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Agile Extension to the BABOK® Guide
AGILE EXTENSIONAGILE EXTENSIONAGILE EXTENSION
AgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guidev2
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InternationalInstituteofBusinessAnalysis,Toronto,Ontario,Canada.AgileAlliance,UnitedStatesofAmerica.©2017InternationalInstituteofBusinessAnalysisandAgileAlliance.Allrightsreserved.©Version1.0published2013.InternationalInstituteofBusinessAnalysis.Allrightsreserved.©Version2.0published2017.InternationalInstituteofBusinessAnalysisandAgileAlliance.Allrightsreserved.ISBN-13:978-1-927584-07-1Thisdocumentisprovidedtothebusinessanalysiscommunityforeducationalpurposes.IIBA®andAgileAlliancedonotwarrantthatitissuitableforanyotherpurposeandmakesnoexpressedorimpliedwarrantyofanykindandassumesnoresponsibilityforerrorsoromissions.Noliabilityisassumedforincidentalorconsequentialdamagesinconnectionwithorarisingoutoftheuseoftheinformationcontainedherein.PermissionisgrantedtoIIBAandAgileAlliancememberstoreproducethisdocumentforyourownpersonal,professional,oreducationaluse.IIBA®andAgileAlliancemembersmaynottransferownershipoftheircomplimentarycopy.IIBA®,theIIBA®logo,BABOK®andBusinessAnalysisBodyofKnowledge®areregisteredtrademarksownedbyInternationalInstituteofBusinessAnalysis.CBAP®isaregisteredcertificationmarkownedbyInternationalInstituteofBusinessAnalysis.CertifiedBusinessAnalysisProfessional,EEPandtheEEPlogoaretrademarksownedInternationalInstituteofBusinessAnalysisNochallengetothestatusorownershipoftheseoranyothertrademarkedtermscontainedhereinisintendedbytheInternationalInstituteofBusinessAnalysis.Anyinquiriesregardingthispublication,requestsforusagerightsforthematerialincludedherein,orcorrectionsshouldbesentbyemailtoinfo@iiba.org.
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TableofContents
Chapter1: Introduction1.1 PurposeoftheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guide 11.2 WhatisAgileBusinessAnalysis? 21.3 Structure 6Chapter2: TheAgileMindset2.1 WhatisanAgileMindset? 72.2 TheAgileMindset,Methodologies,andFrameworks 82.3 ApplyingtheAgileMindset 92.4 AgileExtensionandtheAgileManifesto 92.5 TheBusinessAnalysisCoreConceptModel™ 112.6 PrinciplesofAgileBusinessAnalysis 122.7 TheBusinessAnalysisCoreConceptModel™andthePrinciplesofAgileBusinessAnalysis 15Chapter3: AnalysisatMultipleHorizons3.1 OverviewoftheThreeHorizons 183.2 AgilityatEachHorizon 193.3 Predictive,Iterative,andAdaptivePlanning 20
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Chapter4: StrategyHorizon4.1 Purpose 254.2 Description 254.3 Elements 264.4 TimeFrames 284.5 FeedbackandLearning 284.6 ApplyingthePrinciplesofAgileBusinessAnalysis 294.7 Techniques 32Chapter5: InitiativeHorizon5.1 Purpose 355.2 Description 355.3 Elements 365.4 TimeFrame 395.5 FeedbackandLearning 405.6 ApplyingthePrinciplesofAgileBusinessAnalysis 405.7 Techniques 43Chapter6: DeliveryHorizon6.1 Purpose 476.2 Description 476.3 Elements 486.4 TimeFrames 506.5 FeedbackandLearning 506.6 ApplyingthePrinciplesofAgileAnalysisattheDeliveryHorizonofPlanning 506.7 Techniques 52Chapter7: Techniques7.1 BacklogRefinement 577.2 BehaviourDrivenDevelopment 597.3 ImpactMapping 627.4 JobStories 647.5 KanoAnalysis 667.6 MinimalViableProduct 697.7 Personas 717.8 PlanningWorkshops 747.9 PortfolioKanban 77
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7.10 ProductRoadmap 797.11 PurposeAlignmentModel 817.12 RealOptions 837.13 RelativeEstimation 867.14 Retrospectives 887.15 Reviews 907.16 Spikes 927.17 Storyboarding 937.18 StoryDecomposition 957.19 StoryElaboration 987.20 StoryMapping 1007.21 UserStories 1027.22 ValueModelling 1057.23 ValueStreamMapping 1097.24 Visioning 112AppendixA: Glossary115
AppendixB: MappingBABOKGuideTaskstoHorizons123
AppendixC: Contributors137C.1 CoreTeamofAuthors 137C.2 ExpertAdvisoryandReviewGroup 137C.3 AgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guideversion1Contributors 138C.4 OtherSignificantContributors 138AppendixD: SummaryofChangesfromAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guideversion1139
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1 Introduction
1.1 PurposeoftheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®GuideAgilemethodsandapproacheshavebecomeprevalentinrecentyears.Theideaswhichwereidentifiedintherealmofsoftwareproductdevelopmenthavespreadbeyondsoftwaredevelopmentintomanyotherareasthatareimpactedbybusinessanalysis.Thismeansthatthepracticeofbusinessanalysishastoevolvetosupportthenewwaysofworking,notjustinsoftwaredevelopmentbutinanyareaofthebusinesswherechangeishappeningrapidly.Inthiscontext,thetermagilereferstoamindsetorwayofthinkingaboutwork.Agileisnotaspecificsetofpracticesortechniques.TheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guide(AgileExtension)version2istheleadingguidefordescribingthebenefits,activities,tasks,skills,andpracticesrequiredforeffectivebusinessanalysiswithanagilemindsetwhichhasaconstantfocusondeliveringbusinessvalue.Italsodescribeshowtechniquesandconceptscommonlyusedinagileapproachescanbeappliedtobusinessanalysispractices.TheAgileExtensionversion2providespractitioners,teams,andorganizationsabaseofknowledgetoenableeffectiveagilebusinessanalysisinordertogeneratesuccessfulbusinessoutcomesthataddrealbusinessandcustomervalue.
1.1.1 WhyVersion2?Sinceversion1oftheAgileExtensionwasreleased,thestateofpracticehasadvanced.Version2oftheAgileExtensiontapsintothelatestthinkingandpresentsideasandtechniquesrepresentinggoodagilebusinessanalysispractices.
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TheprimarypurposeoftheAgileExtensionversion2istodescribethelinkbetweenbusinessanalysispracticesappliedwithanagilemindset,definedhereasagilebusinessanalysis,andAGuidetotheBusinessAnalysisBodyofKnowledge®(BABOK®Guide)version3.BABOK®Guideversion3reflectstheevolutionofthebusinessanalysisdisciplineanditsmostcommonpractices,andthisAgileExtensionversion2demonstratestheevolutionofagilebusinessanalysispracticesandcommontechniques.TheAgileExtensionintroducesamulti-level,rollingplanningmodeltohelppractitioners,teams,andorganizationsmanagebusinessanalysiswork,sotheycanquicklyleveragelearninganddiscoverwhatprovidesthemostactualvalue.Thisrollingwaveplanningmodelispresentedusingthreehorizonswhichprovidecontextandscopeforlowerlevels.Thethreehorizonsare:theStrategyHorizon,theInitiativeHorizon,andtheDeliveryHorizon.Thereareawidevarietyoftechniques,processes,andtoolsthatcanbeappliedtoagilebusinessanalysis.Thereisnosingleapproachthatshouldbeappliedtoeverycontext,andpartoftheskilloftheagilebusinessanalysispractitioneristoselectthemosteffectivetechniquesforthespecificcontext;theAgileExtensiondoesprovidesomeadviceforpractitionersontheapplicabilityofdifferenttechniquestodifferentcontexts.
1.2 WhatisAgileBusinessAnalysis?Agilebusinessanalysisisthepracticeofbusinessanalysisinanagilecontextwithanagilemindset.Agilebusinessanalysiscanprovideacompetitiveadvantageinfast-pacedandcomplexenvironmentsandhasmovedbeyondsoftwaredevelopmentinitiativestoanybusinessdomain.Organizationshaveadoptedagilepracticesatalllevelsofplanningandinmanydiversebusinessareas.Akeyelementoftheagilemindsetisinspectingandadapting.Feedbackatonehorizoninfluencesdecisionsatallthehorizonswhichresultsinchangestoworkatthehorizons.Formoredetailedinformationonhorizons,see3.AnalysisatMultipleHorizons,4.StrategyHorizon,5.InitiativeHorizon,and6.DeliveryHorizon.
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Figure1.2.1:Figure1:AgileBusinessAnalysis
Agilebusinessanalysisfocusesonmaximizingbusinessvalue.Thisconstantfocusonbusinessvalueproducesbetterandmoretimelybusinessoutcomes.1.2.1 AboutAgileDeliveryAgiledeliveryisabusinessstrategythatcreatesvaluethroughfastfeedbackandshortdecisioncycles.TheagileanalysismindsetisbasedontheAgileManifestoandthePrinciplesofAgileBusinessAnalysis(formoreinformation,see2.6.PrinciplesofAgileBusinessAnalysis)Agiledeliveryplanningtakestwoprimaryforms:iterativeandadaptive.• Iterativeplanningprioritizesandrefinestheworkinshortcyclesdesignedtoprovidefocusandincreasethefeedbackandlearninggainedfromstakeholders.• Adaptiveplanninginvolvesthecontinuouschangetolong-termplans.Constantplanningandanalysisisusedtoprioritizeandrefinetheworktobedonetodeliverthehighestvalue.Agileapproachesdelivervalueincrementally,slicingtheproductintosmallpieces,prioritizingthembybusinessvalue,anddeliveringnewitemsofvaluefrequently.Incrementaldeliveryallowsforrapidfeedback,learning,andadaptingtochange.TheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guideisagnostictotheapproachusedandprovidesbenefits,activities,tasks,skills,practices,andtechniquesapplicabletoanyagileapproach.Thereisno“onesizefitsall”approachandtechniquesfrombothplanningapproachescanbeusedtogether.1.2.2 BusinessAnalysisintheOrganizationBusinessanalysisisfundamentaltoorganizationsstrivingtodelivervaluetotheircustomers.Agilebusinessanalysisusescontinuousfeedbackandlearningtoprioritizedelivery,minimizewaste,andincreasecustomervalue.Organizationsgainfeedbackfromanumberofsourcessuchascustomers,competitors,partners,investors,subjectmatterexperts,andregulators.Feedback
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collectedcanbeusedtohelporganizationsunderstandiftheyaredeliveringthevaluecustomerswant.Organizationscontinuallylearnwhatworksintheirenvironment.Rapidchangemeansorganizationsneedtoidentify,collect,andprocessstakeholderfeedbackquicker.Feedbackisusedtoprioritizeworkitemsbasedonthosethatdeliverthemostvalueandtoeliminatethosethatdonot.Agilebusinessanalysisusesthisfeedbacktoeffectivelycreateanddistributevalue.Ithelpsindividuals,teams,andorganizationsfocusonwhatdeliversthemostvalue.Partofthisfocusincludesidentifyingandavoidingworkthatdoesnotdeliverthevaluesought.Agilebusinessanalysistechniqueshelporganizationsinterprettheconstantflowoffeedbackandlearninginordertoprioritizeworkwithenoughspeedtomeetstakeholderneeds,takeadvantageofopportunities,andrespondtochange.Agileproductdelivery,whetherforexternalorinternalstakeholders,includesadegreeofuncertainty.Bydeliveringvalueinaminimumviablewayasearlyaspossible,organizationscanlearnwhatisvaluableandwhatisnot,andhelptominimizewasteandunderstandwhatvaluemeetsstakeholders'needs.1.2.3 AgileBusinessAnalysisforPractitionersBusinessanalysispractitionersuseagilebusinessanalysistechniquestomaximizebusinessvalue,torapidlylearn,adaptandrespondtochange,andtoreducewastebymaximizingtheamountofworknotdone.Agilebusinessanalysispractitionersuselearningderivedfromstakeholderfeedbackinordertoguidethedeliveryprocessanddelivervalueconstantly.Agilebusinessanalysisactivitiesplayacentralroleinlearningandidentifyingwhatistrulyvaluable,whatdoesnotaddvalue,andfacilitatethelearningandcommunicationneededtocontinuallydelivertherightvalue.Agilebusinessanalysisactivities• providethelinkbetweentheorganization'sstrategyandtheinitiativesresourcedtomeetthegoalsofthestrategy,• discover,interpret,andcommunicateinformationinordertoincreaseunderstandingandclarityonwherevaluecanbecreated,• clarifyforwhomvalueiscreated,whocancontributetothecreationofvalue,andwhoelsemightbeimpacted,and• helpstakeholdersmakedecisionsaboutapproaches,priorities,andtrade-offstostayfocusedoncontinuousvaluecreationinthefaceofconstraints,differingopinions,risks,andcomplexity.Agilebusinessanalysissupportsanenvironmentofcreativity,rapidlearning,andexperimentationwhichleadstoinnovation.
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Therearesevenprinciplesofagileanalysisthatguideagilebusinessanalysispractitioners:• SeetheWhole• ThinkasaCustomer• AnalyzetoDetermineWhatisValuable• GetRealUsingExamples:• UnderstandWhatisDoable• StimulateCollaborationandContinuousImprovement• AvoidWasteFormoreinformationregardingthesesevenprinciples,see2.6.PrinciplesofAgileBusinessAnalysis.1.2.4 ThreeHorizonsofAgileBusinessAnalysisAkeyconceptintheAgileExtensionisplanninghorizons.Aplanninghorizonrepresentsaviewofworkwithinanorganizationwithalevelofgranularityappropriatetothetimeframebeingplannedforandthenatureofthefeedbackloopsused.TheAgileExtensiondefinesthreehorizons:Strategy(see4.StrategyHorizon),Initiative(see5.InitiativeHorizon),andDelivery(see6.DeliveryHorizon).Thisframeworkprovidesamodeltodescribeagilebusinessanalysis.Individualpractitionersandorganizationsmayemploydifferentterms,levelsofgranularity,andtimeframesbasedonthecontextoftheorganizationandtheworkbeingdone.Eachhorizonusesdifferenttimespansandlevelofdetail,andtheAgileExtensionexploresagilebusinessanalysistechniquesandpracticesusedateachhorizontodeliverbusinessvalue.Thespecifictimespansforeachhorizondifferfromorganizationtoorganizationbuttheconceptofplanningatmultipletimehorizonsanddifferentlevelsofgranularityiscentraltoagilebusinessanalysis.TheStrategyHorizonlooksatalloftheworkbeingundertakeninanorganizationandisusedtomakedecisionsatthehighestlevelsaboutwhatworkshouldbefunded,theapproachestobetaken,theavailabilityofskillsandresources,andalignmentwithbusinessgoals.Thelevelofgranularityisaboutselectingwhichinitiativesshouldbeundertaken,howtheywillbefunded,andhowtheywillbemonitored.Feedbackisbasedonassessinghowwellbusinessgoalsarebeingmet.
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TheInitiativeHorizonlooksattheworkneededtoproduceasingleproduct,eitherforinternaluseintheorganizationorcustomerfacing.Eachinitiativeshouldhavecleargoalswhichhelptoachievespecificstrategicoutcomes.Thelevelofgranularityisrelatedtothespecificfeaturestheproductwillhaveandhowthesearedividedintodiscretepiecesofbusinessvalue.Feedbackisbasedoncustomeroruserinteractionwiththeproductandvaluedelivered.TheDeliveryHorizoniswhereworkhappens:implementationteamsbuilddiscretepiecesoftheproductusingiterativeoradaptiveandincrementaltechniques,workingfromaprioritizedlistbasedonbusinessvalueasidentifiedattheInitiativeandStrategyHorizons.1.3 StructureThecorecontentoftheAgileExtensionistheStrategy,Initiative,andDeliveryHorizons.Thesechaptersdescribecommonagilebusinessanalysispractices.ThechaptersonTheAgileMindset,AnalysisatMultipleHorizons,andTechniquesformtheextendedcontentintheAgileExtension.Thesechaptersprovidearicherunderstandingandcontexttoagilebusinessanalysisactivities.TheAppendicesoftheAgileExtensionincludetheGlossary,MappingBABOK®
GuideTaskstoHorizons,Contributors,Contributors,andaSummaryofChangesfromAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guideversion1.
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2 TheAgileMindset
Agileisbestdescribedasamindsetthatguidesthewayworkisapproached.Agileisnotamethodologythatprescribeshowtodothatwork.Agilebusinessanalysisiscomprisedofapplyinganagilemindsettothefundamentalknowledge,competencies,andtechniquesofbusinessanalysis.AppendixB:MappingBABOKGuideTaskstoHorizonsdemonstrateshowanagilemindsetcanbeappliedtoeachBABOK®Guidetask.Anagilemindsetdrivesagilebusinessanalysispractitioners'thinkingandbehaviour.This,combinedwithasetofpracticesandtechniqueswhichenableeffectivedeliveryofjustenoughoftherightproducttotherightpeopleearlyandoften,andthefocusonmaximizingvalue,arethegoalsofagilebusinessanalysis.Thegoalofapplyinganagilemindsetistomaximizetheoutcome(valuedelivered)withminimumoutput:"dolessanddotherightthings,right".2.1 WhatisanAgileMindset?Theagilemindsetisbasedonacommoncoreofhumanvaluesthatincluderespect,courage,collaboration,continuouslearning,customerfocus,andvaluemaximization.ThesevaluesfindtheirclearestexpressionintheManifestoforAgileSoftwareDevelopment(AgileManifesto).Themainaspectsofanagilemindsetinclude• delivervaluerapidlyandconsistently,• collaboratecourageously,
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• iteratetolearn,• simplifytoavoidwaste,• considercontextandadapttorealities,• reflectonfeedbackandadaptbothproductandprocess,and• producethehighestqualityproducts.2.2 TheAgileMindset,Methodologies,and
FrameworksAgileisbestdescribedasamindsetbecausethevaluesandsubsequentprinciplesexplainideasandattitudeswithwhichpeopleapproachasituation,butdonotprescribeexactlywhattheydointhosesituations.Everysituationisunique–thereisnosingle“agile”approach.Thereareavarietyoftechniques,processes,andtoolswhichcanbeappliedindifferentcombinationstodifferentextentsdependingonthecontext.Agileteamsarebestservedwhentheyselectaparticularcombinationoftechniques,processes,andtoolsthatfittheircontextandhelpthemworkinagreementwiththeirchosenmindset.Thiscombinationcanbeconsideredtheteam’smethodology.Thereareanumberofbrandedframeworksthatfallunderthebroadbannerofagile.Theseframeworksarecollectionsofspecificpracticesandideasthathavebeenprovenusefulinaspecificcontext.Theseframeworkshavesomecommoncharacteristics:• respectforpeopleandtheimportanceofcreativityindeliveringvalue,• theimportanceofrapiddelivery,feedback,andlearningtoensuretheproductorservicebeingproducedmeetsrealcustomerneeds,• collaborationandcommunicationamongtheteammembersandthestakeholdercommunityinordertobuildsharedunderstanding,and• breakworkintosmallslicesofbusinessvalueanddeliverthemincrementallyanditeratively.TheseframeworksincludeScrum,Kanban,ExtremeProgramming,AdaptiveSoftwareDevelopment,LeanSoftwareDevelopment,SAFe,LeSS,DAD,andmanyothers.Itisimportanttounderstandthatthecontextinwhichaframeworkworkedatonetimemaynotbethesameasthecontextforadifferentinitiative.Thereisno"onesizefitsall"intheagilemindset.Thekeytoagilityistofindwhatworksinaparticularcontext.Manyteamsfindithelpfultocombinetechniquesandpracticesfrommultipleframeworkstoaddressthechallengesoftheircontext.
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2.3 ApplyingtheAgileMindsetTheideasthatinformtheagilemindsetwerenotnewwhentheyweresynthesizedintoagilesoftwaredevelopment.Aspeoplepracticed,spread,andrefinedtheseideas,theyfoundthattheideascanbeappliedtoanydomainthatderivesvaluefromcreativehumanwork.Theseideashavebeenusedinmarketing,runninglawandarchitecturefirms,inconsultancyorganizations,inmanydifferentproductdevelopmentenvironments,inpharmaceuticalproductdiscovery,andamyriadofotherdomains.Allofthesedomainsdependonhumancollaboration,skill,andknowledgetodelivervaluetotheconsumersofproducts.Businessanalysissharesthesecharacteristics.Businessanalysisisahuman-centric,exploratory,andcreativeendeavour,andanalysisworkresultsinchangestothewayorganizationsrun.2.4 AgileExtensionandtheAgileManifestoTheagilesoftwaredevelopmentmovementwasfoundedonadocumentwhichencapsulatesaphilosophyofwork,theManifestoforAgileSoftwareDevelopment.Thismanifestopresentsasetofvaluesandprincipleswhicharetheunderpinningofthewayofworkingembodiedinagilesoftwaredevelopment.TheManifestoforAgileSoftwareDevelopment(AgileManifesto)waspennedbyagroupofpractitionersandmethodologistswhosoughtalternativestothewaysoftwarewasdevelopedatthetime.Ahighpercentageofsoftwaredevelopmentinitiativeswerelate,exceededtheirplannedbudget,anddidn'tachievetheirqualitygoals.Theteamsbuildingsoftwarewerestressed,unhappy,anddissatisfiedwiththeworkingenvironment.TheAgileManifestostates:
“Weareuncoveringbetterwaysofdevelopingsoftwarebydoingitandhelpingothersdoit.Throughthisworkwehavecometovalue:
IndividualsandinteractionsoverprocessesandtoolsWorkingsoftwareovercomprehensivedocumentationCustomercollaborationovercontractnegotiationRespondingtochangeoverfollowingaplan
Thatis,whilethereisvalueintheitemsontheright,wevaluetheitemsontheleftmore.”Ifweapplyagilethinkingtobusinessanalysiswecanviewthesestatementsasguidelinesforaphilosophyofanalysis.
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Thesestatementsmayberootedinsoftwaredevelopment,buttheycanberelatedtoagilebusinessanalysisinanycontext.Replacing“workingsoftware”with“workingsolution”expandsourthinkingandgivesusguidanceforanapproachtoanalysiswithanagilemindset.1.Weareuncoveringbetterwaysofdeliveringsolutionsbydoingitandhelpingothersdoit.ThisisthemostimportantstatementintheAgileManifesto.Itreinforcesthepracticebasedandempiricalnatureoftheagilemindset.Youlearnwhatworksbytryingthingsout,nottheorizingaboutwhatmightwork.
2.Individualsandinteractionsoverprocessesandtools.Businessanalysisisahuman-centricactivity.Businessanalysispractitionersstartbyunderstandingstakeholders’needswhichrequiresthemtoworkcloselywithstakeholdersateverystepofthevaluechain.Solutionsfrequentlychangethewaypeoplework,andagilebusinessanalysispractitionersmakepeoplethecenterofthework.3.Workingsolutionsovercomprehensivedocumentation.Agilebusinessanalysispractitionersfocusonproducingsomething,showingittostakeholders,andelicitingimmediatefeedbacktodetermineiftheyareontracktosatisfyingtheneed.Agilebusinessanalysispractitionersengagestakeholdersinconversationsinordertobuildandmaintainsharedunderstanding.Documentationdoesprovidevalue,butonlywhenit’swrittentomatchitsintendedpurpose.Agilebusinessanalysispractitionersproducedocumentationastheyimplementachangeanduseittofacilitateandsupportdiscussionswithstakeholders.4.Customercollaborationovercontractnegotiation.Agilebusinessanalysisprimarilyfocusesonsatisfyingneeds.Businessanalysispractitionerslearntounderstandneedsbyshowingincrementsofsolutionstostakeholdersandanalyzingthefeedbackreceived.Thisongoingcollaborationwithstakeholdersfacilitatesnewinformationabouttheneedandconstantlyrefinestheunderstandingoftheneeduntiltheneedhasbeensatisfied.Thisongoingcollaborationwithstakeholdersalsouncoversnewneedsbasedoncustomerdemand,newcompetitorsenteringamarket,governmentlegislationthatimpactsthesolution,oranyotherfactorthatmayimpactthesolution.5.Respondingtochangeoverfollowingaplan.Agileapproachesdoplan.Insomecontextstheplaniscalledtheproductroadmap.Inanagilecontext,successismeasuredbasedonhowwellsolutionssatisfythecustomer’sneedsandthevaluetheyderivefromthesolution.Theongoinglearningandfeedbackthatiscentraltotheagilemindsetallowsforbusinessanalysispractitionerstocontinuallyrefinetheirunderstandingoftheneedandmakechangestothesolutiontoensurethesolutionsatisfiestheneed.
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Itistheabilityofagilebusinessanalysispractitionerstoaccuratelyrespondtochangethatallowsthemtodelivervaluetotheircustomersfaster,withhigherquality,andwiththeabilitytorapidlychangedirectioninresponsetochangingconditions.2.5 TheBusinessAnalysisCoreConceptModel™TheBusinessAnalysisCoreConceptModel™(BACCM™)providesaconceptualframeworkforbusinessanalysisthatiscomprisedofsixtermsthathaveacommonmeaningtoallbusinessanalysispractitioners.RefertoAGuidetothe
BusinessAnalysisBodyofKnowledge®(BABOK®Guide)version3formoreinformationregardingtheBusinessAnalysisCoreConceptModel™.Figure2.5.1:TheBACCM
Thesixconceptsofthemodelare:• Change:Theactoftransformationinresponsetoaneed.• Need:Aproblemoropportunitytobeaddressed.• Solution:Aspecificwayofsatisfyingoneormoreneedsinacontext.• Stakeholder:Agrouporindividualwitharelationshiptothechange,theneed,orthesolution.
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SolutionsNeeds
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Changes
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• Value:Theworth,importance,orusefulnessofsomethingtoastakeholderwithinacontext.• Context:Thecircumstancesthatinfluence,areinfluencedby,andprovideunderstandingofthechange.Theseconceptsarecommontoallbusinessanalysispractitioners,andtheycanapplytoanydomainandanylevelintheorganization.Theyprovideauniversallanguagetodescribehowtoapproachbusinessanalysiswithanagilemindset.2.6 PrinciplesofAgileBusinessAnalysisTheAgileManifestoprovidesasetofvaluesthatformthefoundationoftheagilemindset.TheBABOK®GuidepresentstheBusinessAnalysisCoreConceptModel™whichprovidesasetofcoreconceptsandcommonlanguagetodescribebusinessanalysis.TheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guidedescribessevenprinciplesforagilebusinessanalysis.Theprinciplesthatguideagilebusinessanalysisare:• SeetheWhole• ThinkasaCustomer• AnalyzetoDetermineWhatisValuable• GetRealUsingExamples• UnderstandWhatisDoable• StimulateCollaborationandContinuousImprovement• AvoidWaste2.6.1 SeetheWholeTheprincipleofSeetheWholeguidesbusinessanalysispractitionerstoanalyzetheneedinthecontextofthebigpicture,focusingonthebusinesscontextandwhyachangeisnecessary.Businessanalysispractitionersexaminethecontextinwhichtheneedexistsandhowthecontextinfluencesthesolution.Agilebusinessanalysisassesseshowthesolutiondeliversvaluewhensatisfyingstakeholders’needs.Thevalueforthesolutioniscreatedthroughgaininganunderstandingofthecontext,thesolution,andthestakeholders.TheideasbehindSeetheWholeareinfluencedbysystemsthinking.2.6.2 ThinkasaCustomerTheprincipleofThinkasaCustomerguidesbusinessanalysispractitionersinensuringsolutionsincorporatethevoiceofthecustomerthroughaclearunderstandingoftheexpecteduserexperience.
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Acustomercanbeanystakeholderthatinteractswiththesolution.Businessanalysispractitionersgenerallystartwithahigh-levelviewofcustomerneedsandprogressivelydecomposetheseviewpointsintoanincreasinglydetailedunderstandingoftheneedsthesolutionmustsatisfy.Agileapproachesincorporatefeedbackloopstocontinuouslyvalidatethislearning.Assolutiondeliveryprogresses,boththecustomer’sandtheorganization'sunderstandingoftheneedsevolve.Feedbackandlearningiscentraltoensuringthesechangesareincorporatedintofutureiterationsofthesolution.2.6.3 AnalyzetoDetermineWhatisValuableTheprincipleofAnalyzetoDetermineWhatisValuableguidesbusinessanalysispractitionerstocontinuouslyassessandprioritizeworktobedoneinordertomaximizethevaluebeingdeliveredatanypointintime.Determiningwhatisvaluableinvolvesunderstandingthepurposeofrequirementsandensuringsolutionoptionsandsolutioncomponentscontinuetosupportthedesiredoutcome.Thisincludesavoidingwastebymaximizingtheamountofworknotdoneanddeliveringvaluablesolutionsearlyandcontinuously.2.6.4 GetRealUsingExamplesTheprincipleofGetRealUsingExamplesguidesbusinessanalysispractitionersinbuildingasharedunderstandingoftheneedandhowthesolutionwillsatisfythatneed.Theseexamplescanbeusedtoiterativelydevelopandelaborateanalysismodelstoexploremultipledimensions(forexample,userrole,useractions,data,andbusinessrules)ofaneed.Thispracticecontinuouslyengagesstakeholdersandsupportsasharedunderstandingofneeds.Thelevelofabstractionofexamplesandmodelsvariesdependingontheaudienceandtheoutcomebeingsought.Forexample,whenplanningtheproduct,examplesormodelscanbeusedtosetcontextandidentifyscope.Thesemodelsaremoreabstractandprovideabroadperspectiveoftheneed.Whendeliveringtheproduct,theexamplesormodelscanbeprogressivelyelaboratedtoidentifyspecificdetailsoftheneedandthesolution.Examplescanalsobeusedtoderiveacceptancecriteria,helpdesignthesolution,andprovideafoundationfortestingthesolution.2.6.5 UnderstandWhatisDoableTheprincipleofUnderstandWhatisDoableguidesbusinessanalysispractitionerstounderstandhowtodeliverasolutionwithingivenconstraints.Constraintscanincludethecapabilitiesofthetechnologyusedtodeliverthesolution,theskillsoftheteam,andthetimeinwhichyouhavetodeliveravaluablesolution.
