In this article I discuss my experiences of the circumstances and reasons that lead to a business analyst joining a project some time after an upgrade or extension project was started. The project has usually stalled to some degree as a result of the technical team being unable to continue with certainty. They will have found unclear, ill-defined and contradictory business requirements emerging from their reverse engineering of the existing application, and will not be in a position to sort out the real, and current, business requirements.

In tackling this situation as a late start on an existing team, I outline my 3-pronged approach: (1) building my understanding of the organisation, (2) learning more about the project’s history and origins, and (3) delving into the existing solution so that I understand what is being offered to users, and how they are actually using it.

I round off by putting forward the outcomes that I look for from each of these approaches.

The Setting

One of the things that you will find, when working in the role of senior, or consulting business analyst, is that you are often brought on to an upgrade or extension project some time after the project has kicked off. The usual reason for this is the management team running the project held the view that the project was a mostly technical endeavour, and the value of the analyst was deemed to be too low to warrant a full time someone in the role. The call was made to let our developers do their own analysis.

This scenario will play out for a couple of months, by which time our developers are usually expressing their concerns loudly to the project manager. Our developers will have come to realise that they have been given the unhappy task of reverse engineering the business intent of the application from the code. This is a challenge because of:

1. Sprawling complexity.
2. Poor conceptual integrity.
3. Loss of organisational knowledge.

Sprawling Complexity

As a consequence of new and changing business demands, applications all tend to grow over time, often organically. The additional features requested by the business sees modules added, or existing modules changed in some way, with the development team of the time ‘hacking’ the changes in wherever necessary. The codebase balloons. Existing code is seldom refactored, and obsolete code-blocks are hardly ever removed.

It may take months or years, but eventually the application becomes a large, nebulous thing that challenges understanding and stymies fast, reverse-engineering type analysis.

Poor Conceptual Integrity

According to Fred Brooks;

“Conceptual integrity in turn dictates that the design must proceed from one mind, or from a very small number of agreeing resonant minds“.

Back in the office, it is likely that as time progressed multiple development teams will have worked on the application. This leads to the conceptual integrity of the application being undermined, which in turn obscures the intention of functionality. Symptoms of this problem include:

• our developers uncovering conflicting and ambiguous business rules in the code;
• questions like ‘is this a bug, or was this intentional’ and ‘did the business really want to have it work in this way, or did the previous team take a shortcut/not understand the technology’ being asked;
• and discovering that business rules have been dispersed throughout the application’s layers, from rules in stored procedures, to validations in the user interface, and everything in between.

Coupled with sprawling complexity, the loss of conceptual integrity makes the task of reverse engineering the business intent from the code a very challenging task indeed. Our developers will make a best attempt, but they may run into the third problem: who do we ask?

Loss of Organisational Knowledge

The problem of staff turnover is not restricted to development teams. It affects the organisation at large. People come and go all the time for any number of reasons. Given a few years, it is not uncommon to find that key business stakeholders, those who were responsible for stating the principles and business rules that underpin the application, have left, taking with them the rationale for many of the original design decisions.

Faced with a mountain of questions, our development team will turn to the business for clarity, but in many cases they will be unable to find a business stakeholder that can answer their questions. It is usually at this point that the team call a timeout, and request that a business analyst be brought on to the project.

This is where you step into the breech.

Engaging with the Project

So, how do you get going on a project that has been running for a month or two? I use a three-pronged approach:

1. Understand the organisation;
2. Understand the history;
3. Understand the application.

This is not a prioritised, or ordered list. You are not going to start at the top, and work down. Instead you will find that you are often working on these items simultaneously. The point is to fully immerse yourself in the project, and to soak up as much as possible as quickly as possible. You are riding the learning curve to the max!

Understand the Organisation

Off the bat you need to get to know your team. Your solution architect (or technical lead) is going to be able to provide you with a lot of information about the problems that the team are running into, and the questions that they have. Get these down into a coherent format, and review them with your team. This is the basis of your to-do list.

Identify the business areas are affected by the change as these will set your business area scope. Agree this scope with the PM. You don’t have time to waste on working in business areas that are not important to building your knowledge of the application, so setting clear boundaries within the organisation is an imperative.

