Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis Seven Steps to ...

Grassroots Excellence:

Creating a BA Community

in Your Organization

The Right Business

Analyst,The Right Project

Requirements Activities

for Agile Development

Projects

the CONNECTING BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS TO TECHNOLOGY

Fall 2008

Seven Steps to Mastering

Business Analysis

Seven Steps to Mastering

Business Analysis

letter from the editors

Fall often evokes memories of heading back-to-school, completewith 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 confidentthis 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 atthose seven steps. Learn what they are with a brief overview of eachone and why you must obtain this knowledge in order to trulymaster business analysis. Build further on those seven steps with abrief 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 containsan article on creating a BA Community of Excellence within your organization by a Lead Process Analyst atGlaxoSmithKline, Lila Rosa. In the first of this two-part series Lila has outlined what a BA community is andwhy it is important. Jeff Martin, founder of Collective Genius, has contributed a look at how to get the rightBA on the right project. He maps out the vital stages a business must go through to ensure that a BA’s skillsand 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 fiveyear history and how it continues to grow and provide valuable benefits to its members. Finally, be sure tocheck out Part II on agile BAs by Jacqueline Sanders of Success Architechs. This article focuses on the variousrequirement 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 AnalystWorld in Chicago, Ill. from November 10 -13 and the Project World and World Congress for BAs inOrlando, Fla. from November 18-21. We hope to see you there!

TINA JOSEPH BARBARA A. CARKENORD

BARBARA CARKENORD and TINA JOSEPH

The IIBA and IIBA logo are trademarks belonging to the International Institute of Business Analysis. The Business Analysis Body of Knowledge andBABOK are registered trademarks belonging to the IIBA. PMI and PMBOK are registered trademarks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

The bridge is a publication of B2T Training.

Please send inquiries,suggestions and addresschanges to ElizabethLowman, Editor-in-Chief,[email protected].

Editorial Contributors

Thank you to all theauthors who contributedtheir time and talent tothis issue of the bridge.

Design and Production

Design: Mendenhall DesignPrint Production: Douglas W. LesherPrinted in the USA

©2008 B2T TrainingAll Rights Reserved.Reproduction of content is not permitted withoutprior written permission.

t a b l e o f c o n t e n t sSeven Steps to Mastering Business Analysisby Barbara Carkenord

Lost in TranslationSOA - A low tech discussionby Angie Perris

Ask the ExpertsAvoid Analysis Paralysis

Grassroots Excellence: Creating a BA Community in Your Organization – Part Iby Lila K. Rosa

IIBA Updateby Kathleen Barret

The Right Business Analyst, The Right Projectby Jeff Martin

Book ReviewGetting It Right: Business Requirement Analysis Tools and Techniquesby Kathleen B. Hass, Don Wessels and Kevin Brennan

A Day in the Life of an Agile BA: Activities for AgileDevelopment Projects – Part IIby Jacqueline K. Sanders

B2T Training • 11675 Rainwater Drive, Suite 325 • Alpharetta, GA 30009 • 866.675.2125

B2T Training offers a business analysis training curriculum that focuses on proven skills and techniques todefine and scope the business problem, elicit and analyze requirements, document the requirements, modelthe requirements, and follow through with the development of business requirements test plans to ensure theproject has met its defined objectives.

Our training is offered nationally and on a limited international basis. Most of our classes are taught onsiteand are tailored to the unique environments of each organization. Public classes are also available in variouscities around the US.

CEO Tina Joseph

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the bridge l Fall 2008 3

PresidentBarbara A. Carkenord

Vice President, Client SolutionsAngie Perris

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To subscribe to the bridge or view issues online visit www.b2ttraining.com.�

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t4 Fall 2008 l the bridge

BY BARBARA A. CARKENORD, CBAP®, BABOK® CORE TEAM MEMBERPRESIDENT, B2T TRAINING

Seven Stepsto Mastering

Business Analysis

Business analysis involves very complex and sophisticated

thinking patterns and advanced communication. A

successful Business Analyst (BA) is the rare individual who

can combine technical knowledge, business acumen,

analytical skills and communication skills while being able to see

problems from both a strategic and detailed perspective. Excellent

BAs bring value to their organizations by understanding true business

opportunities, making realistic recommendations, and facilitating the

successful implementation of these solutions.

There are seven key areas that BAs should focus on to develop

their professional value.

Masteringbusiness analysisis a lifelongpursuit for those who love problem solving.

STEP 1 Possess a ClearUnderstanding of BusinessAnalysisYou cannot master something if youdon’t understand what it is.What is business analysis? TheInternational Institute for BusinessAnalysis (IIBA™) defines business analysisas “the set of tasks and techniques used towork as a liaison among stakeholders inorder to understand the structure, policies,and operations of an organization, andrecommend solutions that enable theorganization to achieve its goals.”Business analysis involves:� Identification of business problems and

opportunities

� Elicitation of needs and constraints fromstakeholders

� Analysis of stakeholder needs to definerequirements for a solution

� Assessment and validation of potentialand actual solutions

� Management of the “product” orrequirements scope

The meaning and importance of the termrequirement is central to business analysis.Requirements are complex and come inmany types and levels of detail. Thismakes requirements difficult to elicit,analyze and communicate. Master BAs areable to explain complex requirements tovarious audiences. In addition they can

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requirements. For most people, analysiswork is performed by thinking andmaking notes. The notes may becomeformal requirements documents or not.BAs work to create just enough detail andjust enough documentation to clearlycommunicate the requirements. New agileapproaches to software developmentencourage the project team to elicit,analyze and agree upon requirements asquickly and efficiently as possible.

Everyone agrees that requirements areelicited from subject matter experts (SME)and given to developers. Why not have thebusiness SME talk directly to the developerand cut out the “middle man” – thebusiness analyst?

There are several reasons why theanalytical process is facilitated by makingnotes and keeping some records ofagreements between stakeholders.Analyzing and documenting requirementsis beneficial because:

� People forget things. Businessstakeholders will forget what they telldevelopers. Developers will forgetrequirements. This leads to a lot ofwasted time while team members try toremember what was discussed.

� Verbal communication is fraught witherrors. Remember playing the telephonegame as a child? A message that is passedfrom one person to another changessignificantly the more people that areinvolved. Requirements are very specific,detailed items that can easily be changedby using a different word or phrase.Verbal communication of requirementswill rarely be accurate.

� People sometimes answer the samequestion differently if asked twice.Business stakeholders often give differentanswers to the same question at differenttimes. This may be because after the firstdiscussion, they have had time to thinkabout the question further; or it may bethat they have simply changed theirmind. BAs are experts at asking the samequestion in different ways beforedocumenting the requirement – to besure that the SME has really answereddefinitively.

� Writing something down forces a personto think about it more carefully thanthey do when they say it. Example: ASME may say he wants the report toshow totals by month but when he sees areport layout with twelve columnscrammed together he realizes that heactually wants only the last threemonths.

� Having a second person (the BA) try towrite down a user request and then havethe user review it for accuracy highlightsambiguity and poorly definedrequirements. It also points out missingrequirements and undocumentedassumptions.

� It is difficult to control the scope of aproject without documented, agreedupon boundaries.

� Evaluating and managing a developerassignment requires the assignment to beclear and documented. This is actuallytrue for all employees and the reasonthat HR departments encouragemanagers to articulate assignmentsaccurately. It is difficult to hold a

developer responsible for implementinga requirement when the requirement isnot documented anywhere.