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Understandingwhatisdoableinvolvescontinuallyanalyzingtheneedandthesolutionsthatcansatisfythatneedwithintheknownconstraints.Italsoinvolvesconsideringmeasuressuchasteamcapacityandvelocitytrendstomaintainreasonableexpectationsonanongoingbasis.2.6.6 StimulateCollaborationandContinuousImprovementTheprincipleofStimulateCollaborationandContinuousImprovementguidesbusinessanalysispractitionersincreatingandcontributingtoanenvironmentwhereallstakeholderscontributevalueonanongoingbasis.Agileapproachesemphasizetheusefulnessofcontinualcollaborationbetweenthosewithaneedandthosewhoaredeliveringasolutiontomeetthatneed.Akeyaspectoftheagilemindsetiscontinuousimprovement.Businessanalysispractitionersseektocontinuallyimprovethesolutionaswellastheprocessesusedtodeliverthesolution.Continuousstructuredandunstructuredfeedbackallowsbusinessanalysispractitionerstoadaptthesolutionanditsprocessesinordertoincreasethevaluebeingdelivered.Retrospectivesarealsousedtoexamineprocessesandsolutions,andidentifyopportunitiesforimprovement.Healthy,collaborativeteamshavethetrustandsafetynecessarytotransparentlyidentifyopportunitiesforimprovementandimplementthem.2.6.7 AvoidWasteTheprincipleofAvoidWasteguidesbusinessanalysispractitionersinidentifyingwhichactivitiesaddvalueandwhichactivitiesdonotaddvalue.Agilebusinessanalysisseekstounderstandtheneedandtodeliverasolutionthatsatisfiesthatneed.Anyactivitythatdoesnotcontributedirectlytothisgoaliswaste.Wastecanbedividedintotwosetsofactivities:• thosethathavevaluebutdonotdirectlycontributetosatisfyingtheneed,and• thoseactivitiesthatdonotaddvalueatall.Theaimistocompletelyremovethoseactivitiesthatdonotaddvalue,andminimizethoseactivitiesthatdonotdirectlycontributetosatisfyingtheneed.Whenavoidingwaste,agilebusinessanalysispractitioners• avoidproducingdocumentationbeforeitisneeded,andwhendocumentationisneededdojustenough,• ensurecommitmentsaremetandtherearenoincompleteworkitemsthatadverselyimpactdownstreamactivities,
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• avoidreworkbymakingcommitmentsatthelastresponsiblemoment,• trytoelicit,analyze,specify,andvalidaterequirementswiththesamemodels,• makeanalysismodelsassimpleaspossibletomeettheirintendedpurpose,• ensureclearandeffectivecommunication,and• paycontinuousattentiontotechnicalexcellenceandaccuracy.Qualitydefects(suchasunclearrequirements)resultinreworkandarewaste.2.7 TheBusinessAnalysisCoreConceptModel™and
thePrinciplesofAgileBusinessAnalysisTheBusinessAnalysisCoreConceptModel™(BACCM™)providessetofcoreconceptsandcommonlanguageforbusinessanalysis.Thesevenprinciplesofagilebusinessanalysisprovideguidanceonapplyingtheagilemindsettobusinessanalysisactivities.Theprinciplesofagilebusinessanalysiscanbemappedtothecoreconceptsaslistedbelow.Table2.7.1:TheBACCMandPrinciplesofAgileBusinessAnalysisCoreConcept
BACCM™Definition
PrincipleofAgileBusinessAnalysis
Change Theactoftransformationinresponsetoaneed Changeiscentraltoallprinciplesofagilebusinessanalysis.Need Aproblemoropportunitytobeaddressed. GetRealUsingExamples.Solution Aspecificwayofsatisfyingoneormoreneedsinacontext.
SimulateCollaborationandContinuousImprovements.Stakeholder Agrouporindividualwitharelationshiptothechange,theneed,orthesolution.
ThinkasaCustomer.
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Value Theworth,importance,orusefulnessofsomethingtoastakeholderwithinacontext.GetRealUsingExamplesandAvoidWaste.
Context Thecircumstancesthatinfluence,areinfluencedby,andprovideunderstandingofthechange.SeetheWhole.
CoreConcept
BACCM™Definition
PrincipleofAgileBusinessAnalysis
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3 AnalysisatMultipleHorizons
Aplanninghorizonrepresentsaviewofworkwithinanorganizationwithalevelofgranularityappropriatetotheplanningtimeframeandthenatureofthefeedbackloops.TheAgileExtensiondefinesthreehorizons:Strategy,Initiative,andDelivery.Thisframeworkprovidesamodeltodescribeagilebusinessanalysis.Individualpractitionersandorganizationsmayemploydifferentterms,levelsofgranularity,andtimeframesbasedonthecontextoftheorganizationandtheworkbeingdone.Inconstantandrapidlychangingenvironments,organizationsarerequiredtobeabletosenseandrespondtolocalopportunitiesandproblemswithouttheneedtoinvolvethewholeorganization,whilealsolookingforwardatemergingthreatsandopportunities.Theseplanninghorizonsprovideaframeworkfortheshiftinfocusthatoccurswhenmovingbetweenunderstandingthelong-termstrategicneedsoftheorganizationandtheimmediateneedsofacustomer.Dependingonthesizeoftheorganization,multiplebusinessanalysispractitionersmaybeindependentlyfocusingonindividualhorizonsandcontinuouslycommunicatingwitheachother,orasinglebusinessanalysispractitionermayfocusonmorethanonehorizon.Constantcommunicationandcollaborationacrossallhorizonsisessentialtoallowforrapidfeedbackandlearningwhichsupportseffectivedecisionmakingacrosstheorganization.
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3.1 OverviewoftheThreeHorizons
3.1.1 TheStrategyHorizonTheStrategyHorizonreferstothedecisionsthatimpacttheentireorganization.Businessanalysispractitionersoperatingatthishorizonsupportdecisionsaboutstrategyandtheallocationofavailableresourcesinsupportofthatstrategy.DecisionsmadeattheStrategyHorizonidentifytheproducts,services,andinitiativestowhichtheorganizationallocatesresources.BusinessanalysispractitionersworkingattheStrategyHorizonidentifyshort-termgoals,initiatives,andrisksthataligntoorganizationalstrategy,andarticulatetheproblemsthatmustbeunderstoodinordertomakestrategicdecisions.ThetimehorizonoftheStrategyHorizonmaybeasshortasthreemonthstoaslongasmultipleyearsahead.Thistimeframecontinuallyshiftsandmovesforward,creatingwhatcanbeconsideredarollingtimeframe.BusinessanalysispractitionersworkingattheStrategyHorizonconstantlyconsiderwhatcanbedonetoaddvalueandhowtolearnvaluablelessonsquickly.FormoredetailsregardingtheStrategyHorizon,see4.StrategyHorizon.3.1.2 TheInitiativeHorizonTheInitiativeHorizonreferstodecisionsthatimpactaparticulargoal,initiative,orteam.Businessanalysispractitionersoperatingatthishorizonsupportinitiativebaseddecisionsabouthowtocreatevaluewiththeresourcesavailable,aswellasbetterunderstandingtheneedsofthestakeholdersandtheoptionsavailable.AttheInitiativeHorizon,businessanalysispractitionerssupportdecisionsthatareactedoninashortertimeperiodthanattheStrategyHorizonandoveralongerperiodoftimethanattheDeliveryHorizon.FeedbackandlearningattheInitiativeHorizonsupportstheanalysisbeingdoneatboththeStrategyHorizonandtheDeliveryHorizon.AgilebusinessanalysisattheInitiativeHorizonmaysupportdecisionmakersinasingleteamorinmultipleteams.Eachteammayworkindependentlyortheymaybehighlyinterdependent,leadingtoaneedtounderstandcomplexdependenciesbetweenteams.FormoredetailsregardingtheInitiativeHorizon,see5.InitiativeHorizon.
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3.1.3 TheDeliveryHorizonTheDeliveryHorizonreferstodecisionsmaderegardingthedeliveryofthesolution.Businessanalysispractitionersoperatingatthishorizonworkwiththedeliveryteamtounderstandhowtobestbreakdownwork,howtodeliverandtestthevaluetheteamiscreating,andhowtolearnquicklyfromtheworktheteamisdoing.TheteamworkingattheDeliveryHorizonworksonprioritizedworkfromthebacklogandturnsitintoavaluableproductorservicethatmeetstheidentifiedoutcomeorgoalofthesolution.AttheDeliveryHorizon,businessanalysispractitionerssupportdecisionsthatareactedoninashortertimeperiodthanattheInitiativeHorizonandimpactthesolutioncurrentlybeingdeveloped.Businessanalysispractitionersworkwithavarietyofstakeholdersincludingdecisionmakersandcustomerstodelivervaluedirectlytothecustomer.FormoredetailsregardingtheDeliveryHorizon,see6.DeliveryHorizon.3.2 AgilityatEachHorizonThesameagilemindset,thesameagileprinciples,andevenmanyofthesameagilebusinessanalysispracticesapplyateachhorizon.However,differentpeoplemaybeinvolvedintheanalysisperformedateachhorizon,andthepracticesandtechniquesmayapplyindifferentways.AppendixB:MappingBABOKGuideTaskstoHorizonsprovidesanoverviewofhoweachoftheTasksfromthe
BABOK®Guidecanbeappliedateachhorizon.Theindividualchaptersoneachhorizonalsodiscussthespecificpracticesandtechniquesthatarecommonlyused.Agilebusinessanalysisinvolvescontinuouscollaboration,feedback,andlearningforallstakeholdersacrossallhorizons.Thisongoingcollaborationprovidesmorecurrentandaccurateinformationtodecisionmakerstohelpthemmakebetterdecisionsandachievebetteroutcomes.Thefollowingdiagramillustratestheinteractivitybetweenthethreehorizons.
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Figure3.2.1:ThreePlanningHorizon
3.3 Predictive,Iterative,andAdaptivePlanningTherearemanywaysinwhichbusinessanalysispractitionersplan.Atthehighestlevel,therearethreemostcommonlyusedapproachestoplanning:predictive,iterative,andadaptive.Thischapterdiscussesthesethreeplanningapproachesintheirbasicandrootforms.Businessanalysispractitionersandtheorganizationsinwhichtheyworkmayemployanycombinationoftheseplanningapproachesthatsuitstheircontext.3.3.1 PredictivePlanningPredictiveplanninginvolvesperformingdetailedanalysisandplanningandthenactingonthatplanning.Aneconomicdriverforpredictiveplanningisthe“costofchange”curve.Itsuggeststhatthelateramistakeisfound,themoreitwillcosttofixit.Thisinturnsuggeststhatitischeapertospendmoretimeanalyzing
Strategy Horizon
��Is a need worth satisfying
��Create a new initiative
Delivery Horizon
Initiative Horizon
��Continue, change or
cancel the initiative
Features towork on
Team progress
��Change existing initiatives
��Cancel existing initiatives
Dec
isio
nsD
ecis
ions
Dec
isio
nsIn
form
atio
nIn
form
atio
n
��What features should we
deliver and in what order
��What aspects of the
feature should we work
on and in what order
��Do we have enough to
deliver
Initiative cancelled
dependencies on other
initiatives
Team(s) working on
initiatives
Dependencies with other initiatives
Learning that impacts next features
User feedback on delivered features
Initiative needsmore or less time
Help from other team(s)
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informationearlyon,soastoprovidethefewestpossiblemisunderstandings,gaps,anddefectsaspossiblebeforemoreworkisdone.Figure3.3.1:CostofChangeCurve
Predictiveplanningattemptstopredictscopeandriskatthebeginningofaproject.Theplanninghorizonofpredictiveplanningisthedurationoftheproject,andprojectmanagerswillthereforeconstructadetailedplanfortheentiredurationoftheproject.Deviationsfromtheplanareseenasrisksandaconsiderablebodyofpracticeexistsforgettingadeviantproject"backontrack".Feedbackandlearningcanbesuppressedinfavourofmaintainingtheoriginalplan.Awellpreparedplannermayidentifypotentialrisksanddevelopcontingencyplansbasedongoodanalysis.Thechallengeisthatthecostofchangecanbehighifapotentialissueoropportunitymeanschangingasubstantialamountofdetailaswell.Anunforeseeneventcandisrupttheplan,orworse,anopportunitycannotbeaccommodatedbecausetheworkinvolvedinchangingtheplanmakesitimpractical.3.3.2 IterativePlanningIterativeplanningisanapproachthatisfrequentlyusedwhenlong-termplanningisrenderedineffectivebyrapidchangeandgreatuncertainty:thenextstepintheplanisbasedonthelatestlearning.Thissuggeststhateachhypothesisshouldbetestedbeforeplanningwhattodonext,sincethehypothesismightberight,wrong,orpartiallyright.Inthissituation,stakeholdersandsubjectmatterexpertsarelearningwhattheyneedatthesametimeasplanningisoccurring.Thissuggeststhatplansareonlyviablefortheimmediatefuture,potentiallythenextonetofourweeks.Businessanalysispractitionersidentifyopportunitiesandthreatsastheyemergethroughtheconstanttestingofassumptions.Theyareabletoreacttopotential
Project phase
MC
ost
of
cha
ng
eM
The cost of change
curve shows the cost of
discovering a
requirements defect on
a specific project phase.
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risksbecausetheplansareresilientandconstantlyevolving.Inarapidlychanging,large,orcomplexcontext,notallinformationisimmediatelyapparentorfullyunderstood.Businessanalysispractitionersmightfindtheyhaveinsufficienttimetoanalyzeanideathatimpactsmanypartsofthesolution,ortheymayfindthattheyaredoingalotofreworkastheydiscovernewinformationorneeds.3.3.3 AdaptivePlanningAdaptiveplanningrequiresbothlong-andshort-termplanning.Long-termplansaresubjecttochangethoughandareeasytochange.Short-termplanstakeintoaccountandinformthelong-termplansoftheorganization.Thiscomesatacost.Itmeansthattheorganizationisconstantlybothplanningandanalyzing.Thiscreatesconfusion,mistakes,andwastedeffortifthereisalackoftransparency,trust,andcollaboration.Adaptiveplanningcreatesacontextthatsupportsanagilemindsetandtheadoptionofagileapproachestobusinessanalysis.Adaptiveplanningiscentraltoagilebusinessanalysis.Organizationsproducebothlong-termandshort-termplans,butitisnotplanninginalinearway.Adaptiveplanning(sometimesreferredtoasrollingwaveplanning)treatseachplanasahypothesistobeproven.Feedbackandlessonslearnedareusedtoadjusttheplaninrealtime.Newlydiscoveredinformationmaychangethehypothesesonwhichtheplanisbasedandcauseachangeintheplan.Ifnot,businessanalysispractitionerscontinuetouncoverbetterwaystoachievetheplanastheyexecuteit.Adaptiveplanningisaneffectiveapproachwhenthereisvalueinfastfeedbackandlearning,andalsoinlong-termplanning.Higherlevelplanninghorizons(strategyandinitiative),arelongerandinformationmoreabstractthanthelowerplanninghorizons(initiativeanddelivery).Resistancetochangeislessenedbecausethereislessdetailtochange.
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3.3.4 SummaryofPlanningApproachesTable3.3.1:SummaryofPlanningApproaches
Approach EconomicAssumption
PlanningHorizon Issuesandbenefits
Adaptive Costofchangeincreasesasprojectprogresses.Opportunitycostishighiffeedbackandlearningaresuppressed.Learningisfacilitatedbyongoinganalysisandfeedback.Implementationiscontinuousandcreateslearningforfuturework.
Planiscontinuousandnested(orfractal)wherestrategicplanningprovidesvisionandscopetoinitiatives,whileinformationgatheredasworkisdeliveredinformsstrategicthinking.
Significantcomplexityupdatingandadaptingplans,whichrequirescontinuouscollaborationandfeedback.Appearsinefficientbecauseoftheeffortrequiredtoadaptplansasfeedbackandlearningaregenerated.Costofchangeisreducedbecausetheorganizationcanrapidly“senseandrespondto”newinformation,whilealsokeepingafocusonthelongertermgoalsoftheorganization.Iterative Costofchangeisflatanddoesnotincreaseasprojectprogresses.Highopportunitycostiffeedbackandlearningaresuppressed.Learningisbestfacilitatedbyquicklybuildingthesystemsandsolicitingfeedback.
Planisaseriesofshort-term,detailedhorizons.Aplaniscreatedonlyforthecurrenthorizon(iteration)andtakesadvantageofthelatestfeedbackandlearning.
Highlyresponsivetolearning.Veryefficientasthereisnoplantomaintain.Doesnotscalewellandcanappearad-hocbecauseteamsareencouragedtoseebeyondthehorizonvisibletothem.Lackoffocusonalongerrangeobjectivecanresultinplanningbecomingad-hocandrandom.Predictive Costofchangegrowsexponentially.Lowopportunitycostwithsuppressedlearningbecauseprojectscopecanbedefinedearly.Learningisbestfacilitatedbyupfrontanalysis.
Planconsistsofasinglelong-term,detailedhorizongenerallyspanningthedurationoftheproject.Adetailedplanisconstructedatthebeginningoftheprojectandallworkismeasuredintermsofconformancetotheplan.
Slowtorespondtolearningandmayevensuppresslearning.Wellunderstoodbyanyorganization.Efficiencyiscreatedbycertaintyinexecutingexistingplans.
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4 StrategyHorizon
4.1 PurposeThepurposeofanalysisattheStrategyHorizonistoinformdecisionsregardingtheorganization'sbusinessgoals.4.2 DescriptionValueiscreatedattheStrategyHorizonthroughunderstandingandachievingthebusiness’goals.Businessgoalschange;consumertasteschange;competitorscreatedisruptivetechnology;regulationschange.AttheStrategyHorizon,thepriorityofbusinessgoalsarecontinuallyreassessedandemergingopportunitiesevaluated.Agilebusinessanalysisenablesorganizationstorapidlyandeffectivelyadapttheorganization’sbusinessgoalsandquicklyredeploytheorganization’savailableresources.Organizationsthatareagileembracechange.Theyredeploytheirresourcesasfastastheylearnwhattheevolvingbusinessgoalsare.AttheStrategyHorizon,theinformationthatinformsthesedecisionsisfrequentlyoverwhelming,obscure,uncertain,andevencontradictory.Inrapidlychangingcontexts,thereisariskthatstrategicdecisionsmaybemadeonoutdateddata.Evenifclear,understandableinformationisavailable,effectivelycommunicatingthisinformationischallenging.Thelackofeffectivecommunicationtostakeholderscreatestheriskthatdecisionsmaybemadeonthewronginformation,eventhoughdependableinformationexistswithintheorganization.Agilebusinessanalysisrespondstothese
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challengesbyenablingquickandeffectivedecisionmakingincomplexandrapidlychangingcontexts.WhilethepracticesandtechniquesusedattheStrategyHorizonmaydifferfromthoseemployedattheInitiativeandDeliveryHorizons,theprinciples,mindset,andcapabilitiesneededforagilebusinessanalysisareconsistentthroughoutallthreeHorizons.4.3 Elements
4.3.1 ObserveChangeAcrossaBroadHorizonThevalueofagilebusinessanalysisattheStrategicHorizonisfoundedinthebroadscopeoftheanalysisandtheabilitytocommunicateinformationacrosstheorganization–bothtoseniordecisionmakersandtothoseoperatingwithindifferentinitiativeswithintheorganization.Agilebusinessanalysisisawareoftheneedfortimelinessofobservations.Itensuresthatobservationsofchangeareacteduponsufficientlyquicklytomakethemrelevanttothedecisionprocess..1 ScopeofAnalysisAgilebusinessanalysishasabroadscopeattheStrategicHorizon.Itsscopeofanalysisisbeyondtheindividualinitiativeandinvolvesanalyzingandcommunicatinginformationlearnedfromtheorganizationalcontext.AttheStrategicHorizon,agilebusinessanalysisinvolvesmakingsenseofchangesacrossthefollowingareas:• Changestocustomerexpectations:teamsworkingoninitiativesnoticechangesincustomerexpectationsresultingfromnewproductintroductionsandtheresultingsocialandeconomicchanges.Therearealsochangestocustomerexpectationsthatarenotvisibletotheseteams.AttheStrategyHorizon,thescopeofanalysisextendsbeyondindividualinitiativesandinvolvesanalyzingandcommunicatinginformationreceivedthroughcustomerresearchandanalytics,aswellasresearchintoemergingcustomertrends.• Changestotheoutsideenvironment:organizationsexistwithinanorganizationalcontextwherecompetitorsareconstantlyinnovating,economicandsocialconditionsarechanging,andnewtechnologiesareemergingatarapidrate.Businessanalysispractitionersconstantlymonitorandevaluatethesechanges,formingnewhypothesesandchangingoldassumptions.• Changeswithintheorganization:organizationsconstantlychange.Asaresult,organizationsmustconstantlyredirectresourcesandpotentiallysetnewgoals.Agilebusinessanalysisprovidestimely,usefulinformationtothosemakingdecisionsbasedoninternalchanges.
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• Learningfromthefrontline:teamsoperatingattheInitiativeandDeliveryHorizonsareconstantlymakingchangesanddiscoveries.Someofthisinformationhasanimpactonthegoalsandresourceallocationbeyondtheinitiative.Amajoreconomicdriverforagileadoptionistheabilitytoquicklylearnwhichinitiativestostopfundingbecausetheyeitherhavedeliveredtheirpromisedvalueorhavenotrealizedtheirpotentialvalue,oronwhichinitiativestoincreaseresourcesbecausetheyhaveopenednewstrategicopportunities.AttheStrategyHorizon,businessanalysispractitionerssynthesizeandanalyzeinformationfrommultipleinitiativesinordertoinformdecisionsthatimpacttheorganization'sbusinessgoalsandpriorities.• Threatsandopportunities:withconstantchangeoccurringwithinandbeyondtheorganization,newthreatsandopportunitiesappear(andfade)constantly.Agilebusinessanalysispractitionerscontinuallyanalyzethreatsandopportunitiesthatenabletheorganizationto• startanewinitiativetocounterathreatorexploitanopportunity,• changetheresourcing,scope,orsuccesscriteriaforexistinginitiativesinresponsetochangingcircumstances,and• cancelanexistinginitiativethathasbecomelessrelevantorlesslikelytosucceed.AttheStrategyHorizon,thefocusofbusinessanalysisisonthediscoveryandanalysisofevolvingthreatsandopportunities.Successfuloutcomesdependondecisionsbeingmadequicklyandcorrectlyonchangesastheyoccur.4.3.2 LevelofDetailAttheStrategyHorizon,businessanalysispractitionersarerequiredtounderstandtheorganizationalgoalsandhowtheymaptothegoalsofindividualinitiatives.AnalysisattheStrategyHorizongenerallystopsbeforegettingintothedetailsofspecificinitiatives.Businessanalysispractitionersworkingwithineachinitiativearegenerallybetterplacedtoanalyzeinformation,collaboratewithstakeholders,andinformgooddecisionmakingfortheinitiative.AttheStrategyHorizon,businessanalysispractitionersidentifyapotentialneedandthenprovideenoughdetailtotheteamworkingattheInitiativeHorizonforthemtounderstandtheneedanddeveloppotentialsolutionsandfeatures.ThedetailedanalysisofthesolutionisdoneattheInitiativeandDeliveryHorizons.AttheStrategyHorizon,businessanalysispractitionersfocusonrisks,changingcircumstances,andnewneedsthatmightchangetheprioritizationofdecisionsmadebytheorganizationasmultipleinitiativesprogress.Duetothegreatneedforcollaboration,feedback,andlearningbetweentheStrategy,Initiative,andDeliveryHorizons,thereisnocleanlinewheretheresponsibilityforanalysisishandedoverfromonebusinessanalysispractitionertoanother.
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4.3.3 ReducingComplexitytoSupportDecisionMakingAttheStrategyHorizon,agilebusinessanalysisinvolvesbreakingdownsystemsandideasintosmallpartstounderstandeachcomponentsufficientlytoeithercreateanewsolution,solveaspecificproblem,ormodifyanexistingsolution.Thesystemsbeinganalyzed(forexample,theperformanceofindividualinitiatives,theactionsofcompetitors,andthechanginginputstostrategy)areunstableandunderstandingisalwaysincomplete.Businessanalysispractitionersusetoolssuchasmodelstoreducethecomplexityoflargevolumesofconfusingdata,andenabledecisionmakerstohavesufficientinformationtomakeadefensibleandtestabledecision.4.4 TimeFramesTheStrategicHorizoninvolveslookingfurtherintothefuturethantheInitiativeandDeliveryHorizons.Whilesomeanalysisdoeshappeninrealtime,muchofitfocusesonspeculatingonwhatmighthappeninthefuture.Howfartheorganizationlooksaheaddependsontheorganizationandthecontextinwhichitisoperating.Businessanalysispractitionersmaylookasshortasthreemonths,toaslongasmultipleyearsahead.Thistimeframecontinuallyshiftsandmovesforward,creatingwhatcanbeconsideredarollingtimeframe.Whenlookingintothedistantfuturebusinessanalysispractitionersconsiderbroadanalysisanduncertaindata.Analysisislikelytobeatahigherlevelandmoreabstractthanwhenlookingattheimmediatefuture.Thefurtherbusinessanalysispractitionerslookintothefuture,themoreplansandmodelsbecomeaspirationalandahypothesistobetested,ratherthanfacts.Whenconsideringthedistantfuture,thebusinessanalysispractitionerconstantlyasksthequestion"asanorganization,whatdoweneedtolearntoeitherproveordisproveourlong-termhypothesis?"AttheStrategyHorizon,businessanalysispractitionerscontinuallyswitchtheiranalysisfromunderstandingthemicro-detailsofapotentialchangetounderstandingthebroaderviewoftheimpactofthechangeandtheopportunitiesitmightpresenttotheorganizationasawhole.4.5 FeedbackandLearningDecisionmakersfrequentlydelaylaunchinginitiativesuntiltheinformationtheyhaveprovidesthemwithconfidencethattheinitiativewillbesuccessful.Thesedecisionstodelayaremadebecausedecisionmakerslacktheabilitytolearnquicklyandmaketimelystrategicdecisions.AttheStrategyHorizon,agilebusinessanalysisprovidesjustenoughinformationtodecidewhethertobeginanewinitiative.Specifically,thismeansansweringthequestions:• Isthereaneedtosatisfy?• Istheneedalignedwiththeorganization’sstrategicobjectives?
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• Isitworthsatisfyingthatneed?• Dowebelievewehavetherightteamtoprovideagoodenoughsolution?• Areweabletomeasurethesuccessoftheinitiative?Oncethedecisiontostartanewinitiativeismade,furtheranalysisisdoneattheInitiativeHorizon.CommunicationsbetweenHorizonsisacontinuousprocessoffeedbackandlearning.AnalysisdoneattheStrategyHorizonprovidesusefulinformationtoteamsattheInitiativeandDeliveryHorizons.LearningiscreatedatboththeInitiativeandDeliveryHorizonsthatenableseffectivedecisionmakingattheStrategyHorizon.Continuousandtimelyfeedbackloopsenablerapiddecisionmaking.TheconstantflowofinformationfrommultipleinitiativestothedecisionmakersattheStrategyHorizonfacilitatesthemakingoftimelystrategicdecisions.AttheStrategyHorizon,businessanalysispractitionerscontinuouslyanalyzeandcommunicateinformationthatisavailableattheInitiativeHorizon.BusinessanalysispractitionersoperatingattheStrategyHorizoncollaboratecloselywiththebusinessanalysispractitionersoperatingattheInitiativeHorizon.AgilebusinessanalysisattheStrategyHorizoninvolvesanalyzinglargeamountsofchangingdatawithcomplexrelationships.Thisgenerallyinvolvesmultiplebusinessanalysispractitionersconductinganalysisindifferentareasandmultipledecisionmakersfromdifferentdomainsmakingindependentdecisions.Forexample,anaccountantmightbelookingatchangestocashflowswhileamarketingmanagerislookingatchangesincustomerbehaviour.Eachindependentdecisionmayhaveanimpactontheoutcomeofotherdecisionsmadeelsewhereintheorganization.BusinessanalysispractitionersplayacentralroleinfacilitatingthecontinuousfeedbackandlearningbetweenstakeholderswithintheStrategyHorizon.4.6 ApplyingthePrinciplesofAgileBusiness
Analysis
4.6.1 SeetheWholeAttheStrategyHorizon,theagileprincipleofSeetheWholeisappliedwhenbusinessanalysispractitionersworkwithdecisionmakersinordertomakeeffectivedecisions.DecisionsattheStrategyHorizonincorporateaholisticviewofthecontextinwhichtheorganizationexists(themarket,thepoliticalclimateandmanyotherfactors).Decisionsarealsobasedonarealisticunderstandingofthecurrentcapabilities,strengthsandchallengesoftheorganizationitself.Agilebusinessanalysisfacilitatesaholisticunderstandingoftheorganizationanditsenvironmentthroughconstantanalysisandevaluation,creatingrapidfeedbackcyclesandlearningthroughouttheorganization.Italsofacilitatesaholisticunderstandingthroughconstant,deepcollaborationbetweenbusinessanalysis
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practitionersandstakeholdersthroughouttheorganization.4.6.2 ThinkasaCustomerAttheStrategyHorizon,theagileprincipleofThinkasaCustomerisappliedwhenbusinessanalysispractitionersmaintainastrategicfocusoncustomervalue.Thinkingasacustomerprovidesaclearfocusoncustomervalueandhelpstheorganizationtosetgoalsandalignworkacrosstheorganization.Withoutcustomerfocus,teamsfocusedontheInitiativeHorizonmightcreateindividualcustomerexperiencesthatwouldbegoodasisolatedexperiencesbutcreateaninconsistentorsub-optimalexperiencewhencombinedintoanongoingcustomerjourney.Agilebusinessanalysisfacilitatesacustomerfocusbycommunicatinglearningbetweenteamsandbyenablingdecisionmakerstoalignthelimitedresourcesoftheorganizationtomosteffectivelyfocusonthegreatestoverallcustomervalue.4.6.3 AnalyzetoDetermineWhatisValuableAttheStrategyHorizon,theagileprincipleofAnalyzetoDetermineWhatisValuableisappliedwhenidentifyingthestrategicneedstobemet.Businessanalysispractitionershelpdecisionmakersbetterallocateresourcesinthepursuitoftheorganization'sgoals.Thisensuresthatworkdoneacrosstheorganizationcreatesthemostvaluepossiblefortheeffortexpended.Inarapidlychangingenvironment,goalsandplansarestable.Newlearningmustbeanalyzedquicklyandeffectivelyonanongoingbasisanddecisionsmustbemadeonrecent,potentiallyuncertaindata.AgilebusinessanalysishelpsdecisionmakersattheStrategyHorizonunderstandwhatistrulyvaluableastheorganizationalcontextevolves.4.6.4 GetRealUsingExamplesAttheStrategyHorizon,theagileprincipleofGetRealUsingExamplesisappliedwhencommunicatingcurrentevidencebasedinformationtodecisionmakers.Effectiveplanningisbasedoninformationthatisrelevant,easytounderstand,anduptodate.Inacontextofcontinuouschange,thereisariskofmakingpoorlyinformeddecisionsbecauseprojectionsorassumptionsareoutofdate.Thereisalsoariskthatdecisionmakersmaymakeimportantdecisionsbasedonopinionsormisunderstoodevidence.Businessanalysispractitionersconstantlyidentifynewchangesthatimpactplanningassumptionsandarticulatethepotentialimpactofthosechanges.Agilebusinessanalysisisbasedonrealevidenceandrealexamplesthatoccurinrealtime.Thissupportsevidence-baseddecisionsinrapidlychanginganduncertainenvironments.Agoodexampleofthisisthedecisiontostartanewinitiative.Thisdecisionshouldbebasedoneffectiveanalysisofthemostcurrentandreliableinformationavailable.Businessanalysispractitionerscommunicatethegoalsoftheinitiative,whatisknown,andwhichuntestedhypothesesthey
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believetobetrue.Thisallowstheinitiativeteamtobetterunderstandwhatcanbeachievedandwhentheinitiativeshouldbecancelledorre-scopedbasedonnewinformation.4.6.5 UnderstandWhatisDoableAttheStrategyHorizon,theagileprincipleofUnderstandWhatisDoableisappliedwhenmakingstrategicdecisionsregardingtheorganization'sresourcesandthestrategicneedstheorganizationwishestosatisfy.PlanningattheStrategyHorizonischallenging.Thereareoftennumerousthreatsandopportunitiestochoosefrom,andthereareimpedimentstoredeployingtheorganization'sresourcesinresponsetothelatestinformation.Thesheervolumeofinformationthatmustbedigestedbydecisionmakersmeansthatdecidingwhattoactonisamajorchallenge.Businessanalysispractitionerscontinuouslyinterpretthesignificanceofnewinformationinawaythatdecisionmakerscanmakeeffectivedecisionswithoutbeingdistractedbyimportantseeming,butultimatelyirrelevant,information.Whenthisisdone,decisionmakerscanquicklydecidewhatshouldbedonenexttoaddcustomervalue,outperformcompetitors,orrespondtoemergingthreats.4.6.6 StimulateCollaborationandContinuousImprovementAttheStrategyHorizon,theagileprincipleofStimulateCollaborationandContinuousImprovementisappliedtotheagileorganization'scultureasameansofdevelopingandsupportinghigh-performingteams.Collaborationandcontinuousimprovementarecorecomponentsofanyhigh-performingteam.Itbecomesincreasinglydifficulttocollaborateandinnovateasthesizeandnumberofteamsincreasesinanorganization.Itisimportanttheorganizationdevelopeffectivechannelsthatallowteamsthatinteractwithcustomerstorespondquickly,whilesharingandbenefitingfromthelearningthatishappeningacrosstherestoftheorganization.AttheStrategyHorizon,businessanalysispractitionersaddvaluebyfacilitatingthetransferofrelevantknowledgebetweenteams.Thisspeedsthecollaborationandcontinuousimprovementbecausetheteamslearnquicklyfromeachotherandarenotimpededbyhavingtorelyonacentralauthoritytodeterminewhattheyshouldknowandwhattheyshouldshare.4.6.7 AvoidWasteAttheStrategyHorizon,theagileprincipleofAvoidWasteisappliedwhenbusinessanalysispractitionersensuredecisionsaremadeoncurrentandaccurateinformation,andwhentheentireorganizationhasasharedunderstandingoftheorganization'sgoalsandpriorities.AttheStrategyHorizon,wasteiscreatedwhen:• decisionsarebasedonbadinformation,
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• initiativesdeliveroutcomesthatarenotalignedwitheachother,duplicateeachother,orunderminetheworkdonebyotherinitiatives,and• resourcescontinuetobeallocatedtoaninitiativethatnolongerdeliversvalue.AttheStrategyHorizon,businessanalysispractitionersreducewastebyprovidingtherightinformationto• teamsattheInitiativeHorizonaboutwhatishappeningintherestoftheorganizationsotheycanmakemoreeffectivelocaldecisions,• decisionmakerstosupportdecisionsaboutwhichinitiativesshouldbeinitiatedorcancelled,and• organizationalleadersregardingwhichinitiativeswillbenefitmostfromtheallocationofavailableresources.4.7 Techniques
4.7.1 AgileExtensionTechniques
• MinimalViableProduct:usedtoprioritizetheallocationofresourcesandtoincreasethespeedoforganizationallearning.• PlanningWorkshop:usedtoplantheallocationorresourcesacrossmultipleinitiativesandtoprovideasharedunderstandingofthepurposeofanewinitiative.• PortfolioKanban:usedtoproviderealtimevisibilityoftheprogressofinitiativesacrosstheportfolio.MayalsobeusedinconjunctionwithBalancedScorecards,ValueStreamMapsandotherapproachestooptimizetheallocationofresourcesacrossinitiatives.• ProductRoadmap:usedtocommunicatetheexpectedfuturedirectionoftheproductandtoimprovecollaborationamongteamsindifferentinitiatives.Alsousedtosupportdecisionmakingandprioritization.• PurposeAlignmentModel:usedtoprioritizepotentialinitiatives,understandtheoptimumresourcingmixoninitiativesandtounderstandtheoverallfocusofinitiativesacrosstheorganization.• RealOptions:usedtounderstandtheappropriatetimeformakingdecisions.• RelativeEstimating:usedtoquicklyunderstandtherelativevalueandresourcerequirementsofpotentialinitiativesacrosstheportfolio.• ValueStreamMapping:usedtounderstandthecreationofvalueacrossthewholecustomerexperiencetoprioritize,planandintegratethecreationofvalueandreductionofwastebetweeninitiativesacrosstheportfolio.• Visioning:usedtounderstanddecisionoptionsandclarifytheorganization'svision.Alsousedtoidentifythepurposeandfocusforanewinitiative.
