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Business Agility and Business Analysis

in Sync for Success From Traditional to Digital 1


WHITEPAPER

Business Agility and Business Analysis in Sync for Success


Alison (Ali) Orr Cox, MBA, PMP, PMI-PBA, CBAP, CSM, SAFe Agilist, IIBA-AAC, TKP General Manager / Senior Instructor at B2T Training

What are some of the challenges Business Agility is the ability of an In this paper, we will discuss the
that we face today? Uncertainty organization to respond rapidly reality of today’s business, typical
about the future and how to changes while minimizing misconceptions of agile, common
to respond, how to monitor disruption and enabling success barriers to agility, and how to
performance in a fast-changing for the organization. Sounds nice, utilize analysis to overcome
world, which opportunities but how do you do that without challenges and position your
to pursue to achieve positive ensuing absolute chaos? The organization for success.
performance, and how to deal answer: business analysis.
with the massive amount of data A Volatile Present
and get value from that data – Business analysis is the practice
these are just some of the most of enabling change in an Some industries, including
common challenges. enterprise by defining needs and manufacturing and IT, have
recommending solutions that always been volatile because
The rapid evolution of technology deliver value to stakeholders. of constant change in the
creates opportunities – as well Business analysis allows an technology involved in their core
as challenges – for traditional enterprise to articulate needs business. More traditionally
businesses. As a result, many and the rationale for change, stable industries include medical
organizations strive to adopt and to design and describe practices, insurance, and banking.
an agile approach to respond solutions that can deliver value. Companies in the latter, more
effectively to the ever-changing Good business analysis enables stable category have been slower
environment and to better meet an organization to be agile, to to change their services and
customer needs. But adopting respond well and rapidly to the solutions because, until recently,
agile is not the same as achieving changing environment, and to their customers didn’t demand
business agility. better meet customer needs. change.

2 Business Agility and Business Analysis in Sync for Success


Take the insurance industry; some insurance companies. customers who aren’t as brand-
once a player in the traditional, James Maudslay revealed loyal to the ‘big dogs’ as they
slow-changing category, they some interesting disruptions used to be. Companies who
have experienced a shift in the in the insurance industry in a cling to old technology and have
way they do business due to CNBC interview. Gone are the inefficient, clunky processes will
new technology, globalization, days when your customers will be overtaken by the more agile
changes in regulations, and tolerate getting tangled up in a organizations. As the providers
a reduction in the use of the voice response system. They are of services and products,
middleman. These elements have demanding more personalized businesses must understand
all had a sizable impact on the coverage, improved customer how to harness technologies that
business and pushed the industry response, and overall faster and benefit and provide value to our
over the line into the volatile better service. customers and, in turn, to our
category. The same applies to organizations.
banking, medical practices, and Nearly ninety percent of the
other similar types of businesses. companies listed in the Fortune So, while agility these days
These businesses are forced by 500 in 1955 are gone or seems to point to using new
the expectations of customers to have dropped off the list. Did technologies, there are so many
drive toward the new paradigm: Blockbuster even have Netflix other things to consider for an
digital, agile, and responsive. on their radar? Did big retailers organization to be agile.
In a 2017 Fortune magazine ever think the ‘bookseller’
article, Ray Dorsey exposes that Amazon would be the Goliath it is Misconceptions about Agile
the number of virtual doctors’ today? Did the taxi industry ever
conceive of Uber? Did the railroad The term agile has been used,
appointments is expected to
companies think that a UPS or misused, and abused. Let’s
climb from almost 0 in 2015 to
FedEx would take over most of explore that while picking out the
over a billion a year in 2024.
their business? Will the current good pieces.
What’s changing? Practically industry leading- and bleeding-
• M
 yth: Agile means no
everything! If we analyze edgers go by the wayside as
documented requirements. This
the insurance industry, you well because of even newer
leads to IT thinking that agile
can see insurtech emerging technology on the horizon?
means fewer, undocumented
through phone apps, claims
Technology is booming, and not requirements, and therefore
acceleration, remote policy
just in technological companies. there is no need for business
administration, and drones
It’s ubiquitous. Technology analysis. The business side
being used for inspections, just
has made it easy for startups thinks it means that you can
to name a few examples. These
to reach millions of potential sprint to release a product
technology changes are rocking

Business Agility and Business Analysis in Sync for Success 3


or service without verifying
business value and without
analyzing (and documenting)
the need that will provide
that value. The business side
also often thinks that you can
change anything at any time
with no consequences.

