Tech Enabled Business Transformation
Assist and advise users help desk
1. where to track choose IMS (incident management system INFRA, SAP solutions manager) 2. Publish Reporting procedures for users(toll free, email,website) 3. Determine the severity /priority Severity of impact levels of priority. Dimensions business impact and no users affected(entry questions for user at ticket creation).
Requirement Definitions
1.A condition or capability needed by a stakeholder to solve a problem or achieve an objective Ø 2.A condition or capability that must be met or possessed by a solution, or a solution component, to satisfy a contract, standard, specification, or other formally imposed documents Ø 3.A documented representation of a condition or capability as in 1 or 2
Design Phase
1.Conceptual or Logical model of the TO-BE system (Conceptual - design on paper) ● 2.TO-BE system Blueprint ● 3.Design Documents: §Process Flow Diagram(Swimlane Diagrams) - Captures Business Process Flow §Data Model - Captures Database requirements §Use Case - Captures System behavior requirements §Functional and Technical Design Specification - For RIECFSWB
Key BA Responsibilities
1.Configuration and process setup in individual Functional Area ● 2.Support Development for the Development Team: §Clarify Developer queries on Design Specifications for RIECFSWB §Create data for Developers for them to Unit Test their development ● 3.Support Security Team: §Work on SOD (Segregation of Duties) and security needs for Security team
IT asset portfolio Support Asset Phase Drill Down
1.Continuous search for new IT Assets for BPI - Business Process Improvement 2.Create and Manage Service Level Agreements (SLA) 3.Training - Educate and Train Users 4.Assist and Advise Users (Help Desk) 5.Manage Changes 6.Identify and Allocate Costs
Change Management
1.Creation and Valuation 2.Approval 3.Assignment 4.Prioritization (determine order of work) 5.Make the change - Develop, Test, Transport
5 Develop Test Transport
1.Develop in DEV box ● 2.Test in DEV Box: 1.Unit Test 2.Functional Test ● 3.Transport to QA/Test Box ● 4.Test in QA/Test Box: 1.Integration/String Test 2.Regression Test ● 5.Transport to PRD on Transport Schedule §Concept - Frequency of transport in a company's IT system is an indication of its system maturity
10 Elicitation Techniques
1.Document Analysis 2.Interface Analysis 3.Process Modeling (Benchmarking) 4.Prototyping People: 5.Interviews 6.Observation 7.Brainstorming 8.Focus Groups 9.Requirement Workshops 10.Surveys
The KPI Process
1.Establish a clear objective(vision,Mission,values) 2. Outline the criteria(choose KPI) 3.Collect the Data(Establish Measurement tools/processes) 4.Build your formulas(calculate KPI) 5. Present your KPIs (compare and Present)
Process ( how to create)
1.Identify initial project scope ● 2.Identify stakeholders (5W1H) - Who? ● 3.Perform "Requirements Elicitation" - ask the stakeholders for business processes ● 4.Decompose process sub-processes that ... ● a.Define "what" stakeholders do but not "how" they do it b.Avoid definition of tools (e.g. IT systems, paper forms, etc.) ● Identify stakeholder for each sub-process (for FDM
HOW to change process
1.Investigate technical and non-technicalways to implement the list resulted from the "WHAT to change" process. 2.Shortlist top options for each : at this point the company has options of different paths forward for the functional and technical transformation (TO-BE system) 3.Finalize the best path by analyzing: Best fit for satisfying the requirements Business Tool -Factor rating method Risks Business Tool-Risk Heat Map
Project Requirements
1.Requirements Elicitation 2.Requirements Categorization 3.Requirements Documentation 4.Requirements Approval
New IT System Assets for BPI
3 Options 1.Build inhouse from scratch (Custom/Bespoke/Inhouse system) RPG, COBOL, C, C++, Java development 2.Buy off the shelf (COTS) Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Zoom 3.Buy off the shelf and then customize(MOTS) ERP software, Canvas
Requirements Documentation
4 Cs -Complete,clear,correct,consistent Feasible Testable Modifiable
maximum cardinality
"can have at most" 1. Zero or optional 2. 1 or mandatory 3. Many
Consistent
A consistent requirement understand the company's culture, respects what its words and definitions mean, and avoid synonyms and different interpretations•Statement:The customer may request a copy of their statement of account Questions regarding the statement of account shall be directed to the client service manager. The customer may request a copy of their statement of account •Questions regarding the statement of account shall be directed to the client service manager.•Consistent:The customer may request a copy of their statement of accountQuestions regarding the statement of account shall be directed to the customerservice manager
Correct
A correct requirement appropriately meets the goals of the project and accurately describes the user's expectations of the functionality being specified•Statement:An employee may change his or her last name after a change in marital status An employee may change his or her last name after a change in marital status•Correct: intended communication - An employee may change his or her last name in the company HR systems after submitting appropriate legal proof of name change
What is a project
A project is a temporary or time-bound endeavor undertaken to achieve a specific pre-defined goal. Attributes of a Project: ØHas a unique purpose or goal ØIs time bound ØHas 3 fundamental constraints: ØScope - what needs to be done ØCost ($) ØTime($)
Service Level Agreement
A service level agreement (SLA) is a contract between a service provider (either internal or external) and the end user that defines the level of service expected from the service provider.
Creation and valuation
An end-user faces an issue and creates a Change ticket.
