Elicitation and Collaboration
Stakeholders for Manage Stakeholder Collaboration
All stakeholders: all types of stakeholders who might be involved in collaboration during change.
Techniques for Conduct Elicitation
Benchmarking and Market Analysis: used as a source of business analysis information by comparing a specific process, system, product, service, or structure with some external baseline, such as a similar organization or baseline provided by an industry association. Market analysis is used to determine what customers want and what competitors provide. Brainstorming: used to generate many ideas from a group of stakeholders in a short period, and to organize and prioritize those ideas Business Rules Analysis: used to identify the rules that govern decisions in an organization and that define, constrain, or enable organizational operations. Collaborative Games: used to develop a better understanding of a problem or to stimulate creative solutions. Concept Modelling: used to identify key terms and ideas of importance and define the relationships between them. Data Mining: used to identify relevant information and patterns. Data Modelling: used to understand entity relationships during elicitation. Document Analysis: used to review existing systems, contracts, business procedures and policies, standards, and regulations. Focus Groups: used to identify and understand ideas and attitudes from a group. Interface Analysis: used to understand the interaction, and characteristics of that interaction, between two entities, such as two systems, two organizations, or two people or roles. Interviews: used to ask questions of stakeholders to uncover needs, identify problems, or discover opportunities. Mind Mapping: used to generate many ideas from a group of stakeholders in a short period, and to organize and prioritize those ideas. Observation: used to gain insight about how work is currently done, possibly in different locations and in different circumstances. Process Analysis: used to understand current processes and to identify opportunities for improvement in those processes. Process Modelling: used to elicit processes with stakeholders during elicitation activities. Prototyping: used to elicit and validate stakeholders' needs through an iterative process that creates a model of requirements or designs. Survey or Questionnaire: used to elicit business analysis information, including information about customers, products, work practices, and attitudes, from a group of people in a structured way and in a relatively short period of time. Workshops: used to elicit business analysis information, including information about customers, products, work practices, and attitudes, from a group of people in a collaborative, facilitated way
Techniques for Prepare for Elicitation
Brainstorming: used to collaboratively identify and reach consensus about which sources of business analysis information should be consulted and which elicitation techniques might be most effective. Data Mining: used to identify information or patterns that require further investigation. Document Analysis: used to identify and assess candidate sources of supporting materials. Estimation: used to estimate the time and effort required for the elicitation and the associated cost. Interviews: used to identify concerns about the planned elicitation, and can be used to seek authority to proceed with specific options. Mind Mapping: used to collaboratively identify and reach consensus about which sources of business analysis information should be consulted and which elicitation techniques might be most effective. Risk Analysis and Management: used to identify, assess, and manage conditions or situations that could disrupt the elicitation, or affect the quality and validity of the elicitation results. The plans for the elicitation should be adjusted to avoid, transfer, or mitigate the most serious risks. Stakeholder List, Map, or Personas: used to determine who should be consulted while preparing for the elicitation, who should participate in the event, and the appropriate roles for each stakeholder.
Guidelines and Tools for Communicate Business Analysis Information
Business Analysis Approach: describes how the various types of information will be disseminated rather than what will be disseminated. It describes the level of detail and formality required, frequency of the communications, and how communications could be affected by the number and geographic dispersion of stakeholders. Information Management Approach: helps determine how business analysis information will be packaged and communicated to stakeholders.
Guidelines and Tools for Manage Stakeholder Collaboration
Business Analysis Approach: describes the nature and level of collaboration required from each stakeholder group to perform planned business analysis activities. Business Objectives: describe the desired direction needed to achieve the future state. They can be used to focus diverse stakeholders on a common vision of the desired business outcomes. Future State Description: defines the desired future state and the expected value it delivers which can be used to focus diverse stakeholders on the common goal. Recommended Actions: communicating what should be done to improve the value of a solution can help to galvanize support and focus stakeholders on a common goal. Risk Analysis Results: stakeholder-related risks will need to be addressed to ensure stakeholder collaboration activities are successful.