Building your view of the organisational structure. Once again, spend time with your PM and work on fleshing out an organisational hierarchy. Mine the company email system for contact details and add these into your organogram.

Importantly, get a feel for the company politics that is in play. Get very clear about how you should be approaching the business in your search for clarity. Identify who is able to make decisions about conflicting business rules. Understanding the hierarchy will also help you avoid the trap of stepping on toes in your quest for knowledge.

Using the outcomes from this prong of your approach you should be able to build:

• An organogram, or organisational hierarchy;
• A stakeholder matrix, with a start to formulating your communication plan;
• A business area scope statement.

Understanding the Origin of the Project

You need to get on top of the drivers as quickly as possible, and you have to be clear in your mind about the reasons that brought the project to come into being.

Again, I suggest starting by spending a session or two with your project manager. They will have been the primary contact with the business up until you joined, and they are likely to have valuable knowledge around the business drivers. Ask them for the Project Brief and the Business Case. Review these documents. Make sure you are asking questions when you come across something you don’t understand.

See if you can get time with the project sponsor. Although the project sponsor is often quite removed from the details of the project, they are crucial to your mandate. When they push you in the direction of a business stakeholder you are able to approach that stakeholder with their backing. This is very powerful, and you can leverage this to achieve quick results.

This prong of your approach should lead to the following outcomes:

• developing your relationship with your PM;
• initiating a relationship with your project sponsor;
• defining your terms of reference.

Understand the Application

An easy way to get up to speed on the application is to get on to a training session. The organisation may have a formal training programme, or you may have to approach a senior user for informal training. There is a lot of know-how locked up in the application, so the sooner you get to grips with the application the better. Spend some time just running through the application from end-to-end. Don’t just open up, and look at screens. See if you can complete tasks or processes. Use the application as intended so that you fully appreciate what is getting done when you work through the various features presented by the application.

If you can get your hands on one, read the manual. Many organisations will have taken the time to put together a user manual, and this can be a rich source of information for you. Often the manual will have a section that introduces the application, and you can mine these introductions for all sorts of valuable rationale that justifies the existence, and outlines the expected benefits delivered by the application. These justifications are often written early on, so you can use them as a sounding-board to make sure that proposed changes are still within the original gambit – or you can set about defining a new context.

This prong should lead to the following outcomes:

• An understanding of how to use the application;
• A start to developing a definition of the application’s business rules;
• A functional decomposition diagram or diagrams for the application.

Communicate

This is an unsaid activity that you will be doing throughout your engagement with the project, but it is of utmost importance that you communicate frequently when starting up.

Be sure to share your learnings with your development team constantly – strive to keep them in the loop. Build their confidence in you.

Let your project manager know of your progress. Ask them for help when you run into headwinds. See if you can help them out with any of their documentation by applying what you have learned.

Conclusion

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to starting up late on a project. You will have to feel your way around initially, and you will have to craft an approach that is appropriate to your particular set of circumstances.

Plan to explore the problem along the three dimensions that I have laid out above. Keep your initial engagements short and frequent, rather than long-winded and infrequent. You will absorb much more if you are interacting with your stakeholders for short periods of time, a lot of the time.

Be sure to keep your team informed of the progress you are making. These guys are going to have to work on your specifications later on, but they have done a lot of work already. You don’t want to blindside them with sudden about-turns that undermines what they have already achieved.

Most of all, remember that the only correct answer early on is ‘It depends’. Be honest when you come across gaps in your understanding. Fix these gaps quickly, and then go back and ask your questions again. Soon enough you will be on top of the problem, and you will be well on your way to delivering a great new solution!

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Some BA’s that I’ve been talking to about training and Certification over the last few months have also told me that it’s expensive, inconvenient and inflexible. Traditional training takes you away from your workspace, often for days at a time, to learn some new skills that take a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Don’t get me wrong, there are some excellent training courses and trainers out there.  But the business model limits what can be done with training and also keeps the prices high.