IT Project Portfolio Stages
Analysis:Gather and finalize requirements for the TO BE system Design: Create a conceptual model Development:Build the Physical system from the design Testing: Test the physical build Deployment :Cut over from AS IS to TO BE system and stabilization
Elicit Requirements
Arguably one of the most critical skills needed by a Business Analyst 1.A condition or capability needed by a stakeholder to solve a problem or achieve an objective Ø 2.A condition or capability that must be met or possessed by a solution, or a solution component, to satisfy a contract, standard, specification, or other formally imposed documents Ø 3.A documented representation of a condition or capability as in 1 or 2
Attributes
Attributes describe an entity's characteristics/properties.•Originally shown in data models as ellipses.•Data modeling products today commonly show attributes in rectangular form.•Attributes are stored as fields in a table
Relationships and Foreign Keys
Attributes that are common between Entity Types are not duplicated (would cause double maintenance)•They are "linked" between the Entity Types using "Relationships"•Relationships are established by adding the "Primary Key" of one Entity Type as an attribute to the other Entity Type that shares its attributes - like a pointer. •This attribute is called a "Foreign Key" in the 2nd Entity Type
Attributes that are re-used
Attributes that are reused in several Entity Types are made into a separate Entity Type so that they are: maintained in one place and Linked to the Entity Types that use them by FKs•The Address fields are reused in several Entity Types•So create a separate Entity Type called "Address"
what doesARRS stand for
Availability -%of uptime Reliability-no errors Responsiveness- system responsiveness how much time it takes for a server Security-how safe/secure is program
Change management- Assignment
Change ticket leads to -Functional change or Technical change. F change leads to FICO,SD MM etc. Tech leads to RICEFWB
IS Architecture
Clients to Internet to Server
Functional
Configurable in the system-do not need change in the IT components. FICO-Set up new chart of accounts sales distribution -set up the sales org structure
Routines at Chipotle
Bowl or tortilla Rice Beans Meat Toppings Checkout
3. Transactional data
Documents the outcome of executing business processes. PO for Dc,sales order,invoice,receipt against PO
Example of Transactional Document- Invoice
Elicitation technique document analysis. This document reveals a lot about other entity types and attributes.
Entities
Entities:Something about which a company wants to store information about by capturing its propertiesEntity Types:Object - Material, Customer, Vendor, EmployeeConcept - Invoice, Purchase Order, Sales Order etc.Entity Instances - unique occurrence of an entity typeE.g. PO no 4546, Student no: 6785•Attributes:PropertiesSimple - one attributeComposite - itself made up of several attributes e.g. address, nameDerived - can be calculated from other attributes e.g. tax Multivalued - can take a value from a set of pre-determined values e.g. colorMultivalued attributes are created as a separate Entity Type
3 Basic components of a Data model
Entity Types, Attributes Relationships
From the below rating method solution 2 would be chosen irrespective of the risk content in it since it provides the best solution.
False
Maximum cardinality is the maximum number of entity instances that must participate in a relationship
False
Open transnational data is loaded before loading the master data
False
The major benefit of a 3 system landscape for a technology system consisting of development quality and production is scalability
False
A sub process description is documented using Visio
False A sub-process description is documented by listing the process steps in a template using a word-processing software like Microsoft Word.
In a Swimlane diagram, a rectangular shaped process blocks can cross the lines separating two process-streams. A rectangular process block that is partly located in two swimlanes indicate that it is cross-functional
False An individual rectangular process block must be located entirely within the boundaries of a swimlane. It cannot overlap between two swimlanes. A single process unit block is a single action - it cannot have dual control. It must be owned by one business function.
Bespoke systems are those that you can buy off the shelf.
False Bespoke systems are those that are developed inhouse. COTS - Commercial Off the Shelf and MOTS - Modified Off the Shelf are purchased off the shelf. MOTS are then modified to fit the business needs.
Change Requests should be sorted by Business Value - high to low, estimated load - low to high, and submitted date - newest to oldest
False Change Requests should be sorted by Business Value - high to low, estimated load - low to high, and submitted date - oldest to newest
Functional Testing is conducted in the Quality or Test System.
False Functional Testing is conducted in the Development System
SLA contains the acceptable service levels from a service provider, but the procedure for reporting problems when they occur, is not part of the SLA
False SLAs should always contain the procedures for reporting problems: From the slide: who can be contacted, how problems will be reported, procedure for escalation, what other steps are taken to resolve the problem efficiently
In the Change Management process, "break fixes" are not considered pre-approved and hence need to go through an approval process.
False The statement is incorrect. Of the two types of Change Requests, break fixes are things that were already pre-approved as part of the Project portfolio and need no further approval. They are examples where the system is broken and need fixed. The other type is functionality enhancement. These were not initially in scope and hence need to be approved.
Training in an organization should always be discretionary and not tied to career path and personal reviews, since the employee is always busy supporting his regular roles and responsibilities.
False Training in a company undergoing a transformation prepares the employee for the new system and imparts skills needed to perform their duties after go live. It should not be discretionary. It should be tied to annual goals.
Your company has business processes and some of them are very unique. To support these unique processes you would submit a request to the developer to make core code modifications in your system as they cannot be supported otherwise.
False You would never approve a core modification to your system as it would nullify the warranty on your system from the provider.
A primary Key in a table consist of one and only one field
False a primary key can have one or many fields
Support activities
Firm Infrastructure Human resource management Tech Development Procurement
Waterfall method
First process model introduced, also known as Linear sequential life cycle model,Consists of 6 district phases ANALYSIS,DESIGN,IMPLEMENTATION,TESTING,DEPLOYMENT,MAINTENCE
As a Business Analyst, you come to know that your company is moving ahead with a technology transformation. You have a group of users who use the current system. What would you do first?
Follow the Krotter 8 step model to mobilize your users The first step is to mobilize the people layer so that you tackle the S-change resistance curve. So, you follow the Kotter's Eight Step change model and start communicating with your users.