Guidelines and Tools for Conduct Elicitation
Business Analysis Approach: influences how each elicitation activity is performed, as it identifies the types of outputs that will be needed based on the approach. Existing Business Analysis Information: may guide the questions posed during elicitation and the approach used to draw out information from various stakeholders. Stakeholder Engagement Approach: provides collaboration and communication approaches that might be effective during elicitation. Supporting Materials: includes any materials to prepare both the business analyst and participants before elicitation, as well as any information, tools, or equipment to be used during the elicitation
Guidelines and Tools for Prepare for Elicitation
Business Analysis Approach: sets the general strategy to be used to guide the business analysis work. This includes the general methodology, types of stakeholders and how they should be involved, list of stakeholders, timing of the work, expected format and level of detail of elicitation results, and identified challenges and uncertainties. Business Objectives: describe the desired direction needed to achieve the future state. They can be used to plan and prepare elicitation events, and to develop supporting materials. Existing Business Analysis Information: may provide a better understanding of the goals of the elicitation activity, and aid in preparing for elicitation. Potential Value: describes the value to be realized by implementing the proposed future state, and can be used to shape elicitation events.
Outputs for Communicate Business Analysis Information
Business Analysis Information (communicated): business analysis information is considered communicated when the target stakeholders have reached an understanding of its content and implications
Inputs for Communicate Business Analysis Information
Business Analysis Information: any kind of information at any level of detail that is used as an input or output of business analysis work. Business analysis information becomes an input for this task when the need is discovered to communicate the information to additional stakeholders. Stakeholder Engagement Approach: describes stakeholder groups, roles, and general needs regarding communication of business analysis information.
Techniques for Manage Stakeholder Collaboration
Collaborative Games: used to stimulate teamwork and collaboration by temporarily immersing participants in a safe and fun situation in which they can share their knowledge and experience on a given topic, identify hidden assumptions, and explore that knowledge in ways that may not occur during the course of normal interactions. Lessons Learned: used to understand stakeholders' satisfaction or dissatisfaction, and offer them an opportunity to help improve the working relationships. Risk Analysis and Management: used to identify and manage risks as they relate to stakeholder involvement, participation, and engagement. Stakeholder List, Map, or Personas: used to determine who is available to participate in the business analysis work, show the informal relationships between stakeholders, and understand which stakeholders should be consulted about different kinds of business analysis information.
Stakeholder for Conduct Elicitation
Customer: will provide valuable business analysis information during elicitation. Domain Subject Matter Expert: has expertise in some aspect of the situation assists the business analyst in identifying appropriate research sources, and may help to arrange research, experiments, and facilitated elicitation. End User: the user of existing and future solutions, who should participate in elicitation. Implementation Subject Matter Expert: designs and implements a solution and provides specialist expertise, and can participate in elicitation by asking clarifying questions and offering alternatives. Sponsor: authorizes and ensures that the stakeholders necessary to participate in elicitation are involved. Any stakeholders: could have relevant knowledge or experience to participate in elicitation activities.
Techniques for Confirm Elicitation Results
Document Analysis: used to confirm elicitation results against source information or other existing documents. Interviews: used to confirm the business analysis information and to confirm that the integration of that information is correct. Reviews: used to confirm a set of elicitation results. Such reviews could be informal or formal depending on the risks of not having correct, useful, and relevant information. Workshops: used to conduct reviews of the drafted elicitation results using any level of formality. A predetermined agenda, scripts, or scenario tests may be used to walk through the elicitation results, and feedback is requested from the participants and recorded.
Stakeholders for Prepare for Elicitation
Domain Subject Matter Expert: provides supporting materials as well as guidance about which other sources of business analysis information to consult. May also help to arrange research, experiments, and facilitated elicitation. Project Manager: ensures that the appropriate people and resources are available to conduct the elicitation. Sponsor: has the authority to approve or deny a planned elicitation event, and to authorize and require the participation of specific stakeholders.
Stakeholders for Confirm Elicitation Results
Domain Subject Matter Experts: people with substantial knowledge, experience, or expertise about the business analysis information being elicited, or about the change or the solution, help to confirm that elicitation results are correct, and can help to identify omissions, inconsistencies and conflicts in elicitation results. They can also confirm that the right business analysis information has been elicited. Any stakeholder: all types of stakeholders may need to participate in confirming elicitation results.
