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Searching for the Right Business Analysis Tools for your Organization
Matthew W. Leach
Doreen Evans Associates, Inc.
December 10, 2009
http://www.doreenevans.com | 617.482.4444
31 St. James Street Suite 210 Boston, MA 02116
Learning Objectives
1. Gain an appreciation for the improvements which can be realized through the introduction of the right business analysis tools
2. Understand the types of business analysis tools and some of the features that they offer
3. Enable each business analyst to take proactive steps to select the right tool for their organization
Agenda
• Introduction
• Challenges
– Technology Organizations
– Business Analysts
– BA Tools Can Help
• Overview of BA Tools
• Tool Evaluation Criteria
• Your Next Steps
Introduction
• Matthew Leach
– Background: system development, software projects, business analysis and business process improvement
– Primary Role: Improving business analysis competency and contributing to the success of system development projects
• Doreen Evans Associates, Inc.
• Consulting firm committed to Business Analysis (BA) and requirements excellence
– Business Analysis Project Services
– Business Analysis Competency Services
Organizational Challenges
• According to Meta Group Research (now a part of Gartner)
– Challenges between business teams and technologists are chronic
– 60%-80% of project failure can be attributed directly to poor requirements gathering and analysis
• Forrester Research concurs:
– Poorly defined applications have led to a persistent miscommunication between business and IT that largely contributes to a 66% project failure rate for these applications, costing U.S. businesses at least $30B every year
Business Analysis Challenges
• The success of any business improvement project is directly dependent on the definition of requirements– Complete
– High-quality
– Accurate
• Ambiguous requirements result in project delivery that does not fully meet user expectations– Result
• Inaccurate estimates
• Rework
• Unplanned defects
• Additional support/enhancements
• Business analysis and well defined requirements lead to project success
Improvements in Business Analysis Effect Project Success
Where BA Tools Can Help
• Communication and Collaboration
– Clear and consistent communication between business analysts, users, and stakeholders
– Information sharing
– Meaning full collaboration
• Structure, Rigor, and Completeness
– Developing meaningful requirements necessitates a sophisticated level of analysis
– Models, diagrams, and other business analysis products
– In-depth understanding of the users’ and stakeholders’ needs
• Traceability/Relationships
– Few requirements or business analysis artifacts offer sufficientdetail by themselves
– Combination of these elements through their relationships which provides the complete view of a system
Tools can Improve the Quality and Accuracy of Requirements
The BA Tool Advantage
• Move beyond/enhance textual requirements
• Effectively communicate your requirements
• Improve quality of requirements
• Greater consistency
• Repeatability
• Effectively manage your requirements
– Traceability
– Change Management
Traceability/Relationships
Structure, Rigor, and Completeness
Communication
and Collaboration
Improve schedule, lower cost, reduce re-work
A Brief Story
Using the right tools makes the job easier
The Right Tool for the Job
• Business analysts require their own set of tools
• A significant portion are using non-BA specific tools to define and manage requirements
– Word
– PowerPoint
– Excel
• Using the right tools makes the job easier
• Organizations should look to implement tools specifically designed for business analysis
IIBA – BABOK and Tools
“Software Applications are used to facilitate the collaborative
development, recording and distribution of requirements to
stakeholders. Business analysts should be skilled users of the
tools used in their organization and must understand the strengths
and weaknesses of each.” – BABOK 2.0 pg 15
• Facilitation
• Collaborative Development
• Recording
• Distribution
“Software Applications are used to facilitate the collaborative
development, recording and distribution of requirements to
stakeholders. Business analysts should be skilled users of the
tools used in their organization and must understand the strengths
and weaknesses of each.” – BABOK 2.0 pg 15
Requirements Management
Requirements Definition
Types of BA Tools: Req. Definition
• Software products designed to aid the business analyst in the elicitation and documentation of requirements
• Improve the quality of the requirements that are gathered
• Designed to aid business analysts in communicating with stakeholders and gathering requirements
– Modeling (UML)
– Business Process
– Screen Mock-ups (wireframes)
• Examples:
– Enterprise Architect
– Requirements Center
– Rational Requirements Composer
Types of BA Tools: Req. Management
• Pick up where definition tools leave off
• Utilize a single central repository:
– Store
– Publish
– Manage Change
– Provide Traceability
• Maintain the requirements during subsequent phases of the SDLC
• Cannot make up for poorly defined requirements
• Examples:
– Rational Requisite Pro
– DOORS
– Caliber
Business Analysis Tool Usage
• Quick Poll
– How many of you are currently have specialized business analysis tools in your organization and on your projects?