Why change from an AS IS system
IS failing and unable to sustain day to day business operations and goals. Business disruptions, reduced business performance AS-IS system cannot be the enabler of growth for the business moving forward AS-IS system cannot support the company's long term vision Changing business models, disruptive technologies, regulations
3 IT Lifecyle portfolios
IT Asset Portfolio It Discovery Portfolio It Project Portfolio
Business disruptions
IT system failure at regular intervals disrupts business
Primary Keys
Identifiers are attributes that uniquely name, or identify, entity instances.•The identifier of an entity instance consists of one or more of the entity's attributes.•Composite identifiers are identifiers that consist of two or more attributes.•Identifiers in data models become keys in database designs.Entities have identifiers.Tables (or relations) have keys.•A table can have only one Primary Key(PK). The Primary Key can be Simple or Composite
1. Organizational data
Defines the physical and logical structure of the enterprise. Company code, distribution center, store plant ,storage location.
Pilot (Phased) Implementation Deployment
Deploy the new IT system for only a small group of people typically a business segment ADV:Minimizes negative impact of new IT systemFewer users to train and supportProvides lessons-learned DISADV:Rollback strategy is more complexIT staff supports duplicate systemsSlow implementationMay need to prepare interfaces between legacy and new IT system
Process of survey elicitation technique
Determine discrete goal of the survey2.Determine sample group - WHO3.Design the survey - 5W1H4.Pilot test using some real respondents, confirm validity and understanding; record time required to complete survey5.Pre-notification letter (why, sponsor, how results used, incentives, urgency, confidentiality, contact information for questions)6.Qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis
Training and Data Load Clients
Dev Server Quality Server Production Server
WHAT to change
Developed from he output of the business case of Why Change
3 System Landscape
Development System(change requests) Quality assurance system Production System(Incidents are Fixed)
Match the correct pairs
Development System:Open to changes and development Quality System: Read only system where all major testing is done Production system: Live TPS system for the company
User Problems 2 Types
Something does not work ex password reset, printer issues, system issues Something new is needed Ex new report, new material group
Entity
Something that can be identified and the users want to track:Entity class/type—a collection of entities of a given typeEntity instance—the occurrence of a particular entity•Singular noun•Entity Types are stored in one or more database tables•There are usually many instances of an entity in an entity class.•Entity instance - rows
Business routines
Standard operating procedures or tasks that make up a business process. • •Precise rules, procedures, and practices developed to cope with virtually all expected situations •Business processes: Collections of routines
Single (Big Bang) Cutover Deployment
Stop the legacy and cutover the new IT System in one step ADV:Clean transition between IT systemsAvoids the need to work in multiple IT systemsIT staff supports only one system at a timeRapid implementation DISADV:Rollback strategy may not be possibleHigher risk of negative business impactMisses lessons-learned
Match the correct pairs SWOT
Strength:My company has strong research and development capabilities Weakness: my company does not have robust IT infrastructure Opportunity:Apple is starting to build iPhones with a gorrila glass face and my company is in gorilla glass face production and manufacturing Threats: i run a taxi company and there is a company called Uber that offers bookings from an app online
An organization has control over which of the elements of the SWOT matrix
Strengths and Weaknesses
4. Aggregate data
Summarizes transactional data for use in bus analytics(intelligence). Total purchase cost by vendor by month
3 Types of Information Systems
TPS- transaction processing system BIS- Business intelligence system KMS - Knowledge management system
To prevent duplication Po is broken into 2 entity types
PO header Po item
The go-live strategy that involves the minimum risk on part of the company is___?
Parallel :go-live strategy offers the minimum risk since it leaves the option of a complete rollback possible
Transformation strategies for 3 layers
Technology, Business, Human Values. Design innovation is in the middle
The 3 components of IS are
Technology,People, and Process
Arrange in ascending order of scope
Project Program Portfolio
To-Be
Proposed enterprise architecture
Survey Elicitation Technique Review
PurposeA survey (questionnaire) is a means of eliciting information from many people, sometimes anonymously, in a relatively short period of timeA survey can collect information about customers, products, work practices and attitudes•AdvantagesThey can reach a large populationThey can focus the user on specific topicsThey can be used to prioritize requirements •DisadvantagesIt can be difficult to probe into negative responsesIt may be difficult to get the surveys returned (low response rate)•Best PracticesKISS (Keep It Simple Stupid); clear, consistent, concise, easy to readEncourage participation (through management support and/or prizes)
Many to Many Relationships
The PO has several attributes that do not repeat, and some that repeat due to the many-to-many relationship with the Product.•To prevent duplication the PO is broken into two Entity Types:PO Header - non-repeating attributesPO Item - repeating attributes•The same thing happens for other business documents like Sales Order, Invoice etc. wchich have multiple lines.
IT Project Deployment Activities
Training-develop skills to operate in the TO-BE system Data Migration-•move data from AS-IS to TO-BE System Cutover:•"switch on" the new IT system for business processing Stablilization:fix initial issues and support the initial issues in the TO-BE system
Match the correct pairs
Transaction processing systems: Stops business if it fails System for Business Intelligence: Decision support systems Management Information systems: Category of Information Systems that serve middle management Executive support Systems:Support senior management strategic
Portfolio Management
Triangle /Pyramind Portfolio management-Business leadership assignment Programme Management- Strategic Control projects to deliver effectively as a group Project Management-Tactical budget, scope,time
Degree of a relationship is the number of entity types that participate in it
True
KMS systems collect internal knowledge and experience within firm and make it available to employees
True
Help desk tickets that cannot be resolved without making either a configuration or code change to the system need to be handled via Change Management procedures.
True The statement is correct. If a issue can be fixed by fixing data and does not need any changes to the configuration or code, then it is handled directly without going through the Change Management process. If not, it needs to follow the Change Management prodecures.
