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BABOK v2 Knowledge Areas

Copyright © 2009 Patrick van Abbema Feel free to share this presentation as long as the copyright notice remains in place. 2

Introduction

Copyright © 2009 Patrick van AbbemaFeel free to share this presentation as long as the copyright notice remains in place. 3

• Definition– Knowledge Area which describes Business Analysis activities that take place for

organizations to:• Identify business opportunities• Build their Business Architecture framework• Determine the optimum project investment path for the enterprise –

includes implementation of new business and technical system solutions• When does it occur

– Occurs pre‐project • Captures future view of the business• Gives context to future requirements elicitation and solution design for an

initiative• Sometimes referred to as a feasibility analysis phase, sometimes treated as

stand‐alone project• What occurs

– Business Requirements for future project investments are identified and documented

• Business requirements defined at a high‐level – goals, objectives, and needs are identified

• Investigative activities to determine why a project is being requested and the metrics to determine project success

Introduction


• Managing projects has two dimensions– Investing in the most valuable projects– Planning, executing, and controlling project activities to attain business value as

early as possible• Enterprise Analysis activities

– Begin after the executive team develops strategic plans and goals– Continue until information is gathered to propose new or supporting projects for

a go/no go decision– End after the benefits of project outcomes are measured and analyzed

• Enterprise Activity examples linked to Business Planning events:– Strategic plan development– Strategic goal development– Business Architecture development– Feasibility Studies– Business Case Development– New Project Proposal– Selecting and Prioritizing New Business Opportunities– Launching New Projects– Managing Projects for Value– Tracking Project Benefits

Strategic Planning and Goal Setting


Strategic Planning • Focuses executive team on the organization’s reason for being and provides the

foundation to prioritize programs and projects.• Provides context in which Enterprise Architecture is conducted.• Plan is considered living, breathing document• Various business needs are considered during this planning:

– Investigating current strategy related to environment and market trends– Assessing current technology structure to ensure alignment with business vision– Identifying ongoing business issues– Remaining competitive, profitable, and efficient

Strategic Goal Setting • Goals usually developed during the Strategic planning• Usually strategic goals are effective when translated into Strategic themes• Strategic themes define new business opportunities (e.g. reduce costs through on‐line

ordering, increase revenue per customer by increasing services provided per customer).

Enterprise Analysis Activities


BA Strategic Role• BA doesn’t usually participate directly in strategic planning in small organizations.• Sr. BAs will sometimes perform analysis and benchmark studies to provide

information to the strategic planning team.• Through Enterprise Analysis activities, BA play a role in translating business strategies

and themes into proposed business solutions.BA Enterprise Analysis Role • BA plays critical role working with key stakeholders and SMEs to provide management

with information they need to wisely prioritize their projects.• Focus is on the Enterprise level and considerations are across the organization.Enterprise Analysis Activities• Enterprise Analysis Activities leading up to Project Selection:

– Creating and maintaining the Business Architecture– Conducting Feasibility Studies to find optimal business solution– Scoping and defining the new business opportunity– Preparing the Business Case– Conducting the initial Risk Assessment– Preparing the Decision Package

Creating and Maintaining a Business Architecture


• Purpose of Business Architecture:– Provide a unified structure and context that guides selection and management of

programs and projects – provides common framework that fosters strategic alignment

– Set of documentation defines an organization’s current and future capabilities– Describes business strategy and long term goals, environment (technical and

environmental)– Defines stakeholders– Considered strategic asset

• Business Architecture consists of:– Interrelated set of documents, model and diagrams, organized to present

information about the business in terms of Business vision, mission, strategy, functions, rules, policies, procedures, processes, organizations, competencies, and locations

– Goal – to achieve a common understanding of the changes business must make to achieve their goals

– Shows how the business and technical information interrelate with each other– One element within the larger view which is the Enterprise Architecture

• Enterprise Architecture comprised of five Architectures:– Business Architecture– Information Architecture– Application Architecture– Technology Architecture– Security Architecture

Defining the business need


• Why? – Identify and define why an organizational change is required• Description

– The business need defines the problem that the business analyst is trying to find a solution for. The way the business need is defined determines which alternative solutions will be considered, which stakeholders will be consulted, and which solution approaches will be evaluated.

• Input– Business Goals and Objectives: Business goals and objectives describe the ends

that the organization is seeking to achieve. A common test for assessing objectives is to ensure that they are SMART:

• Specific – describing something that has an observable outcome • Measurable – tracking and measuring the outcome• Achievable – testing the feasibility of the effort• Relevant – in alignment with the organization’s key vision, mission, goals• Time‐bounded – the objective has a defined timeframe that is consistent with the

business need

• Output– Business Need: A business need describes a problem that the organization is or is

likely to face, or an opportunity that it has not taken, and the desired outcome. The business need will guide the identification and definition of possible solutions.

Techniques Used to Define the Business Need


• Techniques– Benchmarking: Understanding what competing organizations and peers are doing

allows the organization to remain at a comparable level of service or identify opportunities to increase efficiency.

– Brainstorming: Generate insights and options.

– Business Rules Analysis: Identify changes in the policies that guide the organization towards achieving its goals and objectives.

– Focus Groups : To identify and discuss problems.

– Functional Decomposition: Convert business goals into achievable objectives and measures.

– Root Cause Analysis: Determine the underlying source of a problem.

