Axis facilitated joint analysis design (JAD) workshops between IT and business groups at a client organization to enhance their global reporting systems. Through interviews and collaborative workgroups, Axis helped surface gaps, interdependencies, and critical issues that had not previously been identified. This process cultivated mutual understanding and consensus across groups. The outcome of the JAD workshops provided an effective basis for the client to make cost-effective decisions on how to move their global reporting systems forward.

1. Joint Analysis Design
…groups making strategic decisions together
May, 2012
A BUSINESS STRATEGY SERIES case study
…collaborative workgroups that cultivate a common
understanding of the issues and buy-in across constituents
www.axistechnologyllc.com Boston | Dallas | Charlotte | New York
Led by experienced Axis JAD practitioners, sessions provided successful gathering of cross-
functional information and requirements. Axis practitioners identified gaps and
interdependencies that the client had not before considered, providing mutual consensus
reached by both IT and the business. The outcome of the JAD workshops provided the basis for
the client to make cost effective decisions of how to move forward in enhancing their global
reporting systems.
In Closing
Introduction
System and business managers possessed
tremendous subject knowledge, but
communication across the groups was not
resulting in mutual decisions or requirements.
Cultivating ownership and buy-in across the
groups remained a challenge, despite the
organization’s commitment to the globalization
effort, and despite the benefits they would all
realize from decisive team action.
The Axis team facilitated information gathering
sessions to explore trading system delivery of
timely global report processing. Subject matter
experts were interviewed to understand their
requirements and to ensure the process from
their respective areas were understood. Workshops brought together subject matter experts from the business and IT to
collectively review issues and make decisions in order to move forward.
Findings from the different groups evolved into
collaborative workgroups that cultivated ownership
and buy-in across the different groups that
resulted in focusing on critical issues that needed
solving. Interdependencies surfaced that had not
surfaced in prior scoping discussions. Workshops
with the participants provided a forum to discuss
research from individual interviews and analysis
from the workgroup meetings.
Requirements were confirmed and in some cases
eliminated, and a prioritized approach was put in
place.
Portfolio Managers need up to date holding information to make decisions. With a centralized
investment management system that runs batch processing based on the US market open and
close, non-US Portfolio Managers invariably receive market data after the start of some their
local markets. Although the reporting information was available the systems weren’t originally
developed to prioritize differentiate reporting requirements by locale and market time zone
sensitive securities. The key questions that needed to be resolved across the groups included:
(1) How and when does information flow (both batch and real time), (2) what are the
globalization requirements and gaps and (3) how do we prioritize the work. Both IT and the
business needed a reduction in system development time and improved system quality in order
to succeed. Axis partnered with the client, facilitating a joint venture among participants to make
key decisions affecting multiple areas of the organization.