SLA evaluation
Recurring review meetings need to be scheduled between the service provider and the company representative to evaluate the actual performance data with the SLA. §Monthly - quarterly §Evaluate performance metrics §No of tickets raised §Time lag for resolution §Number of root cause analysis performed
Final deliverable
Set of business requirements/specifications for the TO BE system
Parallel Processing Deployment
Utilize the legacy IT system in parallel with the new IT System ADV Easy rollback strategy Minimizes negative impact of new IT system. DISADV:Users have to duplicate work (legacy and new IT system)IT staff supports duplicate systemsReconciliation between legacy IT system and new IT systemSlow implementation
3 Components of PO
Vendor, Ship to, Product
Portfolio categories
Venture:Tranform the business Growth:grow the business Core:Run the business
Features issues
Visualizations Unstructured data Big data Analytics CRM Globalization - time zones and currencies Encryptions
An organization has control over which of the elements of the SWOT matrix
Weaknesses Strengths
Planning the transformation
Why, What, Who, How
3 IT project portfolio categories
core,growth,venture
2. Master data
defines the entities used in the execution of business processes. Vendor master customer, production manager
Functional Test
done by functional business analyst to check if the solution meets business requirements
ERP systems stands for
enterprise resource planning systems
3 components of a data model are
entity types, attributes, relationships
Incidents
ex password reset, printer issues, system issues Problems that do not need configuration/program change
coupling is a desirable property for process models
false
Swimlane is a visual element used in process flow diagram may be arranged either
horizontally or vertically
User Acceptance Test(UAT)
independent test performed by end users prior to accepting the delivered system
A program
is "a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually
Key Performance indicator
is a measurable value that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives. Organizations use KPIs at multiple levels to evaluate their success at reaching targets.
Business Process is
is a standardized set of activities that are organized, coordinated, and focused to accomplish a specific task
A Project
is a time-bound endeavor with a fixed goal
Maximum Cardinality
is the maximum number of entity instances that can participate in a relationship.
Minimum Cardinality
is the minimum number of entity instances that mustparticipate in a relationship.
Cardinality
means "count," and is expressed as a number.
What are some administrative criteria included in SLA
monitoring and data sharing
What are two types of user problems
needed-new-change requests broken
Regression Test
negative test to check a fix did not break something that was working before
The system stores data in the red blocks -entitys
object or concept
Unary
one(employee manages another employee)
An early approximation of the final product is called
prototype
Predictive Life Cycle
scope of the project can be clearly articulated, and the schedule and cost can be predicted
entities
something about which a company wants to store information about by capturing its properties
SWOT Matrix
strengths(retain), weaknesses(Fix), opportunities(Seize), threats(mitigate)
You are required to collect requirements from your organization having 45 employees. Which elicitation technique would you use
survey
TIMWOOD refers to which of the following
the primary 7 kind of wastes in a company
Referential key
the system checks to see if the key exists in the foreign table
Ternary
three(physical writes a prescription for a patient)
Binary
two (most common) customer buys product
Entity instances
unique occurrence of an entity type Ex PO,NO 4546 student NO 6785
Elicitation Process is 5W1H
who what why where when how
Change management approval
§Change Tickets(New requirements/changes) - need to go through and approval process. § §Objective of the Approval Process is to determine: ØBenefits ØRisks ØTimeline ØCosts Ø §Companies have CAB - Change Approval Board : ØMeet at regular frequencies ØCross-functional Managers to determine cross-functional impact
Replace/Sunset Assets
§Determine the next steps for IT Assets §Sunset - decommission
Evaluate Technical Assets Periodically
§Efficiency(Technical Fit) §Effectiveness/Usability(Business Fit)
Transcation processing system
§Enables the business to perform and record daily routine transactions necessary to conduct business ØExamples: sales order entry, payroll, shipping Ø §Shares information § §Supports people layer - operational managers and staff § §Enables monitoring - monitor status of operations and relations with external environment § §Failure? Failure of TPS system stops business
Transformation process involves
§Huge financial investment §Risks §Extensive company reorganization of roles and responsibilities §Change management and training §Reduced work-life balance for employees §Freezing changes in the AS-IS system
Accept Assets
§Manages the intake of the new IT Assets from the IT Project Portfolio §Project Team is Dissolved - workforce re-organization
Two categories of activities
§Primary activities - most directly related to production and distribution of the firm's products and services, which create value for the customer. § §Support activities - make the delivery of primary activities possible and consist of organization infrastructure.
Support Technical Assets
§Provide support service for IT Assets to users (detailed later) Ø
RICEFWB
ØR - Report (display of information for internal operations) ØI - Interface (Connect two systems for exchange of data) e.g. Amazon - USPS, UPS ØC - Conversions (Data extraction and Load from one/many systems) e.g. Sprint-T-mobile ØE - Enhancement (Enhance Functionality) Ø ØF - Form (external facing document like Invoice, Order Confirmation, etc.) ØW - Workflow (automate sequence of steps) Ø ØB - Business Intelligence (Analytics - BIS Systems) Ø
After the stabilization phase the new system which was TO BE becomes the AS IS System (Asset)
ØThe onus is transferred from the Project Team to the Business to recover the ROI
Primary and Foreign Keys
Keys:Primary Key - Unique Identifier - simple or compositeSurrogate Key - Primary key with no business meaningForeign Key - Establishes relationships - referential integrity (primary key of another entity type)•Referential Integrity:Database checks and prevents a value to be entered for the FK that does not exist as a PKA system "pulls in" values from the dependent table using FKs (we will see this in Use Case)
What
•"What" questions help you build general, big-picture framework for the IT system so you can start filling in details with other questions later • •3 Goals: 1.Weakness/Threat Identification - convert weakness to strength: 1.What is the problem you need to solve in the AS-IS scenario? ● 2.Opportunity Identification: 1.What is the opportunity that you would like leverage? ● 3.Information Leverage: 1.What is the information you need to record and store - depending on job role?