Inputs for Conduct Elicitation
Elicitation Activity Plan: includes the planned elicitation activities and techniques, activity logistics (for example, date, time, location, resources, agenda), scope of the elicitation activity, and available sources of background information
Outputs for Prepare for Elicitation
Elicitation Activity Plan: used for each elicitation activity. It includes logistics, scope of the elicitation activity, selected techniques, and supporting materials
Guidelines and Tools for Confirm Elicitation Results
Elicitation Activity Plan: used to guide which alternative sources and which elicitation results are to be compared. Existing Business Analysis Information: can be used to confirm the results of elicitation activities or to develop additional questions to draw out more detailed information.
Outputs for Confirm Elicitation Results
Elicitation Results (confirmed): integrated output that the business analyst and other stakeholders agree correctly reflects captured information and confirms that it is relevant and useful as an input to further work.
Inputs for Confirm Elicitation Results
Elicitation Results (unconfirmed): capture information in a format specific to the elicitation activity.
Outputs for Conduct Elicitation
Elicitation Results (unconfirmed): captured information in a format that is specific to the elicitation activity.
Stakeholders for Communicate Business Analysis Information
End User: needs to be communicated with frequently so they are aware of relevant business analysis information. Customer: needs to be communicated with frequently so they are aware of relevant business analysis information. Domain Subject Matter Expert: needs to understand the business analysis information as part of confirming and validating it throughout the change initiative. Implementation Subject Matter Expert: needs to be aware of and understand the business analysis information, particularly requirements and designs, for implementation purposes. Tester: needs to be aware of and understand the business analysis information, particularly requirements and designs for testing purposes. Any stakeholder: all types of stakeholders will likely need to be communicated with at some point during the change initiative.
Techniques for Communicate Business Analysis Information
Interviews: used to individually communicate information to stakeholders. Reviews: used to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to express feedback, request required adjustments, understand required responses and actions, and agree or provide approvals. Reviews can be used during group or individual collaboration. Workshops: used to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to express feedback and to understand required adjustments, responses, and actions. They are also useful for gaining consensus and providing approvals. Typically used during group collaboration.
Inputs for Prepare for Elicitation
Needs: guides the preparation in terms of the scope and purpose of elicitation activities. Elicitation can be used to discover the needs, but in order to get started there must be some need that exists—even if it has not yet been fully elicited or understood. Stakeholder Engagement Approach: understanding stakeholders' communication and collaboration needs helps plan and prepare appropriate and effective elicitation events.
Knowledge area for Elicitation and Collaboration
Prepare for Elicitation, Conduct Elicitation Confirm Elicitation results Communicate Business Analysis Information Manage Stakeholder Collaboration
inputs for Manage Stakeholder Collaboration
Stakeholder Engagement Approach: describes the types of expected engagement with stakeholders and how they might need to be managed. Business Analysis Performance Assessment: provides key information about the effectiveness of business analysis tasks being executed, including those focused on stakeholder engagement.
Outputs for Manage Stakeholder Collaboration
Stakeholder Engagement: willingness from stakeholders to engage in business analysis activities and interact with the business analyst when necessary
Elicitation and Collaboration
describes the tasks that business analysts perform to prepare for and conduct elicitation activities and confirm the results obtained. It also describes the communication with stakeholders once the business analysis information is assembled and the ongoing collaboration with them throughout the business analysis activities
Conduct Elicitation
describes the work performed to understand stakeholder needs and identify potential solutions that may meet those needs. This may involve direct interaction with stakeholders, doing research, or running experiments.
Manage Stakeholder Collaboration:
describes working with stakeholders to engage them in the overall business analysis process and to ensure that the business analyst can deliver the outcomes needed
Confirm Elicitation Results:
involves ensuring that stakeholders have a shared understanding of the outcomes of elicitation, that elicited information is recorded appropriately, and that the business analyst has the information sought from an elicitation activity. This task also involves comparing the information received with other information to look for inconsistencies or gaps.
Prepare for Elicitation:
involves ensuring that the stakeholders have the information they need to provide and that they understand the nature of the activities they are going to perform. It also sets a shared set of expectations regarding the outcomes of the activity. Preparation may also involve identifying research sources or preparing to conduct an experiment to see if a process change actually results in an improvement.
Communicate Business Analysis Information:
provides stakeholders with the information they need, at the time they need it. The information is presented in a useful form, using the right terminology and concepts.