BABOK - Business analysis planning and monitoring - Plan Business Analysis Approach

Plan BA approach - Elements - Planning approach

*Predictive approaches* : preferred in situations where: 1. requirements can effectively be defined ahead of implementation, 2. the risk of an incorrect implementation is unacceptably high, 3. or when engaging stakeholders presents significant challenges. *Adaptive approaches:*preferred when 1. taking an exploratory approach to finding the best solution or 2. for incremental improvement of an existing solution

Plan BA approach - Elements - The timing of business analysis activities can also be affected

. the availability of resources, • priority and/or urgency of the initiative, • other concurrent initiatives, or • constraints such as contract terms or regulatory deadlines

Plan BA approach - Guidelines and Tools

1. Business Analysis Performance Assessment 2. Business Policies 3. Expert Judgment 4. Methodologies and Frameworks 5. Stakeholder Engagement Approach

Plan BA approach - Elements

1. Planning Approach 2. Formality and Level of Detail of Business Analysis Deliverables 3. Business Analysis Activities 4. Timing of Business Analysis Work 5. Complexity and Risk 6. Acceptance

Plan BA approach - The business analysis approach should

1. align to the overall goals of the change, 2. coordinate the business analysis tasks with the activities and deliverables of the overall change, 3. include tasks to manage any risks that could reduce the quality of business analysis deliverables or impede task efficiency, and 4. leverage approaches and select techniques and tools that have historically worked well

Plan BA approach - GT - Business Policies

1. define the *limits* within which decisions must be made. 2. They may be described by regulations, contracts, agreements, deals, warranties, certifications, or other legal obligations. 3. These policies can influence the business analysis approach

Plan BA approach - GT - Expert Judgment

1. determine the optimal business analysis approach 2. Prior experiences of the business analyst and other stakeholders should be considered when selecting or modifying an approach.

Outputs - Business Analysis Approach

1. identifies the business analysis approach and activities that will be performed across an initiative including who will perform the activities, 2. the timing and sequencing of the work, 3. the deliverables that will be produced and the business analysis techniques that may be utilized

Plan BA approach - GT - Methodologies and Frameworks

1. shape the approach that will be used by providing methods, techniques, procedures, working concepts, and rules 2. They may need to be tailored to better meet the needs of the specific business challenge

Plan BA approach - Elements - Business Analysis Activities

A business analysis approach provides a description of the types of activities that the business analyst will perform, include 1. *identifying the activities required* to complete each deliverable and then breaking each activity into tasks, 2. *dividing the work into iterations*, identifying the deliverables for each iteration, and then identifying the associated activities and tasks, or 3. using a previous similar initiative as an outline and applying the detailed tasks and activities unique to the current initiative

Plan BA approach - Elements - Acceptance

Any issues raised by stakeholders when reviewing the approach are documented by the business analyst and resolutions are sought

Plan BA approach - Elements - Timing of Business Analysis Work

Business analysts: 1. determine when the business analysis tasks need to be performed 2. determining whether the business analysis tasks performed within the other knowledge areas will be performed primarily in specific phases or iteratively over the course of the initiative.

Stakeholders

Domain Subject Matter Expert Project Manager Regulator Sponsor

Plan BA approach - Inputs

Need: the business analysis approach is shaped by the problem or opportunity faced by the organization

The Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring knowledge area includes the following tasks

Plan Business Analysis Approach Plan Stakeholder Engagement Plan Business Analysis Governance Plan Business Analysis Information Management Identify Business Analysis Performance Improvements

Plan BA approach - The Core Concept Model: Change

are responsible for determining how changes to business analysis results will be requested and authorized

Stakeholders - Domain Subject Matter Expert:

can be a source of risk when their involvement is required and availability is lacking. The approach taken may depend on availability and level of their involvement with the initiative

Stakeholders - Project Manager:

can be a source of risk when their involvement is required and availability is lacking. The approach taken may depend on availability and level of their involvement with the initiative

Stakeholders - Sponsor:

can provide needs and objectives for the approach and ensures that organizational policies are followed. The selected approach may depend on availability and involvement with the initiative

Plan BA approach - The Core Concept Model: Need

choose a business analysis approach that provides adequate analysis for the change.

Plan BA approach - The Core Concept Model: Value

conduct performance analysis to ensure business analysis activities continue to produce sufficient value for the stakeholders.

