Craig Brown

BA World Symposium, 2009

Business Analyst as
Scrum Product Owner
Introduction notes
In this presentation I plan to elaborate on one of the several ways business analysts
can step into the role of product owner.
Who else is more suited than the masters of bridging gaps, delivering business value
and getting things done?
The first part of this talk runs through some generally accepted definitions of a
business analysts role. I then briefly talk about the basics of scrum before diving into
a more in-depth exploration of the Product Owner role (in enterprise contexts.) Lastly
I talk about some of the areas I believe that BAs may need to adjust their thinking
when moving from a traditional BA role to the PO role.
This conversation is far from over and your contribution to the discussion is most
welcome.

Craig Brown
www.betterprojects.net
Sponsored by IGL
Ingena Group Limited
Level 8, 30 Collins Street, Melbourne Vic 3000
www.ingena.com.au
What is a business analyst?
In 2007 and 08 I surveyed job descriptions for BAs to see what hiring organisations
were looking for from business analysts. This is what I found.
This role encompasses more than the ability to document processes
and apply technological expertise.

wherever they sit, Business Analysts must be great communicators,
tactful diplomats, problem solvers, thinkers and analysers - with the
ability to understand and respond to user needs in rapidly changing
business environments.

We define the purpose of the role of the Business Analyst as being
ultimately responsible for ensuring that organisations get the most
from their limited IT and change management resource.

Guy Beachamp
http://www.businessanalystsolutions.com/what_is_a_business_analyst2.htm
...the most successful and valuable analysts are
those who understand the "Business" rather than
those who understand IT.

A broad experience of business is required, the
more varied, the better.


Derrick Brown and Jan Kusiak,
IRM Training Pty Ltd

The role of the BA differs from the role of the
Project Manager in that the BA is responsible for
defining and managing the scope of a business
solution, while the PM is responsible for the work
necessary to implement that solution.


IIBA blurb
http://www.theiiba.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=What_s_a_BA_

Business analysts often play a critical role in
aligning the needs of business units with the
capabilities delivered by information technology,
and may serve as a translator between those two
groups.

It includes the definition of organizational goals,
how those goals connect to specific objectives,
determining the course of action that an
organization has to undertake to achieve those
goals and objectives, and defining how the
various organizational units and stakeholders
within and outside of that organization interact

BABOK v2
A Business Analyst is a professional who supports
the evolution and implementation of business
decisions via the application of specialist
analytical tools, techniques and procedures.



Brenda Treasure and Martin Vaughn
Core Consulting for ABAA in Business Analysis Competency Framework
http://www.abaa.org.au/cms/tiki-download_file.php?fileId=66

As a BA, I find my client area is glad to have
someone to deal with that techo stuff and
therefore the challenge is to ensure a level of
common understanding and getting the business
system right first time.


Maria Horrigan,
SMS Technology
www.barocks.com
The professional business analyst differs from
traditional IS analysts in that it focuses almost
exclusively on adding value to the business





Kathleen Haas, Management Concepts
Business Analysts get the job done. It's that
simple - they get the job done. When everyone
else retreats, gives up, waffles or disassociates
from the job the analyst gets the job done.