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4.7.2 BABOK®GuideTechniques
• BacklogManagement:usedtotrackinitiativesacrosstheportfolioofworkandalsotounderstandcriticalrisks,integrationneeds,anddependenciesbetweeninitiatives.• BalancedScorecard:usedtotrackvalueandmeasureprogressacrossinitiativesthroughcontinuousreportingandfeedbackacrossthecorefocusareasintheorganization.• BenchmarkingandMarketAnalysis:usedtoprovideinputintodecisionsmadeinrealtimeandtoprovideusefulinformationtoteamsacrosstheorganizationtosupportdecisionmakingandcollaboration.• BusinessCapabilityAnalysis:usedtosupportdecisionmakingandtoprovideinputtoteamsmakingdecisionsthatimpactmultipleinitiatives.• BusinessCases:usedtoconsideralternativeapproachestosolvingstrategicproblemsandtolaunchnewinitiatives.• BusinessModelCanvas:usedtoconsidermultipleoptionswhenlaunchinginitiativesandtohelpscopetheworkofanewinitiative.Alsousedtolookathowvalueiscreated,captured,anddeliveredtostakeholdersacrosstheorganizationtoallowdecisionstomadequicklyatastrategiclevel,andtounderstandtheimpactofchangestoboththeorganizationanditsenvironment.• MetricsandKeyPerformanceIndicators(KPIs):usedtocommunicateprioritiesandmeasuredeliveryacrosstheorganization.Alsousedtocommunicatewhattheorganizationdefinesasnecessarytocreatevalue.• OrganizationalModelling:usedtoprioritizeinitiativesandunderstandtheavailableresourcesthatcanbeusedininitiatives.Alsousedtoensurethatbusinessvalueiscreatedacrosstheorganizationratherthanseeingindividualinitiativescreateproductsandservicesthatcannotbedeliveredeffectivelybythewiderorganization.• RiskAnalysisandManagement:usedtoinformdecisionsinrealtime.Alsousedtoprioritizenewinitiativesandtounderstandtheneedforchangingprioritiesbasedonchangingcircumstancesbeyondthehorizonofasingleinitiative.• StakeholderList,Map,orPersonas:usedtoidentifythepeoplewhoneedtobeinvolvedindecisions.• SWOTAnalysis:usedtounderstandthecontextinwhichdecisionswillbemadeandtoprioritizenewinitiatives.• VendorAssessment:usedtounderstandthecapabilitiespossessedbypotentialpartnersandvendors.Alsousedtounderstandthecapabilitiesandavailableresourcesthatvendorscanprovidetoinitiativesacrosstheportfolioofwork.
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5 InitiativeHorizon
5.1 PurposeThepurposeofanalysisattheInitiativeHorizonistoinformdecisionsregardingsolutionoptions,features,priorities,andlifespan.5.2 DescriptionAnalysisperformedattheInitiativeHorizonisconcernedwiththedecisionssurroundingdefininganddeliveringasolutionthatsatisfiesaneedidentifiedattheStrategyHorizon.Thegoalofthisanalysisistodeliverasolutioninawaythatminimizesoutputandmaximizesoutcome.Theinformationthatsupportsthisgoalincludetheanswerstothefollowingquestions:• Whatsolutionoptionssatisfytheneed?• Whichsolutionoptionappearstoprovidethemaximumoutcomewiththeminimumoutputandfitswithinthegivenconstraints?• Whatarethesolutioncomponentsasdescribedbyfeaturesofthepreferredsolutionoption?• Whatfeaturesshouldbedeliverednow,next,andinthefuture?• Hasenoughvaluebeendeliveredtosatisfytheneed?• Basedonongoingfeedbackandlearning,shouldthesolutioncontinue,change,orbecancelled?
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DecisionsmadeattheInitiativeHorizonalignwiththedecisionsmadeattheStrategyHorizon.TheStrategyHorizoninformsdecisionsattheInitiativeHorizonthroughthecontinuouscommunicationof• thesharedunderstandingoftheneedtobesatisfied,• whytheneedexists,and• thedeterminationthattheneedisworthsatisfying,giventheorganization’scurrentunderstandingofbenefits,risks,andconstraints.TheInitiativeHorizonislargelyabouttheamountandtypeofanalysisrequiredtobedoneinordertosupportaseriesofdecisions.Thesedecisionsstartwithdefiningtheneedbeingsatisfiedandconcludewithidentifyingtheaspectsofthesolutionthatwillsatisfythatneed.AttheInitiativeHorizon,businessanalysispractitionersusefeedbackfromtheStrategyandDeliveryHorizonstodetermineifthesolutionisproducingtheanticipatedoutcome.Analysisofthatfeedbackresultsinadecisiontocontinue,change,orcancelthecurrentsolution.5.3 Elements
5.3.1 SizeofItemsAnalysisperformedattheInitiativeHorizonisconcernedwiththemanyactivitiesinvolvedinaninitiativeinordertoaccomplishaspecificoutcome.Mostsolutionsarecomplexenoughthattherearemultiplesolutionoptionsthatcanalldeliverthesameoutcome,andeachsolutionhasmultiplesolutioncomponents.Inanagilecontextthesesolutioncomponentsarereferredtoasfeatures.5.3.2 IdentifyingSolutionOptionsAttheInitiativeHorizon,businessanalysispractitionersidentifysolutionoptionsworthconsideringforimplementation.Multiplesolutionoptionsallowtheagileteamtoanalyzeeachoptiontodeterminewhethereachoptionisviableornot.Inordertomakethisdecision,theteamrequiresasharedunderstandingoftheneedtobesatisfiedandthedesiredoutcome.Thatsharedunderstandingincludesclearandmeasurableobjectives.Theseobjectivescanbeusedtodoaninitialassessmentofsolutionoptionstodetermineiftheyareviableandwillprovidesufficientprogresstowardtheoutcome.Whenassessingsolutionoptions,businessanalysispractitionersconsider:• thesharedunderstandingoftheneedtosatisfy,• anyassumptionssurroundingwhatwillmakeaviablesolution,• therisksthatsatisfyingtheneedwillintroduce,• averybroaddescriptionofeverysolutionoption,and
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• theconstraintsthatmaymakesomesolutionoptionsnonviable.Partoftheprocessofgeneratingsolutionoptionsincludesthediscoveryofpreviouslyunknowninformationwhichinformsdecisionsaroundtheviabilityofsolutionoptions.5.3.3 RecommendingSolutionOptionsAttheInitiativeHorizon,businessanalysispractitionersrecommendthesolutionoptionsbasedonwhichsolutionoptionprovidesthemaximumoutcomewiththeminimumoutputandfitswithinidentifiedconstraints.Thebusinessleaderordecisionmakerwhoisresponsibleforthesolutiongenerallymakesthedecisiontoproceedwiththerecommendedsolutionoptionornot.Inordertoaccuratelyassessdifferentsolutionoptions,theinformationbeinganalyzedisatthesamelevelofprecisionforeachsolutionoptionunderconsideration.Thelevelofprecisionoftheinformationshouldbeappropriatetothedecisionbeingmadeandprovidejustenoughinformationtomakeaninformedandaccuratedecision.Whenrecommendingsolutionoptions,businessanalysispractitioners:• validateanymadeassumptionswhenidentifyingsolutionoptions,• identifymethodsofassessingtheimplementationpracticality,• considerinformationaboutthepeople,processes,tools,organizations,systems,vendors,andotherexternalentitiesthatareimpactedbythesolutiontoidentifypotentialconflictsorrisks,• assessthesolution’sprojectedimpactontheidentifiedneed,and• estimatethecostofeachsolutionoptionintermsoftime,money,oranyotherresourcerelevantfortheteam.Experimentationcanbeausefulprocesstoengageinwhenselectingasolutionoption.Whenrecommendingasolutionoption,thegoalofexperimentationistodiscoverjustenoughinformationtoenabletheselectionofanoption.5.3.4 IdentifyingSolutionComponentsSolutionsarecomprisedofmultiplesolutioncomponents.AttheInitiativeHorizon,businessanalysispractitionerscollaboratewithstakeholderstoidentifydifferentpossibleaspectsandpartsofthesolutionthatwillprovidethedesiredoutcome.Someagilecontextsrefertosolutioncomponentsasfeatures.Thedecisionmakerwhoisresponsibleforthesolutiongenerallymakesthedecisiontoproceedwiththeidentifiedsolutioncomponentsornot.Eachidentifiedcomponentisevaluatedinthecontextofthedesiredoutcome,costs,impacts,andconstraints.Theinformationbeinganalyzedisatthesamemoderatelevelofprecisionforeachsolutionoptionunderconsiderationandprovidesjustenoughinformationtomakeaninformedandaccuratedecision.Thiscreatesalistofcomponentswhichcouldbeusedtodeveloptheselectedsolutionoption.Manyagilecontextsconsiderthislisttobethebacklog.
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Identifyingsolutioncomponentsisanongoingiterativeprocess,withsolutioncomponentsbeingcontinuallyrefinedasmoreinformationisdiscoveredandagreaterunderstandingoftheneedandsolutionoptionisgained.Newitemsmaybeaddedtothelistandothersremovedastheunderstandingofthevalueofeachindividualsolutioncomponentbecomesapparent.5.3.5 PrioritizingSolutionComponentsOncethepotentialsolutioncomponentsareidentified,businessanalysispractitionersprioritizeandsequencethecomponents.Insomeagilecontextsthisprocessisreferredtoasrefiningthebacklog.Thedecisionmakerwhoisresponsibleforthesolutiongenerallymakesthedecisionontheprioritiesandsequencingofsolutioncomponents.Businessanalysispractitionersassessthepriorityandsequenceofsolutioncomponentsbasedon:• theimpactthateachsolutioncomponenthasontheoveralloutcome,• thecost(eitheractualorintermsofteamcapacity)inimplementingthesolutioncomponent,• thecurrentstateoftheinitiative,• feedbackfromstakeholders,• currentperformancetowardthedesiredoutcome,and• currentunderstandingoftheconstraintsandrisks.Theprioritizationandsequencingofsolutioncomponentsoccursmultipletimesthroughoutthecourseofaninitiative.Whennewinformationisdiscoveredthatleadstoachangetosolutioncomponents,priorityandsequencearereassessedtoensurealignmentwiththenewinformation.Thepriorityandsequenceofsolutioncomponentsarealsoreassessedwhenthenewinformationisconsideredduringreleaseplanning,updatingaproductroadmap,iterationplanning,orregularlyscheduledprioritizationsessions.5.3.6 DeterminingiftheNeedisSatisfiedAttheInitiativeHorizon,determiningiftheneedissatisfiedisbasedonassessingiftheoutputsdeliveredmeetthedesiredoutcome.Thedecisionmakerwhoisresponsibleforthesolutiongenerallymakesthedecisioniftheneedhasbeensatisfied.Businessanalysispractitionersconsideriftheneedhasbeensatisfiedeverytimeasolutioncomponenthasbeendeliveredandfeedbackhasbeenreceivedonthecomponent.Thisreducestheriskofproducingmoreoutputthannecessarytomeettheneedandreduceswaste.Oncethedesiredoutcomeisachieved,effortsareshiftedtomeetingthenextidentifiedneed.Ifthedesiredoutcomehasnotbeenmet,businessanalysispractitionersconsiderwhethertocontinue,change,orcanceltheinitiative.
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5.3.7 OngoingAssessmentoftheViabilityoftheSolutionAttheInitiativeHorizon,solutionsarecontinuallyassessedtodetermineiftheyaredeliveringthedesiredoutcomesandsufficientvalue.Businessanalysispractitionersbasethisassessmentonboththeidentifiedmeasuresofsuccess,aswellasfeedbackreceivedfromtheStrategyandDeliveryHorizons.Thedecisionmakerwhoisresponsibleforthesolutiongenerallymakesthedecisiontocontinue,change,orcancelthesolution.Ifthedeterminationismadethatthesolutionisdeliveringthedesiredoutcomesandsufficientvalue,effortscontinuetorefineanddeliversolutioncomponents.Ifthedeterminationismadethatthesolutionisnotdeliveringthedesiredoutcomesandsufficientvalue,oriftherehasbeenadiscoveryofnewinformationthatimpactsthesolution,businessanalysispractitionerscan:• changethesolutionbyaddingorremovingsolutioncomponents,orchangingthepriorityandsequencingofsolutioncomponents,or• canceltheinitiativesothatresourcescanberedeployed.Businessanalysispractitioners,assesstheviabilityofsolutionsbasedon:• theimpactofthecurrentsolutiononreachingthedesiredoutcomes,• identifiedmeasuresofsuccess,• theanticipatedworkneededtocompletethelistofsolutioncomponents,• theongoingassessmentofconstraintsandrisks,• aclarifiedunderstandingoftheneedfromtheDeliveryHorizon,and• aclarifiedunderstandingoftherelevanceoftheneedinrelationtothebroaderorganizationalstrategyfromtheStrategyHorizon.5.4 TimeFrameTheInitiativeHorizoninvolveslookingintothemid-termfuturecomparedtotheStrategyandDeliveryHorizons.Whatmid-termmeansdependsontheorganizationandthecontextinwhichitisoperating.ThetimeframeforanalysisattheInitiativeHorizonismainlydeterminedonhowrapidlyoutcomesareachievedandneedsaremet.Asageneralreference,theInitiativeHorizonguidesanalysisandactionovertheperiodoftheupcomingonetothreemonths.Inanagilecontext,thistimeframecontinuallyshiftsandmovesforward,creatingwhatcanbeconsideredarollingtimeframe.Althoughthescopeofanalysismaybesetforthemid-term,ongoinganalysisanddecisionsarecentraltothesuccessofagileinitiatives.Asnewinformationemergesandgreaterclarityandunderstandingoftheneedandthesolutionareachieved,businessanalysispractitionersapplythislearningtotheunderstandinganddirectionofthesolution.
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AttheInitiativeHorizon,businessanalysispractitionersaredrivenbythefollowingquestions:• Whatoutcomesarewedrivingnow?• Whatoutcomeswillwebeaddressingnext?• Whatoutcomeswillwebeaddressinginthefuture?Thesequestionscanformthebasisofaroadmapforthesolution.5.5 FeedbackandLearningDecisionsmadeintheInitiativeHorizonusefeedbackfromtheDeliveryHorizoninordertodeterminewhether• thesolutionoptionisstillappropriate,• theselectedsolutioncomponentsarestillappropriate,• thesolutioncomponentsareprioritizedandsequencedcorrectly,and• everysolutioncomponentneedstobedeliveredinordertorealizethedesiredoutcome.Deliveringcontinuoussmallincrementsofvaluegeneratescontinuousfeedbackandthelearningfromthatfeedbackisusedtodetermineifchangesindirectionareneeded.DecisionsmadeintheInitiativeHorizonprovidefeedbacktotheStrategyHorizonintermsofchangesinthesolutionthatmayimpactotherinitiativescurrentlyunderwayintheorganization.Forexample,ifaninitiativeiscancelled,resourcesareredeployedinordertosatisfyotherneeds.Ifasolutionneedstochange,andthatchangeinvolvestheneedforadditionalresources,theremaybeanimpactonotherinitiatives.TheInitiativeHorizonprovidesfeedbacktotheDeliveryHorizonbyindicatingthepriorityandsequencingofsolutioncomponents.5.6 ApplyingthePrinciplesofAgileBusiness
Analysis
5.6.1 SeetheWholeAttheInitiativeHorizon,theagileprincipleofSeetheWholeisappliedwhendecisionstosatisfyneedsaremade.ContinuousfeedbackfromboththeStrategyandDeliveryHorizoninformallthedecisionsmadearoundsolutionoptions,solutioncomponents,prioritizing,sequencing,andtheviabilityofthesolution.
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BusinessanalysispractitionersSeetheWholewhenanalyzingwhichsolutioncomponentstodelivernextbecausetheycontinuallyconsidertheoverallstrategicneedtheyaretryingtosatisfy.Theprincipleofseeingthewholealsoguidesthedeterminationifaneedhasbeensatisfied,evenifallthesolutioncomponentshavenotbeendelivered.Businessanalysispractitionersmakethisassessmentbasedontheidentifiedstrategicneed,nottheoutputofsolutioncomponentsdelivered.5.6.2 ThinkasaCustomerAttheInitiativeHorizon,theagileprincipleofThinkasaCustomerisappliedwhenthepriorityandsequencingofsolutioncomponentsareassessed.Businessanalysispractitionersconsidertheneedfromthecustomerperspectivebyaskingquestionssuchas:• Whatwouldbemostvaluabletothecustomer?• Isthereasequencethatwouldbebetterforthecustomer?• DoIhavemorethanonecustomerforthissolutioncomponent?• Dotheanswerstoanyofthesequestionsimpactthelearningfromtheotherquestions?Bythinkingasacustomer,businessanalysispractitionerssupportcreatingaviablesolutionwiththeleastamountofoutputpossible.Thinkingasacustomerprovidesaclarityandagreaterunderstandingoftheneed.Continuousfeedbackfromcustomershelpstoinformdecisionsaroundsolutionoptions,solutioncomponents,prioritizing,sequencing,andtheviabilityofthesolution.TheagilepracticeofrapidandfrequentdeliveryalignswiththeprincipleofThinkasaCustomer.Bydeliveringearlyandoften,agileteamsquicklyobtainreal-worldfeedbackfromreal-worldcustomersofthesolution.Thislearningenhancestheirunderstandingoftheneedandassistswithprioritizingandsequencingsolutioncomponents.5.6.3 AnalyzetoDetermineWhatisValuableAttheInitiativeHorizon,theagileprincipleofAnalyzetoDetermineWhatisValuableisappliedwhenbusinessanalysispractitionersusethesharedunderstandingoftheneedtoidentifysolutionoptionsandprioritizeandsequencesolutioncomponents.Bykeepingtheconceptofvaluableoutcomesclearlyinmind,businessanalysispractitionersareabletomakefasterdecisionsaboutwhatsolutioncomponentstocreate.Understandingwhatisvaluablealsohelpstoidentifysolutioncomponentsthatdonotcontributedirectlytothedesiredoutcome.
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5.6.4 GetRealUsingExamplesAttheInitiativeHorizon,theagileprincipleofGetRealUsingExamplesisappliedwhenestablishingasharedunderstandingoftheneed,investigatingpossiblesolutionoptions,anddecidingonthesolutiontodeliver.Businessanalysispractitionersstartwithexamplesthatrepresentthemostcommonscenariosthatcustomersface.Theseexamplesareexpandedandrefinedasthesolutionisdeveloped.Exampleshelptoverifyandvalidatethatthesolutionstillmeetstheneed.GetRealUsingExamplesisalsovaluablewhenmakingdecisionsaroundsolutionoptions,solutioncomponents,prioritizing,sequencing,andtheviabilityofthesolution.5.6.5 UnderstandWhatisDoableAttheInitiativeHorizon,theagileprincipleofUnderstandWhatisDoableisappliedwhenprioritizingandsequencingsolutioncomponents.Understandingwhatisdoableensuresthatagileteamsdonotattempttodeliversolutioncomponentsthatarenotpossibletodeliverwithinexistingconstraints.BusinessanalysispractitionersusefeedbackfromtheDeliveryHorizontorefinetheirunderstandingaboutwhatisdoable.Whatwasinitiallythoughtofasdoablemayenduptobeverydifficult,ornotworththeeffortoncetheDeliveryHorizonstartsimplementingthoseideas.Understandingwhatisdoableincreasesefficiencyandreduceswastebyreducingeffortsspentonsolutionoptionsandsolutioncomponentsthatwillnotsatisfytheneedbecausetheycannotbedelivered.5.6.6 StimulateCollaborationandContinuousImprovementAttheInitiativeHorizon,theagileprincipleofStimulateCollaborationandContinuousImprovementisappliedwhendecisionsaremadebasedoninformationprovidedbyacross-functionalteamwhocollaboratestoprovidethedecisionmakerwithtimelyinformationrelevanttothedecisionathand.IntheInitiativeHorizon,thereisgenerallyadecisionmakerwhoisresponsibleforeachdecision.Agileteamssharetheresponsibilitytoprovidethatdecisionmakerwiththeappropriateinformationtomakeaninformeddecision.TheagileprincipleofStimulateCollaborationandContinuousImprovementisevidentwhenagileteams:• collaboratetodeterminewhetherenoughvaluehasbeendeliveredtosatisfytheoutcome,• considerwhetherasolutionshouldcontinue,change,orbecancelled,and
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• conductretrospectivestodiscusshowdecisionsweremade,whetherallthenecessaryinformationinformedthosedecisions,andhowtorefinetheprocessofmakingfuturedecisions.5.6.7 AvoidWasteAttheInitiativeHorizon,theagileprincipleofAvoidWasteisappliedwhenbusinessanalysispractitionersapplythelearningfromtheagileprincipleofUnderstandWhatisDoable.InformeddecisionmakingiscentraltotheprincipleofAvoidWaste.Whendecisionsareinformedbyfeedbackratherthanopinion,theyarelikelytobemoreaccurate.Wasteisavoidedwhenthereisasharedunderstandingaboutwhatoutputswillnotbedeliveredbecausetheyarenotnecessaryfordeliveringthedesiredoutcome.Wasteisalsoavoidedwheninitiativesarecancelledwhenitbecomesclearthatthesolutionwillnotsatisfytheneed,orwhenthesolutionhasprovidedsufficientvaluetosatisfytheneed.
5.7 Techniques
5.7.1 AgileExtensionTechniques
• KanoAnalysis:usedtodeterminethefeaturesmostrelevanttosatisfyingtheidentifiedneedanddeterminethebestapproachfordeliveringthosefeatures.• Personas:usedtocreateasharedunderstandingofwhothecustomeris;frequentlyacoreitemwhenThinkingasaCustomer.• PlanningWorkshop:usedtocreateasharedunderstandingoftheapproachtoconstructingthesolution.• PurposeAlignmentModel:usedtodeterminethefeaturesmostrelevanttosatisfyingtheidentifiedneedanddeterminethebestapproachfordeliveringthosefeatures.• RealOptions:usedtounderstandtheappropriatetimeformakingdecisions.• RelativeEstimation:usedtomakedecisionsaboutwhichfeaturestodeliverandinwhatorder.• Retrospectives:usedtoprovideteamsameansofexplicitlydiscussingopportunitiesforcontinuousimprovement.• StoryDecomposition:usedtosupportdecisionsaboutwhichfeaturestodeliver,inwhatorder,andhowmuchofthefeatureneedstobedeliveredinordertoreachthedesiredoutcome.
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• StoryMapping::usedtoelicitandmodelinformationaboutasolution,includingnotablefeaturesorcharacteristicsofthatsolution.• ValueStreamMapping:usedtoidentifytheportionsofaproblemorsolutionandidentifywhattheirabilityistoalterthevalueoftheaffecteditemorprocess.
5.7.2 BABOK®GuideTechniques
• BacklogManagement:usedalmostconsistentlyinmostagileapproaches.• BalancedScorecard:mayprovidemeasuresofdesiredoutcomesfortheinitiative.Maybeusedfor“scoring”differentsolutionoptionsorsolutioncomponentsforprioritization.• Brainstorming:usedtocreatemanyoptionsforagivenproblem;brainstormingisatechniquewellsuitedtoagile.• CollaborativeGames:usedtoidentifypotentialsolutionoptions.• ConceptModelling:usedtobuildasharedunderstandingoftheneedandpotentialsolutions.• DataDictionary:usedtobuildasharedunderstandingoftherelevantdataintheproblemandsolutionspace.• DataModelling:usedtoelicitinformationnecessaryformakingthedecisionsidentifiedintheInitiativeHorizon.• DocumentAnalysis:usedtoelicitinformationnecessaryformakingthedecisionsidentifiedintheInitiativeHorizon.• FunctionalDecomposition:usedtobuildandmaintainasharedunderstandingofthedesiredsolution.• Glossary:usedtobuildasharedunderstandingoftheproblemandsolutionspace.• InterfaceAnalysis:usedtoelicitinformationnecessaryformakingthedecisionsidentifiedintheInitiativeHorizon.• Interviews:usedtoelicitinformationnecessaryformakingthedecisionsidentifiedintheInitiativeHorizon.• MetricsandKeyPerformanceIndicators(KPIs):usedtoprovidemeasuresofdesiredoutcomesforthesolution.• Observation:usedtoelicitinformationnecessaryformakingthedecisionsidentifiedintheInitiativeHorizon.• Prioritization:usedtodeterminewhichfeatureswillandwillnotbedeliveredaspartoftheinitiativeandinwhatorder.• ProcessModelling:usedtobuildandmaintainasharedunderstandingofthedesiredsolution.• Prototyping:usedtocreateaworkingornon-workingmodelofapossiblesolution.OftenhelpsGettingRealWithExamples.
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• RiskAnalysisandManagement:usedtoidentifyinformationnecessaryformakingInitiativeHorizondecisions,especiallywhichfeaturestodeliverandinwhatorder.• ScopeModelling:usedtobuildandmaintainasharedunderstandingoftheboundariesofthdesiredsolution.• StakeholderList,Map,orPersonas:usedtobuildandmaintainasharedunderstandingoftheentitiesinvolvedwithoraffectedbythesolutionanditsimplementaton.• VendorAssessment:usedtoprovideinputintodecisionsaboutwhichsolutionwillsatisfytheidentifiedneed.
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6 DeliveryHorizon
6.1 PurposeThepurposeofanalysisattheDeliveryHorizonistoinformdecisionsregardingthedeliveryofthesolution.6.2 DescriptionAnalysisattheDeliveryHorizonfocusesonthespecificaspectofthesolutionthatiscurrentlybeingimplemented.Businessanalysispractitionerscollaboratewithteammemberstoensurethereisasharedunderstandingoftheneed,identifyandprioritizeabacklogofactionsthatwillmeettheneed,andestablishameansofassessingoutcomes.Theydosowhileseekingtoexpendtheleastamountofeffortdiscoveringtheinformationnecessarytomakeinformeddecisionsaboutthesolution.Businessanalysispractitionersensurethatrequirementsaremappedclearlytotheidentifiedbusinessgoals.Thisinvolvesanalyzingandidentifyingrisks,dependencies,andchangingneeds,andincorporatingfeedbackfromcustomers.AttheDeliveryHorizon,businessanalysispractitionerssliceandelaborateuponuserstoriesfortheteamtoimplementasworkingincrementsofthesolution.Theseincrementsareaddedtothebacklog.Backlogitemsarerefinedintoimplementableunitsofbusinessvalueandelaboratedintodetailonajust-in-timebasis.Immediatefeedbackfromtestingandcustomerevaluationisusedtocreate,alter,re-prioritize,andremoveitemsfromthebacklog.
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6.3 Elements
6.3.1 EnsuringthatUserStoriesareReadyforImplementationAuserstoryiswell-writtenwhenallofthefollowingaretrue:thestorymeetstheINVESTcriteria(formoreinformation,see7.21.UserStories),• itcontainsawell-constructednarrative,• itpresentsasetofclear,concise,andpreciseacceptancecriteria,• itisacceptedasrepresentingadesirableunitofimplementation,• itrepresentsanachievableunitofdevelopment,and• itisprioritizedclearlyinthebacklog.Auserstoryonlyneedstobereadyforimplementationwhenitwillbeplacedintodevelopmentintheimmediateornearfuture.Refininguserstoriesbeforetheyareneededmaycausereworkandwastebecausetheconditionsaroundthestorymaychangebasedonongoingfeedbackandlearning.6.3.2 MaintainingtheBacklogTherearetwofundamentalelementstomaintainingabacklog:• theprioritysequencingofitemsinthebacklog,and• ensuringthereareenoughitemsinthebacklogtosupportnear-termdevelopmentefforts.Businessanalysispractitionerscollaboratewithproductownerstodeterminethepriorityofitemsinthebacklog.Therapiddeliveryofbusinessvalueisacentralconsiderationwhenprioritizing.Thesequenceofitemsinthebacklogcorrectlyrepresentstheirpriorityorderasdeterminedbytheproductowner.Inordertoensurethereareenoughitemsinthebacklogtosupportnear-termdevelopmentefforts,businessanalysispractitionerscollaboratewithrelevantstakeholderstocreatefeaturesanddecomposethosefeaturesintouserstories,whichinturnarerefinedintowell-writtenuserstories.Thefeedbackandlearningfromthedeliveredsolutionimpactsthevaluationofitemsinthebacklogresultingincontinuouschangeinthebacklog.Businessanalysispractitionerscontinuallyre-prioritize,remove,andadditemstothebacklog.Thismayhappenformallyatabacklogrefinementmeetingorinformallyasneededinthecourseofwork.