• Myth: Agile is a methodology. It


is not a prescribed set of
processes; it is a framework.
Doing daily standups does
not make you agile. It doesn’t
mean that your sprints must be
exactly two weeks. Two weeks
may be unrealistic given the
environment of the organization
or specifics of the project.
The concept that agile is rigid
and demands certain rituals or  yth: Technology will solve
• M decision points and exceptions,
ceremonies at prescribed all my problems and make or what the data really means.
intervals often adds stress and me agile. Just because you’re Good requirements are
pressure that can lead to teams incorporating technology into crucial whether you run your
failing or feeling like they are your products or processes development using waterfall,
failing. doesn’t mean you’re being agile, or some hybrid or other
agile. Technology can actually methods. Good requirements
• Myth: Agile means no planning.
create more problems if people are crucial whether you are
This is a big misconception.
don’t understand why they are developing software, digital,
Planning is necessary. I don’t
using it and how it should be cloud, outsourced, or manual
know of very many businesses
used. services and products.
that will tell its development
teams, “You don’t have to tell • M
 yth: Agile means a perfect What’s in the Way?
me how long you’ll take or how product at each release. Just
much it will cost me. Just start because we are agile and have Agile is not a methodology. It’s
building and we’ll see.” No great demos and standups, an approach, a mindset, and a
planning means that you aren’t doesn’t always mean we can framework. There may be many
evaluating estimated business put a product out and never factors that feed into why an
value. No planning means that have to tweak it. Eric Ries states organization is not agile. Here are
you aren’t accounting for risks. in his book, The Lean Startup, some of the basic contributing
No planning means that people “Failing fast doesn’t mean fail factors:
might not understand what they and don’t get better.”
are supposed to target (or by 1. Many organizations are still
when). • M
 yth: User stories suffice as siloed. Productive collaboration
requirements. This myth is or even collaboration at all
• Myth: If my teams are agile, my particularly harmful to good between departments or lines
organization is agile. design and development. A of business is not the norm.
Organizations that force their user story is usually a one- There may even be antagonism
development teams to ‘do agile’ sentence statement of the user between departments. Change
but still want total control to need. Developers, if handed is slow if everyone is fighting
come from the top are typically just that, have no direction on against each other. Strategy
not agile. how to proceed, how to handle bumps heads with Operations.

4 Business Agility and Business Analysis in Sync for Success


Marketing and Sales versus 4. Business rules conflict and/or even the ‘middle’, which is
Operations. For agility to kick change constantly. Business often who really knows what’s
in, collaboration is key. rules are often buried in the going on! According to Beau
processes instead of being Groover, President of The
2. T
 he customer’s expectations independent of them. When Effective Syndicate, “The
and preferences are not they change, it is cumbersome middle gets squeezed between
valued, or worse, ignored and/ to properly adjust the process. demanding executives and
or dismissed. However, Gartner This makes it difficult to teams/operators. They
has found that the customer recognize and resolve conflicts are often under coached,
experience is seen as the way or be responsive to change, under supported and out-
to differentiate a business from which will ultimately (if numbered.” This decision-
its competitors. not immediately) frustrate making norm means both
our customers. Heavily problems and solutions are
3. D
 ata is decentralized. There regulated companies such often misunderstood, resulting
is not one true source of data as financial institutions, in poor alignment and sub-
about our customers, products, healthcare companies, optimal results.
services, or even our own insurance companies,
people. Some departments automobile manufacturers, 6. “Doing” agile without being
don’t know what others do; etc. run business risks when agile. This is a weird one. Just
this is the old “left hand not regulations change, and they going through the agile motions
knowing what the right hand are slow to respond. Non- and ceremonies doesn’t make
is doing” problem. The lack of adherence to regulations can you agile. Businesses that are
one true source of data about mean fines, or worse. purportedly ‘doing agile’ are
our customers, products, often making themselves less
services, or our people is a 5. Decisions are made from agile! And if you take an agile
serious barrier to making rapid the top-down, often without methodology like Scrum and
business decisions. checking with the ‘bottom’ or implement it blindly, you may
observe quite the opposite
effect! Chaos can ensue,
causing defects in products,
bad customer perception, and
loss of business.

