Transcription
THE BUSINESSANALYST’SHANDBOOKHoward PodeswaCourse Technology PTRA part of Cengage LearningAustralia, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom, United States
The Business Analyst’s HandbookHoward PodeswaPublisher and General Manager, CourseTechnology PTR:Stacy L. HiquetAssociate Director of Marketing:Sarah PanellaManager of Editorial Services:Heather Talbot 2009 Course Technology, a part of Cengage Learning.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyrightherein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored, or used in any form or byany means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limitedto photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems,except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United StatesCopyright Act, without the prior written permission of the publisher.Marketing Manager:Mark HughesFor product information and technology assistance, contact us atCengage Learning Customer & Sales Support, 1-800-354-9706Acquisitions Editor:Mitzi KoontzFor permission to use material from this text or product,submit all requests online at cengage.com/permissionsFurther permissions questions can be e-mailed topermissionrequest@cengage.comProject Editor and Copy Editor:Kim BenbowTechnical Reviewers:Rick Guyatt, Chris Reynolds, and Ken ClynePTR Editorial Services Coordinator:Jen BlaneyInterior Layout Tech:William HartmanCover Designer:Mike TanamachiIndexer:Sharon ShockProofreader:Kate ShoupCourse Technology25 Thomson PlaceBoston, MA 02210USACengage Learning is a leading provider ofcustomized learning solutions with officelocations around the globe, includingSingapore, the United Kingdom, Australia,Mexico, Brazil, and Japan. Locate your localoffice at: international.cengage.com/region.Cengage Learning products are represented inCanada by Nelson Education, Ltd.For your lifelong learning solutions, visitcourseptr.com.Visit our corporate Web site at cengage.comIBM and Rational Rose are registered trademarks of International BusinessMachines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.Material from “Software Requirements, First Edition” by Kurt Wiegers(ISBN 9780072850598) reproduced with written consent from MicrosoftPress. All Rights Reserved.OMG UML (Unified Modeling Language) References, reprinted withpermission. Object Management Group, Inc. OMG. 2008.The Glossary of BA Terms includes excerpts from Glossaries/Acronyms Crown Copyright Office of Government Commerce, reproduced withthe permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Office ofGovernment Commerce.BABOK and Business Analysis Body of Knowledge are registeredtrademarks owned by the International Institute of Business Analysis .Certified Business Analysis Professional , CBAP , and the CBAP logoare certification marks owned by the International Institute of BusinessAnalysis.IIBA , the IIBA logo, the IIBA chapter logo, the IIBA Associate Sponsorlogo, the IIBA Corporate Sponsor logo, the IIBA Industry Sponsor logo,EEP , the EEP logo and the IIBA member logo are trademarks owned bythe International Institute of Business Analysis.ITIL is a Registered Trade Mark of the Office of GovernmentCommerce in the United Kingdom and other countries. IT InfrastructureLibrary is a Registered Trade Mark of the Office of GovernmentCommerce. Crown copyright material is reproduced with thepermission of the Controller of HMSO and Queen’s Printer for Scotland.All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.Library of Congress Control Number: 2008902400ISBN-13: 978-1-59863-565-2ISBN-10: 1-59863-565-4Printed in Canada1 2 3 4 5 6 7 11 10 09eISBN-10: 1-59863-715-0
This book is dedicated to Joy Walker, my partner inboth life and business. It has been my greatest fortune to find someone who enriches every area of mylife—and who does it with such style, beauty, andgrace. Joy had a particularly important role withrespect to this book, as it was she who saw the needfor it and encouraged me to write it. For that, andmuch more, I am most grateful.
