Requirements Planning:

Reaping the Benefits for

Project Success

Presented by:
Anita Keely, Sr. IT BSA
Steve Kubick, Sr. IT BSA
AutoZone Inc.
Agenda

ƒ Purpose and Audience

ƒ Planning Activity Part 1
ƒ Overview of BABOK Business Analysis Planning
ƒ Overview of AutoZone IT Business Analysis
Planning
ƒ Top 10 Things Overlooked in Requirements
Planning
ƒ Planning Activity Part 2
ƒ Q & A - Open Discussion
ƒ References and Contact Information
Purpose and Audience
ƒ This presentation’s main goal is to emphasize the
importance of BA Planning and to suggest practical tools
and techniques that BAs can use in their day-to-day
activities.
ƒ The audience includes business analysts, business
systems analysts, project managers, and anyone playing
the BA role on software development projects.
ƒ BABOK tie-in: The topics covered here correspond to
Chapter 2 in the BABOK (v2.0), “Business Analysis
Planning & Monitoring.”
Activity (Part 1): Create
Requirements Phase Work Estimate

ƒ Case Study: Big Ben’s New Help Desk

System
ƒ Task: Provide an estimate on the number
of hours it will take you to complete the
requirements phase activities.
ƒ Time Frame: 5 minutes
Business Analysis Planning
& Monitoring
ƒ Identifying Stakeholders
ƒ Anyone who has a vested interest in the project
ƒ Range from project software tester to CEO
ƒ Defining Roles and Responsibilities of
Stakeholders
ƒ Developing Estimates for Business Analysis
Tasks
ƒ Planning Communications with
Stakeholders
Business Analysis Planning
& Monitoring (contd.)
ƒ Planning Requirements Approach,
Traceability & Prioritization
ƒ Determining Requirements Deliverables
ƒ Defining Business Analysis Processes
ƒ Determining the Metrics to be Used for
Monitoring Business Analysis Work
Business Analysis Planning
& Monitoring (contd.)
AutoZone Planning Method

ƒ AutoZone IT SDLC
ƒ 3 Elements of Requirements Planning
1. Conduct Pre-requirements Analysis
ƒ Evaluation of information that is known or unknown prior to
the start of requirements
2. Scope the Requirements Phase Work
ƒ Determining the initial boundaries of business analysis work
for the requirements phase.
3. Create Requirements Work Plan
ƒ Documented framework for eliciting, analyzing,
documenting and managing project requirements.
Pre-requirements Analysis

ƒ Scope Analysis
ƒ Stakeholder Analysis
ƒ Business Impact Analysis
ƒ ARS Analysis
Scope Analysis

ƒ Get the Scope Document

ƒ Analyze:
ƒ Project Description
ƒ Objectives
ƒ Critical Success Factors
ƒ In Scope
ƒ Out of Scope
ƒ Determine if Enough Info. is Defined
Stakeholder Analysis

ƒ Name
ƒ Title
ƒ Project Role
ƒ Business Area
ƒ Physical Location
ƒ Contact Info
ƒ Preferred Communication Technique
Business Impact Analysis

ƒ Project Priority
ƒ Expected Benefits
ƒ Dependencies
ƒ Risks
ƒ Constraints
ƒ Deadlines
ARS Analysis

ƒ High-level Business Goals

ƒ Amount Budgeted Overall
ƒ Amount Budgeted for Requirements
ƒ Participating Functional Areas
ƒ Third Party Vendors Involved
ƒ Compare ARS to Scope
Scoping the Requirements
Work
ƒ Decipher the Areas of Requirements
Elicitation
ƒ Identify the “Source” of the SME for a
Requirements Area
ƒ Identify Initial Questions
ƒ Identify Elicitation Techniques
ƒ Identify Communication Techniques
ƒ Identify Possible Representation of the
Requirements Work
Create Requirements Work
Plan

ƒ What’s Included in a Requirements Work

Plan?
ƒ Why Create a Requirements Work Plan?
What’s Included in a
Requirements Work Plan?
ƒ Initial Approach for Requirements Elicitation
ƒ Initial Approach for Requirements
Documentation
ƒ List of Planned Requirements Deliverables
ƒ Number of Meetings for Each Deliverable
ƒ Estimated Hours to Complete Requirements
ƒ In Scope Items Mapped to Deliverables
ƒ Outline for 1st Requirement Session
Why Create a
Requirements Work Plan?
ƒ BA Benefits
ƒ Project Benefits
Creating a Work Plan: BA
Benefits
ƒ Reveals Requirements Elicitation Starting Point
ƒ Provides a List of Requirements Deliverables
ƒ Provides a Justifiable Estimate of Effort
ƒ Forces You to Think About Requirements Up Front
ƒ Forces You to Map Scope to Requirements
ƒ Reduces Fear of the Unknown
ƒ Helps Identify an Unclear Project
ƒ Hones Your Planning Skills
Creating a Work Plan: Project
Benefits

ƒ Identifies Unrealistic Deadlines and

Expectations
ƒ Affirms Value of BA to Project Success
ƒ Sets Realistic Expectations for BA Work
ƒ Defines Requirements End Point for Project
Planning
Top 10 Things Overlooked
in Requirements Planning
10. Creation of Meeting Minutes
9. Unusual Project Methodology
8. Meeting Preparation Time
7. Follow-up Meetings
6. Vendor Calls and Demos
5. Team Availability and Location
4. Requirements Research Time
3. Document Revisions and Approvals
2. Stakeholder Types, Habits and Personalities
1. Analysis Time
Activity (Part 2): Create a
Requirements Phase Work Estimate

ƒ Case Study: Big Ben’s New Help Desk

System
ƒ Task: Provide an estimate on the number
of hours it will take you to complete of the
requirements phase activities.
ƒ Time Frame: 5 minutes
Q & A – Open Discussion
Reference Materials

ƒ BABOK Guide (v2.0)

ƒ Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis
by Barbara Carkenord
ƒ The Software Requirements Memory Jogger
by Ellen Gottesdiener
Contact Info

ƒ Anita Keely, Sr. IT Business Systems Analyst

ƒ Ph: (901) 495-7926
ƒ Email: anita.keely@autozone.com
ƒ Steve Kubick, Sr. IT Business Systems
Analyst
ƒ Ph: (901) 495-7206
ƒ Email: steve.kubick@autozone.com