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F O C U S Q U A L I T Y E X P E R I E N C E
Sure-Fire Stakeholder
Strategy
Barbara Carkenord, CBAPTM,
President
B2T Training

Agenda
Business analysis planning
People, project, process
Tools to understand people
Stakeholder analysis
Communications plan
PMs and BAs are the primary project communicators
A Sure-Fire Strategy – “The 7 Golden Rules”

Why Is Getting Started So Hard?

Business Analysis Planning
The business analysis work plan includes:
A clear business analysis approach and scope
Stakeholder analysis communication planning
Deliverables that will be produced (i.e. requirements)
Business analysis tasks to be performed
The result of an excellent business analysis work plan is
that you will be able to estimate the amount of time and
the stakeholder resources needed to complete the work.

Business Analysis Planning Framework™
BA Assigned to Project
People Project Process
• Stakeholder Analysis • Objectives • Size • Deliverables
• Communications • Current status • Risk • Methodology/Standards
Strategies • Type • Complexity • Techniques
• Strategic alignment
Deliverables List W/S
Stakeholder Analysis W/S Project Overview W/S Deliverables W/S
Business Impact W/S
BA Work Plan
• Task List
• Stakeholder Communications Plan
• Deliverables
• Estimates
BA Work Plan W/S
Incorporate into Project
Plan

The Project
Understand the unique project characteristics:
What type of project is this?
How important is the project to the organization?
How large is the project?
What are the business risks?
How many stakeholders are impacted?
How many interfaces does the
project have?
How complex is the project?

The Process
Support the organizational standards and processes:
What approach will be used for this project?
Are the stakeholders familiar with the planned
approach?
Are the project roles and responsibilities clear?
Is the process tailored
appropriately for this project?
What deliverables are
required?

The People
Get to know the people
Stakeholder analysis
Communication plan for business analysis work

The BA and PM as Communicators
BA PM
Responsible for Responsible for all
stakeholders that impact or stakeholders
are impacted by Overall project
requirements communication
Determine best elicitation Status reporting
techniques
Determine overall project
Determine best schedule
requirements deliverables
Determine amount of time
needed from stakeholders

The Strategy
A Sure-Fire Strategy – “The 7 Golden Rules”
Identify the people
Get to know them
Engage them early and communicate often
Identify potential problems (risks)
Reduce problems with communication plan
Fit that knowledge into your business analysis
work plan
Review alignment to project goals and adjust as
necessary

Stakeholder Analysis
The BA will detail the characteristics and
communication styles of the project stakeholders
Stakeholder analysis includes determining:
The stakeholders (who)
Their role in the project (what)
Their characteristics (what)
Their availability (when)
Their location (where)
Their motivations (why)

Identify the People
Who are the people that impact or can be impacted
by the requirements of a project?
Subject matter experts (SMEs)
Users
Management approvers/reviewers
Quality assurance team (QA)
User acceptance test participants (UAT)
Development team
Architects

Stakeholder Roles
What is each person’s role?
Database Architect
Executive Sponsor
Quality Assurance
Business Analyst
Project Manager
Developers
Responsible
SME
Approver
Consultant
Informed
Create project
C A I R C I R
scope
Project kickoff C R C C C C C
Manage project
I A I RA I C C
progress
Provide objectives,
R A I A C I R
problems and risks

AP2
Stakeholder Characteristics
Understand their objective characteristics:
Physical location
Availability for project work
Subject matter expertise
Technical team experience
External vs. internal
Experience on previous projects
Level of formality
Decision making authority
Preferred mode of communication

Slide 15
AP2 Angie Perris, 8/30/2007

Stakeholder Characteristics
Understand their subjective characteristics:
Value to the organization
Culture/language
Relationship to other stakeholders
Emotional commitment to the
project
Technical team skill level
Ability/speed of decision making

Communication Plan
Develop a draft of a communications plan based
on stakeholder characteristics
Identify stakeholder importance, any concerns and
communication strategies with each

How Are You Going To Do It?
Based on what you know:
How will you elicit requirements?
What working documents and project deliverables will
be developed?
What communication strategies will you employ to
reduce any concerns identified?
How will you communicate the requirements to each
stakeholder?
What validation activities will you plan?

Communication Plan
The final communication plan should include:
Who will receive the communication
What will be communicated
How it will be communicated
When it will be communicated
Any special concerns or strategies to be applied
What deliverable is being
developed or validated

Goal: Clear Communication
He said to his friend, \"If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm.\"
--Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Business Analysis Work Plan
Your completed business analysis work plan should
include:
A stakeholder communication plan
A detailed list of tasks
List of deliverables to be produced
Time/cost estimates
“The 7 Golden Rules”
B2T Tip: Use your plan as a negotiation tool!
Sponsors and PM will probably want this done faster.
The plan helps drive discussion to get more resources or
reduce scope of analysis effort.

Conclusion
Know where you are going before you jump into
the work
The complexity of stakeholder analysis should be
as complex as the project
Get approval on your approach to the Business
Analysis work
As you discover new things examine your plan and
make adjustments as necessary

B2T Training’s Magazine
the bridge
Fall/Winter 2007 issue
Spring 2008 issue will feature planning part 2
Focused on Business Analysis Planning
To download a copy go to:
www.b2ttraining.com

About B2T Training
We offer a comprehensive training for learning
how to perform the BA role
Great mix of lecture, discussion and hands on
exercises
Our sole focus is training Business Analysts
All of our instructors are practicing BAs
Our small class sizes allow for in-depth discussion
and personal attention
We offer an performance-based certification

About B2T Training
Course offerings:
Essential Skills for the Business Analyst
Detailing Business Data Requirements
Detailing Process and Business Rule Requirements
Facilitating Requirements for Business Analysts
Requirements Validation
Developing a business analysis work plan
IIBA CBAP Exam Prep
For more info got to www.b2ttraining.com