STEP 2 Know YourAudienceCommunicating effectively requires anin-depth knowledge of projectstakeholders.If a BA knows the motives and experienceof everyone on the project most of thequestions about how to elicit and representrequirements will be answered. It is criticalto know your audience becausecommunication is most effective whentailored to and for each person with whomthe BA communicates.

Every human being communicatesslightly differently. The successful BAunderstands that the first task on any newproject is to get to know all of thesignificant participants and analyze theircommunication needs. Understandingpeople is the key to successfulcommunication. Many BAs and ProjectManagers (PMs) refer to this as stakeholderidentification and stakeholder analysis.

The BA should be familiar with theroles with which he or she will typicallywork (i.e. PM, executive sponsor, SME, ITdeveloper). Each stakeholder has a uniquecommunication and learning style and hashis or her own perspective on theimportance of the project. When onestakeholder feels that the project is veryimportant while another stakeholder feelsthat it is low priority, it will be a challengegetting them to agree on the requirements.A master BA will work to bring thestakeholders to a common understandingon the business impact of the project to theenterprise. Once they hold a shared vision,


There are seven key areas that aBA should focus on to developtheir professional value.

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consensus on requirements is much morelikely.

STEP 3 Know Your ProjectTo be successful, business analysts musthave a clear goal or objective.Without a goal, BAs can get lost in theanalysis – analysis paralysis – and never getanything done. This is the black hole ofanalysis and should be avoided at all costs.An excellent BA helps management setboundaries about what is to beaccomplished and stays focused on thatgoal. BAs also work to understand how thecurrent assignment or project fits into theoverall enterprise strategy. An experiencedBA recognizes that solving a problem inone department by moving it to anotherdoes not further the mission of theenterprise and as such does not add valueto the enterprise as a whole. The BA worksto find the root cause of theproblem/opportunity driving the projectand determine whether the stated goals areachievable and appropriate. Delivering asolution that doesn’t solve the real problemis not success.

The most powerful tool used to discoverthis information is the “why question.” Anexcellent BA asks the “why question”frequently. He or she is always looking forunderlying causes of problems and corereasons for business processes. Anexperienced BA understands that the “whyquestion” can be intimidating and knowshow to ask the question properly, with acurious respect for the business knowledgeof the stakeholder. The expert BA knowsthat the initial answers may not tell thewhole story and that there is moreinformation to be learned.

STEP 4 Know YourBusiness EnvironmentThe BA is the representative of thebusiness on the project and must clearlyunderstand the business he or she isrepresenting. There is nothing more annoying tobusiness executives than an outsider who is

asked to come in and help, and doesn’teven know the product or service that thecompany is built around. BAs work tounderstand the business environment ofeach project and be an advocate for thebusiness people. The title Business Analystis used to ensure the business focus.

One way that a BA can learn about thebusiness is by reviewing marketingmaterials. There is no better way to get afoundational understanding of a company’sproducts than reading what marketingmaterials say about them. Before a BAwalks in the door of a client, it isimportant that he or she has read thecompany web site and everything possibleabout their products and services.Marketing materials have been designed byexpert communicators with a specific goalin mind. The goal of a particular brochuremay be to create brand awareness or toreinforce the corporate image. Anothermarketing piece may be aimed at selling anindividual product. Marketing materialsshow how the company positions itself topotential customers and againstcompetitors. The more the BA knowsabout the marketing message developed foroutside customers, the better he or she willbe able to communicate with businessstakeholders about products and customers.This knowledge is most critical for BAsassigned to represent business areas likesales, marketing, product development andcustomer service. Other techniques forlearning the business include reviewingfinancial reports and reading the corporatestrategic plans.

STEP 5 Know YourTechnical EnvironmentMost projects that BAs are working onhave a technology component.BAs frequently work on projects that touchtechnology. Clearly communicating withthe solution team involves knowing morethan the acronyms that represent theoperating system, network architecture,and database management system.Knowing the technical environmentincludes the methodologies and processes

used by the developers to build software;the techniques and tools used to maintainapplications, the political environment, andthe attitude towards the business and therest of the organization.

Master BAs are very adept at buildingstrong team relationships with IT peoplewherever and whoever they are (i.e.outsources or offshore development). For aBA to successfully work with technicalarchitects and developers he or shecommunicates in the context of thetechnical environment.

Understanding the technicalenvironment also involves awareness ofhow an enterprise views technology. Istechnology a key success factor to theorganization, as in the case of a softwarevendor, or is technology a supportmechanism that allows the organization tofulfill its true mission? Looking at wherethe CIO sits on the organization chart is aclue.

One area that BAs should be aware of isdata management and the importance ofthe information in information systems;ignoring data requirements will guaranteeproject failure. Every successfulorganization in the world needsinformation and a lot of it. Organizationscan’t make intelligent decisions withouteasy access to critical data. So how doorganizations keep track of all of this data?Much of it resides in sophisticated softwaredatabases and files containing terra bytes ofdata on our PCs, servers, mainframes, andWeb sites. Business Analysts understandthe importance of data; understand how itis stored, and more importantly how it isaccessed. A BA who does not understandfundamental database concepts maystruggle.

STEP 6 Know YourAnalysis TechniquesThere are numerous techniques that ananalyst can use.How does a BA decide which requirementstechnique is appropriate for a givensituation? Some techniques result indeliverables that are favored by the SMEs.

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Some situations will require developing adeliverable required by the softwaredevelopment methodology. There are asmany reasons for choosing a particulartechnique as there are techniques.

BAs should be familiar with most of thecommonly used analysis techniques (i.e.use cases, root cause analysis,decomposition). An excellent BA can beflexible when one approach doesn’t seem tobe working well. The key for masteringbusiness analysis is being able to utilizenumerous approaches to elicit, analyze,present, document and communicaterequirements, along with being able tobring a group to consensus, helpstakeholders prioritize requirements,manage user acceptance testing, brainstormon solution options, etc. BAs should becontinuously building their toolbox withadditional analysis techniques. Everyproject may require a differentcombination of techniques and approaches.

Choosing the best analysis techniqueand presentation format for eachproject/situation is a complex activity.Some types of requirements lendthemselves to a particular representationbetter than others. Choosing techniquesinvolves understanding the BA’s preferencesand strengths, stakeholder’s preferences andlearning styles, the technical team’smethodology and preferences along withthe project manager’s preferences.Corporate standards and best practicesmust also be considered.

STEP 7 Increase Your ValueA master BA is always learning andpracticing to improve their productivityand value to the organization.There is a long list of skills that a BA usesto be competent in the field of businessanalysis. Most of these skills are never trulyperfected. Just as doctors practice medicineand lawyers practice law, business analystspractice business analysis. A master BA willcontinue to work to improve his or herskills and never be satisfied with goodenough.

Communication skills, analytical skills

and requirements definition: all of theseskills can be constantly improved over thecourse of one’s career by practice and bylearning.