That ‘vanilla’ case study just doesn’t tackle the specific challenges you face in your organisation. Maybe it ignores problems that are typical in your industry. It’s not a problem with the case study but an inevitable problem with a training course that has to work for the huge variety of BA’s, organisations and different business domains out there.

You will have the opportunity to speak to your trainer during the course but maybe not in the depth you require. Also, as you proceed through the course, you may wish more depth in a particular area. There’s no point asking for that as the curriculum is already fixed!

When you get back to the office, you are likely to have questions when you try to apply what you have learnt. Some trainers are generous with their time and let you call them after the course. However, you know that you can’t stretch their generosity too far. You may want to spend an hour going through the specific circumstances on your project but that may well be too big an ask!

And the solution is…

As you will know, I’m always looking for ways for the BA community to help itself and this seems like a great opportunity. I know that the knowledge and experience held by the BA community collectively is immense and covers every conceivable business domain, type of project and type of BA role!

So, amongst my other projects, I’m investing my time and attention to pilot a service that taps into this resource.

Would you be interested in learning from a fellow BA who has mastered the skills? Perhaps you want to learn from someone who has experience in your particular business domain. And would you like to tailor how you learn so that you can do it in one or two hour bite sized pieces. Would you like to avoid the cost and time of travel to training sessions? If so, using the phone and the web is much more convenient.

It would be more like having a training course where you design your own curriculum and get immediate feedback. You won’t get a polished, fine tuned course developed over years. But you will get coaching from a BA who can speak from experience and adapt advice to suit your specific needs. He or she can also give you either a high level overview or detailed instruction. You will be able to request guidance on the job rather than the vanilla case study. And as many follow up sessions as you need…

So who would be doing the coaching?

Well, if you have experience and expertise, that could well be you!

Would you enjoy the challenge of coaching another BA in a skill where you have some experience and expertise?

Coaching is a key leadership skill which will make you more valuable to your organisation. You could also use your coaching experience and testimonials to help your career progression or win you that next contract.

Another benefit of this approach would be a significant reduction in your training costs. Or even just make it possible if the cost currently makes it impossible.

So how would that work?  If you give your time and experience for free, you could then find someone who has experience and expertise in skills you are looking to acquire.
And you wouldn’t need to be a recognized expert – any BA will be able to offer to coach another BA as long as they are honest and open about their level of experience and expertise.

This would work as a ‘skill and time exchange’ to minimise the cost to you.

What next?

At this stage, this is just an idea -you’ve probably gathered that and have a list of questions for me.

That’s why I need some enthusiastic and patient testers so that you can help me design and test the service that works for you.

Do you like the sound of this idea? Would you like to be involved and can spare a few hours each month?

You will be testing the service and being interviewed to provide feedback. You will also be introduced to other BA’s either to share your knowledge or learn about skills that are at the top of your list.

Sign up here to be one of the original testers to create this service.

There will be no financial cost to be involved. I also need to keep the initial group small so please apply immediately if you are really keen to be included.

Whether you want to be coached, coach others or a mixture of the two (to save you $$’s), I’d like to hear from you.

You would stand to gain some new BA skills. BUT, this is a new service that I’m testing so you’d have to be patient and expect some frustration as I’m developing the service.

If that worries you,  I don’t recommend you get involved.

If you think this is a great idea and you’d like say you’ve been part of designing this service then sign up here.

If you don’t want to be involved in testing the service but would like to hear about it when it is ready to be used then provide your details here.

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Joan and Pete did the lion’s share of the work with Pete at the helm of MaestroConference (supports audio conference with multiple breakout rooms) during the cafe with Joan designing, planning and running the event.

Preparation took place over several weeks. Considerable effort goes into designing these events to ensure they generate the results. Much of this is about designing the questions that are challenging, positive and inspiring.

Whilst there is a great deal of design and thinking that goes into the event, the Café itself is free flowing and driven by the participants. The theory behind this approach is that ‘the knowledge is in the room’. In other words, individual insights and experience are very powerful when shared and discussed within the group. It is intimate and informal with small conversational groups of 4 people. But it also gathers the insights of the entire group together.

