Kathy Burnham & Maureen Weverka Mutual of Omaha January 21 ...€¦ · Director Project Management Office responsible for: program and project methodologies, portfolio ... •Quality

Kathy Burnham & Maureen Weverka

Mutual of Omaha

January 21, 2014

© 2010 Mutual of Omaha Insurance

Company. All Rights Reserved. 2

1.Understand the development of the Business

Analyst (BA) profession at Mutual of Omaha

2. Interactive discussion concerning various BA

professional structures within Omaha

• Understand the value added benefits

• Review key challenges and lessons learned

3.See how Mutual is successfully partnering with

BA’s within the Business PMO


Company. All Rights Reserved.

• Kathy has a BSBA in Business from Creighton University. She has been at Mutual of Omaha for 35 years in various positions. For the past 25 years she has been a BA or has managed BAs. She has been a director of Business Information and Project Management for over 10 years. Managed teams of Business Analysts that support all new Product, non-Product and Support activities on the Individual Financial Services major administrative systems. She was instrumental in establishing the Heartland IIBA Chapter. She served on the ESI Leadership Board for three years.

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Director Project Management Office responsible for:

program and project methodologies, portfolio management oversight, metrics and performance measurements, standards and governance, change management, knowledge management and project manager and business analyst education

Various Positions in Insurance Industry & Education:

IT (16 Years) Business (10 Years)

PMO (14 Years) Educator (1 Year)



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• 1980’s : Business SME’s, Planning Analysts • Located in Business Areas

• Primarily Tested (no formal training)

• IT Gathered Requirements

• Early 1990’s: BA Role Took Shape • Increase in Systems Development

• Systems Developed Crossed Department Lines

• Mid-1990’s: BA Centralization–Product /Business Functions • Structured BA Training Developed – Requirements & Testing

• 2003: Centralized BAs – Business PMO • Formalized BA Training

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• Where Are We Today? • Developed Strong Business Systems Analysts

• BSAs focused on Solution Requirements

• BSAs Test

• 85 – 90% of portfolio Product projects or small enhancements -

Repeatable

• Where Are We Going? • Increase in Non-Product Projects

• Introduced Business Systems Consultant – BA

• Focus Business, Stakeholder, Transition Requirements

• Look End-to-End

• Minimal or No Testing

• Utilizing IIBA Competency Model

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In your Company, where do the Business Analysts reside? IT Business PMO Business Area (Production Area) Other

Define Benefits and/or Challenges of different structures



Does your Company have a defined Career Path for Business Analysts? Yes No Somewhat

Provide examples of Career Paths, Training, etc.



Does your Company recognize Business

Analysts as a Profession?



Other

Bank

Project

Management

Leadership

Group

Group

IT IFS

PMO



• Late 1990’s: I/T PMO (Y2K Initiative)

• 2003: First Maturity Assessment

• First Business PMO

• 2004-6: Ongoing Improvements • Structured Methodologies & Processes

• Formalized PM Training

• Formalized Business Portfolio Processes

• EPO Formed

• Second Business PMO

• PMI Membership

• 2007: Second Maturity Assessment • Formalized BA Training



• 2008-10: Tools and Automation • Quality Center & Automated Testing Tools

• Portfolio Management Tools

• Additional Business PMO’s

• IIBA Membership

• Process Improvements – Requirements Elicitation

• Training Manager within PMO

• 2011 – Present: Ongoing Improvements • PMLG Formation

• Project Management Transformation Process (Lean)

• Reintroduce Agile Processes

• Governance and Audits

• Roles Definition & Career Path Opportunities



• Advocacy: Provide oversight to projects to ensure adherence to proper project methodology, standards and processes.

• Education: Ensure project manager and business analysts competency and professional development.

• Maturity: Continue improving project management processes, business analyst processes and portfolio management maturity.

