Business Analysts As Strategic Business Partners

Central Virginia IIBA Chapter Meeting March 16, 2016

Rob Snowden

CBAP, CSM, PMI-PBA

Career Path 1. User Liaison – Go between for enhancements 2. Requirements Analyst – Did everything but the coding for a series

of large systems-from-scratch 3. Requirements Manager – Managed Requirements Analysts 4. Management Consultant – Some requirements but a lot of other

analysis and recommendations for improvement, directions for the future, provide options with pros/cons, etc.

5. Consultant, Systems Consultant, Senior BA, PM, then JAD facilitator for 5 years– did a variety of things, many not specifically IT project-related

6. JAD Facilitator (Contractor) – 50% was not directly about requirements – more consulting

7. Contractor Consultant – 50% on IT projects, the rest on whatever 8. Instructor – Relaying tips and tricks from all of the above

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics1 predicts that by 2022, the U.S. labor force will include 852,000 business analysts – an 18.6% increase from today. According to “20 Jobs with the Biggest Pay Raises”2 Blog on Glassdoor.com, ‘Business Systems Analysts’ rank highest for wage growth with a 10% increase from 2014-2015 and a median salary of $80,000 (top earners). In the coming 5 years, more than HALF of organizations plan to integrate their project management and business analysis practices.1 They also report they don’t have the necessary resources to effectively achieve such integration.

1 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics - http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/management-analysts.htm 2 Source: 20 Jobs with the Biggest Pay Raises - https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/20-jobs-biggest-pay-raises/ 1 Source: PMI’s Pulse of the Profession In-Depth Report: Requirements Management—A Core Competency for Project and Program Success.

You

What Things Do You Want To Be Involved With Beyond Being a BA on Project?

Problem Solving

Project Prioritization

Product Owner

Facilitator

Risk Analysis

Strategic Planning

Project Planning

Workflow Improvement ?

Business Planning

Search: “How Can A Business Analyst Add Value?”

The “value” on this search result is all about projects – but you need to go beyond this

Business Analyst vs. Business Architect • Business Analysts tend to be deployed on

specific projects (think of building a single home or building)

• Tend to concentrate on process and work in partnership with a data analyst

• Business Architecture is at a higher level than

a project (think in terms of planning a city)

• Includes development or tweaking of the business, strategic and operational plans of the business.

• It is a continual evolution that involves

the executives to think of multiple alternatives and where the business needs to be five to ten years from now

• It is not IT Centric

• It is part of Enterprise Architecture

• Gartner Group: “Enterprise architecture (EA) is the process of translating business vision and strategy into effective enterprise change by creating, communicating, and improving the key principles and models that describe the enterprise's future state and enable its evolution.”

Enterprise Architecture

BA Career Path

Question: Can Business Analysts perform Business Architecture activities? Sure, if the BA: • Understands how Business Architecture fits within the Enterprise Architecture

• Understands what information needs to be captured and organized it to enable

decision making • Feels comfortable talking with the higher levels to build consensus

• Obtains trust quickly

• Has unbreakable positive attitude

• Is open minded to what can be done

• Can be a leader - leadership is the ability to influence others

• Innovations in the structure or processes of an organization

• Innovations in the use of

information systems or technologies

• The integration and/or

standardization of business processes

• Improving the quality and timeliness of business information.

Changes considered by Enterprise Architects typically include:

Risk Analysis

Strategic Planning

Project Planning

Workflow Improvement

Problem Solving

Business Planning

Product Owner

Facilitator

Categorization of Business Drivers “What are you trying to effect through reporting?”

Prioritized list of questions to be answered within Driver category “What questions need to be answered through reporting?”

Example: Tying Business Goals to Data Warehouse Session

Small groups ID’ed possible drivers, ideas categorized into common themes.

Small teams identified metrics to answer the questions “What will answer the questions?”

Business Vision

“You do not merely want to be considered just the best of the best. You want to be considered the only one who does what you do.”

- Jerry Garcia

“It’s the ability to be given an assignment and be able to determine an approach to complete it.”

- Rob Snowden (not so notable)

Quotes from Notable People

“It's so much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem.” - Malcolm Forbes “If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” - Albert Einstein “I don’t have a drug problem, I have a police problem.” - Keith Richards

Business Transformation Consultants are specialists in assisting business stakeholders to align the strategy and objectives to their business operations. This may include assisting in the identification of business change opportunities and capability gaps, defining solutions to enable required business capability (this may include technology, organizational, or process solutions) Also, supporting the implementation of these changes across the business.

Some Definitions of a Business Transformation Consultant

Business transformation is about making fundamental changes in how business is conducted in order to help cope with a shift in market environment.

