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Holistic Business Analysis
- 1. A Holistic Approach to Information Technology Challenges The Business Analysis & Project Management Connection An Introduction Christian D Kobsa
- 2. Definitions of Holistic: “Relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts.” Christian D Kobsa 2
- 3. Definitions of Business: “A person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern.” Christian D Kobsa 3
- 4. Definitions of Analysis: “The division of a physical or abstract whole into its constituent parts to examine or determine their relationship or value.” Christian D Kobsa 4
- 5. International Institute of Business Analysis Definition: “Business analysis is the set of tasks and techniques used to work as a liaison among stakeholders in order to understand the structure, policies, and operations of an organization, and to recommend solutions that enable the organization to achieve its goals.“ - Official BABOK Guide, Version 2.0 Christian D Kobsa 5
- 6. Business Analyst as a Liaison: A liaison is the person responsible to maintain contact or connection through communications between units of any type of organization in order to ensure concerted action, cooperation, etc. A liaison is a person who initiates and maintains such a contact or connection. Christian D Kobsa 6
- 7. Business Analysis Involves… Identification of business problems and solutions Elicitation of needs and constraints from stakeholders Analysis of stakeholder needs to define requirements for a solution Assessment and validation of potential and actual solutions Management of the product or service requirements scope Christian D Kobsa 7
- 8. Definition of a Project: “A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.“ - Official PMBOK Guide, Version 4.0 Christian D Kobsa 8
- 9. Definition of Project Management: “Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.“ - Official PMBOK Guide, Version 4.0 Christian D Kobsa 9
- 10. Project Phases/Groups: Project Mgmt Includes: Initiating Identifying requirements Planning Addressing various needs, Executing concerns, and stakeholder Monitoring & Controlling expectations Closing Balancing competing project constraints: Scope Quality Schedule Budget Resources Risk Christian D Kobsa 10
- 11. The Triple Constraint: Scope Schedule Budget Christian D Kobsa 11
- 12. … to be continued … Come back soon! Christian D Kobsa 12
Editor's Notes
- Why does the title talk about a “holistic” business analyst? Isn’t business analysis concerned with the details of an organization, identifying all the requirements? Yes it is. But, the identification of a the requirements of an organization must not happen inside a bubble. Rather, it must happen in the bigger context of identifying either a business problem and/or a business opportunity. Without a clear understanding of how an organization relates to its internal and external environment, the analyst can not help solve what ails it and/or help take advantage of an opportunity.
- The definition on this slide speaks to the holistic nature of the business analysis profession. In order for the analyst to solve a business problem and/or take advantage of an opportunity, he/she must thoroughly understand, at the very least: Who the persons are, that engage in this business; i.e. the stakeholders What partnership relations exist, that affect the business; i.e. also stakeholders What commerce, manufacturing, or service the business engages in How the commerce, manufacturing, or service the business engages in relates to the organizations profit
- This definition of the word analysis, lends itself to what we typically think of as business analysis, and that thinking is correct. It is due to the meaning of the word analysis, that the business analyst must be able to bridge from seeing the “big picture” (the first two slides) to seeing the “constituent parts” and how these must come together to create the big picture.
- Note some of the key words in the definition: tasks techniques liaison understand organization structure organization policies organization operations solutions goals
- The main responsibility of a professional business analyst is to serve as a liaison between the various stakeholder groups that have a vested interest in the project’s product or service. To fulfill this responsibility excellent communication skills are key! Note that one of the stakeholders is the project manager responsible for the overall success of the project, whether it delivers a product or a service. More on this in a minute….
- At the top of the list the business analyst must identify the business problem/opportunity at hand and associate some quantifiable measure as to the feasibility and risk of the project. Since the project manager is primarily responsible for the projects success and must manage at a minimum time, budget and resource constraints, close collaboration between the PM and the (lead) BA is crucial to ensure the project is defined within the scope of these restrictions. A project charter serves that purpose and can be written by either the project manager or a senior business analyst. Agreement on the project charter by all significant stakeholders constitutes a significant milestone in the project life-cycle. W/o it, the project should not proceed.The bulk of the business/systems analysis work begins at this juncture. Elicitation of stakeholder needs, refinement of project goals within the defined scope, determination of constraints (technical, practical, legal, environmental, etc), definition of un-ambiguous solution requirements using project appropriate skills, techniques, and tools, along with ongoing constructive stakeholder communication, are the hallmark of the business analysis profession.
- In the context of this presentation, a project is an undertaking by a business, organization, and government. The definition on this slide also indicates that a project has a definite start and end date. The end of a project is reached, when the project’s objectives have been achieved, the project is terminated because its objectives will not or cannot be met, or when the need for the project no longer exists. Business analysts work most often on projects that fit this definition. NOTE: most projects are undertaken to create a lasting outcome. They can have social, economic, and environmental impacts that far outlast the project itself!
- Note how the definition for project management complements the one for business analysis, particularly in relationship to the description of what a project is (previous slide). Any project must have an objective as stated by its goals and requirements. The project activities for which the business analyst is responsible for relate to the projects objectives, goals, and requirements. These must be determined clearly and unambiguously in order for the project to create the unique product, service, or results, which is the motivation for the projects existence. The importance and impact of this cannot be overstated! Success or failure of the project hinges on a clear understanding of what the project is suppose to achieve, and how to go about to achieve it. It is these two last points – the “what” and “how” – that create the complementary nature of business analysis and project management.
- From the project phases and project mgmt activities we can see again how the BA & PM roles have to work together closely and collaboratively to achieve project success. In particular during the Initiating, Planning, and Monitoring & Controlling phases is the business analyst heavily involved in identifying requirements and addressing stakeholder needs, concerns, and expectations. It is those needs, concerns, and expectations that are reflected in the project constraints of scope, quality, schedule, budget, resources, and risk.Here the project manager role is crucial in orchestrating these competing project restrictions so the project can be completed within scope, delivered on time, and stay within the predetermined budget.
- Scope: this is the primary domain of the business analyst in that he/she must determine the projects goals, objectives, and requirements in context of the organizations mission and vision. However, the scope definition of the project cannot happen in a bubble, but must be described within the framework of the projects funding and time constraints. Schedule: this is the primary domain of the project manager in that he/she determines through project negotiations when the project as a whole and when specific project milestones must be completed to meet the needs of the stakeholder on who’s behalf the project is being undertaken. The schedule directly impacts the scope of the work that can be accomplished, and must be closely considered by the business analyst when specifying project goals, objectives and requirements. If these begin to balloon project timelines and its budget are in jeopardy. It is the business analysts responsibility to manage the project scope when working with the various stakeholder groups. If that is not possible the business analyst must promptly bring this to the attention of the project manager so that appropriate measures can be taken BEFORE the project proceeds. NOTE: at times, project timelines are fixed; i.e. certain project tasks, or the entire project MUST be completed by a certain date, in which case the only two variables are the scope and budget of the project. Budget: this is the primary domain of the project manager and to a large degree hinges on the project scope. Because the business analyst predominantly works on project requirements based on project objectives and goals within the framework of the organizations mission and vision, he/she can greatly assist the project manager in this task. A popular technique used here, is the creation of the work breakdown structure (WBS) – i.e. a decomposition of the project into work packages – with the intention to clearly specify project activities; in this context, as they relate to scope and requirements.