where does the ba fit in the agile world?

IIBA Central VA ChapterIn an Agile worldWhere do I fit in?

Joe SnyderJanuary 19, 2016

In an Agile world-Where do you fit in?

My Company is moving to Agile

Joe Snyder AS, BS, MSIS, LSP, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSP / CSM,

SPC, ICP-ATF, ICP-ACC, SPC4

TLA’sRecovering PM

Scrum Master

Agile Coach

TrainerLEGO Serious Play

Public Speaker

??????

Business Analyst in Agile?

What is a Business Analyst?

• The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) states that the business analyst "works as a liaison among stakeholders in order to elicit, analyze, communicate, and validate requirements for changes to business processes, policies, and information systems".

• The role of the business analyst can well be described as the "universal communicator" – understanding and representing the diverse stakeholder perspective in a clear and articulate manner, assisting business people in the discovery process whereby emergent and unclear business needs are uncovered, and the real value adding requirements are identified.

• This role transcends the development methodology being used, and the latest version of the BABoK™ (Business Analysis Body of Knowledge) explicitly acknowledges the value and importance of Agile techniques, and the way the business analysis activity changes in Agile projects.

What is a Business Analyst?

Agile Police

The Agile Manifesto

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

Working software over comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Responding to change over following a plan

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.

Through this work we have come to value:

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

agilemanifesto.org

Waterfall vs. Agile

Agile Methods and Frameworks• Scrum• Kanban• Lean• TDD• XP• SAFe • …• ...• Hybrids

• How do I fit in?• What skills do I need?• What do I do now?

The Scrum Alliance

• Product backlog refinement

• Sprint planning• Daily scrum• Sprint review• Sprint retrospective

Team skills for success

• Investigation• Interpersonal • Critical thinking• Modeling• Emotional intelligence• UI/UX backgrounds• Coaching and mentoring• Conflict resolution/arbitration• Stakeholder engagement

Skills for Success

Politician

Solution Or Problem?

StakeholdersUniquePerspective

Benefits

Shared Understanding

Communicator

Negotiator

Mediator

StakeholdersCommonality

Stakeholder Management can mean many things to many people

Customers

Dev./OPS

Management

Systems

Align to a common purpose

DEV/OPS

Management

Customers

Systems

Build Baby Build

What’s really happening?Is the role changing or just the title?Analysis is a requirement but does it require an analyst to do it?Change your focus From:

"We'll go out and find out what the customers want and bring it back”To:

"We'll go help the customers figure out what they want, so they can tell us”

Control is now in the hands of the customers, and that makes all the difference.Who should the BA become? PO? PM?Regardless of the title they need to be empowered to make decisions in order to be successful

http://agilemodeling.com/essays/businessAnalysts.htm#sthash.hp6Wsbl3.dpuf

What’s really happening?

• The role of the BA in most organization is changing in name only!

• The critical work of analysis and planning still need to happen.

• Still adding Business Value!• No mention of the BA as a role• The question is how will you adapt to the change and

remain relevant and what skills do you need?

My job is to just write user stories?

• Help define the problem• Help define the vision• Decomposing the problem into smaller parts• Help with emerging design• Consistent view to vision, problem,

considerations, tradeoffs made during initial discussions

• Translate business speak into IT speak and vice versa

• Maintain a dictionary• Maintain the format of the backlog• Analyze Strategy• Manage Change• Work with multiple stakeholders• Conflict Arbitration • Balance business focused solutions with

system /enterprise realities

• Position themselves to be the advocate of the customer and provide business focused solutions

• Understanding the ways that users will interact with the new software and how they will need to change and adapt as a result

• Understand the larger business need and be able to interpret them to help their teams get a sense of them and how to implement technological solutions

• Sometimes the difference between a BA and a BSA is one of perspective.

• Business needs vs technology• Understand the myriad of dimensions of

business/customer needs• Build or buy• Insource or outsource

Scaled Agile Framework

SAFe BA influence is seen across all levels

• Epic Owners• Product management• Product owner• Teams• Customers• Systems team• QA• Dev/OPS• UX• Data• Security• Performance• IT• Business

Scaled Agile Framework™ Big Picture

Portfolio Level• Strategic Themes• Epics• Value Streams• Runway

Program Level• ART• Features• Roadmaps• Customer need• Change• DOD, DOR

• Testing• UAT• Performance• Security• Compliance (508)

• Teams

Team Level• Drive grooming • Bring consistency across the backlog -Formats, language,

completeness, vision, historical perspective• Vital link to Testing to understand intent• Support for the team, PO,SM

What next or how do I adapt?

• E• C• O• N• O• M• I• C• S

Education

Collaboration

Ownership

New Techniques

Outcomes over outputs

Manage Change

Interactivity

Commitment

Stakeholder Management

What could possibly go wrong?

• Without You? • Waste • Miscommunication• Rework• Scrap• Time• How does the “story” get communicated? By playing telephone?

• You risk being replaced with a developer that has solid communication skills

• The BA as a Proxy PO is a black hole• Slowed decisions when acting as a go between• Delays in acceptance and change• Slower communications among teams and stakeholders

• Where should BA be linked /managed in the organization?

• BA needs to be careful not to get analysis paralysis

Other avenues for growth• Next steps

• Leverage every learning opportunity• COP’s• Professional organizations

• Suggested career paths• Product Management• Product Owner• Scrum Master

• Future Growth• Hybrid environments• Integrations

• The Government space is alive and well• The opportunity is to manage in the hybrid environment • Still a place for traditional roles PM, PgM, PMO, Audit etc

• What is it that you do?• Think• Analyze• Define• Gaps• Plan for execution• Implement

• Think about where you are and where you want to be

• Analyze and understand the skills you bring to the table

• Do the gap analysis• Define the skills you are missing• Go get the skills• Execute the plan!

Business Analyst in Agile? Which will you be?

Thank You

Questions?

where does the ba fit in the agile world?

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