Lean Business Analysis and UX
Runway
Managing value by reducing waste
Natalie Warnert
IT Arena – Lviv, Ukraine
October 3, 2015

Agenda
• Natalie’s background
• Define roles of BA and UX in Agile
• Understand Agile role integration
• Show example of how this can be done via
Runway process (Best Buy example)
• Benefits and risks
You will leave knowing how to help BAs and
UX collaborate to learn quickly

Natalie Warnert
• Agile Coach, Project Delivery Mgr
• MA, CSP, CSM, PSM
Web: www.nataliewarnert.com
Twitter: @nataliewarnert
Email: info@nataliewarnert.com

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

BestBuy.com

What is a BA?
Business Analysts
 Act as a liaison between
Business and IT
 Work on requirements for
projects
 Solve problems
 Build specifications for how
solutions will work
 Define As-Is and To-Be
states of the business
User Experience Professionals
• User Researcher
• Information Architect
• Visual Designer
• Accessibility Specialist
• [insert verb here] how a person
interacts with a system
– Flow
– Perception
– Ease of use
– Understanding
What is UX?
*Content from Leslie J. Morse

Why is it so hard for UX, analysts and
Agile to play nicely?
Image source: http://static.comicvine.com/

Agile Manifesto
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 over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on
the right, we value the items on the left more
Source: agilemanifesto.org

Agile Manifesto
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 over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on
the right, we value the items on the left more
But comprehensive
documentation is my JOB!

Agile Manifesto
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 over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on
the right, we value the items on the left more
Both of these are important

Agile Manifesto
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 over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on
the right, we value the items on the left more
We can’t just keep changing things
ALL THE TIME! Change request?
That big design up front
is an important plan!

But what about Lean?
Eliminate waste
Small batch sizes
Only deliver value
Shorten the feedback loop
Build > Measure > Learn

Wait…
Eliminate waste
Small batch sizes
Only deliver value
Shorten the feedback loop
Is what I produce waste?

But…
Eliminate waste
Small batch sizes
Only deliver value
Shorten the feedback loop
It does not make sense in
small pieces!

I do not understand…
Eliminate waste
Small batch sizes
Only deliver value
Shorten the feedback loop
What is not value? All of this is
valuable!

I do not understand…
Eliminate waste
Small batch sizes
Only deliver value
Shorten the feedback loop
Does that mean I have to work
faster? Quality takes time!

It’s a balance!
Key integration and engagement at all levels of
planning, development, implementation, and
feedback to understand and respond to
customer desires
Image source: worldofDTCmarketing.com

But how?
• Shorten development lifecycles
• Business hypothesis driven experimentation
• Validated learning
Source: The Lean Startup – Eric Ries

BA’s can analyze and
create
But how?
• Shorten development lifecycles
• Business hypothesis driven experimentation
• Validated learning

But how?
• Shorten development lifecycles
• Business hypothesis driven experimentation
• Validated learning
Research
Prototyping
A/B Tests
Etc.

But how?
• Shorten development lifecycles
• Business hypothesis driven experimentation
• Validated learning
At all levels: portfolio, product, team

Analyst and UX Runway
Continuously assessing what needs to be done
first
second
just in time (JIT)
or not at all (waste)
to find the Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
MVP = ‘just enough’ to learn

Analyst and UX Runway
Big Design up Front to Just in Time to
adjust to feedback and improve cycle time
Broad requirements to pieces of value and
function to learn
Focus and detail
Time to development and delivery

Analyst and UX Runway
+5 +4 +3 +2 +1 Dev Starts

Analyst and UX Runway
+5 +4 +3 +2 +1 Dev Starts
User Research (A/B tests, BDUF,
Studies, hypothesis validation)
Focus to integrate learning and
investigate new hypotheses

Analyst and UX Runway
Information Architecture and
Visual Design (wireframes &
images)
Focus for
Grooming
+5 +4 +3 +2 +1 Dev Starts
User Research (A/B tests, BDUF,
Studies, hypothesis validation)
Focus to integrate learning and
investigate new hypotheses

Analyst and UX Runway
Information Architecture and
Visual Design (wireframes &
images)
Focus for
Grooming
+5 +4 +3 +2 +1 Dev Starts
User Research (A/B tests, BDUF,
Studies, hypothesis validation)
Focus to integrate learning and
investigate new hypotheses
Focus for
story
review
10% overlapIntegration capacity
Any last
details

Cart, Fulfillment, Checkout, Payment

How does it actually work?
• Story mapping
• Value mapping
• Backlog/requirements grooming
• Internal reviews and collaboration with
entire team (at multiple engagement levels)
• Demos of designs, results of research,
describing business hypotheses and value
learning

Story Mapping
Attach
Product
recommendations
Warranty plans
Recommend
for you
Complete
your
purchase
Apple Care
Geek Squad
Protection
Required
Accessories

Value Mapping
Attach
Product
recommendations
Warranty plans
Recommend
for you
Complete
your
purchase
Apple Care
Geek Squad
Protection
Required
Accessories
What will bring
more value?
To business? To
customer?
User Research,
existing metrics,
new metrics,
developmental
complexity

Backlog Grooming/Story Refinement
Connect to data feed
Data mine and
associate parent
products with child
products
Complete your
purchase
Wireframes
Visual Design
Output data to front
end
Organize and
display items
Write and display
text

Sprint Planning
Connect to data feed
Data mine and
associate parent
products with child
products
Customers who
bought also bought
Wireframes
Visual Design
Output data to front
end
Organize and
display items
Write and display
text
1
2
2
3
1

Execution and Review
• Sprint 1 = Spreadsheet of associations, data
flows/sources, system and user interactions
• Sprint 2 = Products associating in a list from
database, outputting in front end, visual
design (what it will look like)
• Sprint 3 = Fully functional prototype with a
few test products – enough to learn

Lean testable feature to LEARN

Working TOGETHER
Instead of throwing things over the wall:
• What the system shall do
• How the customer shall interact with the
system
• How the system shall interact with itself and
other systems
Collaborate to make the most effective solution in
an efficient manner.

Benefits of Runway
• Increased quality
• Fewer fire drills or emergencies
• Less re-work
• Faster/effective delivery
• Flexibility in design
• Consistent product
• Predictability

Risks of Runway
• Analysis paralysis
• Bottleneck creation
• Can be manipulated
• “Just enough” is not the same for all teams,
features, products

What to remember:
Planning is not bad
Plans should allow for flexibility
Continuous learning and validation
Value is key – effectiveness over efficiency
Image Source: http://blog.thehigheredcio.com/2011/08/31/efficiency-vs-effectiveness/

Thank you & questions
Contact:
Email: info@nataliewarnert.com
Web: www.nataliewarnert.com
Twitter: @nataliewarnert