Plan BA approach - Elements - Formality and Level of Detail of Business Analysis Deliverables

considerations that may affect the approach include . the change is complex and high risk, • the organization is in, or interacts with, heavily regulated industries, • contracts or agreements necessitate formality, • stakeholders are geographically distributed, • resources are outsourced, • staff turnover is high and/or team members may be inexperienced, • requirements must be formally signed off, and • business analysis information must be maintained long-term or handed over for use on future initiatives.

Plan BA approach - Plan Business Analysis Approach: Purpose

define an appropriate method to conduct business analysis activities.

Plan Business Analysis Information Management task

defines how information developed by business analysts (including requirements and designs) is captured, stored, and integrated with other information for long-term use.

Plan Business Analysis Governance:

defines the components of business analysis that are used to support the governance function of the organization. It helps ensure that decisions are made properly and consistently, and follows a process that ensures decision makers have the information they need. Examples of this include requirements management, business analysis risk management, and allocation of business analysis resources

Identify Business Analysis Performance Improvements

describes managing and monitoring how business analysis work is performed to ensure that commitments are met and continuous learning and improvement opportunities are realized.

Plan Business Analysis Approach task

describes the planning of business analysis work from creation or selection of a methodology to planning the individual activities, tasks, and deliverables

Plan Stakeholder Engagement task

describes understanding which stakeholders are relevant to the change, what business analysts need from them, what they need from business analysts, and the best way to collaborate.

Plan BA approach - The Core Concept Model: Context

ensure a complete understanding of the context under analysis in order to develop an efficient business analysis approach.

Plan BA approach - The Core Concept Model: Solution

evaluate if business analysis performance was a key contributor to the successful implementation of a solution.

Stakeholders - Regulator:

may be needed to provide approval for aspects of the business analysis approach or decisions made in tailoring the process, especially in organizations where the business analysis process is audited.

Plan BA approach - The Core Concept Model: Stakeholder

perform a stakeholder analysis to ensure planning and monitoring activities reflect stakeholder needs and account for stakeholder characteristics.

Plan BA approach - GT - Business Analysis Performance Assessment

provides results of previous assessments that should be reviewed and incorporated into all planning approaches.

Plan BA approach - Elements - Complexity and Risk - impact factors on complexity

size of the change, • number of business areas or systems affected, • geographic and cultural considerations, • technological complexities, and • any risks that could impede the business analysis effort.

Plan BA approach - GT - Stakeholder Engagement Approach

understanding the stakeholders and their concerns and interests may influence decisions made when determining the business analysis approach.

Technique - Brainstorming

used to *identify possible business analysis activities, techniques, risks *and other relevant items to help build the business analysis approach.

Technique - Financial Analysis

used to assess how different approaches (and the supported delivery options) affect the value delivered.

Technique - Risk Analysis and Management:

used to assess risks in order to select the proper business analysis approach.

Technique - Functional Decomposition:

used to break down complex business analysis processes or approaches into more feasible components

Technique - Process Modelling:

used to define and document the business analysis approach

Technique - Estimation

used to determine how long it may take to perform business analysis activities

Technique - Scope Modelling:

used to determine the boundaries of the solution as an input to planning and to estimating

Technique - Workshops

used to help build the plan in a team setting

Technique - Interviews:

used to help build the plan with an individual or small group.

Technique - Lessons Learned:

used to identify an enterprise's previous experience (both successes and challenges) with planning business analysis approach.

Technique - Survey or Questionnaire

used to identify possible business analysis activities, techniques, risks and other relevant items to help build the business analysis approach.

Technique - Document Analysis

used to review existing organizational assets that might assist in planning the approach

Technique - Item Tracking:

used to track any issues raised during planning activities with stakeholders. Can also track risk related items raised during discussions when building the approach.

Technique - Business Cases

used to understand whether elements of the problem or opportunity are especially time-sensitive, high-value, or whether there is any particular uncertainty around elements of the possible need or solution

Technique - Reviews:

used to validate the selected business analysis approach with stakeholders.

Plan BA approach - Elements - Complexity and Risk - impact factors on risk

• experience level of the business analyst, • extent of domain knowledge held by the business analyst, • level of experience stakeholders have in communicating their needs, • stakeholder attitudes about the change and business analysis in general, • amount of time allocated by stakeholders to the business analysis activities, • any pre-selected framework, methodology, tools, and/or techniques imposed by organizational policies and practices, and • cultural norms of the organization