
Consensus building
Leadership
Quality Assurance
Presentation skills
Project Management
Networking/relationship building
Consulting skills
Business knowledge
Technical knowledge
Advanced Courses
Canadian Partner Developing a Business Analysis Work Plan - 3 Days
Visit www.achieveblue.com
Requirements Validation - 2 Days
for more information.
Facilitating Requirements for Business Analysis - 3 Days
Contact sales@b2ttraining.com
if you would like to become an
international partner. Visit www.b2ttraining.com for the latest public class schedule,
pricing information, and to register.
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