Where
•"Where" questions help you understand location information of the IT system and facilitate project planning • •3 Goals: §Where-Topography - Where are the stakeholderslocated? ØCountry, state, plant, distribution center, etc. § §Where-Process - Where (at what point) is the process inefficient? ØE.g. Creating a Sales Order, Purchase Order Approval etc. § Where-System- Which information system is in discussion
Why
•"Why" questions help you understand the motivation/purpose for an IT system project at different levels of the organization • •Common WHY objectives and questions: §Justification - Why do you need what you said you needed in "What"? § § §Corporate buy-in - Why are the leaders supportive of this project?
Swim Lane Process Map
•A swim lane (or swimlane diagram) is a visual element used in process flow diagrams, or flowcharts, that visually distinguishes job sharing and responsibilities for sub-processes of a business process. • •Swim lanes may be arranged either horizontally or vertically.
Requirements approval
•All requirements must be approved by the Project Management Office to proceed to Design Phase • •Project Management Office might decide to reject or postpone a requirement to a later Project Phase • •Project Management Office tracks Requirements in a document called RTM - Requirement Traceability Matrix
Business analysis
•Business analysis is the set of tasks and techniques used to work as a liaisonamong stakeholders in order to understand: Øthe structure, Øpolicies, and Øoperations of an organization, and to recommend solutions that enable the organization to achieve its goals
Coupling and cohesion
•Cohesion is a measure of the strength of association of the processes within a function. High cohesion is good because highly cohesive functions that perform one well-defined objective are easier to understand and maintain. ••Coupling is a measure of the degree to which two functions are interdependent. Loose coupling is good because changes to one function can be made with less impact on other functions, i.e., you do not have to know about other functions to make changes to the function being studied.
Core Technical skills for a BA
•Core technical skills for a BA: §Database Management §Data Analytics
Who will do the change
•Corporate level resource plan - not detailed • •Main consideration - do we need an external implementation partner, or can we do it ourselves? • •Implementation Partner - advantages: §Expertise not available in-house - knowledge, experience, best practices §Temporary § •Internal - advantages: §Cheaper §Better knowledge of business •Implementation Partner: §Partner evaluation §Partner selection §Sign SOW ( Statement of Work) § •Internal: §How to re-allocate resources between AS-IS system and project
System Core Modfications
•Custom development framework - platform provided by manufacturer to developers for making custom programming development • •All code outside the custom framework is called "core modification" is owned by the manufacturer and no changes are allowed in that space. • •Core modification should never be done in a company - results in loss of warranty.
Requirements Elicitation Techniques
•Document Analysis •KMS - Knowledge Management Systems •FDS and TDS •Process Model (Swimlanes), ERD Diagrams, Use Cases •Process Analysis •Analysis of existing Business Process •Interface Analysis •Analyze Interfaces between internal and external systems •Data Analysis •Analyze Data from processes •Analyze Data from database •Analysis from Users •Surveys •Nominal Group Technique •Interviews •Focus Groups •Brainstorming
Prototyping Advantages
•Ensures active and heavy user involvement from the beginning •Requirement gathering - Errors/missing functionality are detected earlier •Early training - users get automatic initial training by use of the prototype
Enterprise systems
•Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is businessprocess management software that allows an organization to use a system of integrated applications to manage the business and automate many back office functions related to technology, services and human resources. • •TPS, MIS and KMS systems
Incremental Build Advantages
•High Flexibility - allows new found requirements to be included in next build without impacting current build •Financially smoother - allows distributed financial investment and partial utilization of product •Moral booster - avoids long development time •Better change management - reduces the traumatic effect of replacing a system all at once •Easier risk management
Parent Child Relationship
•In Functional Decomposition, the lower level functions/processes together completely describe the parent. • •A function/process at a lower level cannot exist unless it is included within its parent function/process. • •Each function and process is conceptually and operationally independent.
Prototype Disadvantages
•Needs heavy user participation •Scope containment is difficult - complexity of system increases •Focus on present can cause future proofing to suffer
Waterfall method disadvantages
•Not suitable when requirements can change(new requirements often discovered during testing) •Not a good motivator - long lead time for delivery •High risk and uncertainty
Long Term
•Permanent requirement required for the life of the system
Incremental Build
•Progressive development with each release providing added capabilities - "multi-waterfall cycle" • •The product is decomposed into a number of components which are designed, built and delivered to client separately (each called as builds)
Prototyping
•Prototype - early approximation of the final product • •Basic idea - instead of freezing the requirements before a design or coding build a prototype to understand the requirements
Role of Technology in Business
•Provide the platform for performing Business Transaction (Frontend Applications) • •Record the details of the transactions (Database) • •Share data and information internal and external to the organization (Communications) • •Support analytics, decision making and strategizing (Analytics) • •Secure and control data (Security)
Surveys
•Purpose §A survey (questionnaire) is a means of eliciting information from many people, sometimes anonymously, in a relatively short period of time §A survey can collect information about customers, products, work practices and attitudes § •Advantages §They can reach a large population §They can focus the user on specific topics §They can be used to prioritize requirements § •Disadvantages §It can be difficult to probe into negative responses §It may be difficult to get the surveys returned (low response rate) •Best Practices §KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid); clear, consistent, concise, easy to read §Encourage participation (through management support and/or prizes)
Process Modeling(Benchmarking)
•Purpose §Benchmark studies are performed to compare the strengths and weaknesses of an organization's business process against its peers and competitors/ industry best practices § •Advantages §It is not reinventing the wheel §It allows for making significant improvements in a short period of time §Applies proven approaches § •Disadvantages §Information may not be readily available §The process is time consuming §Does not provide novel solutions (given the purpose is to reuse existing solutions) •Best Practices §Use trade shows and trade journals §Leverage IT software vendors §Ask your customers, "Who is the best?"