Project Management Offices develop the processes, tools and the personnel that deliver projects



• Serves as the representative of the business

• Manages requirements

• Facilitates communication among key stakeholders

• Negotiates solutions between stakeholders and technical team

• Validates solution against requirements

• Works to ensure process improvements

• Provides risk decision support

• Participates in pre-project activities such as strategic enterprise analysis (senior role)

Introduction: Foundations

of Business Analysis



• Increased likelihood of accomplishing the business strategy

• Improved work processes, systems & products producing greater cost savings, more accurate schedules and increase in customer satisfaction

• More effective communication and collaboration among stakeholders throughout the organization

• Clearer understanding of the stakeholder needs

• Improved productivity and efficiency in requirements analysis

• Improved flexibility to respond to project complexity

• Improved ability to accommodate requirements changes

• Better decision making at all levels of the organization

• Increased stakeholder involvement and satisfaction





• Better alignment between projects and organizational goals

• Reusability of requirements and models – use of a repeatable and continuously improved requirements process

• Better alignments of expectations between stakeholders and project teams

• Improved management of skills, best practices and standards

• Minimize cost and schedule overruns through early problem identification

• Less rework through traceability when problems are appropriately identified and resolved for the first time

• Improved requirements management to ensure planned benefits

• Seamless transition of deliverables to other phases of the project

• Improved quality of deliverables

• Documentation and use of lessons learned





PMO

Product Domain

Manager

LTC PM

LTC PMS

LTC BA LTC BA

LTC BA

Health

Product PM

Health

Product PMS

Health

Product BA

Health

Product BA

Health

Product PMS

Life Product

PM

Life Product

PMS

Life Product

BA

Life Product

BA

Life Product

BA

Health

Product BA

Product

Resource

Manager

Project

Director

PMO Director

Portfolio

Management

Training and

Processes

Portfolio and

Resource

Reporting

Build

Teams

LTC APM

LTC BA

Health

Product PM

Life Product

PMS

Life Product

PMS

Life Product

BA

Life Product

BA

Life Product

BA

Life Product

BA

Life Product

BA

Life Product

BA

Business Function

Domain Manager

Compensation

PM

Compensation

PMS

Compensation

BA

Business

Function

Resource

Manager

Project

Director

Compensation

PMS

Compensation

BA

Compensation

BA

Compensation

BA

Compensation

BA

Compensation

BA

Compensation

APM

Support

Manager

Support

Analyst

Support

Analyst

Support

Analyst

Support

Analyst

Support

Analyst

Support

Analyst

Support

Analyst

Support

Analyst

Run

Teams

Support PMS

Support

Analyst

Support

Analyst

Support

AnalystAdm Analyst

Support PMS

Adm Analyst Adm Analyst

Adm Analyst Adm AnalystSupport

Analyst

TPA ManagerSupport Domain

Manager

Compensation

BA

New Business

PM

New Business

BA

New Business

BA

New Business

BA

New Business

PMS

New Business

BA

New Business

BA

New Business

BA

New Business

PMS

New Business

BA

New Business

PM

Sales &

Marketing PM

Sales &

Marketing

PMS

Sales &

Marketing BA

Sales &

Marketing BA

Sales &

Marketing BA

Sales &

Marketing BA

Sales &

Marketing BA

Sales &

Marketing BA

Sales &

Marketing BA

Business

Function

Resource

Manager

Support

Analyst

New Business

BA

New Business

BA

Health

Product BA

Life Product

BA

Product

Resource

Manager

Intern Adm Assistant

Health

Product BA

Health

Product BA

Support PMSBusiness Sys

Consult

Business Sys

Consult

Business Sys

Consult

Corporate PM

Corporate

APM

Corporate

PMS

Health

Product BA

Life Product

BALife Product

BA

Life APM



Business PMO Director

Project: PM & BA’s

Business Consultant (2-3)

Portfolio Manager

Training Manager

Technical: BI Developer



Business PMO BA Career Path

11.26

2.35

4

N/A

24 31.3%

Business Analysis

3 Levels

Solution

Definition

3 Levels

Quality

Assurance

5 Levels

Technical Support

5 Levels

Project

Manager

3 Levels

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Kathy Burnham & Maureen Weverka Mutual of Omaha January 21 ...€¦ · Director Project Management Office responsible for: program and project methodologies, portfolio ... •Quality