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6.3.3 SupportingSuccessfulDeliveryBusinessanalysispractitionersworktoresolveanalysisissuesthatcouldinterferewithmeetingthegoalsforthecurrentwork.Supportingsuccessfuldeliverymeansclearinganyanalysisrelatedroadblocksandapplyinglearningtoavoidtheminthefuture.Thiscanincludeappropriatelyhandlingsequencinganddependenciesrelatedtostories,coordinatingwithexternalteamsandstakeholders,andansweringclarifyingquestionsforitemscurrentlyinthemidstofimplementation.6.3.4 EnsuringLearningHappensintheAgileContextAttheDeliveryHorizon,learningisderivedfrombothprocessesandtheproductsofthoseprocesses,andisframedbythedesiredoutcomesoftheimmediateworkeffort.Businessanalysispractitionersensurethatlearningisusedtoachievebetteroutcomes.Betteroutcomescanbedescribedquantitativelyorqualitatively.Whenderivinglearningregardingprocesses,businessanalysispractitionersconsiderwhatdeliveryprocessesshouldbechanged,kept,orstoppedinthenextdeliverycycle.Retrospectivesareoftenusedtodiscussthelearningfromthemostrecentdeliveryprocesswiththeintentofcontinuallyimprovingthedeliveryprocess.Informationthatistoobroad,large,orfarinthefuture,canbeusedasfeedbackfortheInitiativeorStrategyHorizons.Whenderivinglearningregardingproducts,businessanalysispractitionersconsiderifthevaluedeliveredinthemostrecentincrementwaswhatwasexpected.Answerstothisquestionmayresultinchangestothenatureorprioritizationofstoriesforthenear-termdeliveryeffort.Ifthelearningsuggeststheentireinitiativeorstrategymightneedtoadapt,itcanbeusedasfeedbackfortheInitiativeorStrategyHorizons.6.3.5 MaintainingFocusontheProductVision,Customer,andValueAttheDeliveryHorizon,businessanalysispractitionersapplybusinessanalysistechniquesandtheprinciplesofagilebusinessanalysistoretainafocusondeliveringthevaluethatisbeingsoughtandachievingtheproductvision.Constantcommunicationandmaintainingasharedunderstandingoftheneedandoutcomesbeingsoughthelpsallstakeholderstoavoidwasteandtoefficientlyandrapidlydelivervalue.
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6.4 TimeFramesAttheDeliveryHorizon,planningfocusesontheday-to-daydeliveryofbacklogitems.Agiledeliveryteamsplanonaveryshort-termbasis.Whatshort-termmeansdependsontheorganizationandthecontextinwhichitisoperating.Asageneralreference,theDeliveryHorizonguidesanalysisandactionovertheperiodoftheupcomingonetofourweekstoaslongassixtoeightweeks.Inanagilecontext,thistimeframecontinuallyshiftsandmovesforward,creatingwhatcanbeconsideredarollingtimeframe.6.5 FeedbackandLearningAttheDeliveryHorizon,feedbackisrapidandideallyinsmallchunks.Eachstorydeliversasmallandrapidlydeliveredincrementofvalue.Typically,itisnotuntilacollectionofstories,deliveredovermultipleincrements,thatsignificantfeedbackisattained.Businessanalysispractitionersevaluatethefeedbackfromimplementedstoriesandrefinethebacklogbyidentifyingwhatisandisnotlikelytodelivervalue.Itemsinthebacklogcanbere-prioritized,changed,orremovedandnewstoriescanbeaddedbasedonthereassessmentofpotentialvaluefromthefeedbackandlearning.TheagilebusinessanalysisprinciplesofAvoidWasteandAnalyzetoDetermineWhatisValuableguidethedecisionmakingwhenrefiningthebacklog.Allfeedbackandlearningisconsideredinthecontextoftheotherhorizons.Ifthelearningsuggeststheentireinitiativeorstrategymightneedtoadapt,itcanbeusedasfeedbacktotheInitiativeorStrategyHorizons.Feedbackandlearningcanoccurbothinstructuredprocessessuchasretrospectivesorreviews,aswellasinformallythroughday-to-dayinteractionsandimplementations.6.6 ApplyingthePrinciplesofAgileAnalysisatthe
DeliveryHorizonofPlanning
6.6.1 SeetheWholeAttheDeliveryHorizon,theagileprincipleofSeetheWholeisappliedwhenthereisasharedunderstandingofhowindividualstoriesadvancethebusinessoutcomesandvalueiscreated,andthereisameanstomeasureprogressagainstdesiredgoals.Businessanalysispractitionersensurethateachiteminthebacklogisprioritizedandsequencedinordertocontributetotheoverallgoalofthesolution.Duringreviewsandretrospectives,recommendationsforimprovementareassessedtodetermineiftheyhaveapositiveimpactontheoveralldeliveryofthesolution.
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6.6.2 ThinkasaCustomerAttheDeliveryHorizon,theagileprincipleofThinkasaCustomerisappliedwhenbusinessanalysispractitionersalignthevaluebeingdeliveredtothecustomerexperienceslearnedfromfeedback.Businessanalysispractitionerscontinuallyconsiderhowbothprocessesandproductsdeliveredmeettheneedsofthecustomer.Personas(orroles)arefrequentlyusedtomodelandunderstandcustomerneedsandexperiences.Byremainingconsciousofwhothecustomerisforeachstory,andwhetherornottheywouldgenuinelyexperienceabenefitfromthedeliveryofthatstory,thebusinessanalysispractitionerhelpstoprioritizeitemsthatthecustomerfindsvaluable.Thiscontributestothedeliveryofthegreatestvaluepossibleintheshortesttimepossible.6.6.3 AnalyzetoDetermineWhatisValuableAttheDeliveryHorizon,theagileprincipleofAnalyzetoDetermineWhatisValuableisappliedwhencontinuousfeedbackandlearningisusedtomaintainthebacklog.Businessanalysispractitionerscollaboratewithstakeholderstoachieveasharedunderstandingofwhatisvaluableandwhoderivesthatvalueforeachstory.Businessanalysispractitionersanalyzewhatisvaluablefrombothaproductandprocessperspective.Fromtheproductperspective,theanalysisoffeedbackandlearningguidesdecisionsonmaintainingthebacklogandrefiningstories.Fromtheprocessperspective,considerationisgiventowhatimpactsthecreationofvalue:• Istheteamhappier?• Aredefectsorimpedimentsbeingreduced?• Isvelocityincreased?• Whatistheexpectedbenefitofaproposedimprovement,andwhichonemightbemostimportanttotheteam?6.6.4 GetRealUsingExamplesAttheDeliveryHorizon,theagileprincipleofGetRealUsingExamplesisappliedwhenexamplesareusedtocollaboratewhenprioritizingstoriesinthebacklogandwhencreatingclear,meaningfulacceptancecriteria.Businessanalysispractitionersuseexamplestoclarifytheexperienceofthecustomerastheyusethestoryorfeaturebeinganalyzed.Examplesofspecificsituationsandimpactspromoteasharedunderstandingofproposedprocessimprovementsandprovideclaritywhenmakingdecisionsregardingprocessimprovements.
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6.6.5 UnderstandWhatisDoableAttheDeliveryHorizon,theagileprincipleofUnderstandWhatisDoableisappliedwhenneed,outcome,constraints,andrisksareusedtorefineandprioritizeuserstories.Businessanalysispractitionersconsidertheircurrentandevolvingunderstandingofthecontexttocollaboratewithstakeholderstoachieveacommonunderstandingofwhatstoriesorprocessimprovementscanactuallybeaccomplishedandwhichonesarenotrealisticallyachievable.6.6.6 StimulateCollaborationandContinuousImprovementAttheDeliveryHorizon,theagileprincipleofStimulateCollaborationandContinuousImprovementisappliedwhendeliveryteamscollaborateonanalysisanddeliveryactivitiesaspartoftheirdailyworkefforts,andduringstructurereviewsessionssuchasreviewsandretrospectives.Collaborationandcontinuousimprovementisacentralparadigminagilebusinessanalysis.Businessanalysispractitionersseektocollaborateandcontinuouslyimproveineveryactivityandeveryinteractionwithaviewtoleveragingthevarietyofstrengthspresentoncross-functionalagileteams.Businessanalysispractitionersusetheirskillsinproblemdefinition,facilitation,andsolutionexplorationtosupportprocessimprovementinthedeliveryofthesolution.6.6.7 AvoidWasteAttheDeliveryHorizon,theagileprincipleofAvoidWasteisappliedwhenprioritizingthebacklogandfocusingonstoriesthatdelivermaximumvaluefirst,whiledeferringareasthatarenotcurrentlyofhighvalue.Oneofthewaysthatbusinessanalysispractitionersavoidwasteisbymaximizingtheworknotdone.Directingeffortstothestoriesthatdelivermaximumvaluereducestheeffortsdirectedtoactivitiesthatdonotaddthemostvaluetothesolution.
6.7 Techniques
6.7.1 AgileExtensionTechniques
• Personas:usedtocreateasharedunderstandingofwhothecustomeris,frequentlyacoreitemwhenThinkingasaCustomer.• RealOptions:usedtounderstandtheappropriatetimeformakingdecisions,andthevaluethateachoptionrepresents.• RelativeEstimation:usedtomakedecisionsaboutwhichfeaturestodeliverandinwhatorder.• Retrospectives:usedasameansofexplicitlydiscussingopportunitiesforcontinuousimprovement.
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• StoryDecomposition:usedtodecomposeepicstostories,whichrepresentincrementalworkoneonsolutioncomponents.• StoryMapping:usedtoelicitandmodelinformationaboutasolution,includingnotablefeaturesrcharacteristicsofthatsolution.• ValueStreamMapping:usedtoidentifytheportionsofaproblemorsolutionandidentifywhattheirabilityistoalterthevalueoftheaffecteditemorprocess.
6.7.2 BABOK®GuideTechniques
• BacklogManagement:usedconsistentlyattheDeliveryHorizon;backlogmanagementisafrequentifnotconstantactivity.• BalancedScorecard:usedtoprovidestructuretothelearningprocessatthishorizon.• Brainstorming:usedtocreatemanyoptionsforagivenproblem,brainstormingisatechniquewellsuitedtoagile.• CollaborativeGames:usedtohelpwithteambuildingandinspirecollaborationwiththeworkinggroup.• ConceptModelling:usedtobuildasharedunderstandingoftheneedandpotentialsolutions.• DataModelling:usedtobuildasharedunderstandingoftherelevantdataintheproblemandsolutionspace,andaselementsofthesolutionareconstructed.• FunctionalDecomposition:usedduringtheDeliveryHorizoninthecontextofdecomposingepicsintostories,althoughthefocusisonproducingstorieswhichhavebusinessvalueuponcompletion.• Glossary:usedtomaintainanytermsordefinitionsthattheteammaydeveloporrequireovertime.• InterfaceAnalysis:usedtodescribeaparticularuserorroleusingafeature,orhowcomponentsofthesolutionwillcommunicatewitheachotherortooutsidesystems.• Interviews:usedtoelicitinformationnecessaryformakingthedecisionsidentifiedintheDeliveryHorizon.• MetricsandKeyPerformanceIndicators(KPIs):usedtotracestoriestometricsandtheKPIstheyareexpectedtoaffect.• Observation:usedtounderstandhowusersperformataskorusethesolution.• Prioritization:usedtodeterminewhichfeatureswillandwillnotbedeliveredaspartoftheinitiativeandinwhatorder.RevisitedduringtheDeliveryHorizonperiodicallyoratanemergentneed.• ProcessModelling:usedtorepresentprocessesandworkthatisbeingdonetocreateoralterthoseprocesses.• Prototyping:usedtocreateaworkingornon-workingmodelofapossiblesolution.
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• RiskAnalysisandManagement:usedtomakedecisions,especiallywhichstorieswillaffectwhichrisks,andinwhatway.• ScopeModelling:usedtobuildandmaintainasharedunderstandingoftheboundariesofthedesiredsolution.• StakeholderList,Map,orPersonas:usedtobuildandmaintainasharedunderstandingoftheentitiesinvolvedwithoraffectedbythesolutionanditsimplementation.Personasherecanrefertostakeholdersaroundthesolutionratherthanroles,whicharemorecommonlyreferredtoinstoriesusedinsolutionconstruction.
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7 Techniques
TheTechniqueschapterprovidesahigh-leveloverviewofsometechniquescommonlyusedbyagilebusinessanalysispractitioners.ThetechniquesdescribedintheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guideareintendedtocoverthemostcommonandwidespreadtechniquespracticedwithinagilebusinessanalysis.Businessanalysispractitionersapplytheirexperienceandjudgmentindeterminingwhichtechniquesareappropriatetoagivencontextandhowtoapplyeachtechnique.ThismayincludetechniquesthatarenotdescribedintheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guide.Asthepracticeofagilebusinessanalysisevolves,techniqueswillbeadded,changed,orremovedfromfutureiterationsoftheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guide.7.0.1 SelectingtheRightTechniqueItcanbechallengingtoselecttherighttechniqueforthesituationtogetthedesiredoutcome.Thefollowingchartprovidesgeneralguidanceonwhentochooseaspecifictechnique.Pleasenotethatmanytechniquescanbeusedsuccessfullyinavarietyofcontexts.Anagilebusinessanalysispractitioneruseshisorherdomainknowledge,experience,individualcompetencies,andcreativitywhenselectingtheappropriatetechniqueforthedesiredoutcome.Thepurposeofthischartistoprovideastartingpointwhendeterminingwhichtechniquemightbeusefulinagivencontext.Ateamisagroupofpeopleworkingtogetherforasharedgoal–thisteamcouldbeattheStrategy,Initiative,orDeliveryHorizon.Stakeholdersoutsidetheteamarecustomers,subjectmatterexperts,orpeopleinternalorexternaltotheorganizationwhoareinvestedintheteam'ssuccessbutarenotpartoftheteam.
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Thecontextidentifieswheneachtechniqueismostusefultogetthedesiredoutcome.• Communicationidentifieswhattechniquesfacilitatesharedunderstanding,collaboration,andincreasedcommunication.• ProcessAnalysisisaboutunderstandingtheprocesstoidentifywaystoimprove.• ProductManagementorRefinementisaboutwhatsolutiontheteamisdelivering.• RequirementsManagementincludestechniquesspecificallyhelpfulinfacilitatingandimprovingtherequirementslifecycle.• UnderstandingYourCustomerisaboutidentifying,understanding,andclarifyingwhothecustomerisandwhattheyneedandvalue.Table7.0.1:SelectingtheRightTechnique
Context Workswellwithinternalteams WorkswellwithstakeholdersexternaltotheteamCommunications 7.1.BacklogRefinement7.8.PlanningWorkshops7.9.PortfolioKanban7.14.Retrospectives7.24.Visioning7.15.Reviews7.24.Visioning
ProcessAnalysis 7.23.ValueStreamMapping 7.3.ImpactMappingProductManagementRefinement 7.6.MinimalViableProduct7.10.ProductRoadmap7.11.PurposeAlignmentModel7.12.RealOptions7.5.KanoAnalysis7.6.MinimalViableProduct
RequirementsManagement 7.2.BehaviourDrivenDevelopment7.4.JobStories7.13.RelativeEstimation7.16.Spikes7.18.StoryDecomposition7.19.StoryElaboration7.20.StoryMapping7.21.UserStoriesUnderstandingyourCustomer 7.7.Personas7.17.Storyboarding7.22.ValueModelling
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7.1 BacklogRefinement
7.1.1 PurposeBacklogRefinementisusedtoensurethereisenoughdetailandclarityforitemsinthebacklogsothatthedeliveryteamcancompleteaniteration.7.1.2 DescriptionBacklogRefinementisacontinuoustechniqueusedtoprepareproductbacklogitemsforanagileteamtodeliver.ThisisfrequentlydoneinpreparationforaPlanningWorkshop.BacklogRefinementincorporatesongoingfeedbackandlearningtoreviseandrefinerequirementsofneedsonanongoingbasis.Refiningthebacklogbasedonstakeholderfeedbackisacriticaldifferentiatorforagileinitiatives.BacklogRefinementassiststhedeliveryteamindeliveringahighvalue,highqualitysolutionwithinaniteration.Businessanalysispractitionerscollaboratewithteammembers,stakeholders,andcustomerstoclarifytheneedandidentifyadditionaldetail.Thiscanincludereviewingprioritieswithstakeholdersandmovingorremovingitemsasnecessary.Refinementactivitiesvarybasedonwhatisneededtopreparetheitemforthedeliveryteam.ActivitiesmayincludeStoryElaboration,StoryDecomposition,prioritization,andsequencing.BacklogRefinementclarifieswhichitemsarehighpriorityfortheteamtodeliverandre-prioritizesorremovesunnecessaryitems.BacklogRefinementsplitslargeitemsintosmalleronesthatmeettheINVESTcriteria(formoreinformation,see7.21.UserStories).Acceptancecriteriaoradditionaldocumentationneededtodeliveranitemcanalsobeadded.Refinementforanitemiscompletewhenthereissufficientinformationfortheteamtoexecute.Theoutcomeofrefinementisacommonunderstandingamongtheteamofwhatisrequiredtodelivertheproductbacklogitem(PBI).Italsogivestheteamachancetolookaheadatwhatisexpectednextforthesolution.7.1.3 Elements
.1 BacklogAnorderedlistoffeatures,requirements,oritemsneededtoachievetheoutcomesforthesolution.Refinementreferstotheactivitiestokeepthebacklogrelevantandtimelyfortheteam.
.2 BacklogItemAnitemonthebacklogwhichrepresentsoneormorerequirements.Itemshigheronthebacklogareappropriatelysizedandincludeenoughdetailfortheteamtocompleteinthenextiteration.Itemsloweronthebacklogcanbelargerandlessdefined.
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Itemsaremostcommonlypresentedasauserstory(formoreinformation,see7.21.UserStories),butcanbepresentedinotherformatssuchasjobstories(formoreinformation,see7.4.JobStories)orwireframes..3 RefinementMeetingThepurposeofthismeetingisfortheteamtoreviewitemsthatareatthetopofthebacklog.Theoutcomeofthismeetingisconfirmationthatthetopitemsarereadyforthenextiterationandidentifyanyfurtherclarityneeded.Thereisnostandardformatforthismeeting,butitismostoftenledbytheproductownerorcustomerrepresentative.Theoutputoftherefinementmeetingisbacklogitemsreadyforthenextiteration..4 DefinitionofReadyThisisasetofcriteriatheteamagreesmustbesatisfiedtoconsideranitem"ready"forthenextiteration.Initially,teamscansetthecriteriaasacriticalmassofteammembersagreetheitemisreadyfortheteam.Astheteamreflectsandlookstocontinuouslyimprove,theteammayidentifyadditionalcriteriafortheirinitiative.
7.1.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Increasesclarityandcommonunderstandingofaproductbacklogitem(PBI).• Facilitatesmoreeffectiveiterationplanningbyraisingqueriesearly.• Givestheproductownerorcustomerrepresentativetimetoanswerqueriesbeforetheteambeginsexecuting.• Ensuresproductbacklogitems(PBIs)aresizedappropriatelyfortheteam.
.2 Limitations• Canbeinefficientwhennotalignedtothecadenceoftheteam.Iftheteamreviewsthebacklogdailyasinaflowapproach,thenrefinementshouldhappenwheneveranewbacklogitemisadded.Iftheteamreviewsthebacklogincrementally,thenrefinementshouldhappenseveraldaysbeforeaplanningmeeting.• Isusuallydonebyafewmembersoftheteamandcaninadvertentlyprecludetheviewsofteammembersnotdirectlyinvolvedintheactivity.• Canbeineffectiveifthevisionandroadmapchangefrequently.
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7.2 BehaviourDrivenDevelopment
7.2.1 PurposeBehaviourDrivenDevelopment(BDD)isusedtoincreasevalue,decreasewaste,andincreasecommunicationbetweenstakeholdersanddeliveryteamsbyfocusingontheintendedcustomerbehaviourforthesolutiontosatisfycustomerneeds.7.2.2 DescriptionAgilevaluescustomercollaborationandworkingsolutionstoachievedesiredoutput.Agilebusinessanalysispractitionersprioritizeidentifyingsolutionswhichdelivercustomervalueinincrements.BehaviourDrivenDevelopment(BDD)supportsthatgoalthroughtheuseofrealexamples.BehaviourDrivenDevelopmentusesacustomerreadable,domainspecificlanguagetospecifytheintendedcustomerbehaviourwhichsatisfiesthecustomerneed.Itincreasesspeedofdeliverybydevelopingonlywhatisneededandcreatesopportunityforuseracceptancetestautomation.BDDisatechniqueusedtomakeneedsclearandisdesignedtoimprovecommunicationandunderstandingacrossallstakeholders.Examplesareusedtounderstandwhatthesolutionneedstodo(development)andhowtoensurethatitdoeswhatisneeded(testing).Theproductownerprovidestheexamplesandclarifieshisorherthinkingbydoingso.Agilebusinessanalysispractitionersidentifyscenariosbyasking“whatif”questionsinordertoexposeadditionalscenariosandexpresstheseasadditionalexamples.Discussionsaboutsolutionneedsarecenteredonconcreteexamplesthatareeasilyunderstandablebystakeholders.Thisleadstoamorestablesetofrequirementsthanusingabstractmodelsalone.ThesimpleformatusedinBDDleadstodirectcollaborationbetweenallstakeholders.Collaborativesessionsbetweentheproductowner,tester,anddeveloperarefrequentlyused.Thesesessionsareknownas“ThreeAmigos”sessions.Closecollaborationencouragesthedeliveryteamtothinklikethecustomeranddeliveronlywhatisnecessarytoachievethisintendedbehaviour.ThetermsBehaviourDrivenDevelopment,AcceptanceTestDrivenDevelopment,andSpecificationbyExamplearecommonlyusedinterchangeably.7.2.3 Elements
.1 ExamplesExamplesareexpressionsofreallifebusinessscenariosprovidedbystakeholders.Examplesmayalsobeknownasscenariosandcanbeexpressedinanumberofwaysincludingmodels.Businessanalysispractitionersfacilitatethediscoveryoftheinformationwhichisexpressedintheexamplesandensurethatthesetofexamplesiscomprehensive.
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Examplesareusedtodiscoverinformationaboutthecustomer,andnotallexamplesidentifiedwillnecessarilybewithinthescopeofadevelopmenteffort..2 GherkinSyntaxBehaviourDrivenDevelopmentusesasimplegrammarformat,referredtoasGherkin,thatallowsrealscenariostobefilledintothesyntax.Thistakestheform:GIVEN<asituation>WHEN<anevent>THEN<expectedresult>BothGIVENstatementsandmultipleTHENoutcomesforasinglescenariocouldbecompoundconditionslinkedwithANDstatements.ThereisonlyoneWHENeventthattriggersthescenario.AnexampleforanATM:Scenario1:Accounthassufficientfunds.• GIVEN:I'mincredit• AND:theATMhassufficientcashavailable• WHEN:Irequest$20• THEN:Ireceive$20• AND:myaccountbalanceisreducedby$20Scenario2:Accounthasinsufficientfunds.• GIVEN:I'minoverdraw• AND:theATMhassufficientcashavailable• WHEN:Irequest$20• THEN:IreceivenomoneyScenarioswritteninaBehaviourDrivenDevelopmentformatspecifyevents,conditions,andactionsareverifiable.TheycanserveasacceptancecriteriaforstoriesandserveastestsinsupportofAcceptanceTestDrivenDevelopmentthatdriveacommonunderstandingofrequirementsandfuturesolutionneeds..3 TestingThereareseveralsoftwareproductsthatwilltakeexamplesinthisformat(butmayhavetheirownspecificsyntaxandstructure)andallowthemtobeeasilyconvertedintoautomatedtests,thusenablingmoreagiledelivery.Automationofexamplesenhancesandspeedsupagileanalysisverificationandvalidationactivities.
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7.2.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Advantages• BehaviourDrivenDevelopment(BDD)expressescustomerneedsinnaturallanguage,inaformatthatallteammemberscaneasilyunderstand.Thelanguageisbasedonconcreteexamplesratherthanabstractconcepts.• The“Given-When-Then”patternmapsdirectlyontothe“Setup-Execute-Assert"patternthatagiledevelopersuseinTestDrivenDevelopment.Thismeansthedeveloperscanimplementthetestsdirectlyratherthaninterpretthem.• ThestructureofBDDlendsitselftowardsacceptancetestautomationandsupportstheproductionofeffectivetestcases.• ToolsexisttosupporttheuseofBDDinprojects,andtheseprovideadditionalmetricssuchastestcasecoverageorrequirements.• Theautomatedexamplesprovidethelong-termdocumentationofthesystemandcanbeusedtodemonstratetraceabilityofrequirementsforinternalstakeholdersandexternalstakeholderssuchasregulators.• Scenarioscanbeeasilyprioritizedwhichsupportstheiterative,incrementalnatureofagileprojects.• Allowsflexibilityofdocumentationbycreatingalightweight,livingrequirementsandtestingdocument.• Canbeusedasacceptancecriteriaforauserstory.• TheGherkinSyntaxcanbeusedtofacilitateandstructuredesigndiscussionstokeepthedesignteamfocusedonaparticularbehaviourofthesystem.Thisisespeciallythecasewhenthetechniqueisusedbackwardsonahighleveldesign.
.2 Disadvantages• Itispossibletomissimportantscenariosunlessthereissomeonewhoactivelyasksthe“whatif”and“whatabout”questions.• Wherebusinessrulesareverycomplextherecouldbetoomanyscenariostoeasilymanageandtrackwithouttoolsupport.• Thosemaintainingscenariosandtestcasesmustkeepthemcurrent,relevant,andeasytoreadtoeffectivelyservetheirpurpose.
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7.3 ImpactMapping
7.3.1 PurposeImpactMappingisusedtoalignstakeholderswithorganizationalgoalsandthecreationofcustomervalue.7.3.2 DescriptionImpactmapsaligninitiativesanddeliveryactivitieswithoverallorganizationalgoals.Impactmapshelpallstakeholdersstayfocusedonvaluecreation(thewhy)insteadoffeaturedevelopment(thewhat).ImpactMappingenhancesthefeedbackloopsbetweentheStrategy,Initiative,andDeliveryHorizonsbytyingactivitiestoorganizationalgoals.ImpactMappingisalightweightapproachwhichshowsabigpictureviewwhileidentifyingspecificdetails.Inordertoensurethediscoveryofinformationfromallperspectives,businessanalysispractitionersgenerallyfacilitateaface-to-facebrainstormingsession.Theimpactmapisavisualmapthatbreaksdowntheorganizationalgoalsintospecificdeliverables.Thisisanexampleofanimpactmap:
Figure7.3.1:ImpactMap
7.3.3 Elements
.1 ComponentsTherearefourprimarycomponentstoanimpactmap:• Goal:identifiestheorganizationalgoalsthesolutionaimstoachieve.Itanswersthequestion“whyarewedoingthis?”
Why?
Who?
What?
Who?
What?
How?
How?
...
...
How?
How?
...
...
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• Actor:identifiesthestakeholderswhocancontributetoachievingthegoals.Itanswersthequestion“whocaninfluencegoals?”• Impact:identifiestheactionsactorscantaketoachievegoals.Itanswersthequestion“howwillactorsinfluencegoals?”• Deliverable:identifieswhichdeliverablesandfunctionswillhelpactorsachievetheorganizationalgoals.Itanswersthequestion“whatactivitieshelpactorscompletegoals?”.2 ProcesstoCreateCreatinganimpactmapisbestdoneasaface-to-facefacilitatedexercisetocapitalizeontheinteractionbetweenpeopleofvariousexpertiseandknowledgeareas.Thestepstocreateanimpactmapinclude:1. Gatherallkeystakeholdersandteammembersinonespacetocollaborate.2. Havespacetocreatethevisualimpactmap.3. Facilitatetheidentificationofeachcomponent,startingwithgoals,thenactors,thenimpact,andthendeliverables.4. Oncetheimpactmapiscreated,keepitvisibleforlaterrevisionandrefinement.
7.3.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Getstheteamfocusedonorganizationalgoalsratherthanfeatures.• Reduceswastebypreventingscopecreepandover-engineeredorover-designedsolutions.• Providestransparencytoknowwhenbusinessoutcomesareachievedandwhentostopprojectsbeforetoomuchmoneyisspent.• Impactmapscanbecreatedinashortperiodoftime.• Giveslargecontextwithlittleinformation.• Thegoalsor"why"componentsspecifyquantifiableobjects.• Thevisualformatsenhancerefinementanddecisionmakingasnewinformationisfound.
.2 Limitations• Bestdonethroughface-to-facefacilitation.• Impactmapsneedtobevisual,accessible,andcanberevised.
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7.4 JobStories
7.4.1 PurposeJobStoriesareusedtorepresentaproductbacklogitem(PBI)orrequirementintermsofajobtobedonebyastakeholder.7.4.2 DescriptionJobStoriesfocusonthemotivationofthestakeholderandprovideasmuchcontextaspossibleforthemotivations,anxieties,andstrugglesofthestakeholder.Theyaddcontextualinformationthatcanaffecthowastakeholderwantsadesiredfeaturetobeandenableshelpswithmakingtherightimplementationdecisions.JobStoriesalsoserveasacommunicationtoolforstakeholders.Theyfacilitateinteractionandcollaborationamongindividualsandfocusthedeliveryteamonthecustomerneed,whileleavingimplementationdetailstobedetermined.7.4.3 Elements
.1 FormatAjobstoryfollowsaspecificformat.Itcanbewritteninfirstpersonorthirdpersonformat.Ajobstorycanbeformattedasfollows:When<situation>Iwantto<motivation>soIcan<expectedoutcomes>Whensomeone<situation>,actor(s)<motivation>sothat<expectedoutcomes>Example
WhenIwanttowithdrawmoneyfrommybankaccount,IwanttoknowIhaveenoughmoneyinmyaccounttowithdrawsomenowsoIcangoouttodinnerwithmyfriends.Whensomeonewishestowithdrawmoneyfromhis/heraccount,thecustomerwantstoknowiffundsareavailable,thetellerwantstoknowifthepersonbankswithus,sothatthepersonrequestingcanreceivedthedesiredcashamount..2 SituationThefirstelementofthejobstorysyntaxissituation.Situationprovidescontextforwhenthejobneedstobecompleted.Thecontextofthesituationencouragesthedeliveryteamtothinkofawidevarietyofpossiblesolutions.Themorecontextprovided,thebetterthedeliveryteamcandesignthesolution.Whentherearemultiplerolesthatwouldcompleteajob,thoserolesareincludedinthe“when”statement.