Brainstorming
•Purpose §Brainstorming is an excellent way to foster creative thinking about a problem §The aim of brainstorming is to produce numerous new ideas, and to derive from them themes for further analysis § •Advantages §It generates a large number of ideas in a short time §It encourages creative thinking §It allows for group synergy § •Disadvantages §It is possible for strong personalities to dominate the session ("group think") §It is hard to ensure the team stays within the project boundaries/scope §It can result in conflict •Best Practices §Establish "ground rules" at the start of the session §Utilize round-robin to obtain input from all participants Avoid criticism of ideas; everyone's input is valued
Document Analysis
•Purpose §Elicit requirements by studying available documentation on existing and comparable solutions § •Advantages §The Business Analysts is not starting from a blank page §Leverages existing materials to discover and/or confirm requirements §Provides a means to cross-check requirements from other elicitation techniques such as interviews, job shadowing, surveys or focus groups § •Disadvantages §Limited to "AS IS" system perspective §Existing documentation may not be up-to-date, or valid §Document might not be centralized - difficult to locate §Document might not be chronological •Best Practices §Review IT system reports and forms (graphics / logos) §Review policies, procedures, and training materials §FDS, TDS §Swinlane Diagrams §ERD Diagrams §Use Cases
Interface Analysis
•Purpose §Identify interfaces between solutions and/or solution components §define requirements that describe how they will interact § •Advantages §Help understand interaction of systems and business processes better §Gives better understanding of Technical Landscape §Helps understand transaction/data volume and timing § •Disadvantages §Predominantly Technical in nature •Best Practices §Get a list of existing interfaces from Systems Analysts §Review business processes changes for the need for new interfaces §Look for common data and processing across functional areas §Understand synchronous versus asynchronous interfaces, real time versus batch
How
•"How" questions lead to the details of the IT system solution • •Common How Questions: • §How do you intent to use what you are asking for? § §How does the problem affect the way you work? § How will thesechangesaffect your business area
Functional Decompostion
'Functional Decomposition' A method of business analysis that dissects a complex business process to show its individual elements. •facilitates the understanding and management of large and/or complex processes. •Result - a hierarchically structured Function Chart that describes the problem and/or solution in levels of increasing detail.
Krotter's 8 Step Change model
1. Create urgency 2. Form a powerful coalition 3. Create Vision for change 4. Communicate the vision 5. Empower action 6. Create quick wins 7. Build on the change 8. Make it stick
What is sorting order to determine work priority of open
1. Discend business value 2. Ascending by estimated effort 3. Submitted date-oldest to newest
Risk Heat map
1. identify risks and assign a sequential identification number 2. Asses likelihood and severity then calculate risks priority
Predictive Life Cycle Models
1. waterfall model 2. Incremental Build 3. Prototyping 4. Spiral
Education and Train
1.Step 1: WHAT to train (what training is needed in the company) Ø New TO-BE System Ø Company Goals Ø OSHA 300 - safety training Ø HR Complaints Ø Legal Obligations 2.Step 2: WHO to train (WHO needs training) Ø Job Roles Ø Performance Data Ø Observations - job shadowing Ø Survey 3.Step 3: HOW to train - 4 step process (logistics - draw up a detailed blueprint) 1. When - Dates 2. Where - Locations 3. Who-When-Where - who attends when and where 4. How: ̶Training curriculum - overview ̶Training manual - detailed steps ̶Training Logistics - space, facilities, systems ̶Evaluation procedures ̶ 4.Step 4: How to motivate and reinforce Ø Motivation - tie to performance evaluation Ø Reinforcement - quizzes, tests Ø Retention - follow up training Ø Transference - train the trainer •
Regulations Top Government Regulations on Business
1.Tax Code 2.Employment and Labor Laws 3.Antitrust Laws 4.Advertising 5.Environmental Regulations 6.Privacy Policies 7.State Licensing
What are some features of an ICM
1.generate a new ticket captured and tracking 2.Priority 3. Routing asking the the SME (subject matter expect ) 4. fix record communication-eta 5.Communication -canned responses
Agile life cycle
1.requirements cannot be clearly expressed, 2.projects are mission driven and component based, 3.use of time-based cycles to meet target dates
Clear
A clear requirement is unambiguous; all readers should arrive at a single, consistent interpretation•StatementOvertime is not permitted Overtime is not permittedClear: intended communication:Any consultant timesheet that is submitted with an excess of 40 hours worked in a given week will be rejected for payment and returned to the consultant for revision
In functional decomposition the lower level functions/processes together completely describe the parent
A function/process of a lower level cannot exist unless it is included within its parent function /process
Analyze Business Rules
A single purchase order must be issued to only one vendor.2.A purchase order destination is required, and a purchase order may not be delivered to more than one destination.3.The purchase order header delivery date may be overridden by a purchase order line delivery date.4.To avoid errors, a lookup table of Ship Via codes is required.5.Terms are defined by a vendor. The terms for a purchase order apply to all lines.6.A purchase order may have multiple lines.7.A purchase order line may have only one delivery date.8.A purchase order line may be for only one product.9.A purchase order line may be issued for a service (e.g. store layout designs consulting) that does not have a product ID (or SKU).