Examples of the skills that can becontinually improved:� The ability to work effectively on details� Facilitation of requirements elicitation� Asking the right questions and probing

for more information� Active listening and effective note taking� Breaking requirements into core

components (data, process, businessrules, externals)

� Combining requirements into informalwork products, composite deliverablesand packages

� Conducting effective reviews andworking as an effective team member

� Making recommendations to changebusiness processes, software, andorganizational structure

Mastering business analysis is a lifelongpursuit for those who love problem solving.Analyzing problems and helping to designeffective business solutions is complex,important work. BAs can continuouslyincrease their value to the organization byusing every experience to learn somethingnew. For those who love learning, businessanalysis is a profession offering endlesssatisfaction. �

About the book:Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysisincludes specific methods and approachesfor business analysis work interwoven withpersonal experiences of BA work. The stepsprovide a learning framework for businessanalysts that can be used for beginners aswell as experienced practitioners. Eachchapter includes links to specific tasks inthe latest version of the IIBA BABOK®

draft version 2.0, and provides manyreferences to other books and publicationsthat will support business analysisdevelopment. Now available atwww.b2ttraining.com and all majorbooksellers.

“Barbara Carkenord has puttogether an excellent ‘How to’ manual to help BAs deliver onthe value of business analysis to their organizations. The step-by-step instructions provide apractical guide to the practicingBA, translating her experienceand insight to show you what ittakes to be a great BA.”

- Kathleen Barret

President, IIBA

“Seven Steps to MasteringBusiness Analysis has gonebeyond what we discuss in theBABOK™ to address the realchallenges business analystsface in the workplace. I wishthis book had been availableyears ago, but I’m glad thatBAs have the opportunity tobenefit from it today!”

- Kevin Brennan, CBAP®

Vice President,

Body of Knowledge, IIBA

Now Available at

www.b2ttraining.comand

all major booksellers


What is SOA?Service-Oriented Architecture or SOA(which rhymes with boa – yes, the snake) is one style of business and systemsarchitecture that promotes processefficiencies, reduced operational andmaintenance costs, and the ability torespond faster to changing business needswith high quality software solutions.

Much hype and misunderstanding haveswarmed SOA in the last few years; thisarticle is an introduction that answerssome basic questions pertinent to businessanalysis professionals and provides somehigh level concepts and key points gearedspecifically for a less technical audiencethan developers and technical architects.One caveat: SOA is a complex subject andcannot be fully explained in a shortarticle.

SOA terminologySOA involves the discovery anddevelopment of reusable, shareable businessservices that are less costly to maintain anddeploy. A service is defined as a businesstask that can be reused (such as searchemployee, check customer account,authorize credit). Multiple services usuallymake up a business process. A serviceprovider is whoever allows the service tobe shared. A service consumer (similar toa use case actor) is who uses the service.There is a service registry which is acatalog that displays and describes eachservice. There are also terms and conditionson how a service may be used which arecalled a service contract or agreement.Services are chunks of code. The mainbusiness benefits to implement SOA arereuse, easier development, simplifiedmaintenance, reduced operational costs,increased speed to market and softwareportability. SOA is completelyprogramming language and platformagnostic: plug and play.

Okay let’s break down anexample:Let’s say you have a sub-process namedCheck customer account that belongs toyour CRM which is part of your salesbusiness area. This particular service can be reused in many otherapplications, such as yourcustom marketing system,your accounts payableand accounts receivableapplications. Eachapplication iswritten in adifferent language(COBOL, .NET,Java, C++, etc.) and on a differenthardware platform.SOA allows you to use the same codeevery time you want to check customeraccount.

Truths, myths and metaphorsService-oriented architecture begins withbusiness architecture and affects howbusiness process and application logic,data, and rules are viewed, segregated andautomated. SOA is NOT synonymous withobject-oriented (OO) design, businessprocess management (BPM), web services,or enterprise commercial applications suchas SAP and Oracle but each of thesetechnologies has a relationship to SOA.Unfortunately SOA has been defined manydifferent ways, especially by softwarevendors who attempt to define SOA fromthe perspective of their software. Onewriter greatly simplified SOA conceptsusing LEGO™ toys as a metaphor. Severalreferences to LEGOs were listed in a blogposting asking, “Why are we building‘enterprise’ SOAs with ‘LEGO blocks’?” byJoe McKendrick. (http://blogs.zdnet.com/service-oriented/?p=777) A clever referenceis quoted below:

“A pertinent analogy for SOA is LEGO,

the popular building blocks play set.Rather than build separate, customapplications for each department orenterprise (as was done in the past) today’sbusinesses, operating in an interconnectedworld “flattened” by the Internet, need

standard blocks offunctionality that fitwith each other andcan be easilyintegrated and

configured.” Think

about how our globalexpectations for softwareinteroperability

have changed inthe past 15 years. It’s

mind boggling. Peopleexpect systems to talk to each other. If yourorganization is piloting a SOA approach,the business analyst is a pivotal role thatneeds to be aware of SOA fundamentalconcepts.

Is SOA a passing fad?Gartner research shows SOA was used tosome extent in more than 50% of large,new applications and business processesdesigned in 2007. Additionally themajority of SOA projects succeed andcompanies that have started with SOA aresticking with it. Gartner estimates that by2010, 80% of large, new systems will usesome aspect of SOA. Gartner analysissummarizes that “SOA is a durable changein application architecture, like therelational data model and the graphicaluser interface” (Abrams and Schulte). Evensoftware giants such as Microsoft, SAP andOracle, are using SOA in the way theirproprietary applications communicate withassorted applications and technologyinfrastructures.

Identifying a need for a SOA can be a

lost in translation SOA – A low tech discussion BY ANGIE PERRIS, PMP ®, CBAP ®

VICE PRESIDENT, CLIENT SOLUTIONS, B2T TRAINING


grass roots effort started in IT, a smalleffort from a particular business unit or itcould be a strategic decision handed downfrom the top of the business. As part of anySOA strategy, a plan or SOA Roadmapshould be developed, which outlines anyprojects to be implemented with SOA, andthe capabilities that need to be put intoplace over a period of time (such as two tofive years). By iteratively and incrementallybuilding the required services over a periodof time, organizations can increase theirSOA maturity, and will have the ability todeliver more projects in a more efficientand less risky way.

Why is SOA important to abusiness analysisprofessional?At the heart of SOA is a philosophy thatunless the core business is understood indetail, reusable, shareable services cannotbe well-defined. Understanding what needsto be built and shared before concentratingon the how (and all the technicalramifications) willalways save time andresources. The goodnews for businessanalysts is their roleand analytical skillsare sorely needed inSOA efforts.

Fortunately,business analysts who know how toabstract core requirements components(business processes, data, business rules,and external interactions) independent oftechnology implementation, will find theirskills central to SOA efforts. Quiteimportantly, the BA with cross-functionalknowledge is perfectly suited to recognizewhen business area processes may beleveraged elsewhere in the corporation. An excellent BA is always scouting forredundant and reusable processes to saveoperational costs.

Well trained BAs already skilled in SOAfriendly techniques such as detailed processand use case descriptions, step-by-stepworkflows, and process decompositiondiagrams. These techniques help the BAidentify reusable processes and eliminatewasteful procedures. BAs can continue touse skills to manage different stakeholderperspectives to clarify and understandconflicting needs. These are a few of thetechniques in which business analysts aretrained and can be valuable in SOA effortsto analyze business processes and toidentify reusable services. Additionaltechniques are used by BAs to elicit,understand and define the remainder corerequirements components (data, businessrules and external interactions) needed inSOA.