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Thepersonaisnotincludedinthesituationspecificallysothedeliveryteamcanfocusonrealcustomers..3 MotivationThesecondelementofthejobstorysyntaxismotivation.Motivationfocusesonthecustomermotivation.Itcanincludeinternalandexternalforcesformotivation.DesiredfeaturesorsolutionsarespecificallynotincludedinJobStoriesinordertofocusonthecustomer..4 ExpectedOutcomesThethirdelementofthejobstorysyntaxisexpectedoutcomes.Theoutcomeshouldsatisfyoralleviatethemotivationwhichpromptedthesituation.
7.4.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Thisformatreducesassumptionsregardingtheroleandremovesthepersonabiases.• Itcanbesetupforcauseandeffectscenarios.• Thisformatfocusesonstakeholdermotivationsinsteadofdefiningimplementation.• Itishelpfulforuserexperiencedesign.• Teamsfinditeasiertoempathizewiththestakeholder.• Removesfocusonfeaturesandinsteadfocusesonthestakeholder'sdesiredfuturestate.• TeamscanuseJobStoriesandUserStoriestogetheronbacklog.Thejobstoryindicatesthemotivationandoutcomeforthestakeholder,whiletheuserstoryindicatesfeaturesthatcouldsolvetheproblem.
.2 Limitations• ThisformathasatendencytobemoreverbosethanUserStoriesbecauseofthecontext,roles,andoutcomesincluded.• JobStoriescandecomposeintomultiplesmallerJobStorieswhichrequiremanagementthroughrefinementandprioritization.• IfJobStoriesandUserStoriesarebothontheproductbacklog,teamscangetconfusedwhenswitchingbetweenformats.
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7.5 KanoAnalysis
7.5.1 PurposeKanoAnalysisisusedtounderstandwhichproductcharacteristicsorqualitieswillprovetobeasignificantdifferentiatorinthemarketplaceandhelptodrivecustomersatisfaction.7.5.2 DescriptionKanoAnalysisisaprocessusedtoidentifyfeatureswhichareviewedbycustomersasthreshold,performance,excitement,orindifferent.Thishelpsdeterminewhichfeaturesaremostimportanttoimplementbeforereleasingasolutiontomarket.Thresholdorbasicfeaturesmustbepresentforcustomerstobesatisfied.Thesearefeaturestheyexpect.Performancefeaturescustomersviewasthemorethebetter.Excitementarefeaturesacustomerdoesn'tknowtheywantuntiltheyseeit.Indifferentarefeaturesthecustomerdoesn'twant.KanoAnalysisratesproductcharacteristicsontwoaxesmeasuringthedysfunctionalandfunctionalcustomersatisfactionforafeature.Theresultinggraphisplottedonamatrix.Basedontheresultingprofile,theproductcharacteristicsfallintooneoffourcategories:• thresholdcharacteristics,• performancecharacteristics,• excitementcharacteristics,and• indifferentcharacteristics.Thisanalysiscanhelpidentifyfeaturesthatwillgivethesolutionauniquepositioninthemarketplacebasedonbusinessvaluetoachieve.
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Figure7.5.1:KanoAnalysisGraph
7.5.3 Elements
.1 ThresholdCharacteristicsThresholdcharacteristicsarethosethatareabsolutelynecessaryforstakeholderstoconsideradoptingasolution.Theirabsencewillcauseintensedissatisfactionbut,astheyrepresentminimumacceptancecriteria,theirpresencewillnotdramaticallyincreasecustomersatisfaction.Thechallengewithelicitingrequirementsforthesefeaturesisthatpeopleexpectthemtobepresentandsotendnottothinkaboutthemunlessexplicitlyasked.
.2 PerformanceCharacteristicsPerformancecharacteristicsarethoseforwhichincreasesinthedeliveryofthecharacteristicproduceafairlylinearincreaseinsatisfaction.Theyrepresentthefeaturesthatcustomersexpecttoseeinasolution(speed,easeofuse,etc.).Requirementsforthesetypesoffeaturesarelikelytomostreadilycometomindforthemajorityofstakeholders.
.3 ExcitementCharacteristicsExcitementcharacteristicsarethosethatsignificantlyexceedcustomerexpectationsorrepresentthingsthecustomerdidnotrecognizewerepossible.Theirpresencewilldramaticallyincreasecustomersatisfactionovertime.Asthesecharacteristicsarenotmetbyanythingcurrentlyonthemarket,stakeholderswillnottendtothinkaboutrequirementsthatdescribethem.
Performance attributes
Excitementattributes
Threshold attributes
Customer satisfaction
Degree of achievement
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.4 IndifferentCharacteristicsIndifferentcharacteristicsarethosewhichaddnovaluetothecustomer,andthecustomerdoesnotwant.Thesecharacteristicsarenotused.Theyarenotrepresentedonthegraphbecauseitwillnegativelyaffectcustomersatisfactionanddegreeofachievement.
.5 DeterminetheCategoryCategorizationisbasedontwoformsofaquestionaboutafeature:• Functionalform:Howdoyoufeelifthisfeatureorcharacteristicispresentintheproduct?• Dysfunctionalform:Howdoyoufeelifthisfeatureorcharacteristicisabsentintheproduct?Possibleanswerstoeachquestionformare:• Ilikeitthatway.• Iexpectittobethatway.• Iamneutral.• Icanlivewithitthatway.• Idislikeitthatway.Theanswersaremappedonthefunctional/dysfunctionalgrid.Thetoprowrepresentstheanswerstothedysfunctionalformofthequestion.Theleftcolumnrepresentstheanswerstothefunctionalformofthequestion.
.6 Legend• E=Excitement• P=Performance• T=Threshold• I=Indifferent(Doesnotfitintooneofthethreecategories)• QorR=QuestionableorReversed(theanswerdoesn’tmakesense)
Table7.5.1:KanoAnalysisQuestionsGrid
Functional Dysfunctional
Like Expect Neutral LiveWith DislikeLike Q E E E PExpect R I I I TNeutral R I I I TLiveWith R I I I TDislike R R R R Q
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7.5.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Isapplicableforconsumerandnon-consumersolutionsasitfocusesonidentifyingrequirementsthatwillencouragewidespreaduseoradoptionofaproduct.• Analysiscandeterminefeatureprioritybasedonthedesiredpositioninthemarketplace.
.2 Limitations• Onlyidentifiescustomersatisfaction.Otherfactorsmustbeincludedforbacklogprioritization.• Thecategorizationofaparticularcharacteristictendstoshiftovertime,ascustomersgrowtoexpectfeaturesorcharacteristicstobepresentinaproduct.Excitementeventuallybecomeastandardexpectationandthresholdcharacteristic(thinkofthenoveltyofGooglesearchwhenfirstintroduced;nowcustomersassumeallsearchresponseswillbesimilar).7.6 MinimalViableProduct
7.6.1 PurposeMinimalViableProduct(MVP)isusedtoavoidcostandriskassociatedwithdevelopingthewrongproductbytestingahypothesis,reducingwaste,orincreasingspeedtocustomersforfeedbackandadoption.7.6.2 DescriptionMinimalViableProduct(MVP)identifiesthesmallestsetoffeaturesorrequirementstodelivervaluetostakeholdersandsatisfyearlyadoptersintheshortesttimepossible.Itfocusesoncorefeaturessufficienttodeployanddeliverstakeholdervalueandnomore.Furtherfeaturesaredevelopedafterconsideringfeedbackfromtheinitialstakeholders.Itappliesto• productdevelopment,• services(commonlytotestwillingnesstopay),• featuredevelopment(togaugedemand),andas• differentiation(marketteststrategy).Minimalapproachesarefrequentlychosenbasedontimeandmoneyconstraints.MinimalViableProduct(MVP)enablesiterativedevelopmentcyclesbycollectingandanalyzingfeedbackbeforedeliveringadditionalfeatures.MVPgenerallyfollowsthesethreehighlevelsteps:
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Step1:determinetheproblemtobesolved.• Identifyahypothesistosolvethisproblem.Step2:identifyaminimumsetoffeaturestotestthehypothesisofthesolution.• Thinkaboutcreative,low-costoptionstotestthehypothesiswiththetargetmarket.Step3:analyzevalidatedlearningfromcustomerstodeterminethenextstep.• Gatherfeedbackonfeasibilityofthesolutionandadditionalfeaturesneededtoincreaseadoption.
7.6.3 Elements
.1 TargetaudienceBusinessanalysispractitionersclearlyidentifythetargetmarketandwhowilllikelybetheearlyadoptersofthesolution.Analysisofthesegroupsidentifieswhatproblemstheymayhaverelatedtotheproposedsolution.
.2 GoaltoAchieveorHypothesistoTestBusinessanalysispractitionersclearlydefinethegoalorthehypothesistotestwithMVP.Forexample,thehypothesismaysuggestthatthenewproductwillleadtoquickadoptionwiththetargetaudience.Or,theorganizationmayhypothesizethatanewfeatureinaproductwillimprovecustomerservice.
.3 MechanismtoMeasureLearningInordertovalidatethehypothesisortodetermineifthedesiredgoalwasachieved,businessanalysispractitionersidentifyobjectivemeasurementstocorrelateandinterpretthefeedbackandlearningreceived.ThesemeasurementsinfluencefurthersolutiondevelopmentbyidentifyingthesuccessofthecurrentMVP.
.4 DefinedRequirementsBusinessanalysispractitionersselecttheminimalamountofrequirementsnecessarytodelivertheMVP.Thisselectionisbasedonthetargetaudience,thegoaltoachieve,andthemechanismtomeasurelearnings.Theamountofrequirementsnecessaryissubjectiveanddependentoncontext.Theremustbeenoughproducedtovalidatethehypothesis;however,itmustbetheminimalamounttoreleasethesolutionquickly.7.6.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Itislessexpensivethandevelopingaproductwithmorerobustfeatures.
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• Reducescostandriskbygainingcustomerfeedbackbeforeengaginginafullsolution.• Avoidsbuildingproductscustomersdon’twant,therebyreducingrisk.• Testsactualusagescenarioinsteadofrelyingonmarketresearch..2 Limitations• Requiresadvancedmarketanalysistoidentifythenecessaryfeaturesetforearlyadopters.• Thereisnoformula,anddesiredfeaturesareabestguess.• Itisnotaboutcreatingaminimalproduct,buttestinganinitialhypothesisforaproduct.• Itisnotusefulforaclearorsimplesolution.Forthissituation,thedefinedMinimalViableProduct(MVP)isthecompleteproductandshouldbeconsideredassuch.
7.7 Personas
7.7.1 PurposePersonasareusedtounderstandandempathizewithanintendedstakeholderinordertoalignthesolutionwiththestakeholderneed.7.7.2 DescriptionPersonasarefictionalcharactersorarchetypesthatexemplifythewaythattypicalusersinteractwithasolution.Theyareoftenusedinagileapproachestounderstandvaluefromtheperspectiveofaparticularstakeholderandallowateamthatmaynothavedirectaccesstoacustomerrepresentativetobetterunderstandtheirneeds.Workcanthenfocusonthefeaturesofgreatestvaluetoaparticularpersona.Apersonaisdescribedasthoughitisrealperson.Personasmayprovideaname,personality,family,workbackground,skilllevel,preferences,behaviourpatterns,personalattitudes,goals,andneeds.Theycanalsoincludeapictureandashort“dayinthelife”narrativethathelpstovisualizetheuserandtheirexperience.Businessanalysispractitionersusepersonastogainadeeperunderstandingofstakeholdersthanisgenerallyprovidedfromaroleoractordescription.Personashelpimproveasolution,apurpose,andusabilitybecausetheyarepatternedafterthesubtlequalitiesofrealpeoplethatwillinteractwiththesolutionandhowtheydotheirjob.Personasarerankedtoidentifythosethatwillrealizethemostbenefitfromthesolutiondesign.
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7.7.3 Elements
.1 LongandShortTemplateBusinessanalysispractitionersfrequentlyusetwodifferenttemplateswhencreatingpersonas:• ashorttemplatewhichoffersaone-pagequickviewofkeyinformation,and• alongtemplatewhichoffersmorein-depthdetailsandunderstanding.Additionaluserresearchhelpsexpandfromshorttemplatetolongtemplate.Figure7.7.1:ShortPersonaTemplate
Figure7.7.2:LongPersonaTemplate
.2 PersonaNameandImageBusinessanalysispractitionersgivepersonasarealisticnameandattachafictionalimageinorderincreaseitsrelatabilityandtherebytheunderstandingofandempathywiththeintendedstakeholder.
Traits and characteristics
Name Details or Context
Goals
�� Goal 1
�� Goal 2
�� Goal 3
�� Age
��Occupation
�� Location
�� Tasks and responsibilities
�� Technology
Picture
Traits
NameDemographics
Buying motive
Needs Motivation Differentiators
Picture
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.3 TraitsandCharacteristicsPersonasincludeunique,distinguishing,anddifferentiatingcharacteristicsortraitsregardingtheintendedstakeholder.Forexample,oneATMpersonamaybeanofficemanagerwhodepositscashattheendoftheday.AdifferentATMpersonamaybeanindividualwholikestogetsmallamountsoutatatime.
.4 MotivationsPersonasincludearepresentationoftheunderlyingmotivationsregardinghowandwhytheintendedstakeholderinteractswiththesolution.Forexample,anATMofficemanagermaybemotivatedbyreducingriskoffraudortheft.TheindividualwithdrawingfromtheATMmaybemotivatedbywithdrawingtheminimumamountneeded.
.5 NeedsNeedsforthepersonaaddressveryspecificneeds.Thesecanbebasicneedssuchassafety,trust,oraccesstofoodandshelter.Theycanbehigherlevelneedssuchastheneedforacceptanceandvalidation.Needsarefiniteascomparedtowantswhichareinfinite.
.6 DifferentiatorsDifferentiatorsidentifyspecificallywhythispersonaisdifferentfromanotherpersona.Theyidentifywhatisuniqueaboutthispersona.Thesecouldbegenerationalorexperientialdifferentiators,preferencedifferentiators,oridentifyingcharacteristics.7.7.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Personasfacilitatethesharedunderstandingofspecificrequirementsfordifferentsetsofusers.Theserequirementscanbeusedtodevelopuserstories.• Proposedsolutionscanbeguidedbyhowwelltheymeettheneedsofindividualuserpersonas.Featurescanbeprioritizedbasedonhowwelltheyaddresstheneedsofoneormorepersonas.• Provideahuman“face”soastofocusempathyonthepeoplerepresentedbythedemographics.• Ifthedataisavailable,usingdemographic(oranthropomorphic)dataabouttheintendeduserpopulationisagoodwaytostartbuildingpersonas.However,insomecasesitisnecessarytobecreativeandinventpersonasbasedonlittlemorethanafewdryfactsabouttheintendedendusers.Ineithercase,arepresentativepoolofpersonasshouldbeidentified.
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• Personashelpstakeholdersfromprojectingindividualvaluesandbiasesontothesolution.Theyhelptodevelopcompassionforvarioususers..2 Limitations• Personasarefictional,sothereisatendencytocreatepersonasthatembodytraitscommontomostusers,butthiscreatesagenericuserthatisnotdistinctorrealistic.Thiscanleadtosolutionsthataretryingtobeeverythingtoeveryone.• Personasmaynotbeagoodsubstituteforarealuser.Personascandistanceateamfromausercommunity.• Personasneedtoberegularlyreviewedandupdated.
7.8 PlanningWorkshops7.8.1 PurposePlanningWorkshopsareusedtodeterminewhatvaluecanbedeliveredoveranagreedtimeperiod.7.8.2 DescriptionPlanningWorkshopsfacilitatethecommitmenttothedeliveryofasetoffunctionalityorfeatureswithinanagreedtimeperiod.Theyenablecustomercollaborationandresponsetochangesthatresultfromfeedbackandlearning.Frequently,BacklogRefinement,whichinvolvesanalysistogetareasonablegaugeofthesize,scope,andcomplexityofeachbacklogitemoccursinpreparationforthePlanningWorkshops.TypicallytherearetwolevelsofPlanningWorkshops:• onethatcoversthecurrentreleaseofthesolutionandtakesplacepriortothestartofiterations,and• amoredetailedsessionthatfocusesonworktobedoneduringtheiterationorspecifiedamountofthebacklog.PlanningWorkshopscanbeusedatanyplanninghorizon(Strategic,Initiative,orDelivery).Thegoalandthelevelofdetailisbasedonthecontextofthehorizon.• PlanningWorkshopsattheStrategyHorizonfocusonorganizationalgoals,metricstoachievethesegoals,andinitiativesthatcandelivervaluetowardthesegoals.• PlanningWorkshopsattheInitiativeHorizonproducereleaseplansshowingtheintendedsequenceofdeliveryofuserstoriesorfeaturesoverthewholereleaseorinitiative.• PlanningWorkshopsattheDeliveryHorizonareperformedatthebeginningofeachiteration.Inaflowapproach,theteamidentifiestheappropriate,regulartimetoreviewthenextsetofbacklogitemsneededtobereviewed.Itisimportantthattheteamunderstandsandfocusesontheiteration
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objectives,thevalueassociatedwithaparticularminimalmarketablefeature(MMF),businessissues,andstorydecomposition.Inagileapproaches,PlanningWorkshopsareperformedonafrequentandregularbasisbecausethesolutioncontinuallychangesbasedonfeedbackandlearning.PlanningWorkshopsareusedtomakedecisionsregardingtheprioritizationandsequencingbasedonfeedbackorchangingneeds.InKanban,theamountofworkbeingperformedbytheteamislimitedbyrestrictingthenumberofworkitemsthatcanbeinanyworkflowstate,notbasedoniterations.PlanningWorkshopsareusedtoincreaseknowledgesharingacrosstheteam.PlanningWorkshopsareorganizedintotwoparts:1.What:theproductownerdiscussesthegoal,thedesiredoutcome,thedateneeded,thehighestprioritybacklogitems,clarifiesspecificdetails,andensuresalignmenttogoals.2.How:theteamdiscusseshoweachitemcanbecompletedandwhatisneededfortheteamtosuccessfullycompletethem.7.8.3 Elements
.1 EstimatedandOrderedBacklogBusinessanalysispractitionersprovideestimatesandordertheitemsinthebacklogasakeyinputtotheplanningworkshop.
.2 TeamVelocityPriorvelocity(throughputcapacityofbacklogitems)iscriticaltoenablingtheteamtoschedulearealisticamountofwork.WhenusingKanban,work-in-progress(WIP)limitswillbeusedtomanagethisworkloadinstead.
.3 IterationGoalorFeatureSetFrequently,anoverallgoalfortheiterationissettohelpguidetheselectionoffeatures.Thisisasubsetofthereleasegoalorroadmapgoal.Itisanobjectivethatwillbemetthroughtheimplementationofthebacklog.
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.4 BacklogItemSelectionAtthebeginningofthemeeting,theiterationgoalandthehighestprioritybacklogitemsareselectedfromthereleaseplanbytheproductownerbasedonorganizationalvalueandteamvelocity.Thebacklogiscomposedoffeatureandnon-featureitemsidentifiedasnecessarytoachievetheiterationgoalordeliveraminimalmarketablefeature(MMF).Forexample,therecanbebugstobefixed,asystemorenvironmentsetup,researchinitiatives,managementworkitems,oranyotheractivitythataddsvaluetotheproject.
.5 TaskPlanningBacklogitemscanbebrokendownintosmallermanageabletasksthatcanbeassignedtospecificmembersoftheteam.7.8.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Stakeholderscancommunicateandcollaboratefrequentlyaboutproductvisionandevolutionofthesolution.• Stakeholdersandproductownercanguidethesolutionateveryiteration.• It'seasiertounderstand,estimate,andplanthescopeofsmalliterationsinsteadofthescopeofbigreleases.• Planscanbechangedinadvancebasedonfeedbackfromincrementaldeliveryofthesolution.• Iterationplanningcanfacilitatevisibilityofthewholesolutionandsynchronizationbetweenmultipleteams.• Thedeliveryteamcandiscussanydependenciesbetweenbacklogitems.
.2 Limitations• Itisnecessarytogetallteammemberstogetherinordertoavoidinterruptionsandrework,especiallywhenworkingwithdistributedorconcurrentteams.• Ifenoughtimeisnotsetasidetocompletetheplanningworkshop,theteamwillneedfurtherconversationstounderstandthegoalandbacklog.• Ifthesolutionorbacklogitemsarenotwellunderstoodduringtheiterationplanningworkshop,itispossibleitwillresultinasub-optimalplan.
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7.9 PortfolioKanban
7.9.1 PurposePortfolioKanbanisusedtomanagetheimplementationofstrategicinitiativesbyincreasingvisibilityintotheprocess,work-in-progress(WIP),decisionmakingcriteria,andfeedbackloops.7.9.2 DescriptionKanbanisaframeworkwhichhelpsintheapplicationofagilevaluesandprinciples.Aportfolioisacollectionofstrategicinitiativesforanorganizationordepartmenttoexecuteinalignmentwiththeirbusinessgoals.PortfolioKanbanbringsstructuretoanalysisanddecisionmakingattheStrategyHorizon.PortfolioKanbanisasystemtomanageflowofworkduringtheentiredeliverycycle.Itfocuseson• visualizingthework,• limitingwork-in-progress(WIP)toincreasespeedofdeliveryandreducewaste,• managingflowbyidentifyingbottlenecksandstalleditems,• makingdecisionmakingandrulesexplicit,• incorporatingfeedbackloops,and• increasingcollaborationandcontinuousimprovement.TheKanbanboardvisualizestheportfoliotoshowwhatinitiativesareinprogress,identifybottlenecks,andincreasevisibilitytopriorities,decisionmaking,andfeedbackloops.EachportfolioinitiativeisrepresentedasanitemontheKanbanboard.Itemsincorporatemetricsorimpactgoalsnecessaryfordecisionmakerstoprioritizeinitiativesandmeasurevalueagainstbusinessgoals.7.9.3 Elements
.1 KanbanBoard
ColumnsofKanbanBoardThecolumnsoftheKanbanboardrepresentallthestepsidentifiedintheorganizationtomoveaninitiativeoritemfromideatocompletion.Forexample:
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.2 DoneCriteriaperColumnForeachcolumnorstep,thereisanexplicitcriteriaindicatedwhenanitemiscompleteandreadytomovetothenextcolumn.Thisallowsorganizationstohaveasharedunderstandingofwhatmustbecompletedtomovetothenextstep.
.3 LimitsperColumnKanbanemphasizeslimitingwork-in-progresstoincreaseflowthroughthesystem.Toeffectivelydothis,organizationsimposelimitsforeachcolumnbasedonthereasonablecapacityoftheirdepartmentsorteams.Thefocusisongettingitemsthroughtheportfolioinatimelymanneroverhavingmanyinitiativesinprogresswithoutcompletion.
.4 StrategicBusinessInitiativesorPortfolioItemsEachstrategicinitiativeisrepresentedontheKanbanboardasaportfolioitem.Eachitemincludesaname,shortdescription,andmetricsorimpactgoalstomeasuresuccess.
.5 RefinementMeetingRefinementmeetingsareusedtomakedecisionsandchangesbasedonongoingfeedbackandlearning.Refinementmeetingsoccuronaregularbasisandincludeallnecessarydecisionmakers.Refinementmeetingsalsoincludethoseaffectedbydecisionssuchasproductownersforeachinitiative.Thereisnostandardformatforthismeeting;theoutcomesincludeareviewoftheboard,analysisoffocusareas,andprioritizationofexistingitems.
.6 MetricsEachportfolioitemincludesimpactmetricsusedtoprioritizeinitiatives.
.7 VisualOneofthestrengthsofKanbanisprovidingvaluesintotheitemsontheboard.ThePortfolioKanbanboardismadeeasilyaccessibletoanyonewhowantstoviewtheinformation.Physicalrepresentationsthatcanbeeasilyinteractedwithhavethegreatestvisibilityandlowestbarriertoentry.
Table7.9.1:KanbanBoard
Waitingtostart
Marketresearchandanalysis
MVPcreatedforcustomerfeedback
Securityreview
Productavailableforcustomers
InitiativeE InitiativeB InitiativeAInitiativeCInitiativeD
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7.9.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• CanbereplicatedattheInitiativeandDeliveryHorizons.• Optimizesportfoliomanagementtorespondtobusinessandcustomerneeds.• Increasesfeedbackloopperportfolioitemandperstep.• Increasedvisibilityintowork-in-progressallowspeopletoseecurrentprioritiesandfocusfortheorganization.• Increasedvisibilityidentifiesbottlenecksorimpedimentswhichneedsupport.• Limitingwork-in-progressincreasesoverallflowofthesystem.
.2 Limitations• Usefulwhenallinitiativesgothroughthesameflow.Itisnotusefuliftherearedifferentpaths/columnsthroughwhichaninitiativecanmove.• Initiativesshouldbeappropriatelysizedtoregularlymovethroughcolumns.Theapproachdoesnotaddclaritywheninitiativessitinthesamecolumnforalongperiodoftime.• PortfolioKanbanisdesignedtoprovidevisibility.Itisbestusedforasingleflowsystem.MultiplesystemsrepresentedononeKanbanboardwillbeoverwhelmingandnotprovidethenecessaryclarity.7.10 ProductRoadmap
7.10.1 PurposeProductRoadmapisusedtocommunicatedirectionandprogresstowardsthevisionforasolutionorinitiative,anditmeasuresprogressagainstthatvisionthroughachievingthestakeholders'desiredoutcome.7.10.2 DescriptionProductRoadmapisastrategicdocumentandplanusedtodescribehowaproductislikelytogrow,toaligntostakeholders'needs,andtoacquireabudgetfordelivery.Itshowsfeatures,requirements,orinitiatives,andoutlinesapathtodeliverthemovertime.Agilevaluesworkingsolutions;productroadmapsfocusonproduct/feature/valuedelivered,notmilestonesorcheckpoints.
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ProductRoadmapenablesiterativedeliverybyexpressingfeaturesintermsofnow,next,andlater.Itdefineswhatthesolutionisandwhatitisnot.Figure7.10.1:ProductRoadmap
7.10.3 Elements
.1 DefinedVisionandStrategyProductRoadmapclearlydefinesthevisionandstrategyfortheinitiative.Thisvisionclarifieswhatisincludedforthesolutionandthegoaltobeachieved.Theroadmapalsoarticulateshowthatvisionwillbeachieved.
.2 DefinedDesiredOutcomesProductRoadmapclearlyarticulatesorganizationandstakeholderdesiredoutcomes.Definingthedesiredoutcomeshelpsthedeliveryteamprovideaworkingsolutionthataddsvalue.
.3 ProductManagementTeamTheproductmanagementteamisledbytheproductownerorcustomerrepresentative.ThisisasmallteamfocusedonmaintainingtheProductRoadmap.Theproductmanagementteamensurestheroadmapreflectsthemostcurrentprioritiesandgoals,isaccessibletothosewhoneedit,andtailorstheviewbasedontheaudienceasneeded.
.4 ThemesProductRoadmapincludesthemeswhichrepresentacollectionofrequirements,features,orstories.
.5 High-levelRequirementsProductRoadmapiscomprisedofhigh-levelrequirementsorfeatureswhichareexpectedtodelivervaluetoachievethevisionandgoalsforthesolution.Thesehigh-levelitemsrepresentagroupofrequirementsorstories.
Capability 1
Capability 2A Capability 2B
Capability 3
Capability 4
Capability 5
Capability 2C
Capability 6
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
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7.10.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Itisvisibleandaccessibletoallstakeholders.• Itorientsstakeholderstoasharedfocus.• Itpresentsaunifiedviewofthesolutiondirection.• Itcanbeusedtofacilitateadiscussionofoptionsandpriorities.• Therecanbedifferentviewsbasedontheaudiencefortheinformation.Forexample,organizationexecutives,solutionteam,andexternalcustomersmayhavedifferentviewsoftheroadmap.
.2 Limitations• Ineffectiveiftheorganizationalenvironmentleadstoafrequentlychangingvisionanddesiredoutcomes.• Canbemisusedasamilestoneordate-drivenroadmap.• Time-consumingtomaintainifoverlydetailedormultipledifferentviewsarerequired.7.11 PurposeAlignmentModel
7.11.1 PurposePurposeAlignmentModelisusedtoassessideasinthecontextofcustomerandbusinessvalue.7.11.2 DescriptionPurposeAlignmentModelratesfeatures,processes,products,orcapabilitiesintwodimensions.Businessanalysispractitionersusethisinformationtohelprecommendthebestactionstoimprovethembasedontheratings.ThefirstdimensionofthePurposeAlignmentModeliswhetherornotthefeaturecreatesmarketdifferentiation.Theseconddimensioniswhetherornotthefeatureiscriticalforthecontinuedfunctioningoftheorganization.PurposeAlignmentModelaidsinmakingongoingprioritizationdecisionsandfocusinginvestmentonthosefeaturesorcapabilitiesthatofferthegreatestvaluetotheorganization.Itwasdesignedforusebyfor-profitorganizationsthatfacecompetitioninthemarketplace.Governmentalorganizationsandnon-profitsusethismodelwithvariationsalignedtotheirmarketgoalstodrivedecisions.Stakeholdervalue,alignmentwiththeorganizationalmission,ordeliveryofsocialgoodmayserveasanalternativetothemarketdifferentiationdimension.Thethinkingbehindtheuseofthemodelremainsthesameevenwhendifferentlabelsareusedforthedimensions.
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PurposeAlignmentModelprovidesguidanceonwhethersomethingshouldbeanareaofstrategicconcernbutdoesnotprovideanyguidanceonwhatstrategiesordecisionsmightbethecorrectones.ThefollowingillustrationisanexampleofaPurposeAlignmentModel.Figure7.11.1:PurposeAlignmentModel
7.11.3 Elements
.1 DifferentiatingQuadrantThedifferentiatingquadrantincludesfeatures,products,orservicesthatservetodifferentiatetheorganizationinthemarketplaceandarecriticaltothefunctioningofthecompany.Organizationspreparetoinvestinthesetodifferentiatefromcompetitorofferings.Adifferentiatingactivitymightbeusedtoadvertisethecompany,isdifficultforcompetitorstomatch,orotherwisehassignificantstrategicvalue,andauniqueapproachtotheseactivitiesislikelytobeneeded.
.2 ParityQuadrantParityquadrantitemsaremissioncritical,butnotmarketdifferentiating.Manystandardfunctionssuchasfinance,HR,payroll,andothersfallintothisquadrantformostorganizations.Activitiesinthisquadrantareimportantbutdonotprovideanadvantagetothefirminrelationtocompetitors.Adoptionofbestpracticesisgenerallysufficient.
.3 PartnerQuadrantActivitiesinthepartnerquadrantmayhaveuniquevaluetocustomersbutarenotcriticaltothefunctioningoftheorganization.Eventhoughtheseactivitiesareimportanttocustomersorotherstakeholders,theorganizationdoesn'tneedtoperformthemtosurvive.Thatmeanstheorganizationisunlikelytohavetheresourcestoexcelattheseactivities(asmoremission-criticaloperationswilltakeprecedence),whileapartnermayperformthemmoreeffectively.
HighLow
Low
High
ParityWho cares?
Partnern
Ma
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iffe
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.4 WhoCares?QuadrantActivitieswhichareneithermission-criticalnorhelptodifferentiatetheorganizationinthemarketplacefallintothewhocares?quadrant.Astheseactivitiesdonotaddcustomervalue,andtheorganizationcanfunctionwithoutperformingthem,theyareprimecandidatestobeeliminatedandtheresourcesreallocatedtosupportmoreusefulwork.7.11.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Oneofthekeyadvantagesofthistechniqueisitssimplicity.Itcanbetaughttobusinesssponsorsandusersinacoupleofminutes,sotheycancriticallyassessanideathemselves.• Themodeliseasytouseinafacilitated,collaborativeenvironment.• Itcanbeappliedatanyhorizon.• Itenablesanalysisinashorttimeframe.