• To increase revenue or market share • To improve customer satisfaction • To cut costs

Some examples of using BA type approaches to non-requirements type work

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Effort – Process Improvement of a Mainly Manual Process – Flow out each of the processes with key players, then ID problems and solutions

1. Pearl receives purchase order (Blue Sheet) – multiple sources – see Context

2. Pearl obtains quotes unless on contract – then just put in contract #.

3. Faith types PO in Excel

4. Ken approves 5. Faith makes copy of PO – keys it into ledger17 (Excel)

6. Faith files copy of PO

7.Faith sends PO to Purchasing in Fiscal

8. Purchasing assigns PO# on ledger and sends pack “receiving” PO

10. Faith sometimes emails to let people know order has been placed

9. Faith matches PO’s, mails and faxes PO’s to vendor

1A. Faith copies Blue Sheet if a money amount is present

1A. Faith places copy in “Invoice Courts” book.

If an A/R situation in which the court has already identified the vendor and amounts, then:

Problem: • Step 1 - Sometimes no control number

• If from Debbie, OK, but others not always • Leads to problems later – emergency need for some item and a duplicate is created for certain items within original Blue Sheet.

Solution: Process for all control numbers to be assigned.

Problem: • Step 1A – Sometimes not in “Invoice Book”

• Misplaced? Didn’t get it? Debbie? • Without this in the book, we don’t initiate an invoice to the courts in the A/R process later.

Solution: Process for ensuring that all court pre-ordered items result in a correctly completed Blue Sheet.

Problem: • Step 4 – Ken holds due to budget issues

Solution: Maybe no solution – see Ken for more info.

Problem: • Step 7 – Delays occur in Purchasing

• Backed up • Scrutinized • Don’t like something • Has gotten better recently

Solution: Work with 3rd floor to fully understand what needs to be done for quick processing.

10. Faith files PO by vendor name

Problem: • Step 10 – Most people don’t know status of order resulting in phone calls Solution: Need a way to report status of order like Amazon.com. Short term, emails to all? Emails when equipment delivered?

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3. Active Judge available in same district or another district?

4. Chief Judge designates

Yes

5. Retired District Judge available?

Yes

No

7. Retired Circuit Court Judge available?

Yes

No

No

2. Chief District Judge wants to designate a judge.

1. District Judge is unable to hold court

6. Chief Judge designates

9. Chief Judge designates

10. Requests Chief Justice to designate

11. Chief Justice to designate

8. Chief Judge chooses to designate?

Yes

No See section 16.1-69.21

§ 16.1-69.21. When substitute to serve; his powers and duties. In the event of the inability of the judge to perform the duties of his office or any of them by reason of sickness, absence, vacation, interest in the proceeding or parties before the court, or otherwise, such judge or a person acting on his behalf shall promptly notify the appropriate chief district judge of such inability. If the chief district judge determines that the provisions of § 16.1-69.35 have been complied with or cannot reasonably be done within the time permitted and that no other full-time or retired judge is reasonably available to serve, the chief district judge may direct a substitute judge to serve as a judge of the court, which substitute may serve concurrently with one or more of the judges of the court or alone. In designating a substitute judge to serve, the chief district judge shall, whenever possible, select a substitute judge who does not regularly practice law in the court requlrinq the substitute. Where reasonably available, the chief district judge may designate a substitute judge from another district within the Commonwealth. The committee on district courts may adopt policies and procedures governing the utilization of substitute judges. In such event, those policies and procedures will, where applicable, control. While acting as judge a substitute judge shall perform the same duties, exercise the same power and authority, and be subject to the same obligations as prescribed herein for the judge. While serving as judge of the court the judge or the substitute judge may perform all acts with respect to the proceedings, judgments and acts of any other judge in connection with any action or proceeding then pending or theretofore disposed of in the court except as otherwise provided in this chapter in the same manner and with the same force and effect as if they were his own.

12. Chief Judge designates a sub judge who does not regularly practice law in the court, or designates a sub judge from another district

Effort – Analyze Current Process and Determine Why There Is An Influx of Requests – identify the “right” process and compare to actual process.

Effort – Determine Methods to Improve Business Delivery, Then ID A Plan To Implement Improvements – Determine strategies, build high level plan, build detailed plans for the first milestone.

1. Full team determined strategic directions 2. Sub teams developed detail plans with dates/ownership 3. Teams reviewed each other’s work 4. Detailed project plans created

Strategies/Actions to overcome the Obstacles and attain the Vision were identified by clustering common actions together.