• Stakeholders– Customer or Supplier, Domain SME or End User, Regulator, Sponsor

Assessing capability gaps


• Why? ‐ Identify new capabilities required by the enterprise to meet the business need

• Description:– Assess the current capabilities of the enterprise and identify the gaps that

prevent it from meeting business needs and achieving desired outcomes. Determine if it is possible for the organization to meet the business need using its existing structure, people, processes, and technology. E.g., “know Rome”

• Input– Business Need: Capabilities are assessed against the business need to identify

gaps. – Enterprise Architecture: The enterprise architecture defines the current

capabilities of an organization. – (Current) Solution Performance Assessment: Identifies shortcomings, problems

or limitations of an existing solution.

• Output– Required Capabilities: An understanding of the current capabilities of the

organization and the new capabilities (processes, staff, features in an application, etc.) that may be required to meet the business need.

Techniques used to assess capability gaps


• Techniques– Document Analysis: Useful to understand the current state of the enterprise, in

as much as that current state is documented.

– SWOT Analysis: Identify how current capabilities and limitations (Strengths and Weaknesses) match up against the influencing factors (Opportunities and Threats).

• Stakeholders– Customer or Supplier, Domain SME, End User, Implementation SME, and Sponsor

Determining the solution approach


• Why? ‐ To determine the most viable solution approach to meet the business need in enough detail to allow for definition of solution scope and prepare the business case.

• Description– The solution approach describes the general approach that will be taken to

create or acquire the new capabilities required to meet the business need.

• Input– Business Need: Possible solutions will be evaluated against the business need to

ensure that it can be met by the selected approach. – Organizational Process Assets: The organization may require that specific

approaches be taken to solutions of a given type (such as specific methodologies).

– Required Capabilities: Identifies the new capabilities that any solution must support.

• Output– Solution Approach: A description of the approach that will be taken to implement

a new set of capabilities.

Techniques used to determine the Solution Approach


• Techniques– Benchmarking: Identify solution approaches that have proven effective in other

organizations.

– Brainstorming: Used as a method of generating alternatives.

– Decision Analysis: Rank and select possible solution approaches.

– Estimation: Develop initial cost comparisons of possible solution approaches.

– SWOT Analysis: Useful method of comparing possible approaches.

– Feasibility Analysis: A preliminary analysis of solution alternatives or options to determine whether and how each option can provide an expected business benefit to meet the business need.

• Stakeholders– Sponsor, Implementation SME, Customer, Domain SME, End User and Supplier

Defining the solution scope


• Why? ‐ To define which new capabilities a project or iteration will deliver.• Description

– The purpose of this task is to conceptualize the recommended solution in enough detail to enable stakeholders to understand which new business capabilities an initiative will deliver.

• Input– Assumptions and Constraints: Relevant assumptions and constraints may include

assumptions about how stakeholders will respond to a new product or service or about the availability of technology.

– Business Need: The goals, objectives, and desired outcomes of the organization.– Required Capabilities: Describes the new capabilities required to meet the

business need, which serve as the basis for the solution scope.– Solution Approach: The general approach taken to delivery of the new

capabilities required by the business will be used when assessing options for the implementation of solution components.

• Output – Solution Scope: Defines what must be delivered in order to meet the business

need.

Techniques used to define the solution scope


• Techniques– Functional Decomposition: To understand the scope of work and to break the

solution scope into smaller work products or deliverables.

– Interface Analysis: Depict the scope of work required to integrate the new solution into the business and technical environments.

– Scope Modeling: Identify appropriate boundaries for the solution scope.

– User Stories: Describe stakeholders and the goals the system supports and as such can also be used to define the solution scope.

– Problem or vision statement: A problem or vision statement states the business need, identifies key stakeholders, and briefly describes the positive impact that meeting the business need will have on those stakeholders.

• Stakeholders– Domain SME, Implementation SME, Project Manager, Sponsor

Define the Business Case


• Why? ‐ To determine if an organization can justify the investment required to deliver a proposed solution.

• Description – The business case describes the justification for the project in terms of the value

to be added to the business as a result of the deployed solution, as compared to the cost to develop and operate the solution.

• Input– Assumptions and Constraints: Include assumptions about the revenue generated

or retained by the solution or non‐financial improvements it will deliver.– Business Need: Defines the value that a solution will deliver to the organization

and how it aligns with the business goals and objectives.– Solution Scope: Defines the capabilities that will be implemented, the methods

that will be used to deliver them, and the areas of the organization that will be affected.

– Stakeholder Concerns: May include risks or issues that must be accounted for in the business case.

• Output – Business Case: Presents the information necessary to support a go/no go

decision to invest and move forward with a proposed project.

Techniques used to define a Business Case


• Techniques– Decision Analysis: Cost‐benefit analysis compares the costs of implementing a

solution against the benefits to be gained. Financial analysis includes the use of financial models that estimate the market value of an organizational asset.

– Estimation: Forecast the size of the investment required to deploy and operate the proposed solution.

– Metrics and Key Performance Indicators: Assessed to support benefit management, measurement and reporting, including where realignment of internal measures or systems is needed to ensure that the behaviours we are seeking can be seen, evaluated, and realized.

– Risk Analysis: Used to assess potential risks that may impact the solution and the costs and benefits associated with it.

– SWOT Analysis: Demonstrate how the solution will help the organization maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses.

– Vendor Assessment: If purchase or outsourcing to a third party is in consideration, an assessment of the vendor may be performed as part of the business case.

• Stakeholders– Project Manager, Implementation SME, Domain SME, Sponsor

Questions?


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