HM Winning
Trials and Tribulations of a Business Analyst,
IT Toolbox
http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/business-analyst/what-is-a-business-analyst-here-you-go-24325
Business Technical
What is a
Product
Owner
Alexa Page rank search
Laura Brandau
Bridging-the-gap.com
Laura Brandau
Bridging-the-gap.com
Scrum
which is an agile thing
Individuals and
interactions
That is, while there is value in the items on the right,
we value the items on the left more
We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and
helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:
The Agile Manifesto
processes and tools
Working software
comprehensive
documentation
Customer collaboration contract negotiation
Responding to change following a plan
over
over
over
over
Individuals and
interactions
That is, while there is value in the items on the right,
we value the items on the left more
We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and
helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:
The Agile Manifesto
processes and tools
Working software
comprehensive
documentation
Customer collaboration contract negotiation
Responding to change following a plan
over
over
over
over
Scrum
Individuals and
interactions
That is, while there is value in the items on the right,
we value the items on the left more
We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and
helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:
The Agile Manifesto
processes and tools
Working software
comprehensive
documentation
Customer collaboration contract negotiation
Responding to change following a plan
over
over
over
over
Scrum
Principles behind the Agile Manifesto
1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the
customer through early and continuous
delivery of valuable software.
2. Welcome changing requirements, even late
in development. Agile processes harness
change for the customer's competitive
advantage.
3. Deliver working software frequently, from a
couple of weeks to a couple of months, with
a preference to the shorter timescale.
4. Business people and developers must work
together daily throughout the project.
5. Build projects around motivated individuals.
Give them the environment and support
they need, and trust them to get the job
done.
6. The most efficient and effective method of
conveying information to and within a
development team is face-to-face
conversation.
7. Working software is the primary measure of
progress.
8. Agile processes promote sustainable
development. The sponsors, developers, and
users should be able to maintain a constant
pace indefinitely.
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence
and good design enhances agility.
10.Simplicity--the art of maximizing the
amount of work not done--is essential.
11.The best architectures, requirements, and
designs emerge from self-organizing
teams.
12.At regular intervals, the team reflects on
how to become more effective, then tunes
and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
Principles behind the Agile Manifesto
1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the
customer through early and continuous
delivery of valuable software.
2. Welcome changing requirements, even
late in development. Agile processes
harness change for the customer's
competitive advantage.
3. Deliver working software frequently, from a
couple of weeks to a couple of months, with
a preference to the shorter timescale.
4. Business people and developers must work
together daily throughout the project.
5. Build projects around motivated individuals.
Give them the environment and support
they need, and trust them to get the job
done.
6. The most efficient and effective method of
conveying information to and within a
development team is face-to-face
conversation.



7. Working software is the primary measure of
progress.
8. Agile processes promote sustainable
development. The sponsors, developers, and
users should be able to maintain a constant
pace indefinitely.
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence
and good design enhances agility.
10.Simplicity--the art of maximizing the
amount of work not done--is essential.
11.The best architectures, requirements, and
designs emerge from self-organizing
teams.
12.At regular intervals, the team reflects on
how to become more effective, then tunes
and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
Scrums three aspects
Process
People
Products
Process
Sprint
People
(agile scrum)
team
Scrum master Product Owner
1,510,000 292,000 35,100
People
(agile scrum)
team
Scrum master Product Owner
1,510,000 292,000 35,101
The product owner
Assure team is pursuing a common vision
Establish priorities to track business value
Act as the customer for developer questions
Work with product management to plan releases
Plan, elaborate and accept user stories and iterations
Technical: understand and prioritize refactoring and infrastructure


Dean Leffingwell,
Scaling Software Agility





User Stories
(Well come back to that)

The issue for BAs assuming the Product Owner role is authority
Rochelle Glover, Fronde
http://www.fronde.com/blog/?p=318
C.R.A.C.K.
Analysts
(Barry Boehm, Richard Turner)
Collaborative

Representative

Accountable

Committed

Knowledgeable
Products (Deliverables)
Pre-sprint work
Post sprint
implementation
work
Pre sprint Sprint Post sprint
As a <user type>
I want to <achieve a goal>
So that I can <get some value>
INVEST
in good user stories
Plus



Estimates*
Release plan
Acceptance
criteria
Acceptance
* Dont produce them, but
probably does report them
Plus



Business Value
Balancing
stakeholder needs
Implementation
planning
Selling the solution
Plus

Constant interaction
with the dev team
Secrets to success
Early and often
Focus on value
Release focus
Avoid eating elephants
Test first approach to requirements
Done-Done (James Shore, The Art of Agile Development)
Communication, communication,
communication (as usual)
Questions?
Craig Brown
www.betterprojects.net
View the notes page to see the credits and sources of the photos
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Craig Brown
www.betterprojects.net