Choose the correct Pairs
Asset has low technical fit and low business value:Replace Asset has low technical fit but high business value: Reengineer Asset has high technical fit but low business value: reposition Asset has high technical fit and high business value: Maintain
Growth
AS IS system cannot be the enabler of growth for the business moving forward
Venture
AS-IS system cannot support the company's long term vision Changing business models, disruptive technologies, regulations
It Asset Portfolio Phases
Accept Assets Support Assets Evaluate Assets Replace/Sunset Assets
Primary content
Acceptable performance parameters for IT SYSTEMS Availability-percentage uptime Reliability-error free operation Responsiveness- response time Security-how secure is the system
____________ refer to the manner in which work is organized,coordinated and focuses to produce a valuable product or service
Business processes
Business Processes
Business: collection of business processes Business Processes:manner in which work is organized, coordinated, and focuses to produce a valuable product or service. §Collection of activities, steps required to produce a product or a service § §May be tied to functional area or be cross-functional § §Business processes may be assets or liabilities
Core Business Functions
Buy PTP: Procure to pay Make PTM Plan to make OTC : Order to Cash
Key features of a business process
Collection of activities/steps required to produce a product or a service §Supported by flows of material, labor, information, knowledge §May be tied to functional area or be cross-functional §Business processes may be assets or liabilities
4C's of technical writing
Complete:A complete requirement thoroughly describes the user task and all the information required to support that task•StatementAccounting needs to be able to process employee reports Accounting needs to be able to process employee reportsComplete: intended communication -Accounting supervisors need to be able to approve or rejectexpense reports submitted from employees
Evaluating Business Performance
Core Issues IS failing and unable to sustain day to day business operations and goals. Business disruptions, reduced business performance
AS-IS
Current enterprise architecture legacy system
Assist and advise users(Help Desk)
Every problem reported must be captured in a ticket no matter how small the problem is 1.Where to Track: 1.Choose IMS(Incident Management System - INFRA, SAP Solution Manager ● 2.Publish Reporting procedures for users: 1.Toll free number 2.Email 3.Website 3.Determine Priority (Severity): §Severity of impact - levels of priority §Dimensions - "Business Impact" and "No of users affected" (entry questions for user at ticket creation) 4.Establish SLAs for resolution(preset): 6.Escalation procedures - escalate priority if necessary ● 7.Notify when resolved - Mass/Individual notification based on impact ● 8.Best Practices: §Routine non-complex issues - train helpdesk to troubleshoot and fix §Complex issues - special knowledge support team contact list §External Vendors - contact list § 8.Incidents can become change request - Issues that cannot be resolved without a change to be made in DEV box and moved up - Change Management
Change Tickets
Ex new report, new material group. Problems needing configuration/Program change
KPI stands for
Key performance indicator
Why change?
Goal is develop the business case to justify the transformation
Capacity Issues
Max no of software licenses Max database capacity Max no of servers/clients Bandwidth capacity
Client Server 3 Tier Architecture
How users interact with the system is the presentation layer What the application allows the user to do is the application layer Where the application stores records of what the user does is the database layer
Primary Activities
Inbound logistics Operations Outbound Logistics Marketing and Sales Service
Do you think canvas is more user friendly and responsive than black board?Which of the following choices is correct about the above elicitation question
It is not a good question because it is a double barrel question
Backward compatibility of the final product is a concern in which SDLC methodology
Iterative-it is design consideration if the current iteration deliverable is backward compatible with the previous releases.
Requirment Categorization By time
Long term: permanent requirement required for the life of the system ex a new interface needs set up with the bank Transition: •temporary capabilities, conditions, or activities that are necessary to move from the AS IS to the TO BE system (deployment) • •e.g. A new interface has to be setup with a company that has been acquired till they are moved to the company's system
Minimum Cardinality
Minimum card"must have at least" 1. Zero or optional 2. One or mandatory
Minimum Cardinality
Minimum cardinality is the minimum number of entity instances that must participate in a relationship.•Minimums are generally stated as either zero or one:IF zero [0] THEN participation in the relationship by the entity is optional, and no entity instance must participate in the relationship.IF one [1] THEN participation in the relationship by the entity is mandatory, and at least one entity instance must participate in the relationship.
Business alignment
Mission statement: where we want to be in the future Vision Statement: what we do, reason for existence. Value Statement:What we believe in, present and future
Data Model
Model - abstraction of reality•A data model is a plan or blueprint for a database design.•A Data Developer can take the model developed by a BA and build the actual database•Consists of: entity types, attributes and relationships
Technical
Need changes in software code,Hardware,database,network,security
Entity types
Object-material,customer,vendor,employee Concept-Invoice,purchase order, sales order
3 Types of maximum Cardinality
One-to-One [1:1]One-to-Many [1:N]Many-to-Many [N:M]
Components of Information Systems
Organization(People), Business Process, Application(software),Database(Info/Knowledge),Infrastructure(Hardware, Network and communications, security
Relationships
Relationships - 2 classifications:Degree of a relationship - no of entities involved in the relationshipUnary - one (employee manages another employee)Binary - two (customer buys a product)Ternary - three (physician writes a prescription for a patient)Cardinality of a relationship - how many of one entity instance is related to how many of the other entity instanceMinimum cardinality - "must have at least" :1.Zero or optional2.One or mandatoryMaximum Cardinality - "can have at most":1.Zero or optional2.One or mandatory3.Many
Technical Requirements(elicit)
•specify the manner or the environment in which a solution is intended to operate • •Usability, reliability, performance, security, design, accessibility, documentation, information capacity, information architecture, anything else
Transition
•temporary capabilities, conditions, or activities that are necessary to move from the AS IS to the TO BE system (deployment)
Changing Business Models
Richard Hayman - "Yesterday's assets are today's liabilities" Yesterday - older model: More a company controlled in its supply chain, the more powerful it was §Henry Ford was the founder of the revolutionary methodology - set up Ford's River Rouge complex Today - new model: Ownership of physical assets and complexity is an impediment to speed, flexibility and agility Owning buildings, workforce, inventory and other assets have become liabilities - rigid organization structures, vertical integration and functionalism are the skeletons of the 21stcentury enterpri
Attributes/properties of entities
Simple-one attribute Composite-made up of several attributes ex address /name Derived -can be calculated from other attributes ex tax multivalued-can take a value from a set of predetermined values ex colors multi created as separate entity types
Unique Identifier(Primary Key)
Since an Entity Type can have many instances, we need one attribute to uniquely identify each instance Best Practice - PK should be surrogate - contain no Business Information - autogenerated by the database
Unique identifier(primary key)
Since an entity type can have many instances we need one attribute to uniquely identify each instance. Best practice Primary Key should be surrogate-contain no business information -autogenerated by the databased.
