Business Analysis: Where transformation and innovation begins

Presented By Jody Bullen

Introduction

• 10+ years working in Software Development

• Worked on both technical and business teams

• Variety of projects

• Business Technology Analyst

• Founder and CEO of Yonix

• Liaison among stakeholders to identify business needs and determine solutions to business problems.

• Solutions often include:• systems development,• process improvement , or• organisational change.

• The person who carries out this task is called a Business Analyst or BA.

  

 

Business Analysis

What's involved?

People

Information

SystemsPolicy & Process

• Enterprise analysis

• Requirements planning and management

• Requirements elicitation

• Requirements analysis

• Requirements communication

• Solution assessment

Examples of business analysis

• Strategic Vision and Objectives

• Programmes of work

• Business Case

• Execution Plan

• Projects

Where does it all start?

Business Analyst Role and Responsibilities

Source: 2008 voke media

Business Analyst Communication Lines

Source: 2008 voke media

Capabilities, Skills, And Knowledge

Source: Forester Research Inc

Business Analyst Reporting Lines

Source: Forester Research Inc

• Process rather than a documentation exercise

• Extensive stakeholder involvement

• Document business processes, high level, detailed and non-functional (Quality Assurance) requirements

• Provide traceability, document and managed relationships between requirements

• Requirements and business process reviewed and signed-off

Approach: Requirements Gathering

• Realising the value of Business Analysts

• Becoming a profession

• The role is changing

• Distributed software supply chain

• Outsourcing

• Push for agility

Industry Trends

• Set of phases and activities that result in software products.

• Phases collectively known as the Software Development Lifecycle, or SDLC

• Different approaches to software development may result in these phases or activities being carried out in a different

Introduction to Software Development

Requirements & Design

DevelopmentTest

Support / Maintenance

Software Development Lifecycle

Business

Technical

Board of Directors

CEO

Steering Committee

Project Sponsor

Project Manager

Business Analyst Team

Development Team Test Team

A Typical Project Team and Governance Structure

• US$500 billion invested last year to build new software

• Software development project failure rates between 50% - 75%*

• Failure rates, costs are frustrating and unacceptable

•Failure is avoidable

Vast Majority of IT Software Development Projects Fail

*2008 - The Standish Group, Gartner Group, VokeStream

Failed Software Projects and poor IT alignment leads to:

• Missed objectives, goals and market opportunities.

• Loss of market share.

• Reduced shareholder returns.

• Damaged reputation and brands.

Impact

• Software errors cost the US economy US$59.5 billion annually.

• Impact to UK companies of re-work costs and abandoned systems upwards of US$75 billion annually.

• In Australia failing, botched, re-scoped and cancelled projects are wasting around A$197,000 per week.

• In 2004, software project failures cost the European Union €142 billion.

Impact

April 2009 we completed an extensive five month market validation and research exercise, which included:

• A Market survey,

• Interviews, and

• Analysis and review of industry research

Research

• 84 Projects

• 35% private, 33% government, 17% public and 15% were charity/non-profit.

• 70% budget greater than $500k.

• 45% had a team size between 6 and 15 people. 39% more than 15 people. 21% over 25 people.

• 50% of project budgets between 500k and $5m, while 19% were $5m or over.

Project Demographics

• Unrealistic schedules or inaccurate estimates,

• Poor requirements and overall system specification.

• Feature / scope creep, and

• Inaccurate understanding of end-user needs.

Top Problems in the SDLC

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5Testing strategy

Testing coverage

Project management

Overall communication

Management support / governance

High level business requirements

Development methodology

Detailed business requirements / functional specification

Business case

Architecture / software performance

Over Budget / Over Schedule Within Budget / On Schedule

Project Key Success Factors

1

2

3

Lowest Rated

HighestRated

• Spend more time upfront

• Understand the enterprise, business domain and stakeholders

• Create a single source of project requirements

• Understand that people don’t always know what they want

• Help stakeholders visualise and understand the requirements

Recommendations for your business

% of target

Who Owned Requirements?

Budget Time FunctionalityStakeholder

time

Business 197% 245% 110% 201%

IT 163% 172% 91% 173%

Jointly Owned

143% 159% 104% 163%

Recommendations

IAG Group : 109 Fortune 500 Projects

• Frustrated with project failure rates

• We are passionate about well run and successful IT software projects

• Focus is software to support the early phases of projects where critical business and technical requirements are developed

• Yonix ‘Calm’ used commercially for 3+ years

• Animal Health Board’s VectorNet project won the premier NZ Computerworld award for Overall ICT Project Excellence

• In CreativeHQ, High Growth Business Incubator

About Yonix

• Focus on requirements and specification phases of the project lifecycle

• Increases the odds of project success• Saves money from costly rework• Safe guards intellectual property and institutional

knowledge

• Improves communication between business and technical realms

• Governance and assurance• Improved business outcomes

• Bring best-practice to small / medium projects

Yonix’s Approach

• $1bn USD market*

• 20%+ growth per year*

• Growth forecasted to continue

• Enormous growth potential

• Domestic and global opportunities

Market Opportunity

*2008 – vokeStream, IDC

• Help more NZ businesses increase project success

• Supporting industry associations promote best practice

• Next-generation Software-as-Service (SaaS) version

• Currently building and seeking partnerships with NZ and global consultancies to provide benefits to a wider market

The Future of Yonix

?Questions

Jody BullenJody.bullen@yonix.com

www.yonix.com