.2 Limitations• Itassumespositiveintentinthebusinessstrategy.• Theparticipationoftherightstakeholdersisnecessaryforsuccess.• Thesimplicityofthistechniquecanomitoroverlookanimportantnuanceforafeature.7.12 RealOptions
7.12.1 PurposeRealOptionsisusedtohelpdeterminewhentomakedecisions.7.12.2 DescriptionRealOptionsaddressaversiontouncertaintybyprovidingtheconditionswhenacommitmentshouldbemaderatherthansimplysuggestingtowaitormakethedecisiontooearly.RealOptionshelpsstakeholderstodelaydecisionstothelastresponsiblemomentandfocusonthehighestpriorityitem.
RealOptionsreducesthenumberofdecisionstoconsideratanyonetimeanddelaysdecisionsaboutthedetailofrequirementsaslongaspossible.Thisisachievedbytreatingthedetailofrequirementsasoptionsandthecommitmentpointasthetimetoelaborateondetails.RealOptionsdelaysmakingdecisionsorcommitmentsuntilthelastresponsiblemomentwhenthedecisionneedstobemade.
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RealOptionshasthreesimplerules:1. optionshavevalue,2. optionsexpire,and3. nevercommitearlyunlessyouknowwhy.Optionshavevaluemeanskeepingoptionsavailableandprovidesvaluethroughflexibilitytorespondtofeedback,learning,andchangingneeds.Optionsexpiremeansthatdecisionsdoneedtobemadeatacertainpoint.Optionswithnoexpirationprovidenovalueasthatimpliesadecisionneverneedstobemade.Nevercommitearlymeanskeepingoptionsavailabletothelastresponsiblemomenttoencouragefeedback,learning,andtheopportunitytochange.RealOptionsisfrequentlyusedasarefinementandprioritizationtechnique.Itindicateswhenadecisionshouldbemadeandwhenmoredetailsareneeded.Foriterationinitiatives,thisoccursduringthenextplanningsession.Forflowinitiatives,itoccursthenexttimecapacitybecomesavailabletoworkonsomethingnew.7.12.3 Elements
.1 OptionsAkeyelementofthistechniqueistheoptionsthemselves.Examplesofoptionsinclude:• Auserstory:anoptiontoimplementapieceoffunctionality.Theoptionexpireswhenthebusinessneedchanges.• Acceptancecriteria:anoptiontoincludeacertainlevelofdetailforauserstory.• Ahotelreservation:anoptiontostayatthehotel.Theoptionnormallyexpiresat6p.m.onthedayofthestayatwhichpointyouarecommittedtopayingforthehotelroom.• Abusinesscard:theoptiontocontactthepersonwhogivesyouthecard.Theoptionexpireswhenthepersonchangescontactdetails.Examplesofitemsthatarenotoptionsincludeitemsoractivitiesthat• youcannotdo,• youcannotafford,• youcannotdointime,• youcannotbuyorsell,and• youdonothavethetoolsfor.
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Optionsareavailableuntilapointintime.Theycanbecommittedtoornot.Oncecommitted,theotheroptionsexpire.Often,thereisapenaltyassociatedwithfailingtomeetacommitment..2 CommitmentsSomeexamplesofcommitmentsinclude:• Usingtheorganization'sstandardsoftwaredevelopmentlanguagetobuildaproduct.Failuretomeetthiscommitmentintroducesriskandmaintenancecoststotheorganization.• AcceptancecriteriacompletedpriortothePlanningWorkshops.Turninguptoworkontime.Failuretomeetthiscommitmentmayresultinterminationofyourcontractofemployment.Deliveringitemsfromthebacklogthatyouhavecommittedtodeliver.Failuretomeetthiscommitmentwillreducetrustanddamagetheteam'sreputationwithcustomers..3 OptionsExpiryInRealOptions,theexpirydateisconditional.Thisexpirydateforcesconsiderationofwhenoptionsexpireandnochoicecanbemade.DeterminationofwhenanoptionexpiresisthemostimportantaspectofRealOptions.Thisknowledgeiscriticaltopreventmakingdecisionstoosoonortoolate..4 Right/Wrong/UncertainBusinessanalysispractitionersstrivetoprovidequalityinformationthatsupportsmakingtherightdecisions.Inarapidlychangingcontext,decisionmakersfacemuchuncertainty.Frequentlythisuncertaintycausesdecisionstobemadetooearly.Ifadecisionismadetooearly,thereisanincreasedchancethatthedecisionwillbethewrongdecision.BusinessanalysispractitionersuseRealOptionstodeterminewheninformationisneededtomakeadecision(rightbeforethefirstoptionexpires)andthengatherinformationupuntilthatpointtoimprovethechanceofbeingright.
7.12.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Simplifiesdecisionmakingbyprovidingasimplesetofinformationtofollow.• Enablesfasterdecisionmakingbecausethefocusisontheimmediatedecisionsanddefersprioritizationuntillaterwhencomplexityisresolved.
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• Informswhen,nothow,toconstructdecisions,whichmakesthembroadlyapplicableasanapproach.• Optimizesprocessesbyforcingtheconsiderationofthedecisionpointsandtheinformationarrivalprocess(whendataarrivesandwhetheritarrivesbeforethedecision)..2 Limitations• Canbecounterintuitiveastheyrequireanalysisofsystemsfromtheoutputstotheinputs.• Arenotasimpleprocesstobefollowedbyrote.Itisacomplextechniquewhichrequirespracticeandstudy.
7.13 RelativeEstimation
7.13.1 PurposeRelativeEstimationisusedtomakefuturepredictionsbasedonpastexperience,knowledge,complexity,size,anduncertaintyrequiredtocompletebacklogitems.EstimationisdiscussedatlengthintheBABOK®Guide:10.19Estimation.TheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®GuidebuildsontheinformationintheBABOK®Guideanddescribesrelativeestimationtechniquesthatcanbeappliedinanagilecontext.
7.13.2 DescriptionInanagilecontext,estimatingisprogressiveandoccursinalignmentwithiterations.Initialestimatesarenotexpectedtobeasaccurateaslatterestimatesprovidedclosertodelivery.Theabilitytoaccuratelyestimateimprovesovertimeasnewinformationisdiscoveredaboutbothcapacityandcapabilities.Thecontinuousfeedbackandlearningthatiscentraltoagilebusinessanalysisprovidesclarityandunderstandingregardingthecomponents,characteristics,andcomplexityofthework.Estimatesarenotpartofthesolutionandareusedtoguideinternaldecisionmaking.Estimatesprovidevaluetostakeholdersby• determiningcostandeffort,• establishingtheprioritiesoftheinitiative,and• committingtoaschedule.Inadditiontothebasicapproachofestimatingbasedonhistoricalknowledge,agilebusinessanalysispractitionersfrequentlyapplyarelativeestimatingmodelinwhichteamsdevelopstoriesthatdefineuserneedsandbenefits.Thesestoriesareanalyzedandnumericvaluesareappliedtoeachstoryasstorypoints.StorypointsapplyaFibonacciscaletoabstractmeasurementoffactorsindicativeofstorysize.Relativeestimationisbasedontheteam'spastexperienceandwillvarybetweenteams.
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Astorypointisarelativenumberassignedtoeachstorythatdefinestheestimatedeffortateamwillhavetoapplytodeliverthestory.Storypointsareusuallybasedonwhattheteamknowsaboutthestoryinfivekeyareas:• Knowledge:Howmuchinformationdoestheteamhave?• Experience:hastheteamdonethis/similaritembefore?• Complexity:Howdifficultistheimplementationlikelytobe?• Size:Howbigisthestory?Howlongwillittake?• Uncertainty:Whatvariablesandunknownfactorsmightimpactthestory?Thetotalnumberofstorypointsdeliveredwithinanygiveniterationisconsideredtobetheteam'svelocity,orhowmuchateamaccomplishedwithintheiteration.Overseveraliterations,teamswillhaveabetterunderstandingoftheiractualvelocity.Thisallowsthemtomakebetterinformedestimatesandcommitmentsinsubsequentiterations.7.13.3 ElementsThereareseveralwaystoestimatestorypoints.Businessanalysispractitionersbeginwith• anorderofmagnitude,• agivensetofresourcesandafixediteration,or• ateambasedestimationofthetimerequiredforasampleofstoriesofdifferentsizes,andthenextrapolatefromtheretoestimatetheworkthatcanlikelybedoneinaniteration.7.13.4 Approaches
.1 PlanningPokerPlanningpokerisatechniquetoestimatestorypointsforateam.DuringthePlanningWorkshop,theteamreviewseachbacklogitemorstory.Oncetheteamhasasharedunderstandingofthestory,eachteammemberchoosesanumberbasedonthestorypointscale.Wherealignmentiswithinonedegreeofnumbers,theteamchoosesoneandmoveson.Wherethereisawidevariationinnumbers,theteamdiscussesthediscrepancytouncoveranyassumedknowledge.ThegoalisfortheteamtoreachagreementforeachstorypointduringthePlanningWorkshop.
.2 SilentSizingSilentsizingisanapproachwhichengagestheentireteaminestimationactivities.Todothis,theteamneedsbacklogitemspreparedonindividualcardsandawall,table,orsimilarspacetolineuptheitems.Takingturns,ateammemberselectsacardandplacesitalongthewall.Theteammembersrepeatthisforallcards,creatingalinearlinewiththesmallestcardsononeendandthelargestcardsontheotherend.Theteamthenidentifiesbreakingpointstogroupsimilarsizeditems.Atthispoint,theteamassignsanumber,suchasthe
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Fibonacciscale,toeachgrouping.Eachcardisassignedthesizeofitsgroup.7.13.5 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Asimple,reliablemethodologythatfitswellwithagilepractices.Itishighlyadaptiveandislikelytobecomeincreasinglyaccuratethroughoutsuccessiveiterations.• Thesizingapproachesarehighlycollaborativeandbasedonconsensus,andwilllikelyhaveapositiveimpactondevelopmentteams.
.2 Limitations• Relativeestimatesarebasedonhistoricaldata,andaccuracyisdependentuponthesimilarityofnewstoriestostoriespreviouslydelivered.Ifnewstoriesdifferradicallyfrompreviousstories,itispossiblethattheaccuracyoftheestimatemaydecrease.• Theaccuracyofvelocityisdependentontheknowledgeandexperienceofthedevelopmentteamworkingtogether.Anychangestoteamcompositionwillimpactvelocityandthereforefutureestimates.• Numbersusedareteamspecific,andcomparisonsbetweenteamscanleadtoconfusionforstakeholders.• Relativeestimatescanbemisconstruedasadefinitivetimetocomplete.• Stakeholdersoutsidetheteammayfocusontheestimates(output)insteadofvaluedelivered(outcomes).7.14 Retrospectives
7.14.1 PurposeRetrospectivesareusedtocontinuouslyimprovebyreflectingonwhatwentwell,whatcouldbebetter,andtoimprovetheprocesses.7.14.2 DescriptionTheretrospectiveprovidesanopportunityforallmembersoftheteamtoreflectonthemostrecentdeliveries.Theretrospectiveincludestheentireteam.Itiscommonfortheretrospectivetobesplitintotwoparts.First,theteamreflectsonthepastiteration.Second,theteamidentifieswaystoadapt.Retrospectivesareheldatkeymilestonesinthesolutionlifecycle,normallyattheendofeveryiteration/release,solearningcanbequicklyembeddedintheprocessesandpracticesgoingforward.Retrospectivesfocusonidentifyingissueswiththeprocess.Theyidentifyprocessimprovementsandarenotpersonalinanysense.Theyincludeasafetycheckto
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ensureteammemberscanspeakfreelyandconstructively.ItmaybeusefulforRetrospectivestobefacilitatedbyaneutralfacilitatorratherthanbyamemberoftheteam.Wherefixediterationcyclesarenotbeingused,regularRetrospectivesarescheduledtoenabletheteamtoexaminetheirprocesses.7.14.3 Elements
.1 ReviewPreviousActionItemsDuringaretrospective,actionitemsidentifiedinthepreviousretrospectivearereviewed,andprogressandimpactassessed.
.2 PreparationTheteampreparesideasfromtherecentiterationthatmaybeanalyzedintheretrospective.
.3 SafetyCheckTheteamagrees,together,totrusteachotherandtobelieveeverycommentorsuggestionisintendedforthesolepurposeofimprovingtheteam'sperformance.
.4 IdentifytheItemsTherearemanymechanismstoidentifyitemstodiscuss.Oneofthemostcommonisforallteammemberstowriteupthingsthatwentwell,thingstoimprove,andthingsofinteresttoshareasagroup.
.5 ChoosingFutureActionsOncealltheideashavebeendiscussedtothesatisfactionoftheteam,theteamdecideswhichsolutionsorimprovementstofocusonnext.Theteamthenidentifiesatimelineandassignsresponsibilitytoanindividualteammemberwhoensuresthesolutionorimprovementisimplemented.7.14.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Anexcellentwayfortheteamtofindacollectivevoicearoundopportunitiesforteamimprovement.• Addressesissuesearlyandfocusesonimprovingtheprocess.• Allowscontinuousimprovementoftheteam.• Empowerstheteam.• Canbeself-facilitatedbytheteam.
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.2 Limitations• Teammembersmayfeelobligedtopretendthattheytrusteachother,eventhoughtheydonot.• Retrospectivesareonlyofvalueiftheteamactsuponthelearningfromthesessiontoimprovetheprocess.• Mostideasraisedintheretrospectiveareknowntoatleastonememberoftheteam.Amatureteamshouldbeaddressingissuesastheyariseratherthanbatchingthemuptobehandledinaretrospective.Ifissuesraisedintheretrospectivearenotaddressed,thereisarisktoteammoraleandmotivation.7.15 Reviews
7.15.1 PurposeReviewsareusedtodemonstrateandinspectanincrementofthesolutionwithstakeholdersinordertoelicitfeedbacktodetermineifthesolutionbeingdevelopedalignswiththeneed.ReviewsarediscussedatlengthintheBABOK®Guide:10.37Reviews.TheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®GuidebuildsontheinformationintheBABOK®GuideanddescribeshowReviewsareappliedinanagilecontext.
7.15.2 DescriptionReviewsshowcaseordemonstrateaworkingsolutioninordertosolicitfeedback.Thiscanbedoneformallyorinformallywithstakeholders.Reviewsareledbytheteamwhocompletedthework.Theyfocusonlyoncompletedwork.Reviewsaremostsuccessfulwhentheytietheworktothevision,objectives,andgoalsfortheorganizationandinitiative.Elicitingfeedbackearlyandoftenisacoreelementofagilebusinessanalysisbecauseitincreasesthechanceforasolutiontosatisfytheneedwhendeliveredtocustomers.Reviewsbringkeystakeholderstogetherforaface-to-faceconversationaboutcompletedwork.Itempowerstheteamthroughdirectfeedbacksolicitation.Thisisanopportunityfortheproductownerorcustomerrepresentativetosolicitstakeholderfeedback.Theysynthesizefeedbacktodeterminethenextfeaturestoprioritizeandwhichfeedbacktoincorporateintothebacklog.Productownersprovidefeedbacktotheteamthroughouttheiterationwitheachitemdelivered.
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7.15.3 Elements
.1 SolutionBeingDeliveredReviewsdemonstrateanincrementofthecompletedsolutionthatisbeingdelivered.Thisprovidessomethingtangibletowhichthestakeholderscanreactandprovidefeedback.
.2 StakeholdersReviewsinclude:• KeyStakeholders:thisincludesstakeholdersbestabletogivefeedbackonwhetherthecompletedincrementdeliversasolutionwhichsatisfiestheneed.• Team:allteammembersworkingontheinitiativearepresenttofacilitatediscussionandelicitfeedback.• ProductOwner/CustomerRepresentative/ProductManager:thedecisionmakerwholeadstheinitiativeandisresponsibleforensuringReviewssolicitfeedbackonthesolutionfromstakeholders.7.15.4 UsageConsideration
.1 Strengths• Elicitsfeedbackinaninformalmannerfromstakeholders.• Lightweightfacilitationandconductedonaregularcycle.• Servesasacheckpointfortheteamtovalidatewhethertheyareontracktodeliverthesolutionwhenneeded.• Face-to-facecommunicationispreferred.• Engagestakeholdersasearlyaspossible.• ContinueregularengagementwithstakeholdersduringtheDeliveryHorizon.
.2 Limitations• IfReviewsincludeawiderangeofstakeholders,feedbackcanbetoovariedfortheteamtoanalyzeandactuponeffectively.• Ifhierarchyishighlyvaluedwithinanorganization,higherrankedstakeholders'feedbackcouldbeconsideredmoreimportantthanotherfeedback,regardlessoftheirinteractionandunderstandingoftheproductorservicegoals.
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7.16 Spikes
7.16.1 PurposeSpikesareusedtotime-boxresearch,design,exploration,investigation,orprototypingactivitiesinordertounderstandtheeffortrequiredtodeliverabacklogitemoraninitiative.7.16.2 DescriptionWhenabacklogitemorinitiativethatcannotbeestimatedisidentified,businessanalysispractitionersuseSpikestogaintheknowledgenecessarytoestimatewhatisrequiredtodeliverthebacklogitemorinitiative.Spikesaretime-boxedactivitiesthathaveclearobjectivesanddesiredoutcomes.Spikesareexploratoryinnatureanddonotproduceapotentiallyshippableproduct.Thisincludesexploringdifferentpotentialapproachestoaproblemincludingresearchingdifferentinterfacesortooloptions.Spikesareoftentechnical,andmaybedonetoprototypeasolutionapproachtothefeature.Thistechniqueallowsdeliveryteamstolearnhowtodeliveraworkingproducteffectivelyandefficiently.7.16.3 Elements
.1 SpikeGoalEachspikehasadefinedgoaloroutcomeinordertodefinewhenthepurposehasbeencompleted.Businessanalysispractitionersdefineaspecifictime-boxtodevotetothisspikewithinaniteration.
.2 TypeofSpikeTherearethreetypesofSpikes:• Functional:analyzesastoryanddetermineshowtobreakitdownintosmallerstoriesortasks,oridentifywheretheriskandcomplexityexists.• Technical:determinesfeasibilityorimpactofastoryortasktounderstandthetechnicaldesignnecessary.• Exploratory:exploresorganizationalrisksorimpactsforaparticularinitiativeorbacklogitem.7.16.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Specificactivitiesandtime-boxprovidesfocusfortheteamtogetclarity.• Givespermissiontospendtimeonvalue-drivenresearch.
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• Whenusedearlyinteamformation,canhelpteammembersbuildandshareknowledgeabouteachotherandthetechnologytobeusedforthesolution..2 Limitations• Canbetoolongatime-boxortoolargeanitemtohaveclearobjectivesandoutcome.• Thetermcanbeincorrectlyusedtoreferencefollow-upconversations.• Ifusedtoofrequently,thisindicatestheproductbacklogrefinementisnotmeetingteamneeds.
7.17 Storyboarding
7.17.1 PurposeStoryboardingisusedtodescribeatask,scenario,orstoryintermsofhowstakeholdersinteractwiththesolution.7.17.2 DescriptionStoryboarding(alsoknownasdialoguemap,dialoguehierarchy,customerjourney,ornavigationflow)isatechniqueforunderstandinghowpeoplewillactuallyusethesolution.Storyboardingisusedinconjunctionwithothertechniquessuchasusecases,userstories,andprototypingtodetailvisuallyandtextuallythesequenceofactivitiessummingupdifferentuserinteractionswiththesolution.Storyboardingisusedwhenformalprototypesmaybeunnecessaryortooexpensive.Storyboardingserves• toelicit,elaborate,organize,andvalidatetherequirements,• tocommunicatetostakeholderswhatneedstobebuilt,• toassistinuserinterfacedesign,• toshowdifferentvariationsoftheproposedsolution,• toalignstakeholderswiththevisionoftheproposedsolution,and• asaninputtotests.Whenusedtodescribetheinteractionwithasoftwaresystem,thestoryboardshowshowscreenswilllookandhowtheywillflowfromonetoanother.Whenusedtodescribethebusinessorganization,thestoryboardshowstheinteractionwithabusinessprocesssuchasbackoffice.Storyboardscanbedevelopedaseitherphysicalordigitalproductsandcanbecreatedinaworkshopenvironmentwithrelevantstakeholders.Storyboardsarecommoninmanyanalysisanddevelopmentapproaches,andareaformofprototyping(seeBABOK®Guide:10.36Prototyping).Storyboards
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presentallthedetailsinavisualflow.Incontrast,storymaps(see7.20.StoryMapping)isanorganizationofuseractivities.Figure7.17.1:Storyboard
7.17.3 Elements
.1 ScenariosWhenplanningasolution,businessanalysispractitionersidentifyallthepossiblescenariosforwhichacustomerwillinteractwiththesolution.Theyconsiderthenuanceofeachscenario,whichstepsthecustomerwilltake,andwhatisthedesiredoutcome.Thelikelihoodofthescenariooccurringandthecomplexityinvolvedinthescenarioisalsoidentified.
.2 IllustrationsStoryboardsarevisualillustrationsofthesolutionandhowthecustomerinteractswithit.Typicalstoryboardsinvolveaseriesofboxesorsegmentsdepictingeachstepinthescenario.
.3 TextualExplanationToaddcontexttothevisualillustrations,textualexplanationsaccompanyeachboxorsegmenttoexplainthestepasnecessary.
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.4 CreateStoryboardThestepstocreatingastoryboardinclude:1. Identifyingthemainscenarioswithinthescopeoftheinitiative.Thiscanbederivedfromusecases,userstories,inacustomervisit,oraninformationgatheringsessionwithsubjectmatterexperts.2. Selectingthescenariosforthestoryboard.Notallscenariosrequireastoryboard.Themostcommonandmostcomplexscenariosarestoryboarded.3. Creatingillustrationsforthestoryboardsoftheselectedscenarios.4. Enhancingthestoryboardillustrationswithtextualinformationsuchasoptionalinteractions,unavailableinteractions,furtherstakeholderrequestsnotassociatedwiththeprimaryscenario,andgeneralnotesassociatedwithaspecificstep.Eachstoryboardshouldstandonitsownwithrequiredexplanations.5. Validatingthestoryboardwithstakeholderstoensureaccuracyandalignment.7.17.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Cansignificantlyreduceabstractnesscausedbyothertechniquessuchasusecasesanduserstories.• Canbeproducedquicklyandataverylowcostcomparedtoothertechniquessuchasprototypes.• Theintuitivenatureofthestoryboardencouragesstakeholderparticipation.
.2 Limitations• Differentlookandfeelthanthefinalproduct.• Easytogetboggeddownonhow,ratherthanwhy.• Easytomisssomesignificantrulesorconstraintsduetoconcentrationonthevisualflow.7.18 StoryDecomposition
7.18.1 PurposeStoryDecompositionisusedtorepresenttherequirementsforasolutionattheappropriatelevelofdetailandarealignedtodesiredoutcomes.
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7.18.2 DescriptionStoryDecompositionprovidesastructurefordefiningthevariouselementsofrequirementsatprogressivelysmallerlevelsofgranularity,startingwiththebroadsystemcontextanddrillingdowninmultiplelevelstoeventuallydefinethedetailedacceptancecriteriaforindividualstories.Anystorythatistoolargeorinsufficientlyunderstoodtoelaborate,estimate,ordeliverasastoryisreadyfordecomposition.Themostcommonagileapproachtostorydecompositioncanbedescribedas“breadth-before-depth”:• thedecompositionfirstdescribesahigh-levelviewofwhatbusinessgoalsneedtobeachieved,• thehigh-levelviewisdecomposedintosmallercomponentsthatprovideincrementsofcustomervalue(sometimescalledminimalmarketablefeaturesorMMFs),and• thesesmallercomponentsaredecomposedintostories,andthestoriesareelaboratedintosmallerincrementswithacceptancecriteria(see7.19.StoryElaboration).StoryDecompositionisundertakenprogressively.Inagileinitiatives,theinitialanalysisactivitiesidentifythegoals,MMFs,andmostofthelargestories.Theinitialdecompositionofstoriesiscompletedincrementally.Thereisanimplicitunderstandingthatthesestoriesarelikelytochangeandthattheunderstandingoftherequirementswillevolveovertime.Therefore,decomposingtothelowestlevelofdetailislikelytobeawastefulactivityearlyintheinitiative.Figure7.18.1:StoryDecomposition
StoryDecompositionisappliedindifferentwaysdependingoncontext.Forexample,somebusinessanalysispractitionersfollowthemodellinearly,asshownintheabovediagram,whileothersusetechniquesthatworkbestintheirenvironment.OncetheMMForfeaturegroupshavebeendeveloped,usecases
Product Goals
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maybeusedinsteadofstories.Businessanalysispractitionersfocusondynamiccollaboration,facilitation,andcommunicationingettingacceptancefortheminimumrequireddetailtodevelopanddeliverthesolution.7.18.3 Elements
.1 SolutionGoalsThesolutiongoalsarethehighestlevelofbusinessrequirements.Theyrepresentthebusinessdriversforundertakingtheinitiativeandformtherationaleagainstwhichallofthedetailedlevelneedsareassessed.
.2 MMF/ComponentMinimalmarketablefeaturesarelogicalgroupingsoffunctionalityandcapabilitiesthedeliveredsolutionneedstoprovidetobeworthreleasing.Oftenthesewillformthethemesforasinglereleaseandservetoprovideabigpicturecontextfortheproductbeingdeveloped.
.3 StoryRepresentsauserstory,jobstory,usecase,orrequirementtobeimplementedinthedeliveredsolution.
.4 AcceptanceCriteriaConditionsofsatisfactionorcriterianeededtovalidateauserstory.Canbewrittenaslistsofitems,specifications,oruseracceptancetests(oracombination).Detailedrequirementsarerepresentedandvalidatedintheacceptancecriteria.7.18.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Helpsavoidthecommonproblemofgettinglostinthedetailoftheuserstoriesandlosingthebigpicturecontext.• Itisimportantthatteammemberskeeptheproject'sgoalsandobjectivesinmindandcantraceimplementedorrequestedfunctionalitybacktothedrivingbusinessobjectives.• BreakingtheproductintoMMFsandepicshelpswithrelease-levelplanning,providesvisibilityintothedevelopmentofthesolution,andhelpscoordinateexternalprogramactivitiessuchasorganizationalchangemanagementandusertraining.
.2 Limitations• Acommonanti-patternisthetemptationtotreatStoryDecompositionasawayofrevertingtodetailedrequirementsupfront.Ensuringthecontinued
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emphasisonjust-enoughandjust-in-timemeansknowingwhentostopdecomposing.• StoryDecompositionshouldnotbedonebasedonprocess(step1,2,and3inaflow),architecture(builddatabase,buildserver,buildfront-end),orprocedure(designit,buildit,testit).Rather,decompositionshouldbedonebasedoncustomervaluedfeatures.7.19 StoryElaboration
7.19.1 PurposeStoryElaborationisusedtodefinethedetaileddesignandacceptancecriteriaforastoryasneededtodeliveraworkingsolution.7.19.2 DescriptionStoryElaborationisthelowestlevelofStoryDecompositionandtheprocessbywhichthestoryisbrokendownintopiecesofwork.StoryElaborationfacilitatestheelicitationandcommunicationofthemostdetailedrequirements.StoryElaborationisanongoingactivitywhichoccursintheDeliveryHorizon(formoreinformation,see6.DeliveryHorizon).Wastedeffortisreducedbyelaboratingstoriesonajust-in-timeandjust-enoughbasis.Businessanalysispractitionerscontinuallydevelopandcommunicatedynamicrequirements,andthisnecessitatesahighdegreeofskillinbothfacilitationandcommunication.Duringeachiteration,timeisscheduledtoexpandonthestorytounderstandthedetail.Often,thisiscompletedinaworkshopwiththosewhowillexecutethestory:subjectmatterexperts,thecustomerrepresentativewhoneedsthestory,thepersonwhowilltestthestory,andabusinessanalysispractitionerwhofacilitatesandchallengesthestory.StoryElaborationiscompletedinpreparationforthePlanningWorkshop(formoreinformation,see7.8.PlanningWorkshops).Inordertoensuredetailedrequirementsincludethemostcurrentfeedbackonlearning,StoryElaborationisdoneonajust-in-timebasisforstoriesthathavebeendeterminedtobeinscopefortheupcomingiteration.7.19.3 Elements
.1 ElicitationElicitationisthedrawingforthorreceivingofinformationfromstakeholdersorothersources.
.2 StoryDecompositionStoryElaborationcanidentifyopportunitiestodecomposestories(formoreinformation,see7.18.StoryDecomposition).
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.3 AcceptanceCriteriaStoryElaborationclarifies,adds,orremovesacceptancecriteriaforastory(formoreinformation,seeBABOK®Guide:10.1AcceptanceandEvaluationCriteria).
.4 AdditionalOptionalElementsStoryElaborationmayidentifytaskstodelivertheupcomingiteration.Theseoutputsmayinclude• taskdefinitionsandbreakdowns,• examplesandscenariostoexplainthecustomer'sintentforthestory,• low-fidelitymodelstoclarifythetechnicalorprocessdesign(forexample,datamodelsanddataflowdiagrams),• screenorreportmock-ups,and• input/outputdatatables.OutcomeTheresultofStoryElaborationisasharedunderstandingamongstakeholdersofwhatshouldbedeliveredtoachievethe“Done”stateforthisstory.
7.19.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Reduceselicitationtime,andpotentiallylessdocumentation,byfocusingoncurrentfeatures.• Elaboratingrequirementsonlyasneededhelpstheteamavoidtheworkofelicitingrequirementsforfeaturesthatwillchangebythetimetheyarereadyforimplementation.• Keepstheteamfocusedonthehighestpriorityfeature.
.2 Limitations• Incompleteelaborationcanleadtotoomanyortoofewdetailsforastorytobecompleted.• Propertimingisdifficult.Ifconductedtooearly,theinformationmaynolongerbecorrectforthegivenreleaseandwillneedtobere-elicited.However,whencollectedtoolate,itcandelayprojectteamprogressiontodevelopment.• Itcanbechallengingtoelicittheappropriatelevelofdetailsuchthattherequirementscanbedeveloped,tested,andcomparedtoacceptancecriteria.
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7.20 StoryMapping
7.20.1 PurposeStoryMappingisusedtoassistincreatingunderstandingofproductfunctionality,theflowofusage,andtoassistwithprioritizingproductdelivery.7.20.2 DescriptionStoryMappingprovidesavisualandphysicalviewofthesequenceofactivitiestobesupportedbyasolution.Itusesatwo-dimensionalgridstructuretoshowsequenceandgroupingsofkeyaspectsoftheproductonthehorizontaldimension,withdetailandpriorityofstoriesontheverticaldimension.StoryMappingisadecompositiontechniquewhichallowsfortheevolutionaryunderstandingofasolutionstartingwithanend-to-endviewanddrillingdowntothedetaileduserstories.StoryMappingisaneffectivetooltohelpunderstandtheneedwhilefocusingonthehighestpriorityitemsforanalysis.Astorymapisdesignedtobeaninformationradiator,usedtovisualizeasolution'soutcomesinthecontextofusageandpriority.Thestorymapisoftenplacedondisplayforthedeliveryteamduringreleaseplanningsessions.Byanalyzingthestorymap,businessanalysispractitionerscanmorereadilyidentifydependenciesgeneratedasaresultoftheintendedflowthroughtheuserstories.Thestorymapcanalsobeusedforriskassessmentandmanagementbyexamininghowthestorieswillneedtoworktogetherinthecontextofdeliveringbusinessvalue.Thefollowingillustrationisanexampleofastorymap.