SOA requires a paradigm shiftSOA requires a shift for some companies inhow business analysis is to beaccomplished: moving away from a projectperspective to a more strategic enterprise

view of the business. The challenge is tojustify the time to analyze additionalprocesses at an Enterprise level that areoutside the project scope. Even when thescope of the SOA effort is minor:stakeholder education is needed to clarifythe business goals and priorities and toplan the SOA efforts and capabilities.Selecting slices of valuable businessprocesses to be constructed iteratively andadding more services as you grow yourSOA. Analysis performed at the enterpriselevel should have breadth but not

necessarily much depth.(http://blogs.zdnet.com/service-oriented/?p=777) Look wide across theorganization and shallow. One of the bestmodels to envision reusable sub-processes isthe decomposition diagram. A BA can takeeach essential process and break it down tofind any redundant processes which can beconverted to business services.

Whether organizations would like todistribute their services commercially orsimply want to normalize their redundantprocesses internally across all businessunits, SOA proposes to be an enabler. One additional business benefit is thatorganizations decide at a business levelwhat services should be hidden(encapsulated) in black box design fromconsumers and what services can beexposed using white box design. Howservices are shared and or distributedinternally or externally are rightfullybusiness decisions and best not relegatedfor programming staff to determine asoften done in the past.

SOA concepts and finalthoughtsMuch of what is written and discussedabout SOA is extremely technical and bestleft to technical enterprise or applicationarchitects. Fundamental concepts can beunderstood by any business analysisprofessional that has been around thesoftware industry for the last several years.Some SOA principles needed by the BA are:

1) Reusable business services can beidentified taking a top down approach.Use techniques such as processdecomposition diagrams to identify theorganization’s essential parent andchildren processes, looking forredundant processes.

2) Processes can be analyzed from insideout and then from outside in to find any

SOA is a durable change inapplication architecture, like therelational data model and thegraphical user interface.

gaps. Inside out looks from anorganization’s perspective and describescore processes needed to operate thebusiness. Outside in is from a use caseactor’s perspective and focuses on whatan actor needs to do and what businessgoals the actor needs to achieve.

3) Services must work on any platform andbe shareable and may be distributable –that means services are technologyindependent. Businessrules, essential processesand logical entity classesand attributes can bedocumented separatelyto describe the businessneeds independent oftechnology.

4) Service interfaces must be clearlydefined and documented. Inputs oroutputs must be sufficiently and clearlydetailed by the business analyst so thatsoftware developers can write or generateinterface data which will be clear to anyother developer (or consumer) who islooking for that service.

5) The design principal of loose couplingindicates that the service implementationdetails (the code) are hidden from the

service consumer. Loose coupling alsodescribes an approach where integrationinterfaces are developed with minimalassumptions between the service providerand service consumer, thus reducing therisk that a change in one service/modulewill force a change in anotherservice/module. Services are self-contained and are independent oftechnology. This is a software principlethat has been around for many years and

is often used to describe system usecases. Each use case is its ownindependent task that accomplishes abusiness goal for an actor.

6) Services have a concrete meaning on thebusiness level. (Krafzig, Banke, andSlama). One design principle is toorganize and separate the different corerequirements components such data,processes, business rules, and externalinteractions to be cataloged, and reused

as business services or used as acombination of services to build a morecomplex composite service or process(called orchestration). These decisionsneed to be driven by the business andnot IT because the services need to bemeaningful at a business function level.

In summary, this has been anintroduction to SOA concepts, benefits andhow business analysis skills can be adapted

and useful in SOA projects to definebusiness services while not getting LOSTIN TRANSLATION. Organizationschoose to adopt a SOA approach todevelop timely, quality software solutionsfor complex systems consisting of distinctbusiness service building blocks which canbe assembled faster and less expensivelywhile being highly adaptable, shareable,distributable and reusable. �

We are pleased to highlight the newest individuals who have earned the recognition of BA Certified since the last issueof the bridge. To date, we have more than 6,000 students in our program, with over 300 who have completed andreceived certification. We have an additional 499 candidates who are BA Associates and are in the final stage of thecertification process. Individuals who are BA certified have firmly demonstrated knowledge and application of businessanalysis. We congratulate them on their success!

Laura Bailey

Anjali Balwally

Mary Combs

Shannon Forte

JeNeena Greer

Brenda Gritters

Li Gu

Cheryl Guieb

Michael R. Hawkins

Penny M. Hofmaier

David Horstman

Kimberly Hurley

Michael Knueven

Steve Kubick

Robert M. Leavitt

Mary Mattson

Amy K. Miller

Cindy Mullins

Christopher Oman

Sarita Rajendran

Nancy L. Rambo

Debbie Reeves

Nicola Reeves

Tracy Rizzo

Phillip Seeberg

Kernesa Snyder

Tammy Spoo

Jennifer Swearingen

Shannon Thorpe

Julie Wallen

New BA CertifiedTM


Organizations choose to adopt a SOAapproach to develop timely, quality softwaresolutions for complex systems consisting ofdistinct business service building blocks.

Question: When is Done Really Done?

Answer: Analysis Paralysis is whathappens when you continue to think on,analyze, research and document a problemover and over again.

There are probably a lot of reasons thiscan happen but there are a couple ofcommon reasons. Itmay be a result ofthe lack of a clearbusiness analysiswork plan. It mayalso occur when youstart the analysis work with a pre-conceivedanswer but your research shows somethingelse. You keep looking for moreinformation that will support your originaltheory because it is human nature to proveourselves right. Also you want to makesure, if wrong, that you are reallyconvinced, because you will have toconvince others about the new direction.

Another common reason for analysisparalysis is that the answer you are comingto is not going to be one that your boss isgoing to like. In this case it is a good ideato make sure that you have really doneyour research and thought this carefullythrough because you are going to be thebearer of bad news.

Finally, analysis paralysis may be causedby a lack of confidence in your work. NewBAs may not be sure that their conclusionor recommendation is correct so theycontinue to prove the same point usingdifferent techniques or approaches. This isvery common with new BAs and is solvedwith experience.

How do you stop analysis paralysis? Firstyou must learn to be aware that you aredoing it. This is often the most difficultpart. BAs must “look up” from the detailsperiodically and make sure that the workthey are doing is the most important workat that moment for that project. This is agood reason for leaving a task incompleteat the end of the day and giving it a freshlook the next morning. In the light of anew day, after a good night’s rest, the

problem may suddenly appear clear or lessimportant. Do you ever hear yourself say“Why did I spend so much time agonizingover that?” When you are stuck in thedetails of a problem (analysis paralysis),you lose perspective. Somehow you need tochange your perspective so that you can seeit differently to get unstuck.

Ideas to get unstuck:1. Refer back to the business analysis work

plan to see if you are off track or outsideof scope.

2. Ask a fellow BA or coworker (or anyfriend) to listen to you talk about theproblem; just talking about it out loudsometimes helps you to see why you arestuck.

3. Give yourself a time limit: “I am goingto work on this for one more hour andthen wherever it is at that point, it willbe done” (learn about timeboxing).

4. Sit down with the subject matter expertand review the work that you have doneso far, explain that it is a draft and askfor them to help find the missing pieces.

5. Sleep on it.

6. If you have time, put it aside for a fewdays to get perspective.

7. Try a different requirements techniqueto represent the situation (i.e. if you areusing a swim lane diagram, try an ERD).

At least once a day stop, take a step backand think about how you are spendingyour time. • Have you gotten off track?

• Have you wandered down a path that isvery interesting to you but is reallyoutside the scope of your task?

• Are you spending time detailing arequirement that will never beautomated because its complexity

requires the human mind to manage?

