Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring - Sriram(10476)

Definition: - It defines the resources and tasks associated with planning and ma naging requirements activities throughout the project life-cycle. Business Analysis Planning & Monitoring Input/output Diagram Image-1 Plan Business Analysis Approach Purpose: how to select an approach to performing business analysis, which stakeholders need to be involved in the decision, who will be consulted regarding and informed of the approach, and the rationale for using it. Plan Business Analysis Approach Description: Business analysis approaches describe the overall process that will be followed to perform business analysis work on a given initiative, how and when tasks will be performed, the techniques that will be used, and the deliverables that should be produced. Approach to Business Analysis (Waterfall, Agile, Lean or Six sigma, etc) In order to plan the business analysis approach, the business analyst must under stand the organizational process needs and objectives that apply to the initiati ve. Inputs Business Need: It is necessary to consider the risks associated with it, the tim eframe in which the need must be addressed, and how well the need is understood. This will help determine whether a plan-driven or change-driven approach is app ropriate. Expert Judgment: Used to determine the optimal business analysis approach Organizational Process Assets: Include the elements of existing business analysi s approaches in use by the organization. business analysis approach include meth odologies for process change or software development, tools or techniques that a re in use or understood by stakeholders, corporate governance standards (such as COBIT, Sarbanes-Oxley, and Basel II), and templates for deliverables. In additio n to these general standards, the organization may have guidelines in place for tailoring the process to fit a specific initiative. Approaches Formality and level of detail of Requirements Deliverables Requirements Prioritization Change Management approach Communication with Stakeholders Requirements Analysis and Management Tools to be used Techniques ( in chapter 9) Decision Analysis Process Modeling Structured Walkthrough

Plan-driven approach Focuses on minimizing up-front uncertainty and ensuring that the solution is ful ly defined before implementation begins in order to maximize control and minimiz e risks (Preferred in situations where requirements can effectively be defined i n advance of implementation and the risk of an incorrect implementation is unacc eptably high or managing stakeholder interactions presents significant challenge s) Authority to approve requirements typically rests with select stakeholders and t he sponsor Waterfall methods and BPR (Business Process Re-engineering) are examples of Plan driven approach

 Timing of Business Analysis Work :- BA work occur at the beginning of the projec t (requirements phase) at a detailed level of analysis Formality And Level Of Detail Of Business Analysis Deliverables:- Calls for a si gnificant amount of formality and detail in documenting based on standardized te mplates Requirements Prioritization:- which will come in later chapters Change Management:- Seeks to ensure that changes only occur when they are genuin ely necessary and can be clearly justified. Each change is handled as a mini pro ject with complete requirements elicitation, analysis, estimates and design Communication With Stakeholders:- rely on formal communication methods Change driven approach Focuses on rapid delivery of business value in short iterations in return for ac ceptance of a higher degree of uncertainty regarding the overall delivery of the solution Preferred when taking an exploratory approach to finding the best solution or fo r incremental improvement of an existing solution Authority to approve requirements typically rests with a single individual who i s an active participant in the teams daily activities and approved within strict time limit Agile methodologies as well as continuous improvement projects are examples of C hange driven approach Timing of Business Analysis Work:- BA work occur at the beginning to produce ini tial list of high level requirements Formality And Level Of Detail Of Business Analysis Deliverables:- Documenting li mited to prioritized requirements list. Additional documentation may be created in the form of acceptance criteria accompanied by tests Change Management :- Presume that it is difficult to identify all the requiremen ts in advance and it is all about defining prioritized requirements for a given iteration Communication With Stakeholders:- focus more on frequency of communication than on formal documentation. Conduct Stakeholder Analysis Purpose: This task covers the identification of stakeholders who may be affected by a proposed initiative or who share a common business need, identifying appro priate stakeholders for the project or project phase, and determining stakeholde r influence and/or authority regarding the approval of project deliverables. Description: Stakeholder analysis is performed as soon as a business need is ide ntified and will usually be an ongoing activity as long as business analysis con tinues. Stakeholder analysis begins with identifying stakeholders who may be aff ected by the business need or a new solution. Stakeholders may be grouped into c ategories that reflect their involvement or interest in the initiative. Inputs: Business Need Enterprise Architecture Organizational Process Assets Elements of Stakeholder analysis include: Identification of stakeholders and impact of proposed changes on them Complexity of interactions with a stakeholder Group Assess stakeholders Attitudes and Influence (on the project, in the organization , and with other stakeholders) Authority Levels for Business Analysis Work in relation to BA work and product d eliverables (approve solution & deliverables, request and approve changes) Conduct Stakeholder Analysis Techniques Brainstorming, Interviews, Organization modeling, Scope modeling RACI Matrix (roles of stakeholders involved in business analysis activities Resp

onsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed) Stakeholder Map Output of Stakeholder Analysis List of required roles Names and titles of stakeholders Category of stakeholder Location of stakeholders Special needs Number of individuals in this stakeholder role Description of stakeholder influence and interest Documentation of stakeholder authority levels Stakeholder Diagram Image 2 Stakeholder Map / Matrix Image 3 Understanding your key stakeholders You now need to know more about your key stakeholders. You need to know how they are likely to feel about and react to your project. You also need to know how b est to engage them in your project and how best to communicate with them. High power, interested people: these are the people you must fully engage with, and make the greatest efforts to satisfy. High power, less interested people: put enough work in with these people to keep them satisfied, but not so much that they become bored with your message. Low power, interested people: keep these people adequately informed, and talk to them to ensure that no major issues are arising. These people can often be very helpful with the detail of your project. Low power, less interested people: again, monitor these people, but do not bore them with excessive communication Key questions that can help you understand your stakeholders What financial or emotional interest do they have in the outcome of your work? I s it positive or negative? What motivates them most of all? What information do they want from you? How do they want to receive information from you? What is the best way of commun icating your message to them? Who influences their opinions generally, and who influences their opinion of you ? Do some of these influencers therefore become important stakeholders in their own right? If they are not likely to be positive, what will win them around to support your project? If you don t think you will be able to win them around, how will you manage thei r opposition? A very good way of answering these questions is to talk to your stakeholders dir ectly people are often quite open about their views, and asking people s opinion s is often the first step in building a successful relationship with them. Plan Business Analysis Activities Purpose: Determine the activities that must be performed and the deliverables th at must be produced, estimate the effort required to perform that work, and iden tify the management tools required to measure the progress of those activities a nd deliverables. Description: The business analyst determines which activities are required for a given initiative, how those activities will be carried out, the work effort inv olved, and an estimate of how long the activities will take. This task includes activities to: Identify business analysis deliverables Determine the scope of work for the business analysis activities Determine which activities the business analyst will perform and when Develop estimates for business analysis work. Techniques

 Estimation of effort and duration for business analysis work - Work breakdown, Parametric, etc Functional Decomposition - facilitate understanding of the work at sufficient le vel Risk Analysis Identify risks that impact business analysis plans Elements of Plan Business Analysis Activities Elements Geographic Distribution of Stakeholders Collocated - Dispersed Type of Project or Initiative Feasibility studies Process improvement Organizational change New software development (in-house) Outsourced new software development Software maintenance or enhancement Software package selection Business Analysis Deliverables Determine Business Analysis Activities Plan Business Analysis Communication