Unit Test
•test each individual component to ensure it is as defect-free
Integration Test/String Test
•test functionally grouped components
Porters value chain model of a firm
The value chain model views the firm as a series of basic activities that add a margin of value to a firm's products or services.
System testing
•tests the entire system as one entity - load test
What is Technology Enabled Business Transformation
To leverage Information Technology systems to drastically improve the business of an enterprise in order to enable sustainable competitive advantage
Best practices
Top down approach is the best approach, users take a bottom up approach use document management best practices
Observation
•Purpose §Observation (job shadowing) is a means of eliciting requirements by conducting an assessment of the stakeholder's work environment §This technique is appropriate when documenting details about current (AS IS) processes or if the project is intended to enhance, or change, a current process § •Advantages §The business analyst can see what users actually do (concrete, not abstract) §A number of users may be observed concurrently §It avoids the need to take the user away from their work environment § •Disadvantages §Sometimes it is difficult to discern the reasons for behavior §User may act differently when they are observed (the Hawthorne effect) §May waste time watching users execute processes outside of the project scope §Recording and documentation may be difficult •Best Practices §Make sure participants know why they are being observed Complement observation with other requirements elicitation techniques (interviews, brainstorming
Prototyping
•Purpose §Prototyping details user interface requirements and integrates them with other requirements such as use cases, scenarios, data and business rules §Stakeholders often find prototyping to be a concrete means of identifying, describing, and validating their user interface needs § •Advantages §It involves the user §It makes the solution concrete (not abstract) §It can help determine the feasibility of the solution §It often identifies latent (hidden, tacit) requirements § •Disadvantages §It can result in unrealistic expectations §It can take significant amounts of time to develop §The prototype may have a different look/feel than the final solutions •Best Practices §Define the purpose of the prototype up-front §Set realistic expectations Do not over-engineer the prototype
Interviews
•Purpose §Systematic approach designed to elicit information from a person or group of people in an informal or formal setting by talking to an interviewee, asking relevant questions, and documenting the responses § •Advantages §Easy to schedule (typically one participant) §They may be informal and allow for flexibility §The facilitate interaction and probing questions § •Disadvantages §The user may be less committed to an interview §Interruptions may be difficult to control §They may be time consuming §Interviews miss interaction between multiple participants • •Best Practices §Be well prepared for the interview (purpose and protocol) §Record the interview (with permission)
Requirements Workshop
•Purpose §To bring project team members together in a highly structured, focused meeting led by an independent facilitator to develop high-quality requirements § •Advantages §There is user involvement and ownership §All participants hear the same message §Disagreements are solved during the workshop § •Disadvantages §It can generate conflict §It is difficult to facilitate effectively §It takes a high level of organizational commitment • •Best Practices §Select a highly skilled facilitator §Record and/or videotape (with permission) §Hold the session off-site Have clearly defined goals and objectives for each session
Decision Support Systems
•Serves middle and higher departmental management • •Support non routine and unique decision making §Example: What is the impact on production schedule if December sales doubled? § •Use external information as well TPS / MIS data §business is a part of the environment
Management Information Systems
•Serves middle/operational management • •2 Key Capabilities: §Reporting Capability - Provide reports on firm's current performance, based on data from TPS ØDaily Shipping Report, Total Sales Report § §Analytical Capability - Provide answers to routine questions with predefined procedure for answering them ØDo I need to add an additional shift next week? What raw materials need re-ordered?
Incremental Build disadvantages
•Still needs clear and complete definition of the whole before it can be broken down •Decomposition is difficult •Integration must be backward compatible •Scope creep and escalating costs
Executive Support Systems
•Support top senior/executive management - strategic • •Address non-routine decisions requiring judgment, evaluation, and insight e.g. should I expand into another country? merger? § •Incorporate data about external events (e.g., new tax laws or competitors) as well as summarized information from internal MIS and DSS
Secondary Content
•System Monitoring and Data Sharing Agreement: §What happens if there is a problem with your car's engine? §"Goal - find a problem before a user finds it": §WHO will monitor the IT system, §WHAT data will be collected and shared §HOW often • •Procedure for reporting problems: §Reporting Procedure - Procedure for opening a problem ticket §Priority Levels and expected resolution timeframe §Priority Escalation Procedure
People Layer
•To initiate any company wide systems development, the first step is to mobilize and motivate the People Layer • •Methodology - Kotter's Eight Step Change Model
Waterfall method advantages
•Well structured and easy to understand and manage •Works very well when requirements are well understood in advance •Large projects still follow this methodology
When
•When" questions give you an idea of the: §timeline requirements and §what triggers the problem (opportunity) and responses of the IT system •Common When Questions: §When do you need what you said you need? §When do you experience the problem? § §When does the process begin? § §When do you perform the process?
WHo
•Who" questions help identify and understand the stakeholders • •Two kinds of Stakeholders: 1.Direct Stakeholders - who do one of the following with the system: CRUD ØCreate ØRead ØUpdate ØDisplay § 2.Indirect Stakeholders: Who all areimpactedby the business?
Systems Development Life Cycle
•is a framework for describing the phases involved in developing and maintaining information systems •Fall under two broad categories: §Predictive life cycle: Øscope of the project can be clearly articulated, and Øthe schedule and cost can be predicted § §Agile life cycle: Ørequirements cannot be clearly expressed, Øprojects are mission driven and component based, Øuse of time-based cycles to meet target dates
A Portfolio
•is a group of related programs and projects
Functional requirements(elicit)
•specific behaviors, responses, information, rules, or operations of a solution