Figure7.20.1:StoryMap
Higher-level Stories, User Activities
Stories, User Tasks
Lower-level Stories, Steps
Time
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7.20.3 Elements
.1 ThemesorActivitiesThetoplineofastorymapfeaturesallknownthemesoractivitiesacustomerwillfollowinalinearpath.Forexample,themesforusinganATMcouldlooklike:1. Activatemachine.2. Validateaccountcredentials.3. Performrequest.4. Receiveoutcome.5. Choosecompletionoranothertransaction.Thesethemesareabroadviewofallactivitiesforallknownpersonas.
.2 StoriesorFeaturesUnderneathcorrespondingthemes,individualstoriesorfeaturesarefeatured.Theseincludeallknownfeaturesrelatedtoatheme.Eachstorymayapplytoonlyonepersonaormorethanonepersona.
.3 RankedPriorityOrderStoriesarearrangedtopdownundereachthemeinpriorityorder.Thisallowsfortheseparationoffeaturesbetweenreleases.Arankedpriorityorderidentifiesthestorieswhichappealtothemostandhighestrankedpersonasaswellasthepersonasthatarerequiredtobeimplementedbeforesubsequentfeatures.
.4 FacilitationStoryMappingisaself-facilitationtechnique.Nodedicatedfacilitatorisrequiredtodevelopastorymap.Frequently,StoryMappingisagroupactivitytoprioritizecurrentstories,identifymissingstories,andselectstoriesforstoryelaboration(formoreinformation,see7.19.StoryElaboration)andstorydecomposition(formoreinformation,see7.18.StoryDecomposition).Aproductownercanassistthegroupbymakingdecisionswhenneeded.ThemesandstoriesarepreparedinadvanceoftheStoryMappingsessiontofocustheteameffortonprioritizationandunderstandingthecustomer'spath.
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7.20.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Whenthelargercontextofasolutionisnotaccountedfor,agileprojectscanbesubjecttogettingmiredinthedetailswithaninabilitytoeffectivelystringcomponentstogethertocreateend-to-endbusinessvalue.Storymapshelpavoidthecommonproblemofgettinglostinthedetailoftheuserstoriesandtheriskoflosingthebigpicturecontext.• Storymapsincludepersonastohelptheteamprioritizebasedonfeaturesmostrelevanttooneormorespecificpersonas.• Storymapscanalsobeusedtounderstandtheflowofdatawithinasystem.
.2 Limitations• Storymapscanbecomecumbersomewhenthesolutionisverylargeandmayrequirebuildinganumberofstorymapsthatcoveralargeprogramofwork.Whilestorymapsillustrateaflow,theydonotanalyzeorillustratedependenciesbetweenrequirements.Theycanbeusedtohelpfacilitatethatanalysis.• Contextsthatarenotprocessorientedmayfindstorymapslessuseful.7.21 UserStories
7.21.1 PurposeUserStoriesareusedtoconveyacustomerrequirementforthedeliveryteam.UserStoriesaredescribedindetailintheBABOK®Guide:10.48UserStories.TheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®GuidebuildsontheinformationintheBABOK®anddescribeshowUserStoriesareappliedinanagilecontext.
7.21.2 DescriptionUserStoriesarearepresentationofthecustomerneedandareexpressedasasmall,concisestatementofafeatureneededtodelivervalue.UserStoriesfacilitatetheinteractionandcollaborationofstakeholders.Theuserstoryexpressesacustomerneedandvaluedesired.Typically,theyareoneormoresentenceswrittenbythecustomers,productowners,orbusinessanalysispractitionerswhichdescribesomethingofvaluetoastakeholder.UserStoriesprovideamechanismfortheproductownertoscope,coordinate,andprioritizetheincrementsofuservaluefordelivery.Auserstoryiscapturedonthebacklog.UserStoriesrepresentstakeholderneedsusingshort,simpledocumentationandinviteexplorationoftherequirementsthroughconversations,tests,andsupplementalrequirementsrepresentationsasneeded.Theyareconciseand
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easytochangeasstakeholderneedsarebetterunderstoodorasthoseneedsevolve.AcommonlyusedconstructforensuringqualityinuserstoriesistheINVESTcriteria,whichcallsforuserstoriestobe:• (I)Independent::representsafeaturewhichcanbedeliveredindependentofotherfeatures.• Example:"ATMPINentry"isindependentfrom'WithdrawalAmount'• (N)Negotiable::theteamcannegotiatehowtodeliver.• (V)Valuable::expressesthevaluetothecustomer.• Example:"ATMPINentry"allowsonlythecorrectpersontoaccesstheaccount.• (E)Estimable::teamcanestimateefforttodeliverbasedonpastexperience.• (S)SizedAppropriately::fortheteamtocompleteinoneiteration.Ingeneral,thesmallerthebetter.• (T)Testable::canbevalidatedobjectivelybyastakeholder.Notallbacklogitemsaretobewrittenasuserstories.However,UserStoriesisacommontechniqueusedastheyemphasizethecustomervalue.7.21.3 ElementsUserStoriesfollowthe3Cs:• Card,• Conversation,and• Confirmation.
.1 CardTitle(optional)Thetitleoftheuserstorydescribesanactivitythattheuserwantstocarryoutwiththesolution.Typically,itisanactive-verbgoalphrase,similartothewayusecasesaretitled.
.2 FormatThereisnomandatorystructureforuserstories;however,themostpopularformatincludesthreecomponents:• auserroleorpersona[WHO],• anecessaryaction,behaviour,orfeature[WHAT],and• thebenefitorbusinessvaluereceivedbytheuserwhenthestoryisimplemented[WHY].
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Exampleformat1"Asa<role>,Ineedto<feature>sothat<goalorvalue>."Asacurrentbankaccountholder,Ineedtoaccessmyaccount,sothatIcanwithdrawcash.Exampleformat2"Inorderto<businessvalue>,asa<role>,Ineedto<behaviour>."Inordertowithdrawcashfrommyaccount,asacurrentbankaccountholder,Ineedaccesstomyaccount..3 ConversationTheintendedpurposeofUserStoriesistocommunicatebetweenstakeholdersandthedeliveryteam.Theuserstoryintentionallydoesnotcaptureallthereistoknowaboutthecustomerneed.Awell-writtenuserstoryinvokesconversationamongtheteam..4 ConfirmationBusinessanalysispractitionersconfirmthedelivereditemsatisfiestheneedexpressedintheuserstory.Thisismostoftenexpressedasacceptancecriteria.Acceptancecriteriadefinetheboundariesofauserstoryandhelpverifyandvalidatethesolutionmettheintendeduserneed.Acceptancecriteriahelpthedeliveryteamidentifytheminimumamountoffunctionnecessary.Acceptancecriteriaareprimarilyusedbytheproductownerandstakeholderstoverifyandvalidate.Theyalsoserveasabasisforacceptancetests,regressiontests,exploratorytests,andotherteststobedevelopedinsupportoftheproduct..5 UserStoryManagementThereareavarietyofwaysinwhichuserstoriesareusedthroughoutanagileinitiative.ThefollowtechniquesareallimpactedbyUserStories:• 7.1BacklogRefinement• 7.10ProductRoadmap• 7.18StoryDecomposition,• 7.19StoryElaboration,and• 7.24Visioning
7.21.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Tiedtosmall,implementable,andtestableslicesoffunctionalityfacilitatingrapiddeliveryandfrequentcustomerfeedback.• Easilyunderstandablebystakeholders.
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• Canbedevelopedthroughavarietyofelicitationtechniques,includingbutnotlimitedtofacilitatedworkshops,contextualinquiry,andotherethnographicelicitationtechniques.• UserStoriesaresimpleenoughthatpeoplecanlearntowritetheminafewminutes,beingcarefulaboutalwaysdeliveringbusinessvalue.• Theprocessofcollaboratingondefiningandexploringstoriesbuildsteamcommitmentandsharedunderstandingofthebusinessdomain.• UserStoriesinviteconversationforfurtherdecompositionandexploration.• Tofacilitateestimating,planning,anddelivery,manyagileteamssupplementUserStorieswithanalysismodels(suchasadatamodel,businessrules,useracceptancetests,screenmock-upsorprototypes,contextdiagram,andstatediagram)..2 Limitations• Thisconversationalapproachcanchallengetheteam,sincetheydonothavealltheanswersanddetailedspecificationsupfront.• Toomanystoriescaninflatethebacklog.• UserStoriesspawnmoreUserStoriesthroughdecomposition,sotheinformationmustbeorganizedtoensureitiscurrentandrelevant.• ThecollectionofUserStoriesneedstoberegularlyrefinedandprioritized.• TeamscangettoofocusedonindividualUserStoriesandlosesightofthevisionandproductroadmap.• Thistechniqueincludesthedesiredfeature.Teamscanformhabitsoverlookingthevaluestatement(WHY)andinsteadfocusonthefeature(WHAT).
7.22 ValueModelling
7.22.1 PurposeValueModellingisusedtofocussolutiondevelopmentonvaluedeliverybytracingdecisionstothevalueperspectiveofthestakeholder.7.22.2 DescriptionValueModellingmodelsvaluecreationforstakeholderswhousethesolution.ValueModellingisalsoreferredtoasCustomerValueModel.ValueModellingfollowsabasicstructure:Customervalue=Benefits–CostBenefitscanbereal(solvesaproblemorcompletesajob)orperceived(increasesstatus,reputation,likability).
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Costsincludedirectcostssuchaspriceandrisk,andopportunitycostssuchastimeandtravel.ValueModellingisbasedonahypothesisthatthepurposeofaninitiativeistocreatevalueforstakeholders.Itworkswellforagilesolutiondevelopment,especiallyinlargeinitiativeswithmultipledeliveryteamsandisacorepartofuserexperiencedesign.Thegeneralstepstocreateavaluemodelinclude:• identifyingallthestakeholdersforthesolution.Thesestakeholderscanbegroupedintothreeareas:•Internalandexternalcustomers.•Deliveryteamparticipatingintheinitiative.•Sponsororownerprovidingfunding.• identifyingtheneedsofeachstakeholdergroupandwhatwillprovidevaluetoeach.• identifyingtheprocesstosatisfythoseneeds.Valuemodelsusequalitativeandquantitativeresearchtoprovidestructureandguidanceindefiningandimplementingaprojectorinitiative.ValueModellingcanbeusedatanyHorizon:• AttheStrategyHorizon,valuemodelsfocusonresearchanddevelopment,marketingandsales,andcustomersfortheentireorganization.• AttheInitiativeandDeliveryHorizons,valuemodelsfocusonsolutiondevelopmentforcustomersofaspecificinitiative.7.22.3 Elements
.1 CustomerValueModellingfocusesondeliveringvaluetoacustomer;theintendedcustomerisincludedinthemodel.
.2 DesiredOutcomeorObjectiveValuemodelscapturetheoutcomeorobjectiveasthevaluetobeearnedorachievedbythecustomer.
.3 ExamplesThereareseveraldifferentmodelstoportraythevaluemodel.Thefollowingexamplesofvaluemodelsaredetailedbelow:• ValuePropositionCanvas,• FlowChartofCustomerValue,• Means-ValueChart,and• ValueModel.
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.4 ValuePropositionCanvasTheValuePropositionCanvashighlightsthefeatureswithinaproductthataligntotheneedsofthecustomer.Figure7.22.1:ValuePropositionCanvas
.5 FlowChartofCustomerValueTheFlowChartofCustomerValuegroupsstakeholdersintointernalandexternalcustomers,deliveryteamparticipating,andsponsororownerprovidingresources,andidentifiesprocessestosatisfyeachgroup.Figure7.22.2:FlowChartofCustomerValue
Gains
Pains
Customer jobs
Gain creators
Products and services
Pain relievers
Where are we going?
Maximize the opportunity
How do we get there?
Make the journey a safe
one?
Contentedowner
Satisfied customer
Successfuldelivery team
Develop products with superior customer value
Deepen relationships and knowledge
Process Stakeholders
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.6 Means-ValueChartAMeans-ValueChartalignsthefeaturesoractivitiesforstakeholderstohelpthecustomerrealizevalue.ThisexampleusesRevenueandProfitsasthecentralvaluetoberealized,butitcanbesubstitutedfortheorganization'sdesiredoutcome.Figure7.22.3:Means-ValueChart
.7 ValueModelAValueModelincludesthefollowingelements:• Keypartners/Strategicvalues/Keyrivals:focusesonthepeopleinvolved.• Costs/Revenues:helpstheorganizationdetermineifcostsarelessthanrevenue.• Keycompetencies/Valueproposition/Keycustomers:emphasizesthevaluetobeearnedbycustomers.Figure7.22.4:ValueModel
Efficiency
REVENUE PROFIT
Process goals
MEANS VALUE
Skills
Targets
Outcome
EffectivenessEmployees Customers
Leverage points
Valueproposition
Expectation
Objectives
Keypartners
Keyrivals
Key competencies
Value proposition
Keycustomers
Strategic values
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7.22.4 UsageConsideration
.1 Strengths• Canbeusedatanyhorizon.• Thestructureofinformationisbasedonhowthehumanmindworks,soitdocumentsprocessandshowstraceabilitywithminimaldocumentation.• Structuresdecisionmakingbasedonvaluecreatedforcustomersandstakeholders.
.2 Limitations• Researchmakesassumptionsaboutthestakeholdersandmayomitnuancedinformationwhichcouldchangethesolutionoroutcome.• Itcanbetoocomplicatedtobeadvantageoustocompanieslookingforquickinformation.7.23 ValueStreamMapping
7.23.1 PurposeValueStreamMappingisusedtoprovideacomplete,fact-based,time-seriesrepresentationofthestreamofactivitiesrequiredtodeliveraproductorservicetotheinternalorexternalcustomer.7.23.2 DescriptionAvaluestreamrepresentstheflowofmaterialandinformationrequiredtobringasolutiontothecustomer.Avaluestreammapisagraphicalrepresentationthatcapturesasnapshotofthevaluestream.Therearetwomaintypesofvaluestreammapsthatarewidelyused:• CurrentStateValueStreamMap:depictsavaluestreamasitisappliedbythosewhoareresponsibleforexecutingit.Itisusuallyusedasastartingpointforanalysisofanexistingprocesstoidentifyimprovementopportunities.• FutureStateValueStreamMap:derivedfromthecurrentstateandshowswhatthevaluestreamwilllooklikeaftertheimplementationoftheimprovements.Inanagileenvironment,thevaluestreammapisusuallysimpleanddrawnonawhiteboard.Itcanbeusedtohelpre-engineerbusinessprocessestooptimizeuseofsoftware.Itcanalsobeusedtore-engineerandtunethedevelopmentprocesses,forexample,toreduceleadtimefromsolutiondiscoverytorelease.
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7.23.3 Elements
.1 Prepare1. Gatheracross-functionalteam.Inanagilecontext,thisincludessubjectmatterexpertswithbusinessdomainknowledgeandtechnicalteammemberssuchasdevelopers,testers,operationalsupport,architects,andvendorrepresentatives.Businessanalysispractitionersfrequentlyfacilitatethesession.2. Assignavaluestreammapowner.Ideally,thisissomeonewhohasadeepunderstandingofthecurrentprocess.3. Selectaproduct,aproductfamily,oraservice,anddefinethescopeofthevaluestreammap.4. Identifythecustomervaluereceivedsoitcanbetracedback.
.2 CreateCurrentStateThecurrentvaluestreammapcanbecapturedfollowingthesesteps:1. Namethemap.2. Observeorsimulatethevaluestream.Followaproductorproductfamilypathbystartingattheendclosesttothecustomerandrecordtheprocessworkingbackwardstothebeginning.3. Drawthevaluestreammap.4. Capturetheinformationflowthatisvitalforthevaluestreamtofunction.Informationflowincludesthingssuchasorders,schedules,inventorytime,changeovertime,cycletime,andthenumberofoperatorsinvolved.5. Buildamodelthatshowseachstepintheflowwithhand-offsandsequence.Toassistintheanalysisneededtoidentifyopportunitiesforimprovementintheprocess,ensureyouincludetimeandcostvaluesontothestepsintheprocess.Thesetimevaluesmaybeestimated,ifneeded.Themoredetailsavailable,theeasieritistoidentifyimprovementopportunities.6. Identifythewastestepstoeliminate.Thesearestepsintheflowwhichareredundant,lowvalue,orcouldbeautomated.7. Validatethevaluestreammap.Theinitialdraftofthecurrentvaluestreammapmustbevalidatedbeforeproceedingtotheimprovementphase.
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.3 AnalyzeCurrentStateThecurrentvaluestreammapcanbeanalyzedasdescribedintheBABOK®GuidetechniqueRootCauseAnalysistoidentifyvalueaddedsteps(suchastransformationprocesses)fromthosethatarenon-valueadded,suchasexcessiveinventories(formoreinformationseeBABOK®Guide:10.40RootCauseAnalysis).Thenon-valueaddedstepscanbeanalyzedfurthertodeterminewhichonesarenecessary(suchasmeetingregulatoryrequirements)andwhichonesareunnecessary(suchasexcessivepaperwork).
.4 CreateFutureStateThefuturestatevaluestreammapcanbedrawnasfollows:1. Identifyimprovementareas.Unnecessarynon-valueaddedstepsarethesourceofwasteandtheycanbeeliminated.Teammemberscanmarktheseareas(suchasreducingleadtime)onthecurrentvaluestreammap.2. Identifyimprovementmeasurements.3. Capturethefuturestatevaluestreammap.Drawthevaluestreammapthatshowswhatthevaluestreamwilllooklikeafteryouhaveeliminatedthewaste(unnecessarywaittime,excessiveadministrativepaperwork,highinventories,andsoforth).4. Oncethefuturestateiscaptureditcanbeusedasthetargetstateoftheimprovementinitiative.
.5 ImplementProcessImprovement1. Identifysupportingmaterialrequiredforimplementingtheimprovementsuchasinformationtechnologysystems,training,andchangeover.2. Implementtheimprovement.Inanagilecontext,ValueStreamMappingisfrequentlyusedwhenimplementingprocessimprovement.Often,thechangestobemadeinthebusinessprocesswillrequirechangestoorimplementationofsupportingtechnologyproducts.Therequirementsforthesechangesorenhancementsbecomebacklogitemsthatfeedintoanagileinitiative.Oncetheimprovementismade,thefuturestatebecomesthecurrentvaluestreammapanditcanbeusedasastartingpointforanotherimprovementcycle.Thefollowingisanexampleofavaluestreammap.
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Figure7.23.1:ValueStreamMap
7.23.4 UsageConsiderations
.1 Strengths• Morecomprehensivethanaprocessflowdiagram.• Providesablueprintforimplementingimprovement.• Establishesasharedunderstandingofprocesswasteandbottlenecks.• Providesacommonvisuallanguagefordiversestakeholders.
.2 Limitations• Noteasytoconstructincomparisonwithothervisualmodellingtechniques.• Canlookdauntingbecauseofalltheinformationcaptured.• Mappingparalysis.Itiseasytogetcaughtmakingthecurrentstatevaluestreammapcompleteandperfectinsteadofproceedingtotheimprovementstage.• Doesn'tworkwellinknowledgebasedornon-linearwork.• Leadstodisruptiveor“re-engineering”approach.Doesn'tworkwellwithongoingimprovementefforts.7.24 Visioning7.24.1 PurposeVisioningisusedtodeterminethedesiredoutcomeforaninitiativewordedinaconciseandapproachablemanner.
Idea or requests
Planning Business Analysis Design Build Test Release
Customer
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Cycle timeCycle timeCycle timeCycle timeCycle time
Queue timeQueue timeQueue timeQueue timeQueue time
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7.24.2 DescriptionThepurposeofaninitiativeistodelivervaluetowardsanorganization'sbusinessgoal.Visioningcreatesaspirationalguidancethatisusedtounderstandifeffortsaligntodesiredoutcomesandaddvalue.Visioningfacilitatesasharedunderstandingofthestrategyfortheorganizationorinitiative.Visioningallowstheteamtoorientallworktowardsthevision.Aninitiativeachievesvaluewhenitdeliversvaluethatcontributestoanorganization'sbusinessgoals,forexample• increasingorprotectingrevenue,• creatinganewopportunity,• reducingoravoidingcosts,• reducingoravoidingrisks,• meetingregulatoryobligations,• improvingcustomerexperienceandbrandawareness,• implementingamarketingstrategy,or• developingstaff.Examplesofgoodvisionstatementsinclude:• NASAvision:Putamanonthemoon.• AppleiPodvision:Allyourmusicinoneplaceinyourpocket.• Renovatemykitchenusingthesamelayoutbutmodernfinishesandstyle.• Increaseapplicationcompletionandshortentimeforcompletionthroughthewebexperience.7.24.3 Elements
.1 VisionStatementBusinessvalueistobeexpressedasarangeorsetofbenefits.Theevolutionofclarityaboutbusinessvalueincreasesunderstandingofwhyasolutionisneeded.Animportantaspectofexpressingbusinessvalueistheconversationthatgeneratesthesharedunderstanding.Thevisionconsistsofasimplestatementrepresentedvisuallywithimagesorwordswhichconveysthegoalandscopefortheinitiative.
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.2 VisionExerciseBusinessanalysispractitionersfacilitateavisionexercisesessionwithkeystakeholderstodeterminethevisionstatement.ExercisessuchasProductBoxandProductDifferentiationStatementcanbeparticularlyuseful.
.3 ImpactMetricsThisisspecificinformationwhichcanbemeasuredobjectivelyandwillindicatewhethertheorganizationisachievingthevisionfortheinitiative.Theseareoftencorrelatingmetrics,notcausationmetrics.7.24.4 UsageConsideration
.1 Strengths• Specifieswhatisconsideredinandwhatisoutfortheproductorinitiative.• Focusestheteamandstakeholdersontheorganizationalvaluetobeachieved.• Helpstheorganizationdecidewhenenoughproductisdeliveredtostopworkingonthisinitiative.
.2 Limitations• TeamsmaytreatVisioningasacheck-the-boxactivitybyinitiallyfacilitatingandidentifyinggoodinformation,butfailtoreferenceorrefinelaterbasedonfeedbackandlearning.• Thevisioningeffortprovidesnovalueiftheteamdoesnotusetheinformationfordecisionmakingandprioritization.• WhileVisioningcanalignandmotivatepeople,itcanalsoleadtoconfirmationbiasifpeopleattachtoonesolutionandfailtolearnfromevidence.• ThebestVisioningdependsontheimagination,diversity,trust,andabilitytocollaborateinthegroup.Otherwise,thevisioncanleadtheteamtomakewrongdecisions.• Visioningcanleadtopeoplenarrowingfocustoonesolutioninsteadofexploringmanyoptions.
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AppendixA:Glossary
a acceptancecriteria:Criteriaassociatedwithrequirements,products,orthedeliverycyclethatmustbemetinordertoachievestakeholderacceptance.acceptancetestdrivendevelopment:Occurswhenteammemberswithdifferentperspectives(customer,development,testing)collaboratetoidentifyacceptancecriteriaandsubsequenttestsinadvanceofimplementingthecorrespondingfunctionality.Theseacceptancetestsrepresenttheuser'spointofviewandactasaformofrequirementstodescribehowthesystemwillfunction,aswellasserveasawayofverifyingthatthesystemfunctionsasintended.Insomecasestheteamautomatestheacceptancetests.adaptiveplanning:Anapproachtoplanningwherelong-termplansareconstantlyreviewedandrevisedtoaccountfornewinformationlearnedduringthecourseofaproject.agilemanifesto:AstatementofthevaluesthatunderpinAgileSoftwareDevelopment.ItwasdraftedfromFebruary11ththrough13th,2001.anti-pattern:Acommonlyused,yetineffective,processorpractice.assumption:Aninfluencingfactorthatisbelievedtobetruebuthasnotbeenconfirmedtobeaccurate,orthatcouldbetruenowbutmaynotbeinthefuture.ATDD:seeacceptancetestdrivendevelopment.b backlog:Anorderedlistofoptionsthatrepresentchangestoasolution.Variousframeworksusebacklogstorepresentthechangesforagivenscope.backlogitem:Anelementonabacklogthatrepresentsapotentialchangetoaproduct.Backlogitemscantaketheformofuserstories,spikes,defects,infrastructurework,refactors,documentsorotheritemtypesthatateamfindsusefulintheircontext.BDD:Seebehaviourdrivendevelopment.businessdomain:SeeDomain.businessgoal:Astateorconditionthatanorganizationisseekingtoestablishandmaintain,usuallyexpressedqualitativelyratherthanquantitatively.businessobjective:Anobjective,measurableresulttoindicatethatabusinessgoalhasbeenachieved.businessrules:Aspecific,practicable,testabledirectivethatisunderthecontrolofthebusinessandthatservesasacriterionforguidingbehaviour,shapingjudgments,ormakingdecisions.
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businessvalue:Inmanagement,businessvalueisaninformaltermthatincludesallformsofvaluethatdeterminethehealthandwell-beingofthefirminthelongrun.Inagiledevelopment,anoutputdeliversbusinessvaluewhenitincreasesorprotectsrevenueorreducesoravoidscostsforanorganization.c change:Theactoftransformationinresponsetoaneed.collaboration:Theactoftwoormorepeopleworkingtogethertowardsacommongoal.constraint:Aninfluencingfactorthatcannotbechanged,andthatplacesalimitorrestrictiononapossiblesolutionorsolutionoption.context:Thecircumstancesthatinfluence,areinfluencedby,andprovideunderstandingofthechange.contextdiagram:Thehighestleveldataflowdiagramwhichrepresentsthesysteminitsentirety,astheareaunderstudywithexternalorganizations,people,orsystemsasthesourceortargetofdataflows.coreconceptmodel(businessanalysis):Oneofsixideasthatarefundamentaltothepracticeofbusinessanalysis:Change,Need,Solution,Context,Stakeholder,andValue.customer:Astakeholderwhousesormayuseproductsorservicesproducedbytheenterpriseandmayhavecontractualormoralrightsthattheenterpriseisobligedtomeet.customerrepresentative:anindividualwhoworkswiththeteamtorepresenttheperspectiveofstakeholderswhouseormayuseproductsorservicesproducedbytheenterpriseandmayhavecontractualormoralrightsthattheenterpriseisobligedtomeet.d datamodel:Adiagramthatdescribestheentities,classesordataobjectsrelevanttoadomain,theattributesthatareusedtodescribethem,andtherelationshipsamongthemtoprovideacommonsetofsemanticsforanalysisandimplementation.decisionmaker:Personorpeopleresponsibleformakingthefinaldecision.definitionofdone:Atechniquewheretheteamagreeson,andprominentlydisplays,alistofcriteriawhichmustbemetbeforeabacklogitemisconsidereddone.definitionofready:Atechniquewheretheteamagreeson,andprominentlydisplays,alistofcriteriawhichmustbemetbeforeabacklogitemisconsideredreadyfortheteamtostartdeliverywork.
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deliveryteam:Across-functionalteamofskilledindividualswhobringavarietyofexpertisetobearontheprocessofbuildingasoftwareproduct.design:Ausablerepresentationofasolution.domain:Thesphereofknowledgethatdefinesasetofcommonrequirements,terminology,andfunctionalityforanyprogramorinitiativesolvingaproblem.done:SeeDefinitionofDone.e elicitation:Iterativederivationandextractionofinformationfromstakeholdersorothersources.ethnographicelicitationtechniques:Iterativederivationandextractionofinformationfromstakeholdersorothersourcesbyobservingusersintheirworkenvironmentandlookingatbusinessprocessesfromtheperspectiveoftheuser.examples:Anapproachtodefiningthebehaviourofasystemusingrealisticexamplesinsteadofabstractstatements.Examplesareoftenusedtofurtherdescribeuserstoriesandareusedbothasguidancefordevelopmentandtesting.experiments:Elicitationperformedinacontrolledmannertomakeadiscovery,testahypothesis,ordemonstrateaknownfact.f feature:Adistinguishingcharacteristicofasolutionthatimplementsacohesivesetofrequirementsandwhichdeliversvalueforasetofstakeholders.fibonacciscale:AscalecommonlyusedwhensizinguserstoriesthatisbasedontheFibonacciSequence–aseriesofnumberscharacterizedbythefactthateverynumberafterthefirsttwoisthesumofthetwoprecedingones.Inpracticeteamsuseamodifiedsequencethatstopsthepatternatlargernumbers.Generally,thescaleincludesthefollowingnumbers:0,1,2,3,5,8,13.framework:Acollectionofspecificpracticesandideasthathavebeenprovenusefulinaspecificcontextthatteamscanuseasabasistocreatetheirownmethodology.g goal:Seebusinessgoal.
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h horizonAviewofworkwithinanorganizationwithalevelofgranularityappropriatetothetimeframebeingplannedforandthenatureofthefeedbackloopsused.i initiative:Aspecificproject,program,oractiontakentosolvesomebusinessproblem(s)orachievesomespecificchangeobjective(s).informationradiator:Ahandwritten,drawn,printed,orelectronicdisplaywhichateamplacesinahighlyvisiblelocation,sothatallteammembersaswellaspassers-bycanseethelatestinformationabouttheirworkataglance.iteration:Adefinedtimeperiodwhenincrementsofaproductaredevelopedandtestedandmadereadytodelivertothecustomer.iterativeplanning:Anapproachtoplanningthatintentionallyallowsforrepeatingplanningactivities,andforpotentiallyrevisitingthesameplantoupdateitbasedonnewinformation.Theseplanningactivitiesarerepeatedinsomeagileapproachesinregulariterationsortime-boxes.m methodology:Abodyofmethods,techniques,procedures,workingconcepts,andrulesusedtosolveaproblem.metric:Aquantifiablelevelofanindicatormeasuredataspecifiedpointintime.minimalmarketablefeature:Asmall,self-containedfeaturethatcanbedevelopedquicklyanddeliverssignificantvaluetotheuser.minimumviableproduct:AconceptfromLeanStartupthatdescribesthefastestwaytogetthroughtheBuild-Measure-Learnfeedbackloopwiththeminimumamountofeffort.
model:Arepresentationandsimplificationofrealitydevelopedtoconveyinformationtoaspecificaudiencetosupportanalysis,communication,andunderstanding.monitoring:Collectingdataonacontinuousbasisfromasolutioninordertodeterminehowwellasolutionisimplementedcomparedtoexpectedresults.MMF:Seeminimalmarketablefeature.MVP:Seeminimumviableproduct.
