Skeptical?Confused?Practicing?How Business Analysts can re-invent themselves for an Agile world

Skeptical?Confused?Practicing?Who are you?

Let’s start with some basics…

200924%44%32%Chaos report from the Standish Group: www.standishgroup.com

Laura BrandauBridging-the-gap.com

Laura BrandauBridging-the-gap.com

Shippable ProductStory PointsUser storiesProduct BacklogProduct RoadmapUp front requirements?VelocityOn the wallProduct OwnerTeamScrum masterSprint PlanningDaily Stand-upsProduct reviewRetrospectiveSprints

C.R.A.C.K. Analysts (Barry Boehm, Richard Turner)Collaborative Representative AccountableCommitted Knowledgeable

the “product owner” roleImage used with permission from EMC

the “product owner” roleDean Leffingwell, ‘Scaling Software Agility’

Go visit Paul’s blog at www.cleverworkarounds.comIt’s not about being a translator

User StoriesINVESTIndependent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Sprint-able, Testable(or SMART)As a mortgage holder I want my lender to tell me when there is a better deal available, So thatI can save money4SP

Product BacklogsUse a list(Use other techniques also)(But use a list)

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Story PointsRelative sizeProximityPlanning PokerIndependent from who does the work

Relative size

Proximity

Planning Poker

Independent from who does the work

What’s the fascination with post-it notes?

Put stuff on the wall“Information radiators”

Constant interaction with the dev team

That’s the end of the basicsHow do we do it in practice?

Managing requirementsIndustry averages 2-4% per monthThis shows about 4% from a nominal baseline pointRequirements baseline point

Industry averages 2-4% per month

This shows about 4% from a nominal baseline point

Velocity“Done”Vertical slices of functionality

“Done”

Vertical slices of functionality

Release planning3 months requirements ramp upOngoing requirements managementForecast done with velocity

3 months requirements ramp up

Ongoing requirements management

Forecast done with velocity

The journey is as important as the destination

Not every BA can be a product owner

BA and QAQA is critically important in an iterative project. A BA may well be fully engaged in QA activities.

Product “Owner”Making calls, Business Value, Balancing stakeholder needs, Selling the solution.

“Business” analysts“Systems” Analysts

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Continuous improvementGet things wrong and improve

Make sense?Craig Brownwww.betterprojects.netThis work is licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia License. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California 94105, USA.

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:Individuals and interactions The Agile Manifestoprocesses and toolsoverWorking softwarecomprehensive documentationoverCustomer collaborationcontract negotiationoverResponding to changefollowing a planoverThat is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more

Principles behind the Agile ManifestoOur highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation. Working software is the primary measure of progress. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility. Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.