• Are you looking for something that youmay never find (i.e. a software packagethat meets the user’s exact need)?

• Are you over-analyzing how the work iscurrently done when your project will bechanging that procedure anyway?

• Are you brainstorming about better waysof automatingthe businesswhen youshould befocused on

understanding the core processes?

However you are spending time, is it thevery best use of your time at this point inthe project? If not, stop and changedirections. A busy analyst doesn’t have timeto get distracted.

One of the best ways to get help withperspective on your work is to talk withyour project manager. Many projectmanagers conduct weekly status meetingsto make sure that their team members arenot getting too far off base from the projectgoals. Project managers are very good atgetting things done. Don’t hesitate to giveyour project manager a description of whatyou have been working on for the pastweek and see how she reacts. BAs areskilled at reading body language so even ifyour project manager doesn’t say it directly,you will be able to tell if she winces andfears that you are off track.

An important fact about businessanalysis work: The requirements will neverbe 100% complete and never be perfect.Remember the goals of business analysis areto confirm a clear understanding of theproblem and facilitate the development ofan effective solution not to create theperfect document! �

Send your questions to Ask the Experts [email protected].

ask the experts Avoid Analysis Paralysis

“Perfection is a slow death.” Hugh Prather, inspirational speaker and writer



IntroductionIn July 2005, one business unit in ourorganization launched a business analysiscommunity that included a recommendedframework, an excellence recognitionprogram, a mentoring program, a website,and regular community events. Thiscreated a new sense of identity and supportfor business analysis practitioners. This BAcommunity model and activities have nowspread to other business units with equalsuccess.

Part I looks at how to get started.

What is a BA Community?First of all, what is a BA community? Forthe purpose of thisdiscussion, a BAcommunity is defined asan internal “volunteer”network, supported bymanagement, which servesthe business analysiscommunity in anorganization.

A BA community is notrestricted to those in ITwith “BA” in their title.Depending on the needsand profile of a specificproject or support group,business analysis activities may beperformed by developers, business users,project architects, systems analysts,technical leads, quality analysts, or projectmanagers, as well as by those designated asBAs. It’s the business analysis role andactivities, rather than a particular job titlethat are supported by a BA community.

Why Have a BA Community?There are a number of excellent reasons forhaving a BA community. First, a BAcommunity helps prepare business analystpractitioners for success. It aids inidentifying and communicating with other

BA practitioners across the organization. ABA community is also a low-costmechanism for ongoing training and skillstransfer for BAs, and can include amentoring program for less experiencedanalysts. It also creates advocacy for BAcareer planning within an organization.

Depending on the BA profile of yourorganization, creating a BA communitywill provide high, significant, or goodbenefit, see Figure 1.

Steps for Beginning a BA CommunityFirst, you must have management supportat some level:

• Explicit – have support of a senior levelsponsor, ideally someone on yourorganization’s leadership team who isfocusing BA continuity and/orimprovement, or their delegate

• Implicit – each BA Community coreteam member has her or his manager’ssupport and access to budget

• General – have general support of yourleadership team for time and budgetinvested

Next, you must have agreement withmanagement as to what a BA communityis expected to accomplish. Develop goalsand objectives for management approvalby identifying key or representative BApractitioners and having them articulatethe problems they face in doing businessanalysis. This list of problems should beprioritized with a management levelsponsor or steering group. Then do a rootcause analysis on these problems, andcreate goals and objectives that addresshighest priority problems first. Presentthese to management as problemstatements with value-based solutions to beaccomplished by the BA communitynetwork, see example in Figure 2.

Be sure to use good business analysispractices for good problem definition first.

Grassroots Excellence: Creating a BACommunity in Your Organization – Part IBY LILA K. ROSA, CBAP®

LEAD PROCESS ANALYST, GLAXOSMITHKLINE

Figure 1 - Benefit Level by BA Profile

Organization’s Business Analysis Profile Benefit Level of a

BA Community

• No standard BA process High• BA done in silos• BA resources separated by distance

and/or organization boundaries• Mostly inexperienced BAs

• Several different “standard” BA processes Significant– or, BA process is ill-defined and/or undocumented

• BA resources distributed across workgroups• A mix of experienced and inexperienced BAs

• Shared, documented standard BA processes Good• Centralized BA resources• Mostly experienced BAs


The resulting solution set you propose tomanagement can then be designed to targetspecific improvements and benefits, andmay include elements like electronic orsocial media (a web page, wiki, or blog),the creation or publicity of best practicetools and techniques, peer mentoring,and/or a BA recognition program.

Finally, for long-term success you mustinclude plans at the start for how to be a

living community, responsive to the needsof the business analysis practitioners,management, and the entire organization.Plan for regular milestones to reviewaccomplishment and benefit delivery withmanagement as well as checkpoints to elicitand analyze stakeholder feedback,identifying and prioritizing the next goalsand objectives to target. Included in yourstakeholder profile plan should be business

clients, IT management, project managers,project architects, developers, data analysts,quality analysts, as well as BA practitioners.

SummaryCreating a grassroots BA community takestime and commitment, but the benefits canbe far-reaching, strategic, and significantfor you, your colleagues, all of IT, and yourentire organization. �

Part II will detail how to set up your BAcommunity core team, the elements ofoutstanding BA community events, and howto stay successful and relevant over time.

Acknowledgements:Three articles by Renee Saint-Louis, Sr.Systems Analyst, The Schwan Food Company(source: www.requirementsnetwork.com)• Building an Analyst Community through a

Center of Excellence• Creating and Sustaining a Sense of

Community through a Center of Excellence• An Analyst Center of Excellence - Lessons

Learned One Year Later

Figure 2 - Example Problem Statement with Value-Based Solution

The problem of: Inconsistent BA practices across IT solutions areas

Affects: The software development team, the quality assurance team, and the business customers

The Impact of which is: Projects are not consistently delivered on time and on budget due to missing or inconsistent requirements

A successful solution would be: To provide a BA framework of best practices for all of IT to follow

Resulting in the benefit of: A standard approach to business analysis that delivers better quality projects, on time and on budget


On October 30, it will be five yearssince the inception of the IIBA. At

that time, 23 individuals met to create anorganization they hoped would drive theformalization and recognition of aprofession that they had been practicing formany years – Business Analysis. Little didthey realize how important this organizationwould be to Business Analysts all over theworld: 23 has grown to 6,833; a singlelocation has grown to 56 countries.

During its relatively short existence, theIIBA has also delivered on itspromise as an organization – to bethe world’s leading association forBusiness Analysis professionals,responsible for developing andmaintaining standards for thepractice of business analysis and for thecertification of its practitioners. Significantmilestones have been met for each of itsthree strategic goals:

1. Define the Business Analysis Body ofKnowledge® (BABOK®).While the BABOK will continue to evolveas the BA profession matures, the IIBAhas already released three versions of theBABOK – 1.0, 1.4 and 1.6 – with version2.0 currently undergoing its final edit.

2. Publicly recognize qualified practitionersthrough an internationally acknowledgedcertification program.The first certification exam was held in November 2006 in a proctoredenvironment. On September 1, 2008, theIIBA released its Computer-Based Testing(CBT) version so that qualified BAswould be able to write the exam attesting centers all over the world. To date,over 400 individuals have been certified.