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n need Aproblemoropportunitytobeaddressed.o objective:Seebusinessobjective.outcome:Thechangeintheorganizationandchangesinthebehaviourofstakeholdersasaresultofaninitiative.output:Anythingthatyourteamdeliversaspartofyourinitiative.Thisincludessoftware,documentation,processes,andotherthingsthattendtobemeasuredinordertogaugehowtheinitiativeisgoing.p persona:Fictionalcharactersorarchetypesthatexemplifythewaythattypicaluserswillinteractwithaproduct.planninghorizon:SeeHorizon.predictiveplanning:Anapproachtoplanningthatinvolvesdetailedanalysisandplanningatthebeginningoftheprojectforthedurationoftheprojectandthenactingonthatplan.Predictiveplanningisbasedontheassumptionthatthelateramistakeisfound,themoreitwillcosttofixit.Thisresultsinthedesiretoplantheentireprojectatthebeginningoftheprojectandavoidchangestotheplanasmuchaspossible.product(businessanalysis):Asolutionorcomponentofasolutionthatistheresultofaninitiative.productbox:Acollaborationframeworkwhereateamandcustomersdesignaboxfortheirproductinordertodeterminethecharacteristicsofaproductthatcustomerswanttobuy.productdifferentiationstatement:Anexpressionofhowagivenproductfillsaparticularconsumerneedinawaythatitscompetitorsdon’t.productowner:Theroleontheteamthatrepresentstheinterestsofallstakeholders,definesthefeaturesoftheproduct,andprioritizestheproductbacklog.productroadmap:Avisualrepresentationofhowateamplanstoimplementtheirproductstrategyoverprogressivelylongertimehorizons.Theproductroadmapisupdatedfrequently,andreflectsoutcomestheteamplanstorealizeratherthanoutputstheteamplanstodeliver.progressiveelaboration:Theactofcontinuallydefiningrequirementswithsuccessivelygreaterlevelsofdetailasneededthroughthelifeoftheproductorthefeaturewithinaproduct.
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r relativeestimation:Awayofestimatingworkeffortbyidentifyingfeatures/requirementswithstoriesandthenassigningstorypointstostories.Thecumulativestorypointsrepresenttheestimatedamountofeffortrequiredtodeliverthestory.Thestorypointsarethencalculatedagainsttheteam'svelocitytocreateanestimateonhowmuchtheteamcandeliverinaparticulariteration.releaseplanning:Atthebeginningofaprojecttheteamwillcreateahigh-levelreleaseplan.Theteamcannotpossiblyknoweverythingupfrontsoadetailedplanisnotnecessary.Thereleaseplanshouldaddress:•thenumberanddurationoftheiterations,•howmanypeopleorteamsshouldbeonthisproject,•thenumberofreleases,thevaluedeliveredineachrelease,and•theshipdateforthereleases.requirement:Ausablerepresentationofaneed.retrospective:Retrospectivesareavariationofprojectretrospectiveswherebytheretrospectiveworkshopisconductedatregularintervalsthroughoutthedeliveryprocess,suchasaftereachiterationand/orrelease.rollingplanning:Rollingplanningisatechniquewherebyateamplansforaniterationforonlythetimeperiodwheretheyhavereasonablecertainty.Asthattimecomestoanendtheteamplansoutforanothertimeperiod,determinedbytheirlevelofcertainty.risk: Theeffectofuncertaintyonthevalueofachange,asolution,ortheenterprise.Seealsoresidualrisk.s servicelevelagreements:Formalagreementsthatcontractlevelofserviceandperformance.solution:Aspecificwayofsatisfyingoneormoreneedsinacontext.stakeholder:Agrouporindividualwitharelationshiptothechange,theneed,orthesolution.statediagram:Ananalysismodelshowingthelifecycleofadataentityorclass.
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storymapping:Atechniquetofacilitatetheunderstandingofproductfunctionality,theflowofusage,andtoassistwithprioritizingproductdelivery(suchasreleaseplanning).Theoutputofthestorymappingexerciseisaproductcalledastorymap,whichdescribesaworkflowofuserstories.Storymapsmaybreakdownuserstoriesintotasksforeachprocessandmayrepresentthesetasksbasedonpriority.t threeamigossession:Agatheringofthepeoplewiththreeprimaryperspectivestoexamineanincrementofworkbefore,during,andafterdevelopment.Thoseperspectivesare:•Business–Whatproblemarewetryingtosolve?•Development–Howmightwebuildasolutiontosolvethatproblem?•Testing–Whataboutthis,whatcouldpossiblyhappen?time-box:Anagreeduponperiodoftimeinwhichanactivityisconductedoradefineddeliverableisintendedtobeproduced.u userstory:Asmall,concisestatementoffunctionalityorqualityneededtodelivervaluetoaspecificstakeholder.userstorymapping:Seestorymapping.v value(businessanalysis):Theworth,importance,orusefulnessofsomethingtoastakeholderinacontext.valuestreammapping:Acomplete,fact-based,time-seriesrepresentationofthestreamofactivitiesrequiredtodeliveraproductorservice.w wireframes:Atwo-dimensionalillustrationofauserinterfacethatfocusesonspaceallocationandprioritizationofcontent,functionalitiesavailable,andintendedbehaviours.Wireframestypicallydonotincludeanystyling,color,orgraphics.
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AppendixB:MappingBABOKGuideTaskstoHorizonsThefollowingtabledemonstrateshoweachBABOK®Guidetaskcanbeappliedwithanagilemindsetateachhorizon.Thismappingisprovidedforgeneralguidanceandreferencepurposesanddoesnotprecludethecreativeapplicationofanytaskatanyhorizon.
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BABOKGuideKnowledgeArea BABOKGuideTasks HowTaskAppliesattheStrategyHorizon HowTaskAppliesattheInitiativeHorizon HowTaskAppliesattheDeliveryHorizon3.BusinessAnalysisPlanningandMonitoring
3.1PlanBusinessAnalysisApproachThisfirststepinplanningthebusinessanalysisapproachismakingthedeterminationthatagilewillbeusedastheapproach.ThelevelofplanningislightweightandjustwhatisneededtomeettheneedsofthehorizonTheagileapproachiscontinuallyredefinedandbusinessanalysismethodschangeandevolveasfeedbackisreceived.
ThespecificagilebusinessanalysisapproachesandactivitiesareselectedattheInitiativeHorizon.Thelevelofplanningislightweightandjustwhatisneededtomeettheneedsofthehorizon.Theagileapproachesandactivitiesarecontinuallyredefinedandbusinessanalysismethodschangeandevolveasfeedbackisreceived.
AttheDeliveryHorizon,theteamplansthebestway–mostrapid,efficient,oraccurate–todecomposefeaturestostoriesfortheimmediateworkeffort,andinalignmentwiththeteamprioritiesandcontext.Theagileapproachesandactivitiesarecontinuallyredefinedandbusinessanalysismethodschangeandevolveasfeedbackisreceived.3.2PlanStakeholderEngagement TheplansforstakeholderengagementarerelativetothespecificneedsoftheStrategyHorizon.Theapproachforestablishingandmaintainingeffectiveworkingrelationshipswiththestakeholdersisanongoingadaptiveprocessandincludesstakeholdersfromacrossallinitiativesintheorganizationwhohavealongerviewoftheorganizationalgoalsandstrategy.
TheplansforstakeholderengagementarerelativetothespecificneedsoftheInitiativeHorizon.Theapproachforestablishingandmaintainingeffectiveworkingrelationshipswiththestakeholdersisanongoingadaptiveprocessandincludesstakeholdersfromacrossallinitiativesintheorganizationwhoareresponsibleforexecutingonorganizationalgoals.
TheplansforstakeholderengagementarerelativetothespecificneedsoftheDeliveryHorizon.Theapproachforestablishingandmaintainingeffectiveworkingrelationshipswiththestakeholdersisanongoingadaptiveprocessandincludesstakeholdersfromacrossallinitiativesintheorganizationwhohavedirectinteractionwiththesolutionandprovidein-depthanddetailedfeedbackregardingthesolution.
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3.3PlanBusinessAnalysisGovernanceDefinehowdecisionsaremadeaboutrequirementsanddesigns,includingreviews,changecontrol,approvals,andprioritization.Involvesestablishingaportfoliomanagementapproachandadecisionframeworkfortheentireorganization.Governanceanddecisionframeworksareadaptivebasedontheevolvingunderstandingofrelativeriskacrosstheorganization.
Definehowmanagementoftheinitiativerequirementswilltakeplace.ThisincludesdeterminingifScrum,Kanban,oranotheragileapproachwillbeused.Theteamdetermineshowthebacklogwillberefinedandprioritizedthroughouttheinitiative.
Thedeliveryteamdefineswhatbusinessanalysisgovernanceisneededtodefinedecisionsforrequirements.Thisincludeshowrefinementwillhappen,whatinformationradiatorsareneededforstakeholders,andhowchangeswillbecommunicatedwithintheteam.
3.4PlanBusinessAnalysisInformationManagementTheapproachforhowbusinessanalysisinformationwillbestoredandaccessedisdefinedthroughongoingcollaborationwithallinitiativesacrosstheorganizationtoensureconsistentprocesses.Tofacilitatecontinuousimprovements,feedbackandlearningissharedwiththeotherhorizons.
Theapproachforhowbusinessanalysisinformationwillbestoredandaccessedisdefinedthroughongoingcollaborationwiththedeliveryteamsinvolvedintheinitiative.Tofacilitatecontinuousimprovements,feedbackandlearningissharedwiththeotherhorizons.
Theapproachforhowbusinessanalysisinformationwillbestoredandaccessedisdefinedthroughongoingcollaborationwithinthedeliveryteam.Tofacilitatecontinuousimprovements,feedbackandlearningissharedwiththeotherhorizons.
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3.5IdentifyBusinessAnalysisPerformanceImprovementsAssessingbusinessanalysisworkandplanningtoimproveprocessesiscontinuousandbasedonongoingfeedback.Measuresfocusontheabilitytolearnandadaptbasedonongoingfeedback.
Assessingbusinessanalysisworkandplanningtoimproveprocessesiscontinuousandbasedonongoingfeedback.Measuresfocusontheabilitytolearnandadaptbasedonongoingfeedback
Businessanalysispractitionersconsiderimprovementsthatcanbemadetoongoinganalysisactivities.SpeedandaccuracybecomeveryimportantinanalysispracticedattheDeliveryHorizon,andanyprocessimprovementsthatareidentifiedareconsideredforimplementation.Assessingbusinessanalysisworkandplanningtoimproveprocessesiscontinuousandbasedonongoingfeedback.Measuresfocusontheabilitytolearnandadaptbasedonongoingfeedback.4.ElicitationandCollaboration 4.1PrepareforElicitation Preparingforelicitationinvolvescreatingandsupportingaframeworkforcollaborationandlearningacrossallinitiativesandusingfeedbacktoensurecontinuousimprovementinelicitationoutcomes.
Preparingforelicitationinvolvescreatingandsupportingaframeworkforcollaborationandlearningacrossalldeliveryteamsandusingfeedbacktoensurecontinuousimprovementinelicitationoutcomes.
Preparingforelicitationconsiderswhatkindsofelicitationarenecessary:decomposingfeaturestostories?Reviewingstories?Elaboratingonfeaturesalreadyunderway?Eachmayrequiredifferentpreparation.
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4.2ConductElicitation Thefocusofconductingelicitationiscontinuousandspansacrossallinitiatives,throughouttheorganization,andspansbeyondtheboundariesoftheorganization.Thefocusisonensuringthatongoingfeedbackisheard,andthatongoingorganizationallearningextendsacrossallinitiatives
Thefocuswhenconductingelicitationistoidentifyinformationthatallowsfeaturestobebrokendownintostories.Thisinformationisalsousedtodeterminetheorderandprioritiesofdeliveringthosefeatures.
ConductingelicitationmaytakedifferentformsattheDeliveryHorizon.Communicationmaybecasualorformal,consistentorsporadic,butitisalwayscontinuous.
4.3ConfirmElicitationResults Confirmingelicitationresultsinvolvesensuringthatfeedbackisbothconsistentandstillrelevant.AttheStrategyHorizon,decisionscanbebasedonbothwhatislikelytobetrueandwhatisactuallytrue.Itisimportanttocommunicateaclearunderstandingonwhichelicitationresultsareassumptionsandwhicharefacts.
Confirmingelicitationresultsinvolvesensuringthatfeedbackreceivedfromallhorizonsisbothconsistentandstillrelevant.ConfirmationoccursfromfeedbackfromotherhorizonsConfirmingelicitationresultsmaybespecifictoreviewingadiscussionorcommunication,butmayalsobedoneasthereviewandapprovalofuserstoriesforimplementation
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4.4CommunicateBusinessAnalysisInformationEnsuringstakeholdershaveasharedunderstandingofbusinessanalysisinformationinvolvesestablishingandactivelysupportinganenvironmentforconstructivecommunication,collaboration,andcontinuousimprovementthroughouttheorganization.Thiscanbedonethroughvisioning,theproductroadmap,andstorymaps
AttheInitiativeHorizon,theemphasisisoncommunicatinginformationtostakeholdersandcollectingfeedbackandinformationfromcustomers.Thiscanbedonethroughreviews,productdemonstrations,workshops,releaseplans,andtheproductroadmap.
AttheDeliveryHorizon,communicatingbusinessanalysisinformationincludescommunicatingcross-teamdependenciesanddiscussingprioritieswithstakeholders.Contextandanalysismodelshelpcommunicatehowbacklogitemsaligntothedesiredoutcome.
4.5ManageStakeholderCollaboration Encouragingstakeholderstoworktowardsacommongoalinvolvesestablishinganenvironmentforconstructivecommunication,collaboration,andcontinuousimprovementthroughouttheorganization
Drivingcollaborationandconnectionisacoreagilevalue,andacoreagilebusinessanalysisvalue.Findwaystoensurethatyouractivitiesaretransparentandcommunicated.Drivingcollaborationandconnectionisacoreagilevalue,andacoreagilebusinessanalysisvalue.Businessanalysispractitionersfindwaystoensurethatactivitiesaretransparentandcommunicated.
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5.RequirementsLifeCycleManagement5.1TraceRequirements TracingrequirementsattheStrategyHorizoninvolvesdeterminingifthechangesinoneinitiativeimpactanyotherinitiativesintheorganization.Effortsfocusonensuringinitiativescontributetobusinessgoalsandmeasuringimpact.Effectiveimplementationatthislevellimitsworkinprogresstoshortenthedeliverycycle.Requirementsmaybeambiguousandfocusonorganizationalgoals.Ensurefeedbackframeworksareinplacetosupporttheongoingalignmenttoevolvingorganizationalgoals.
EffortsfocusonensuringrequirementsaretraceabletothebusinessgoalsandmetricsestablishedintheStrategyHorizon.Effectiverequirementstracingensureseffortswithinoneinitiativearealignedtoandnotinconflictwithotherinitiativeswithintheorganization.
Storiesaretracedtofeatures,whichmayinturnbetracedtothedesiredoutcomes.Additionaltracingsmaybemadetobusinessgoals,usersaffected,andanynumberofmetrics.Effortsfocusonaligningbacklogitemsandrequirementstotheproductroadmapandgoals.
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5.2MaintainRequirements Maintainingrequirementsisfocusedlessonmaintainingaccuraterequirementsandmoreonunderstandingtheaccuracyofcustomerneedsandlessonsfromcustomerexperience,anddeterminingifexistinginformationremainsrelevant.Thismayinvolveatrade-offbetweenaccuratemaintenanceofrequirementsinfavourofexperimentation,continualchange,andlearning.
Maintainingrequirementsisfocusedlessonmaintainingaccuraterequirementsandmoreonunderstandingtheaccuracyofcustomerneedsandlessonsfromcustomerexperience,anddeterminingifexistinginformationremainsrelevant.Thismayinvolveatrade-offbetweenaccuratemaintenanceofrequirementsinfavourofexperimentation,continualchange,andlearning.Thefocusisontheselectionofwhichfeaturestodeliver,notnecessarilytheorderinwhichtheyaredelivered.
Userstoriesandfeaturesaremonitoredforstaleness.Astimepasses,itislikelythatthebusinessneed,businessenvironment,technicalenvironment,orcustomerneedwillhavechanged.Userstoriesmayneedtoberevised,re-prioritized,orremoved.
5.3PrioritizeRequirements PrioritizeRequirementsfocusesontheprioritizationoforganizationalgoalsandinitiativesratherthandetailedrequirements.Feedbackandlearningfrominsideandoutsidetheorganizationiscentraltounderstandingwhatandhowtoprioritizegoalsandinitiatives.
AttheInitiativeHorizon,thefocusisontheselectionofwhichfeaturestodeliver,notnecessarilytheorderinwhichtheyaredelivered.AttheDeliveryHorizonthereisfrequentchangetotheprioritizationofbacklogitemsaslearningoccursfromdeliveredstoriesandcompletedfeatures.
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5.4AssessRequirementsChanges Evaluatingtheimplicationsofproposedchangestorequirementsanddesigns,theStrategyHorizonfocusesonunderstandinghowchangesimpactorganizationalgoalsandimpactchangesthatextendbeyondinitiatives.Assessmentsarebasedoncontinuousfeedbackandlearning
Requirementchangesareassessedduringbacklogrefinementactivities.Thisisalightweightactivityandonlydoneonanas-neededbasisUserstoriesandfeaturesaremonitoredforstaleness.Astimepasses,itislikelythatthebusinessneed,businessenvironment,technicalenvironment,orcustomerneedwillhavechanged.Userstoriesmayneedtoberevised,re-prioritized,orremoved.
5.5ApproveRequirements AttheStrategyHorizon,approvingrequirementsinvolvesempoweringinitiativestounderstandwhatisdoablethroughongoingcommunicationofevolvingassumptions,constraints,andgoals.
Agileinitiativesgenerallyappointaleadsuchasaproductownerorcustomerrepresentative.Approvalhappenswhentheleadselectsarequirementfordelivery.Reducingthenumberofapprovalsneededcanhelpensurethattheteamcandeliverquicklyandfocusonincreasingfeedbackandlearningopportunities.
Thecreatorofanartifactordeliverablehastheirworkapprovedbysomeoneotherthanthemselves,preferablysomeonewithaviewofthedesiredvaluebeingdelivered.Userstoriesandanysupportingdocumentsarefrequentlyapprovedbythebusinessownerinthistask.6.StrategyAnalysis 6.1AnalyzeCurrentState Analyzingthecurrentstateisdonethroughcollaboration,continuousfeedback,andlearning.Asthecurrentstateevolves,itiscontinuouslyre-analyzedtounderstandtheimpactofthechange.
Whenbeginninganinitiative,businessanalysispractitionersanalyzethecurrentstate.Analysisfocusesonunderstandingthewholeatahigh-levelandthenidentifyingthemostvaluablepartsforchange.
Collaboratingwiththeproductownerandothers,businessanalysispractitionersexamineaspecificportionofthecurrentsolution.Careisgiventokeepscopefocusedonthosethingsthatwillbeimmediatelyaffected,giventhenatureoftheDeliveryHorizon.
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6.2DefineFutureState Definingthefuturestateisdonethroughcollaboration,continuousfeedback,andlearning.Asthefuturestateevolves,itiscontinuouslyre-analyzedtounderstandtheimpactofthechange.Multiplepotentialfuturestatesanddifferenttimehorizonsarecontinuallybeingdefinedandre-definedwhilechangeishappening.
AttheInitiativeHorizon,definingthefuturestateinvolvesidentifyingtheintendedoutcomeoftheinitiative.Multiplepotentialfuturestatesanddifferenttimehorizonsarecontinuallybeingdefinedandre-definedwhilechangeishappening.
Theimmediatefuturestateisconsideredanddefined,focusingonthevaluethatwillbedeliveredintheupcomingdeliverycycle.Currentworkisassessedtoensureitalignstothedesiredoutcomesoftheinitiative.
6.3AssessRisks Assessingbothpositiveandnegativeriskisongoingformultiplepotentialfuturestatesanddifferenttimeframes.Assumptionsandhypothesesaroundrisksassociatedwiththeevolvingmultiplefuturestatesarecontinuallyexploredandunderstoodasameansofongoingriskmitigation.
Theongoingassessmentofrisk,basedoncontinuousfeedbackandlearning,helpsdeterminewhichfeaturestoworkonfirst.Businessanalysispractitionersconsiderwhatcouldgowell,poorly,andwhatcouldinfluencetheworkandthevaluebeingdelivered.
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6.4DefineChangeStrategy AttheStrategyHorizon,thechangestrategyisdefinedwiththefocusofaligninginitiativestoorganizationalgoals.Thisincludesimpactgoalsormetricstomeasurewhetheraninitiativepositivelyinfluencesthestrategy.
Continuousfeedbackandlearninginformsaneverevolvingchangestrategy.Multiplepotentialstrategiesmaybedefinedthroughexperimentation.Changestrategyislightweightandisdoneatthecompletionofeachdeliveryrelease.Whenasetofrequirementsforaproductorserviceisreleasedtostakeholders,theteamelicitsfeedbacktounderstandiftherequirementsmettheneedandsolvedtheproblem.Basedonthisfeedback,theteamcanmakeanynecessarychangestothebacklog.7.RequirementsAnalysisandDesignDefinition
7.1SpecifyandModelRequirements TheStrategyHorizonspecifiesandmodelsthegoalsoftheorganization. TheInitiativeHorizonspecifiesandmodelsstakeholderneedsandproblemstobesolved. TheDeliveryHorizonspecifiesandmodelsrequirementsintheformoflightweightdocumentationsuchasuserstories,jobstories,wireframes,orproductbacklogitems.7.2VerifyRequirements TheStrategyHorizonensuresthattheinitiativesaremeetingthegoalsoftheorganization. Verifyingrequirementsinvolvescommunicatingasharedunderstandingoftheproblemandthesolution.Thisfacilitatesasharedunderstandingofthefeaturesandensuresthedeliveryteamcanactonthem.
Requirementsmeetqualityneededifthedeliveryteamcanclearlyunderstand,collaboratetodeliver,andvalidaterequirements.Verifyingisalightweightactivitythatdemonstratesteamagreement.7.3ValidateRequirements TheStrategyHorizonensuresthattheinitiativesarealignedtothegoalsoftheorganization Theongoingvalidationofoutputsbasedoncontinuousfeedbackandlearninghelpstheevolutiontowardsthedesiredoutcomesoftheinitiative.
Allrequirementsarevalidatedagainsttheneedwiththesolutionisdelivered.ThiscanbeautomatedthroughBehaviourDrivenDevelopmentormanualthroughuseracceptancetesting
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7.4DefineRequirementsArchitecture TheStrategyHorizonensuresthattheinitiativesarealignedtothegoalsoftheorganization. Requirementsarchitectureismanagedthroughthebacklog.TechniquessuchasPurposeAlignmentModel,Retrospectives,andValueStreamMappingareusedonanongoingbasistoensurefeedbackandlearninginformstheevolutionoftherequirementsarchitecture.
Businessanalysispractitionerscollaboratewiththedeliveryteamtodecideontheformofuserstoriesaswellaswhatothersupportingartifactswillbeused.Requirementsmayincludenecessarymetadatasuchastraceabilitytofeatures,metrics,andothersources.7.5DefineDesignOptions Whilethedetaileddesignoptionsaredefinedelsewhere,thevisionforthecustomerjourneyandhigh-leveluserexperiencecanbedefinedattheStrategyHorizon.
Designoptionsarecontinuallybeingdefinedandredefinedbasedonongoingfeedbackandlearning.Multipledesignoptionsmaybeinvestigatedthroughexperimentationasameanstodeterminewhichoptiontopursue.
Designoptionsareevaluatedandselected,collaborativelyandwithinputfromteammembersandstakeholders.Auserstorynarrativeformwillfrequentlyleavethegreatestpossibleroomforthedesigntofulfilltherequirements.Theactualformofthosemaybedecidedonoralteredatthelastresponsiblemoment,whichmaybewithinthetimeframeoftheDeliveryHorizon.7.6AnalyzePotentialValueandRecommendSolutionThescopeofanalysisisdojustenoughanalysistodecidetostartaninitiativeornot.Ensuringcontinuouscollaborationandfeedbackbetweeninitiativesaidsthisanalysis.ThestrategyforthevisionofcreatingvalueisdefinedattheStrategyHorizon.
Experimentationisusedtoanalyzepotentialvalueandmakesolutionrecommendations. Collaboration,feedback,andlearningareusedtoselectsolutionoptionsormakedecisionswithkeystakeholderssuchastheproductowner.
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8.SolutionEvaluation 8.1MeasureSolutionPerformance Measuringasolution'sperformanceinvolvesmeasuringthefeedbackfromallinitiativestodetermineiforganizationalgoalsarebeingachieved.Solutionperformanceismeasuredbasedonacontinualassessmentofoutcomesachieved.Ongoinglearningandfeedbackfrommetricswithquicktimeframesprovideindicatorsthatthedesiredoutcomesareontarget.
Implementedstoriesshouldbealteringsolutionperformance,eitherindividuallyorastheyaccumulate.Storieshavetheexpectationthattheywillmoveoneormoremetricsinaknowndirection.Thatexpectationmayormaynotbefulfilled;thisbecomesanimportantsourceoflearningandfeedback.8.2AnalyzePerformanceMeasures AnalyzingperformancemeasuresfocusesonassessingtheholisticvalueprovidedbyallinitiativesacrosstheorganizationAnalyzingperformanceismeasuredthroughacontinualassessmentofoutcomesachieved.Ongoinglearningandfeedbackfrommetricswithquicktimeframesprovideindicatorsthatthedesiredoutcomesareontarget.
AnalyzingperformancemeasuresattheDeliveryHorizonwillhelpinformthedecisionofwhethertocontinue,discontinue,orchangethestoriescurrentlyinthebacklog.Forexample,oncesufficientbeneficialchangehasbeenachievedthatisrelatedtoaparticularfeature,theteammaychoosetoworkonadifferentfeature.8.3AssessSolutionLimitations AttheStrategyHorizon,assessingsolutionlimitationsinvolvescollaborationandcommunicatingsolutionlimitationsacrossallinitiatives.Thefeasibilityofstrategicoptionsandvaluetrade-offsareassessed
Solutionlimitationsareassessedthroughongoingfeedbackandlearningthroughouttheinitiative.Unintendedconsequencesarefrequentlydiscovered.Thepurposeistoidentifyanylimitationsthatwouldaffectthedeliveryoptions.Forexample,ateamshouldidentifyanyinfrastructurelimitationstotheintendedsolution.Thisislightweightandfocusingonwhatisknownnowandwhatisneedednowfordelivery.
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8.4AssessEnterpriseLimitations Assessingenterpriselimitationsinvolvescontinuallyunderstandingandcommunicatinglimitationstotherealizationofvalueacrossinitiativesastheselimitationsevolvealongwiththesolution.
Theongoingassessmentofenterpriselimitationsdefinetheconstraintsthatimpactsolutiondesign.ThistaskisnotcompletedintheDeliveryHorizon.
8.5RecommendActionstoIncreaseSolutionValueTheStrategyHorizonisresponsibleforrecommendingchangestogoalsorstrategy.Thisincludesrecommendingtostart,stop,orchangeaninitiative.Recommendedchangesarebasedonongoingfeedbackandlearning.
TheInitiativeHorizonisresponsibleforrecommendingchangestotheoutcomesoftheinitiative.Thisincludesrecommendingtostart,stop,orchangeaninitiative.Recommendedchangesarebasedonongoingfeedbackandlearning.
ThisactivityisofhighpriorityattheDeliveryHorizon.Asubtledifferenceinimplementedstoriesiswherevaluecanbeenhancedordiminished.Learningandfeedbackaboutimplementationsandmetricswilldrivethisactivity.
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AppendixC:Contributors
C.1 CoreTeamofAuthorsIIBA®andTheAgileAlliance®wouldliketothankthefollowingcontributorstotheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guide.Withouttheireffortsandcommitment,theAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guideversion2.0wouldnotbepossible.• JamesKing• JasPhul,ProductOwner,IIBA• KentJ.McDonald• PaulStapleton,Editor,IIBA• RylandLeyton• ShaneHastie,TeamFacilitator,TheAgileAlliance• StephanieVineyard• SteveAdolphC.2 ExpertAdvisoryandReviewGroupThefollowingindustryexpertsgenerouslyprovidedIIBA®andTheAgileAlliance®withadviceandguidanceonthescopeandcontentofversion2.0oftheAgile
ExtensiontotheBABOK®Guideduringitsplanninganddevelopment,andhelpedtoshapethecontentanddirectionofthisrelease.• EllanYoung• LindaCook• AngelaWick• MaryGorman• ChirsMatts• AliMazer• LuizClaudioParzianello• ZoyaRoyblat• TimCoventry• MindyBohannon• EllenGottesdiener
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C.3 AgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guideversion1Contributors• AliMazer• BrianHemker• CarolScalice• ChrisMatts• DavidC.Cook• DavidMorris• DennisStevens• EllenGottesdiener• KevinBrennan• LuizClaudioParzianello• MarshaHughes• PascalVanCauwenberghe• PaulStapleton,Editor• PeterGordon• ShaneHastie• SteveErlank• SusanBlock
C.4 OtherSignificantContributors• IrenaDuniskvaric:Technicalillustrations• LyndaSydney,IgniteWritingServices:Copyediting• VicBhai,TechnicalWriter/Editor,IIBA:Layoutanddesign
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AppendixD:SummaryofChangesfromAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guideversion1
TheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guide(AgileExtension)hasbeentirelyre-thoughtandre-architectedforversion2.ThereisnodirectmappingofchangesforAgileExtensionversion1toAgileExtensionversion2.Thisappendixprovidesdetailsintotherationalforthechangesandresultsofthesechanges.TheAgileExtensiontotheBABOK®Guide(AgileExtension)version2describesthebenefits,activities,tasks,skills,andpracticesrequiredforeffectiveagilebusinessanalysiswithaconstantfocusondeliveringbusinessvalue.TheAgileExtensionversion2:• positionsagilebusinessanalysisbeyondsoftwaredevelopment.ThethinkingandpracticesfoundinAgileExtensionversion2canbeappliedinanydomainoperatinginanagilecontext.• placesaincreasedfocusonagilebusinessanalysispracticesandthinkingasameanstohelpingbusinessanalysispractitionersandorganizationsrealizethevaluedeliveredbyeffectiveagilebusinessanalysis.• embracesandincorporatesthe• BusinessAnalysisCoreConceptModel™(BACCM™).• buildsonvaluesestablishedintheManifestoforAgileSoftwareDevelopmentbydescribingandingrainingthesevenprinciplesforagilebusinessanalysis.• introducestheconceptofrollingplanninghorizonsthat,fromanagileperspective,representaviewofworkwithinanorganizationwithalevelofgranularityappropriatetotheplanningtimeframeandthenatureofthefeedbackloops.• placesincreasedemphasisontheimportanceoffeedbackandlearningtothecontinuousdeliveryofvalue.• rethinks,updates,adds,andremovestechniquesthatsupportagilebusinessanalysispractices.SometechniquesfoundinAgileExtensionversion1havebeincludedinBABOK®Guide.Unlessthereisasignificantdifferencetothetechniqueinanagilecontext,thesetechniquesarenotincludedintheAgileExtensionversion2..
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AgileExtensionversion1Technique
AgileExtensionversion2Technique
Change
BacklogManagement MovedtoBABOK®GuideBacklogRefinement NewBehaviourDrivenDevelopment BehaviourDrivenDevelopment Updated
BusinessCapabilityAnalysis MovedtoBABOK®GuideBusinessValueDefinition RemovedCollaborativeGames MovedtoBABOK®GuideImpactMapping NewJobStories NewKanoAnalysis KanoAnalysis UpdatedLightweightDocumentation RemovedMoSCoWPrioritization RemovedMinimalViableProduct NewPersonas Personas UpdatedPlanningWorkshop PlanningWorkshop UpdatedPortfolioKanban NewProductRoadmap NewPurposeAlignmentModel PurposeAlignmentModel UpdatedRealOptions RealOptions UpdatedRelativeEstimation RelativeEstimation UpdatedRetrospectives Retrospectives UpdatedReviews NewSpikes NewStoryboarding Storyboarding UpdatedStoryDecomposition StoryDecomposition UpdatedStoryElaboration StoryElaboration UpdatedStoryMapping StoryMapping UpdatedUserStory UserStories UpdatedValueStreamMapping ValueStreamMapping UpdatedVisioning New
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