Have a look at this video to understand the principles of the World Café.  This was recorded by Anna Ulanova who is our graphic recorder – this is another important element where the group’s insights are represented in a graphical form.

We also benefited from support from Strenner Szilárd as a second graphic recorder.

You can see the result of our BA Café below (supplied by Anna).

And here are Szilard’s contributions:

We would like to run BA Cafés in the future but we can only do this by understanding what you would find most valuable.

If you would like to be kept informed or have any special requests, please provide some details here.

Would like to run your own BA Café in your organisation or your local IIBA Chapter? Would you like to discuss some ideas about the BA Cafe? If so, provide your details here

Everyone involved in this pilot gave their time for free and I would like to thank them all for their commitment and efforts.

If you’re interested in graphic recording, feel free to contact Strenner Szilárd or Anna Ulanova.

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All the recordings are available here.

For those who are not from the UK and not interested in the ISEB, there’s still plenty of useful tips on the CCBA and CBAP.
Suzanne Bertschi, the IIBA Certification product manager, talks about the certifications and the process.
Nick de Voil advises on how to tackle the CBAP taken from interviewing several different CBAP’s.
If you’re working in the UK and still wondering which Certification is right for you and, just as importantly, how to get it on a cost effective basis on your (time) terms, the Certification Consultation Service is designed to help you.

Find out more about the Certification Consultation Service here.

Many people have also signed up to the Certification Community Site.
This is an independent, one stop shop for BA’s considering Certification. It will have a guide to the Certifications, FAQ’s, forums as well as a recording of the webinar. It will be fully set up over the next couple of weeks.

This is also your opportunity to start or find a study group and ask any of your burning questions. Why not see if there are any like-minded souls who want to swap notes on training providers or other key questions?
Alternatively, you could just register and receive email updates if you want to keep in up to date.

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Adrian Reed compares the CCBA/CBAP with the ISEB BA Diploma

 Brett Arthur shares Part 1 of his CBAP journey – there are two more posts to complete the story!

And here are the results of our questionnaire answered by individuals responsible for recruiting BA’s:

Here are some of the conclusions from interviewing some of these individuals.

Unsurprisingly, there isn’t a unified point of view on Certifications.

They aren’t sufficient to get you a job – demonstrating experience and knowledge is always going to be higher on the priority list along with fit with the organisation and team.

However…

Some companies do think that senior BA’s should demonstrate they take their career seriously through having acquired a certification or qualification.

There is no strong opinion on which certification or qualification is best although the ISEB BA Diploma is, inevitably, given its age better known and understood.

If you  are a BA working in the UK and want to hear more advice on Certifications and have your own questions answered by the experts, sign up to the IIBA UK webinar here.

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Stepping Up to Enterprise Analysis 

My own opportunity came as a former employer was dissolving. Ironically the leaders saw the need to analyze the remaining critical functions and assess the gaps in technology required to fulfill the new mission: to process legal claims against the organization and distribute the remaining assets. For four exhilarating years I contributed at this level, taking on projects that included functional forecasts, systems consolidation and streamlining, disaster recovery and business resumption planning.  I’d like to share my experiences in Enterprise Analysis with all of you in the hope that, when the opportunity strikes, you’ll have some ideas on where to start and how to approach the web of organizational complexity.

Expanding Organizational Context

IIBA’s BA Body of Knowledge describes Enterprise Analysis as a pre-project activity whose outputs “provide context to requirements analysis and to solution identification for a given initiative or for long-term planning.”  When engaged in Enterprise Analysis you may find yourself doing any number of familiar activities, simply expanded to consider the organization as a whole:

1. Documenting the Business Architecture.  Modeling the components that make up the organization, in terms of people resources and roles, information flow and transformation, application infrastructure and interdependencies, technology platforms, and security practices and constraints.
2. Defining Project Scope.  Elaborating what’s needed to move a new business opportunity forward, in terms of people, process, and technology.
3. Conducting Feasibility Studies.  Researching the cross-functional impact of solution sets to find the optimal answer for enterprise objectives.
4. Performing a Risk Assessment.  Evaluate risks, probability, and impact to the organization and its goals.
5. Preparing the Business Case.   Reporting on the benefits and costs associated with a strategic solution proposal.
6. Planning the Change Management Approach.  Defining the manner in which business change will be introduced, measured, and continuously improved upon organization-wide.