Good Business Knowledge


via Good Business Analysis

How does an organization move


past these myths, address the
barriers, and build business
agility? It begins with growing and
sustaining business knowledge
through business analysis. The
IIBA® Business Analysis Body of
Knowledge® (BABOK®) and its
accompanying Agile Extension
Guide help conceptualize how
we can better understand
the business and perpetuate
beneficial change.

Let’s look at the different core


concepts from the BABOK and

Business Agility and Business Analysis in Sync for Success 5


business knowledge. Start
with understanding what your
business does: what services do
you provide to customers, what
products do you sell, what do
you need internally to support
those products and services?
Business architecture is not
just the understanding and
modeling of your IT systems; it
includes a deep understanding
of the core business capabilities
and processes that you need
to succeed and bring value to
your customers, and THEN ties
those together with how to fulfill
them (whether that includes
software, hardware, outsourced
services, other technical services,
or manual processes). If you
the Agile Extension, why each reaching goals/objectives and truly understand what you are
concept matters, and how alignment of strategy from targeting, the ‘how’ becomes
business analysis can help high level to low level. In other much easier to fulfill. The BABOK
implement them: words, business analysis helps defines much of what needs
us understand the raisons to be done to build a business
• C
 ontext: To be better at d’être (reasons for being) and architecture in its Requirements
what we do, we must clearly aligns those to the business Analysis and Design and
understand what we do. It strategies. Understanding our Techniques knowledge area and
starts at the top: the business context and strategic direction concepts.
needs to have a clear message helps us better understand
about what services and goals and what projects need What entails ‘a deep
products they produce and why to be pursued to achieve those understanding of the core
those services and products goals. Context helps us better business capabilities and
will solve customer needs and understand our projects need processes’? The key lies in
problems. Business analysis is to be pursued to achieve those knowing your business rules
the key: it starts with strategy goals. Context helps us better and data involved as well as the
analysis. According to the understand our customers so impacted parties (stakeholders)
BABOK, strategy defines the that we can better solve their affected by the capabilities and
most effective way to apply the problems and fulfill their needs. processes.
capabilities of an organization
to reach a desired set of goals Part of understanding context Business rules are key (but not
and objectives. The Strategy is to understand our Business the only key). Business rules
Analysis Knowledge Area Architecture. This is a big one! are typically the most volatile
describes how to collaborate The Business Agility Manifesto piece of the business in most
with stakeholders to identify states that the true measure organizations. Regulations
a need of strategic or tactical of an agile business solution is constantly change and may
importance (the business how much business knowledge contradict each other. An
need), enable the organization is configured into it and how organization needs to adjust
to address that need, and easily that knowledge can be pricing, product valuation,
align the resulting strategy for changed or reconfigured. A transportation costs, etc.,
the change with higher- and business architecture model constantly. Business rules
lower-level strategies. The is a great tool that helps the direct your business decisions.
key phrasing here points to entire business gain and retain Business rules encapsulate how