AcknowledgmentsA My editor, Mitzi Koontz. I can’t imagine a better, more effective, tougher (when sheneeds to be), and, at the same time, more supportive editor. Any author is lucky tohave her in his or her corner. Kim Benbow, copy editor, for doing a great job on one of her more “challenging”assignments—and, in particular, for putting up with my penchant for multiple andlast-minute revisions. In the midst of it all, she kept an eye on the ball, indulgingme when it served the book and keeping me in line when it didn’t—and did it allwith warmth and humour. Rick Guyatt for his invaluable insight into ITIL and its implementation in the public sector. Chris Reynolds for the benefit of his rich experience in BA best practices within theprivate sector. Ken Clyne of Number Six for the deep perspective he provided on many issuesand, in particular, those related to the agile approach, the UML, RUP, and iterativedevelopment. Keith Sarre, a fellow reviewer of the BABOK , for his valuable input regarding theBABOK and best BA practices. John Welch for drawing my attention to the existing gap between ITIL and the BArole. John is the visionary who, early on, saw the importance of making the ITILBA link and who worked tirelessly to ensure it was addressed. Beth Brook (OPSI) for her help in expediting the applications to license the ITILmaterial in this book. Mike Bonamassa of Number Six.My kids, Yasha Podeswa and Samantha Stillar.My parents, Yidel and Ruth Podeswa, for giving me the confidence to do anything Iput my mind to. ivspecial thank you goes to:
In MemoryAnd finally, a note in memory of Brian Lyons, a founder of Number Six. I met Brianyears ago in Toronto, while we were both working with a telecommunicationsclient. Brian was one of the most brilliant and unconventional people I had evermet in this business. We had kept in touch since then and, when my previous book wasabout to come out, he consented to act as technical editor. As this book was nearing completion, I was looking forward to another round, when I learned that he had died in a tragicmotorcycle accident. He has been an inspiration to me and many others.v
About the AuthorHoward Podeswa is the co-founder of Noble Inc., a business analysis training andconsulting company. He has 29 years of experience in many aspects of the software industry, beginning as a developer for Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. andcontinuing as systems analyst, business analyst, consultant, and author of courseware andbooks for business analysts, including UML for the IT Business Analyst. Directly, andthrough his company, he has provided training and consulting services to a diverse clientbase covering a broad range of industry sectors, including health care, defense, energy, government, and banking and financial institutions. Podeswa has developed BA training programs for numerous colleges, universities, and corporate education centres. He has been asubject matter expert in Business Analysis for NITAS—a BA apprenticeship program forCompTIA—and a contributing reviewer for the IIBA’s Business Analysis Body of Knowledge(BABOK ). For more information on the Noble Business Analysis curriculum, please visitwww.nobleinc.ca or e-mail info@nobleinc.ca.
Table of ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvChapter 1Overview of BA Activities Throughout the Life Cycle . . . . . .1Adapting the Noble Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3How to Use the Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Initiation Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Discovery Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Construction Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Final V & V Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Closeout Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35Placing the IT Project Life Cycle in Perspective: The SpectrumDiagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40Chapter 2Meeting Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Planning for the Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43Checklist: Who to Invite to Requirements Workshops . . . . . . . . .43Contribution to Meeting by Role and Stakeholder Type . . . . . . .44Types of Meetings That a BA May Be Asked to Participate In . . .45Facilitated Meeting Work Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45Meeting Readiness Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49Standard Meeting Agenda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49Facilitated Meeting Rules and Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50Facilitated Meeting Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50Approvals Process Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51vii
viiiTable of ContentsReview Meeting (Structured Walkthrough and Gate Review) . . . . . .51Prerequisites, Timing Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Who to Invite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51Checklist: Questions for the Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52Structured Walkthrough Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Meeting Objective: (Kick-Off Meeting) Identify Opportunitiesand Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Prerequisites, Timing Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Input Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Deliverables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Who to Invite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Checklist: Questions for the Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Meeting Objective: Identify Stakeholders and Interests . . . . . . . . . . .56Prerequisites, Timing Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Input Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Deliverables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57Who to Invite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58Checklist: Questions for the Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58Meeting Objective: Analyze Impact on Business Servicesand Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60Prerequisites, Timing Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60Input Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60Deliverables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Who to Invite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Checklist: Questions for the Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62Meeting Objective: Analyze Risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63Prerequisites, Timing Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63Input Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64Deliverables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64Who to Invite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64Checklist: Questions for the Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64Meeting Objective: Requirements Management—Setup andPlanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Prerequisites, Timing Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Input Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Deliverables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Who to Invite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Checklist: Questions for the Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Table of ContentsMeeting Objective: Define Internal Workflow for End-to-EndBusiness Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68Prerequisites, Timing Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68Input Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68Deliverables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68Who to Invite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69Checklist: Questions for the Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69Meeting Objective: Describe Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69Prerequisites, Timing Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69Input Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69Deliverables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71Who to Invite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71Checklist: Questions for the Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72Meeting Objective: Identify User Tasks
books for business analysts, including UML for the IT Business Analyst. Directly, and through his company, he has provided training and consulting services to a diverse client base covering a broad range of industry sectors,including health care,defense,energy,gov-ernment, and banking and financial institutions. Podeswa has developed BA training pro- grams for numerous colleges, universities .