• Requirements Definition
• Requirements Management
Business Analysis Tool Usage
• Requirements Management Tools: 45%• Requirements Definition Tools: 15%
Source: The Role of the Business Analyst By Theresa Lanowitz, Lisa Dronzek (VokeStream) | August 13, 2008
Tool Adoption Barriers
Organizational ImpedimentsLack of BudgetNeed to Modify ProcessesLack of Time
Source: The Role of the Business Analyst By Theresa Lanowitz, Lisa Dronzek (VokeStream) | August 13, 2008
Selecting Your Tool
• Lower barriers and speed adoption by selecting the right business analysis tool
• Selection considerations
– Organizational Maturity
– Scalability
– Lifecycle Integration
– User Experience
– Cost
• Provide a starting point for selection
• Additional criteria should be considered
– Depends on your organization’s needs
Organizational Maturity
• Be honest and evaluate the maturity of your business analysis organization
– People
– Process
– Technology
• Identify your requirements pain points before you look to tool adoption
– Implementing an overly complex solution will slow tool adoption
– Select a tool which provide the functionality that your organization needs
– Allow room to grow over time as business analysis maturity increases
BA Competency Maturity Model
Initial
Repeatable
Defined
Managed
Optimized
• Based on Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)
• Methodology for evaluating and improving the BA competency of an organization
1
2
3
4
5
• The usage of tools will change depending on your organizations position on the maturity model
Scalability
• Your organization will take on different projects, your BA tool should scale to meet them
• Tools range in complexity:
– Total SDLC solutions
– Back of the napkin documentation
• Select a tool which can scale to meet your needs
– Development Methodology
– Project Size
– Project Type
Lifecycle Integration
• BA work influences all other phases of the SDLC
• A business analysis tool must be capable of supporting activities within the entire SDLC
– Development
– Testing
– Etc…
• If a tool cannot provide support across the SDLC, its usefulness is diminished.
Planning Analysis Design Implementation
Software Development Lifecycle
Requirements Lifecycle
Initiate Project and
Define Scope
Analyze Business
Needs Define
Business Requirements
Analyze and
Define Solution
Requirements
Project
Realization
Business Analysis Consumers
Business Analyst
Project Manager
QualityAssurance
SoftwareDeveloper
Business Analyst Tool
CentralRepository
Business User
Training Provider
Senior Management
Subject MatterExpert
• Software Requirements• Use Cases• Data Elements• Screen Mock-ups • Business Rules
• Use Cases• Screen Mock-ups• Business Rules
• Business Goals• Features• Metrics
• Use Cases• UAT• Business Rules• Screen Mock-ups
• Use Cases• UAT• Metrics
• Test Cases• Traceability
• System Documentation
• Use Cases
User Experience
• Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are used by business analysts for one reason:
– They offer a positive user experience.
• Any business analysis tool needs to be easy to use
– User interface must be easy to navigate and relatively intuitive
– Commonly used functionality should be easily accessible
– Minimize the number of mouse clicks that a user will need when performing common tasks.
• Think about who will be using these tools and how they will use them
Cost
• The cost of tools varies greatly.
– Free to $10,000+ a license
• Evaluate the cost/benefit of each tool focusing on the features your organization needs
• Beware of hidden costs of tool implementations
– Additional features
– Software add-ons
– Hardware upgrades
– Training/support
• Consider your employees’ time as a cost
– Bring in tool expertise (thought leaders)
Put Together an RFP
• Evaluating criteria provides a start to producing a Request For Proposal (RFP)
• Now – use your business analysis skills!
– Determine your business goals
– Understand your users
– Define requirements
• Remember: Introduce your own criteria
• Leverage expertise to evaluate tools
Your Next Steps
• Identify a Project Champion
– Management Sponsor
– Authority to act
• Put in the Research
– Vendor websites
– Free webinars
– Business analyst and requirements communities
– Consult experts
• Consider Your Projects
– Not all projects are created equally
• Not all projects require the same tool solution
– Adjust the tools that you use and the approach that you take based on the demands of the individual project
Your Next Steps
• Take Enterprise Software Governance into Consideration
– Tools might be in house
– Approved list
• Assess Your Organization
– Business Analysis Assessment
– Tool Readiness Assessment
• Download Trial Versions
– Try it before you buy it
– Don’t try to run a project
• Leverage Existing Knowledge
– You do not need to re-invent the wheel
– Use other organizations have made to your advantage
– Decrease cost, ensure successful implementation
See my upcoming article in January/February issue of Better Software Magazine
• Why you need a business analysis tool
• Selecting the right business analysis tool
http://www.stickyminds.com
Selecting the Right Business Analysis Tools for your Organization
Matthew W. Leach
Doreen Evans Associates, Inc.
December 10, 2009
http://www.doreenevans.com | 617.482.4444
31 St. James Street Suite 210 Boston, MA 02116