6 Business Agility and Business Analysis in Sync for Success


you deal with your customers. understand our customer, we discusses analyzing the current
Therefore, we need to look will miss the mark on fulfilling state. How do we know where
for rules and constraints that their needs. Empathy with the we are going if we don’t know
hinder us for no good reason. customer is paramount. where we are? It’s like asking
Unfortunately, many business for directions but not giving a
rules are misunderstood, lead to A great technique for delving starting point. Sometimes we
bad decisions, or are embedded into the customer perspective need to model our current state
in software code and are difficult is Design Thinking. Design capabilities and processes
to find and change. The key to Thinking entails combining in order to determine what
adjusting to change faster is empathy with the customer problems are most critical, are
to have a good handle on our and experimentation to achieve costing us the most money,
business rules and eliminate the innovative solutions. According to are using too many people
rules and constraints that hinder Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, “Design or other resources, or that
you for no good reason. thinking is a human-centered just don’t work. This analysis
approach to innovation that draws will help an organization
Data is the other key: If you from the designer’s toolkit to pinpoint the initiatives that are
understand (and everybody integrate the needs of people, the worth pursuing. Determining
understands) your business’ data, possibilities of technology, and the correct solution also
you have a good understanding the requirements for business involves root cause analysis.
of the business. Data is king success.” Often organizations treat
(or queen)! The last decade’s the symptoms of a problem
big buzz words around data Design Thinking points us to because they don’t understand
storytelling, big data, data the Voice of the Customer (VoC) the true root cause.
analytics, business intelligence, and Consumer Experience (CX).
and data science are really Listening to customers, whether • V
 alue: Creating business value
nothing new. Companies that they are external or internal, for our stakeholders should be
had good data analysis practices is crucial. Customers are more the decisive factor in decision-
over the years are the ones who likely to view you as the solution making within an organization.
have shone. The best way to if you actually understand In for-profit companies, this
compete with them is to follow their problems and address translates typically to return
that practice. Another key point them. To market effectively to on investment and customer
about data is that your business your customers, you have to satisfaction. In not-for-profit
rules are chock-full of data. Your understand what drives them, companies, this may translate
business rules govern how you what would attract them to you, to a measure of services
logically run your business and and what you must do to make provided (donations, charitable
drive decision-making. If the data them happy (and to NOT make services, betterment of a
in those rules is misunderstood or them angry!). Customers will segment of society) measured
missing, you are likely to end up tell you how they feel if you ask against the cost to provide
with bad decisions. them. We also must realize that those services. This means
what excited customers ten that organizations should look
• Stakeholders: A stakeholder years ago is just an expectation at the value provided end-to-
is anyone related to the now. Remember when having end (value chain) and ensure
change or need. Everyone GPS on your phone was new and that everyone involved along
(the stakeholders) must exciting? Would you buy a phone that chain 1) understands the
collaborate and communicate now that couldn’t help you get business value of their role and
well, no matter where they are where you want to go? We have to 2) contributes to that business
positioned in the organizational constantly innovate to stay ahead. value. Use all the above core
hierarchy. If the top doesn’t concepts to determine which
know what the bottom is doing • Solution: To determine the initiatives should be undertaken
and vice-versa, there will correct solution to a problem, and why. Run those initiatives
certainly be miscommunication we must understand the well, i.e., deliver the greatest
and conflicts. If we don’t starting point. The BABOK value with the least investment.

Business Agility and Business Analysis in Sync for Success 7


Agile Delivery: According Executive Management business (which they are!).
to the Agile Extension to the Strategies to Achieve Encourage this sentiment from
BABOK® Guide, agile delivery is Business Agility the top down.
a business strategy that creates
value through fast feedback A 2015 study done by Deloitte 2. Support and encourage
and short decision cycles. Plan found “little correlation between collaboration. When an
iteratively so that we learn from a CIO’s nature and his or her organization has good internal
good (and bad) decisions and ability to successfully deliver collaboration, it has a greater
improve our work based on value against a particular chance of being able to handle
feedback from stakeholders. set of business needs. There change. Collaboration makes it
We need to be constantly was, though, a high degree of easier to change with customer
prioritizing based on good correlation between nurture preferences and technology.
analysis so that we can refine and CIO success. Fortunately When team members feel
our work to provide maximum for the CIO, this means that a more engaged and less
value with minimum effort. successful legacy is not bound solitary, they gain a feeling of
by inherent nature or personality, comfort and strength knowing
How to Leverage the but instead can be developed by they have other team members
Business Knowledge Core building capabilities and teams on which to rely. It also gives
Concepts in response to changing business the benefit of built-in peer
needs.” review. Complex problems
Let’s look at different ways require complex collaboration
you can leverage these core Here are some strategies to reach and coordination. Provide
concepts at different levels of that success: your employees with the tools
the organization. Since we often and training to achieve that
need to understand the business 1. Understand your customer. coordination successfully.
top-down, I’ll follow that order. The entire organization should
However, realize that strategies be geared toward a good 3. Encourage internal business
don’t necessarily just apply to just understanding of customer knowledge-sharing. Build the
one level or the other; every level expectations. ‘Wow’ your business architecture model
should be aware of how to be customers; make them feel discussed earlier. Make it
successful. that they are special and the available to anyone who needs
most important part of your or wants to fully understand