3. Provide a forum for knowledge sharing.The IIBA reaches out to its members bothphysically, through its chapters, as well asvirtually, through its Web site. As of today,

the IIBA has over 66 chapters (with anadditional 70 in progress). The Web sitecontinuously undergoes updates to improvecommunications amongst its members.Currently the IIBA Senior Leadership team(SLT) hosts a blog, members have access tomembers-only forums and information,and the webinar series kicked-off lastmonth with two sessions on the Evolutionof the BA Role with additional monthlywebinars scheduled.The IIBA has made great progress – all

made possible through the efforts of ourvolunteers and the financial support of our members, sponsors and EndorsedEducation Providers (EEPs). But it is onlythe beginning. Our challenge as anorganization is to balance what we candeliver with our limited resources.

What is the value proposition to IIBAmembers, sponsors and EEPs? What makesthose groups continue to support anorganization that is a “work in progress”?There are two perspectives – the tacticaland the strategic.

The tactical value is the immediate,physical deliverables the IIBA brings to itsstakeholders. For members, it is access toour newsletter, online forums, tools andtemplates, job postings, career road maps,webinars and discounts on current andfuture products (e.g., publications, courseofferings, and conferences). For sponsorsand EEPs, it is visibility on our Web siteand access to members through ournewsletters, webinars and other soon to beoffered membership communications (e.g.,pod casts, monthly e-mail tips). They offerimmediate, obvious value and the selection

and options will continue to grow as theIIBA can afford to invest in these products.

The strategic value is more abstract andintangible. However, for participants in theBA community, that value is even moreimportant than the “physical” deliverables.What is this strategic value? Within the lastfive years, the IIBA formally defined andarticulated the value of the Business Analysisprofession. That work was performed byIIBA members and supported by sponsorsand EEPs. Those individuals and the others

that will continue their effortswill further evolve and refine theBA discipline. Rarely doindividuals have the ability todetermine the direction of theirprofession and its importance to

industry. The IIBA volunteers, drawn fromits membership base, are doing just that. Byproviding feedback and input to theassociation responsible for their professionand by engaging in the development of theBusiness Analysis Body of Knowledge®, theyare defining the direction of their future.

The IIBA is only in its infancy, and wehave a long and exciting future ahead of us.As respect and recognition for the professiongrows, demand for qualified BusinessAnalysts will outpace supply. The IIBA willhelp address this gap by further defining andrefining BA standards and clarifying BA skilland competency requirements, workingwith businesses and training organizations to put the tools and framework in place tomake them successful in recruiting andpreparing BAs. As the IIBA continues togrow, we will offer more products andservices to our members, sponsors andEEPs, continuing to deliver on the tacticalvalue promise of the organization. But thesetactical deliverables will only be possible aslong as our supporters – members, sponsorsand EEPs – believe and support the strategicvalue proposition of the IIBA. �

International Institute of Business AnalysisDelivering on the Value Proposition

Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.

Demosthenes (384 BC - 322 BC)

BY KATHLEEN BARRET PRESIDENT, I IBA


Whether it’s allocating your internalresources, selecting a new hire, or

bringing in a consultant; organizations thattruly value the role of the Business Analyst(BA) frequently ponder what is the bestprocess to match the right business analystto the right project.

Companies that want the right peoplein the right roles need to address four mainstages; defining the BA’s role in the project,attracting the best talent, matching the bestBA to the project and finally, making theselection and continuing to support the BAas needed.

Define Business Analyst’sRole in the ProjectIt is just as important to assess the projectitself as it is the BA for the project. In the

first stage the Enterprise Business Analystand Project Manager work to define thebusiness case, high-level requirements, riskassessment, staffing, project plan, scope,budget, timeline and the work plan.

A deliverable at this stage is to identify

the role the BA (or BAs) will playthroughout the project. Having a specificdefinition of the role, as well asidentification of the categories and taskseach BA will perform, creates the baselineof skills and experience needed to matchthe right BA. One of the biggest mistakesorganizations can make is assuming thatBA’s role will be the same as in previousprojects. B2T Training’s Business AnalysisMaturity Model (see figure 1) seeks todefine and replicate the process, however itdoes not mean that the BA will be playingthe same role in each project.

It is important to spend timeidentifying the specific tasks within each ofthe following business analysis rolecategories, based on the knowledge areas inthe BABOK®: Business Analysis Planningand Monitoring, Enterprise Analysis,

Elicitation, Requirements Analysis,Solution Assessment and Validation, andRequirements Management andCommunication. These categories andrelated tasks become the baseline to usewhen identifying the BA with the best

combination of skills and experience forthe project.

Attract the Best BusinessAnalystsCasting the net to identify the best peoplefor the project is often overlooked in thisprocess, nor is it an easy task. There arefewer qualified BAs than projects that needthem. Organizations in every marketshould design and implement a plan tomarket, attract and retain the best talent.

Prospective employees or consultantsmost commonly view the job descriptionor project requirement. Often thisdocument only lists the required anddesired skills of the BA, with nodescription of the project or type ofsolution they will be developing. Many

times the same job description is usedfor each new BA. In one CollectiveGenius study, over 80% oforganizations admitted to using thesame HR job description for all BAjob postings.

The project and potential solutioncannot be communicated enough.

Great BAs are motivated by being part of acollective team, creating and thenimplementing business driven solutions;communicating phrases such as these willtrigger passion in and attract and the bestBAs.

The Right Business Analyst, The Right ProjectBY JEFF MARTINFOUNDER, COLLECTIVE GENIUS

RepeatableStandard practicesand templates

DefinedProcess is formalized(predictable)

ManagedMeasurements collected andassessed

OptimizingContinueprocessimprovement

Adapted from CMMI Maturity Model

InitialBusiness analysis performed inconsistently

12

34

5

Figure 1 - B2T Training’s Business Analysis Maturity Model

Organizations in every market should

design and implement a plan to market,

attract and retain the best talent.

Matching the BusinessAnalyst to the ProjectThe next stage is to accurately assess theBA for the project. In assessing the BA, it is important to review the following fourcritical areas for success: core businessanalysis project competencies, cultural fit,motivation and the organizational vision of the BA.

The core project competencies consist ofassessing the skills and experience related tothe business analysis role categories andrelated tasks, expertise in industry andtechnology subject matter and otheradditional skills. Developing a matrix ofthese items provides a clear way to rate thebest talent for the project. The matrix shouldbe used for both existing and potentialexternal project resources and can providefeedback and track career growth throughprojects for internal resources. It alsoprovides a clear way to organize informationfor new resources beyond stacking resumes.

Example 1 displays a matrix you coulduse for rating the candidates on a specificknowledge area (Elicitation) and a subtask(Preparing for Elicitation). Rate the

candidates from 1-10 on each criterion.Define three to four questions per task.

Add both the questions and answers to thematrix. Good questions for the exampleabove would include:

1. Walk me through your steps whenpreparing for elicitation. What are some

key elements you have established in thisphase in the past?

2. What information do you feel isimportant to know before preparing forthe elicitation process?

3. What best practices have you gathered inprevious projects that were successfulwhen preparing for elicitation?

After you rate a candidate’s skills,consider the fit of the candidate within theorganization’s culture. The organization canuse their own cultural assessment andspecific characteristics, including allstakeholders and the project team. Thecandidate must be aligned with the cultureof the organization and the organizationmust have a vision of how the BA shouldfit within that culture.