And so you see that you’ve done Enterprise Analysis all along, only within the narrower perspective of an individual project.  In upcoming posts I’ll explore each of these 6 topics in greater depth.

Your New Role in the Enterprise

It may seem a stretch to cross over into the broader sphere of providing analysis and benchmarking to the strategic planners of your organization, but with guidance you can meet the challenge.  I’d be happy to consult with you on your specific needs, whether it’s tackling those executive conversations, improving management of stakeholder concerns, or organizing the seemingly massive span of organizational information.  Today’s Business Analysts need to be able to apply their skills equally in projects that assess and improve the business domain, process components, or supporting systems.  I look forward to helping you to weave the enterprise view.  Click here to learn more.

Have you already started down the path toward Enterprise Analysis?  It would be great to hear your stories.  Please share your insights with a comment below.

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At work I recently made a confession. Despite having a couple of years BA experience and a number of projects under my belt, I had never received formal training to do my job. I didn’t actually know for certain how I should be doing my job. Looking at the people around me made me feel guilty. Dave in finance; two years of studying and still another year before he’s qualified. Ruth, just joined the sales team and immediately sent on a round of training courses to sharpen her negotiation skills. Me? Two years in, three projects delivered and not a whiff of training. I was making it up as I went along.

Time to get some qualifications. My immediate need was for some coaching on the basics; so far I felt like someone who had learnt to drive on a quiet road, fine for small simple journeys but I’d be ill-equipped for anything more challenging. Despite looking to start with the basics, I wanted this initial study to count towards something bigger if possible.

I soon discovered that there were a couple of decisions to make. CBAP or ISEB? And whether to self-study or go on a training course?

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Please let me and Oliver know if you would value this by answering this quick poll below:

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Tom is the Product Owner for the IIBA’s “Being a BA – Technical Excellence” and “Vendor Showcase” webinar series. Previously he was the IIBA’s Chief Architect. An experienced business architect and enterprise analyst, he has a track record of many years building and managing Business Analysis practices. He is one of the authors of the IIBA’s competency model (versions 1 and 3), and has a varied background in several industry sectors including financial services, healthcare and publishing.

Originally a software engineer, Tom first got into business analysis because he was the only one of his peers who actually enjoyed doing requirements analysis! As the profession matured and grew in recognition, he realised that he had found his ideal career. He retains an interest in technical architecture and enjoys the process of defining solutions to requirements.

Tom has taught business analysis at the college level, as well as being an experienced conference speaker and workshop facilitator.

Tom is a keen amateur photographer and lives in the Toronto area with his wife and young daughter

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Malcolm has worked in the fields of systems analysis and business analysis since 1985, having finally seen that programming is all very well, but it’s not like the real thing. He has worked in large public sector organsiations including Ministry of Defence and BT, and also helped private sector organizations such as Bank of Ireland, Intel and O2.

Much of his work has been training in BA related-themes such as requirements engineering, process modelling and soft systems-based approaches to analysis, but he has been concerned also to keep getting his hands dirty with real life projects so as not to find himself in an ivory tower of theory growing further away from the world where people do the work. He also enjoys working with metaphors.

Malcolm has delivered papers on aspects of information systems at conferences in Cork, Prague, Bayonne, and also published papers in IS journals in UK and US. He is the author of SSADM: A User’s Guide, published by McGraw-Hill, co-author of Introducing Systems Development with Steve Skidmore, published by Palgrave, and contributor of 2 chapters to Business Analysis, Ed Debbie Paul and Don Yeates, published by BCS. He was a part of the team who initially designed and developed the very successful Business Analysis Diploma programme, run under the aegis of ISEB, a branch of BCS.

When not in BA mode, Malcolm enjoys playing saxophone in 3 local concert bands near his home in Stroud, Gloucestershire, and has recently begun learning to compose and arrange music. He also enjoys walking the Cotswold hills nearby.

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