8 Business Agility and Business Analysis in Sync for Success


the business. The more how to transition to those 6. Make good decisions about
everyone in the organization solutions. vendors with whom your
understands what capabilities employees will have to work.
you have, the better armed 4. Encourage constant learning Vet them carefully. Don’t go
they are to provide value end- and education. Train with the vendor just because
to-end. To further break down people on collaboration and they are good at wining and
what needs to be included facilitation. The more people dining, go with the vendor
in the business architecture, know about the techniques that will fulfill your needs,
consider: and tools that help facilitate help solve your problem,
collaboration, the better AND that will collaborate
 ata – if people understand
a. D the whole team can work well with your employees.
and can connect data together. Train them on new There are horror stories about
concepts for your technologies and on analysis companies bringing in vendors
business, they will better techniques. Some people for outsourcing who end up
understand the business are natural facilitators and costing the company much
as a whole. Ensure good analysts, but even the best more than promised and
data understanding by can benefit learning new making the employees that
encouraging business data techniques and practicing work with them miserable.
models. These models them. Implement mentors How do you choose good
should be accessible by not within your organization. You vendors? Be diligent about the
only the technology teams, can do this with seasoned up-front analysis that should
but by the business domain internal people or by bringing take place for requests for
experts and analysts. someone in from the outside. proposals. Get the people who
Don’t let your people flounder will have to deal with those
b. B
 usiness Rules – business without assistance. Train vendors involved.
rules help you effectively yourself! Learn how to be a
use your business data to good leader, good sponsor, 7. If your employees are
make good decisions. The effective manager. distributed across the
business rules should also country or the world, give
be modeled and analyzed to 5. Be transparent. Make sure them the tools to collaborate
see where you can optimize everyone understands and well. The closer to co-located
decision-making. supports the organizational you can make them feel, the
vision, strategies, and more likely they are to work
c. Impacted employees, initiatives. Make them visible. together well. Train them
customers, systems, Explain why they are important on the tools and facilitation
vendors – understand and why they benefit the skills it takes to bring teams
who is involved in every company and its customers. together.
capability, what systems and Ensure your employees can
software support them, who share knowledge. Have some 8. Support decision making
derives value from them, dedicated knowledge-sharing from teams. The people that
and what problems are platform (SharePoint, company are working on your initiatives
encountered in them. wiki) so if someone wants to solve problems and pursue
to learn about a corporate opportunities often have the
As projects are being capability or process, they best insight into what will work,
executed and the solutions know where to easily find what will not work, and why.
implemented, ensure that the it. For projects or initiatives, Get input from them. Change
business architecture model is consider implementing a is accepted better when the
actualized. The current state Kanban board so people can people working on that change
is then available for projects to see the progress. You can get can help identify the problems
use for analysis, which makes some great ideas from people and how to solve them.
it easier to discover optimal if they know what is going on
solutions and to understand within the organization!