Another facet when making a selectionis to assess the BA’s motivation. It isimportant to properly understand why theBA is interested in the project. Is his or hermotivation simply to have a job or is therea sincere interest in developing a solutionfor the business? Having a person with astrong motivation for the solution will

dramatically affect the project’s success todeliver a great solution, over just creatingan answer to the problem. Passion andstructure are the key elements that driveinnovation. The right BA has both.

It is important for both the organizationand the BA to have a short and long termassessment of the vision of the BA withinthe organization. Will this project be a goodstepping stone for the BA to lead them tothe next project or are they here just for ashort term solution? To support theorganization’s growth through the BusinessAnalysis Maturity Model, it is important totake a global look at the organization’sprojects, in addition to the BAs, in order togain a clearer vision for the BA within theorganization. Communicating this vision topotential BAs will lead to the candidatemost in alignment with the future of theorganization.

Selection andSupportNow it is time to makefinal selections. Connectwith all the people in theprocess to let them knowwhether they wereselected. For those not

selected, it is best to be honest with yourreasons. If it was a matter of specific corebusiness analysis competencies such asskills, experience, industry or technology,help point them in the right direction to fillthe gaps. This activity is important to forBAs that could be great future candidates. Ifit is an internal employee, use this


Knowledge Area: Elicitation Candidate 1 Candidate 2 Candidate 3

Task: Preparing for Elicitation

1. Years of experience and number of projects

2. Level of Experience

3. Importance of Preparing for Elicitation

4. Interest level in Preparing for Elicitation

Passion and structure are the key

elements that drive innovation.

The right BA has both.

Example 1 - Sample Matrix


opportunity to address skill areas that canbe built upon for future projects andprovide encouragement to keep learningand growing within the organization.

Also give the candidates that are

selected feedback as to why. It is never tooearly to start preparing for the upcomingproject. Acknowledge both strengths andareas where support could be useful. Pointchosen candidates in the direction of toolsand resources to begin enhancing theseareas and build excited about theupcoming solution. This is also a goodtime to reinforce the position’s visionbeyond this project and how the candidatemay be leveraged in future solutions.

The right person for the right projecthas now been selected and everyone can getto work! In order to keep the BA engagedin the project, implement a plan to manageand provide support throughout. Supply

continued business analysis education andresources, and encourage memberships inbusiness analysis organizations andcommunities with like-minded people tohelp push candidates to learn and grow intheir careers. Stay involved and be strategicin keeping the right BA on the rightproject in the right organization, so he orshe can continue to be focused andenergized, and create unmatched results foryour organization. �

In order to keep the BA engaged in the

project, implement a plan to manage

and provide support throughout.

book reviewGetting it Right: Business Requirements Analysis Tools and Techniquesby Kathleen B. Hass, PMP®; Don Wessels, PMP®; and Kevin Brennan, PMP®

Management Concepts, 2008

BY BARBARA A. CARKENORD, CBAP®, BABOK® CORE TEAM MEMBER

PRESIDENT, B2T TRAINING

Getting it Right: Business RequirementsAnalysis Tools and Techniques is one of

a series of books that make up the BusinessAnalysis Essential Library. Each of thesebooks covers a different area of businessanalysis work. This particular bookpresents current practices for analysissupported by tools and techniques.

The first four chapters of the bookdiscuss setting up infrastructure, thetransition from requirements elicitation toanalysis and preparing for requirementsmanagement. There is an excellent sectionon setting up the core team calledOrganize for Success. This section presentsten concrete recommendations for

identifying and supporting a strong, high-performingproject team.

The second part of thebook covers the analysis andspecification process. Thereis an interesting discussionabout understanding scopefrom the perspective ofproject, product, andbusiness change. Severaldifferent types of models aredefined and a few examples are provided.However, some of the examples do notshow common, standard notations (contextdiagram, data models) and may be

confusing to readers alsolearning these techniquesfrom other sources. Inaddition, the book includesspecific recommendations forlanguage to use whendocumenting requirementswith text.

The last section of thebook, called OtherConsiderations includes agood description of change

management and an article by KevinBrennan on selecting the right requirementstechnique, which can also be found in theFall 2006 issue of the bridge. �


In the Spring 2008 issue of the bridge,my article focused on the planningactivities that take place in Iteration

Zero (0) of an agile project. Iteration 0 isthe initiation phase involving the planningand scoping tasks done in an agileenvironment. The Business Analyst (BA)lays the requirements foundation duringIteration 0, prior to the launch of thedevelopment iterations. The developmentiterations are where the design and buildactivities take place simultaneously. Oncethe development team launches into thefast-paced development iterations the BAwill rely on the groundwork established inIteration 0 to stay organized, manage theirwork and to quickly react to the needs ofthe agile project team.

The Development IterationsThe functions and features that make up asolution are divided into small componentsto be implemented within an iteration. Thepurpose of each development iteration is todemonstrate or deliver a feature or functionof a working system that provides value tothe stakeholders. The length of iterations arebased on the type of project. Whatever thelength of the iterations, the BA’s mainresponsibilities are remarkably similar tothose on a traditional, waterfall project. Thecore components of software design are stilluser classes, data, process and business rules.The difference is that the BA has to becomeaccustomed to applying these skills in anagile environment.

Although agile environments vary, this

article gives you an idea of some typicaltasks a BA performs during developmentiterations, based on my own experiences.Those tasks included creating and sharinguser stories, participating in the iterationplanning and daily stand-up meetings,joining in open and ongoing discussions andfacilitating the testing and implementationphase.

User Stories To facilitate the fast pace of short agileiterations, there were always two BAs on myprojects. We alternated the responsibilities ofinitiating the next iteration. The initiationof an iteration began with the creation of auser story, the BA’s primary documentedartifact. A user story is similar to a use casebut usually represents one specific path orscenario within a use case.

Each user story was posted on a projectwiki™. The project wiki was our online,collaborative tool of choice and the informalfocal point of requirements information.The wiki allowed us to document significantrequirements, decisions and discussions, but

Requirements Activities for AgileDevelopment Projects – Part IIBY JACQUELINE K. SANDERS, PMP ®, CBAP®,

SENIOR INSTRUCTOR, SUCCESS ARCHITECHS

A Day in the Life of an Agile BA

The user story is typically 1 – 2

pages. Our template consisted

of the user story name, a 1 – 4

sentence description, the primary

user, required features, expected

benefits, a narrative and

acceptance criteria stated as

scenarios.

with the understanding that these wereliving documents.

I typically prepared two page userstories, but plenty of backgroundinformation was needed to support thestories. The user stories were read to theproject team during the developmentiteration planning meetings and I had to beprepared for a wide variety of spontaneousquestions from the project team. Theproject team utilized the information Iprovided to assess technical priorities,estimate the work effort and to determinethe content of an iteration.

Iteration PlanningFor iteration planning we displayed storycards summarizing the user storyinformation on the task bulletin board,known as the Product Backlog, which hungin the open work area so that all could viewthe sequence of the stories to be worked.

As agile BAs, we utilized our traditionaltraining to anticipate the type of researchand questions that will be necessary. It wasalso common to utilize standard models(i.e. context level DFDs, ERDs andWorkflow) to organize the informationneeded to answer those spontaneousquestions. These informal analysis modelswere not packaged or formally presented asa deliverable for the project but werehelpful for thinking through the functionalrequirements.