Business Agility and Business Analysis in Sync for Success 9


9. Understand that the goal carry less risk, are easier to Team Level Strategies to
is not agility; it IS to better test and implement, and are Achieve Business Agility
serve your customers. That less likely to be resisted than
may mean not changing! As big changes. 1. Teams mean teamwork.
we say in the southern United Once again, figure out a
States, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t 3. Improve the workspace. Have way to communicate well
fix it’. Change for change’s sake places where people can easily and be collaborative. Share
is not good. Change for good is collaborate and others where knowledge, be transparent,
good. they can have quiet or privacy strive to always be learning. If
when needed. your team has problems, try to
Middle Management Strategies understand the root cause and
to Achieve Business Agility 4. Learn through piloting and attack it.
experimenting. You will gain
Besides targeting what is insight into solving a problem 2. Strive to understand the
discussed above for executives, or trying something new even customer viewpoint and fulfill
there are some points that if the experiment fails. Henry their needs. Your solutions will
middle management (like Ford famously said, “Failure is be more successful if you do!
Product, System, Process, Line the opportunity to begin again,
of Business, and Department this time more intelligently”. 3. Don’t just understand the
management) might benefit from: customer, but write it down
5. Learn to use people and (yes, as requirements)!
1. I f you have multiple teams processes effectively. In the This doesn’t necessarily
working on initiatives, book This is Lean by Niklas mean big, fancy documents.
encourage and help Modig and Par Ahlstrom, they Requirements can entail
coordinate collaboration and discuss ‘flow efficiency’ as the drawings on white boards,
communication between them. focus on processes that add sticky notes, or napkins – just
value for the customer. get a record of those things.
2. I mplement changes in small Why? We need memory, but
steps. Small changes typically

10 Business Agility and Business Analysis in Sync for Success


not just in our heads. We that must integrate with the customer and your business.
need documentation to refer technology, the technology Good analysis is required to
to, to have good knowledge will fail. As an example, there’s understand what will bring value
transfer, to have corporate the story of a large grocery and what will not. Good analysis
memory, and for reuse! Who chain that developed a mobile is required to evolve with your
wants to reinvent the wheel app for ordering groceries changing environment and to
on every effort? If we don’t and having them delivered. understand how much you need
retain the artifacts, we use to The app was awesome, but to change with it.
make decisions, we often end the company neglected to
up reanalyzing the same thing hone the manual fulfillment Without good analysis, how are
over and over. and delivery processes and you going to be able to make the
couldn’t handle the increase right decisions that move your
 nderstand your customer,
4. U in demand. The app not only business forward? Analysis is
understand your business. ended up deterring mobile critical in this digital age. The
Understand the data used in customers, but also harmed better you understand your
your organization, the business the reputation of the brick and business through analysis, the
rules that manipulate that mortar business! more agile your business will be.
data into decisions, and the
processes that implement 6. Focus on value. Always ask
those business rules and data. “why”? A good answer to the
The better you understand, whys will help with what you
the more likely the solutions need to get done and how to
you are building will satisfy a achieve success.
need, solve a problem, achieve
success, and make your Business Analysis and
customers happy. Business Agility: Good
Partners
5. D
 on’t forget the ‘manual’ stuff.
In this age of technology, We’ve talked about agile, agility,
people often believe that and business analysis. There are
automating something or many ways to ‘be agile’; there’s no
building an app will solve every one magic bullet, no one correct
problem. Not everything can way. However, the core of success
or should be automated, and lies in good analysis practices.
if you forget about the human Good analysis is required to gain
interactions and processes a full, deep understanding of your

About the Author

Alison (Ali) Orr Cox has experience since the mid-1980s in various areas, including business analysis, project methodology
development and training, systems development (mainframe, client-server, and web), and telecommunications
management. Alison began her career in the financial services area, and then moved into systems development for
accounting systems. She has provided consulting and training in business analysis and project management for small
companies to Fortune 500 corporations worldwide and speaks Spanish fluently.

Alison is also a partner of TEMSS (Telecommunications Efficiency Management Strategies and Services), which provides
telecommunications efficiency auditing and billing analysis services to clients in all areas of business across the United
States. She completed her Master of Business Administration in MIS and Accounting from the University of Georgia. For
more information visit B2T Training website.

Business Agility and Business Analysis in Sync for Success 11


©2019 International Institute of Business Analysis™ (IIBA®). All rights reserved.
“IIBA”, the IIBA logo, and the IIBA Global Thought Leadership logo are marks of the
International Institute of Business Analysis. For a comprehensive list of IIBA marks, visit
http://www.iiba.org/About-IIBA/Corporate-Identity-and-Trademark-Policy.aspx.

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