Daily Stand-Up MeetingsDuring the development iterations, Iparticipated in stand-up meetings eachmorning. These meetings lasted 30 minutesor less. Each member of the project teamreported any roadblocks impactingprogress. Roadblocks often pertained toadditional information needed or complexrequirements that needed to be clarified byme or the other BA.

I had to determine the most appropriateway to help resolve a roadblock. It couldmean coordinating a spontaneous meetingor drawing additional analysis models on awhiteboard; both involved making sure allof the right participants were present andthat everyone walked away with a common

understanding of the topics discussed orthe decisions made.

Open and Ongoing DiscussionsOne of the key components of agile ishaving a customer assigned to the projectteam. On my projects the customer anddevelopment team often directlycommunicated with one another. However,this didn’t eliminate the BA role; simplychanged it. Like any other project, asignificant new problem or solutionimpacts a variety of stakeholders andrequires getting various viewpoints andreaching consensus. Having BAs on boardhelped avoid creating a solution built in avacuum. We understood that one customer

is not a true representative of everyoneimpacted on the project. We also avoided acommon pitfall that can be caused by notperforming analysis at the enterprise level.

My role as BA included coaching otherteam members who lacked the neededcommunication or analytical skills todecipher and discuss complexrequirements. For example, I would oftenoverhear a discussion and recognize thatnot all the right questions were beingasked. In my agile team environment it was appropriate to join the discussion andimprove the exchange of information. Ibegan to accept that each day could beunpredictable and appreciated theproactive, planning activities done inIteration 0.

Testing and ImplementationAt the end of each iteration, the BAsperformed or helped facilitate ademonstration of the product for thestakeholders. This was an opportunity forthe stakeholders to identify enhancements.Our iteration test phase lasted one weekand consisted of blended training, qualityassurance and user acceptance testing. Mytask was to support the test team,categorize change requests and aid in thetesting process as needed. During thisphase of the release many new requests andrequirements were identified that needed tobe prioritized and incorporated into thebacklog. This often required the use of mynegotiating and conflict resolution skills.

ConclusionMy project success stories prove thatexperienced BAs clearly add value to agileprojects. We do so by helping avoid familiar requirements pitfalls by elicitingrequirements from the appropriatestakeholders and coaching team memberswho lack the communication skills andtechniques needed to decipher complexrequirements. �

Recommended Reading:User Stories Applied: For Agile SoftwareDevelopment, by Mike Cohn, AddisonWesley, 2004

An agile BA’s day is both dynamic and reactive. Several of the activities

below are usually going on at the same time:

1. Responding to questions from the developers

2. Viewing code demonstration with a developer and redoing designdetails

3. Consulting and coaching various conversations in the open work area

4. Maintaining key decisions and discussions in the project wiki

5. Collaborating with system designers on integration issues and priorities

6. Supporting testers and prioritizing new requests into the backlog

7. Responding to questions from the testers

8. Preparing for the demonstration at the end of the current iteration

9. Gathering user stories requirements for the next iteration



Education is ongoing.Go beyond the classroom with easy-to-access online resources!

B2T Training Web Site

� BA Blog

� Downloadable templates

� Library

� BA tools

� the bridge archives

Online Communities

� BA Collective (www.bacollective.com)

� Business Rules Community (www.brcommunity.org)

� Business Analysis Times (www.batimes.com)

� Business Process Management (www.bpm.com)

� Catalyze (www.catalyze.org)

� International Institute of Business Analysis (www.theiiba.org)

� Modern Analyst (www.modernanalyst.com)

� Project Management Institute (www.pmi.org)

� Requirements Networking Group (www.requirementsnetwork.org)

• October 27 – 30, 2008Project Summit & Business Analyst World – Boston, MA For more information visit www.businessanalystworld.com

• October 27 – 30, 2008Project Summit & Business Analyst World – Vancouver, CanadaFor more information visit www.projectworldcanada.com

• November 10 - 13, 2008Project Summit & Business Analyst World – Chicago, ILFor more information visitwww.businessanalystworld.com

• November 18 - 21, 2008Project World & World Congress for BAs – Orlando, FL For more information visitwww.iirusa.com/projectworld.com

• April 27-30, 2009Project Summit & Business Analyst World – Valley Forge, PA For more information visit www.businessanalystworld.com

• May 9-15, 2009ProjectWorld Business Analyst World – Toronto, CanadaFor more information visit www.projectworldcanada.com/toronto/

� Upcoming Business Analyst and Related Events

Visit theB2T Booth

Visit theB2T Booth

B2T Training offers several options for your business analysis training needs. Our curriculum

recognizes various levels of experience and business analysis organizational maturities. Our

courses are designed for project team members who perform business analysis, regardless of

their title.The techniques covered in our curriculum are applicable to any development

environment including traditional, RUP, agile and others.

Core CoursesOur core training program covers fundamental and intermediate skills andis appropriate for new or experienced business analysts. These coursescomprise a complete curriculum and are written for organizations lookingto level-set the business analyst role in their companies and for individualsseeking a solid foundational skill set. Our certification program is based onthese 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 CoursesOur advanced courses are designed for students who have completedthe core courses and individuals who are experienced in businessanalysis.

• 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 CoursesThese 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 SeminarsThese seminars provide management and technical teams an understanding of the business analyst roleand business requirements documentation.

• Overview of Business Analysis – 1/2 day

• Developer’s Introduction to Business Analysis – 1 day

For more information on these courses visit www.b2ttraining.com.�


B2T Training Course Alignment with the BABOK®

We have provided the table below to show how our courses align with the latest structure of the BABOK®.

CORE COURSES ADVANCED COURSESBABOK® Version 2.0 Draft Developing a MentoringFramework Tasks BA Work Requirements and

Ess Skills Data Process Plan Validation Facilitating CoachingBA Planning and MonitoringConduct stakeholder analysis � �

Plan business analysis activities � �

Plan business analysis communication � �

Plan requirements management process � � � � �

Plan, monitor, and report on business � � �analysis performance

Enterprise AnalysisIdentify business need � �

Determine solution approach � �

Define solution scope � �

Develop the business case � �

ElicitationPrepare for elicitation � � � �

Conduct elicitation � � � �

Document elicitation results � � � �

Confirm elicitation results � � � �

Requirements AnalysisOrganize requirements � � �

Prioritize requirements � � � �

Specify and model requirements � � � �

Determine assumptions and constraints �

Verify requirements � �

Validate requirements � �

Solution Assessment and ValidationAssess requirements coverage � � � �

Allocate requirements � �

Determine organizational readiness �

Validate solution �

Evaluate solution �

Requirements Management and CommunicationManage solution and requirements scope � �

Manage requirement traceability � �

Maintain requirements for re-use �

Prepare requirements package � � �

Communicate requirements � � � � � � �

FundamentalsSoftware development methodologies � � �

Negotiation � �

Consensus building � �

Leadership �

Quality Assurance � �

Presentation skills � �

Project Management � � �

Networking/relationship building � �

Consulting skills �

Business knowledgeTechnical knowledge


B2T Training’s public classes

B2T Training

11675 Rainwater Drive, Suite 325Alpharetta, GA 30009

Prsrt StdU.S. Postage

PAID

Permit #309Knoxville, TN

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

Developing a Business Analysis Work Plan - 3 Days

Requirements Validation - 2 Days

Facilitating Requirements for Business Analysis - 3 Days

IIBA CBAP Exam Prep Boot Camp - 4 Days

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Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis Seven Steps to ...

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