Then the Strategies were placed vertically on the wall and teams identified milestones to be accomplished to implement the Strategies (with owners)

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Effort: Build Strategic Plan to Accomplish Business Goals

Effort: ID Ways To Significantly Cut Costs and Build A Plan With 35 People

Strategies Milestones Quarters

Interview individuals, ID current responsibilities , categorize, ID skills and knowledge needed – review, add additional details where needed.

ID activities they wish they had time for to better position the organization in various ways - categorize

ID percentage of time spent in current categories, then if there was time for other activities, percentage of time including those

Capture suggestions for: 1. Org structure

changes 2. Other

recommendations to better position VHDA

3. How they envision their position changing

Make recommendations and ID transition plan

Provide template for repeatable process

1. ID Current Responsibilities– ID Skills/Knowledge

2. ID Additional Responsibilities If Time Permitted – ID Skills/Knowledge

3. ID Percent of Time by Categories for Current – ID Percent of Time for Current and Future

4. Capture Suggestions for Future 5. ID Transition Plan 6. Provide Template

Effort - Succession Planning Process – How Can We Replace Key People Who are Retiring in the Next Year?

Other Views of a Consultant

• A self-proclaimed expert that extorts inflated fees from a host company in return for vague and predominantly incorrect business advice.

• In order to gain access to a viable host, the consultant preys upon upper managements' lack of job expertise and unrealistic dreams of grandeur.

• By using a string of buzz-words and metaphors that appear as incoherent babble to most humans, the consultant will usually succeed in gaining an assignment to fix a non-existent problem purportedly caused by the host's employees.

• My view? By “Effectively Mining Group Knowledge”, you don’t have an ulterior motive. Your goal is to help them find the answer.

So How Do You Get There?

• Begin with the end in mind. Where do you want to be?

• Build a plan

• Assume that at first you pursue opportunities,

then, they’ll come to you

• Here are a few approaches to getting there.

Option 1: Build a Plan to Transform Your Role

ID Things You Want To

Do

ID Skills Needed

Get Training/ Guidance Build a Plan

Volunteer to Step Up To

Opportunities

Market Yourself

ID 5-6 High Level Activities

ID 3-6 Details That Support Each Activity

Strategic Planning

Business Planning

Problem Solving

Facilitation

Process Management

?

ID experts in/out of your organization

ID training opportunities

Discuss with your boss

ID who is doing this

and get their advice

ID 5-6 high level

activities

ID 3-6 details that support each activity

Sequence the details and add

dates

?

ID People who drive initiatives

Take them to lunch

ID smaller efforts you

can test drive

?

Leverage what you’ve already done

Be a cheerful participant

Always be willing to take risks

?

1. ID Vision 2. ID Obstacles 3. ID Strategic Directions

Option 2: Build Your Own Strategic Plan

Brainstorm what kind of things you want to be working on. Imagine yourself in the future – try to ID at least 15 items. Write each on a post it note, then cluster the similar ideas, name the categories.

Brainstorm what is standing in the way of you getting there – try to ID at least15 items. Write each on a post it note, categorize, name the categories.

Brainstorm what actions need to be taken in order to overcome the Obstacles to reach your Vision. ID 15 or more items, categorize, and name the Strategies.

April May June July

Strategic Directions

Milestones

4. ID High Level Plan

ID 1-3 Milestones that need to be accomplished in each time period

Build a detailed plan for the first time period for each Strategy. When nearly done, repeat for the next time period and so on.

5. ID Detailed Plan for the First Time Period

Option 3: Find Your Path • This process is to help you define the characteristics of a

future job, augmented from “Job Shift” by William Bridges

1. ID 25 things you are good at – write each on a post it note – Then write why you think you are good at each one

Organizing Things Because I rarely lose anything as I build my own little system/process of keeping track of things.

Writing It’s always come easy so I don’t really value it. But I can put together a document, presentation, status report, anything fairly quickly and get good feedback.

Planning I seem to think along the lines of logically putting together the steps to accomplish things – business or personal

Option 3: Find Your Path 2. ID 25 things you like to do – write each on a post it note

– Then write why you like each one. This is a discovery process.

Renovating old cars I like the search for parts, advice from others, working at my own pace. The point is not to finish it but to enjoy the process.

Finding new uses for vintage things I like the hunt, then seeing a way to use it in another way – like modifying a factory mold into a heavy shelf.

Making complicated things easier to understand Boiling it down, simplifying, demystifying things is fun to do.

3. ID 25 jobs – including those you’d had that you really liked, that maybe now you couldn’t do for salary reasons, and jobs you’d like to have, without regard to education needed or skills required. Write each on a post it note – Do all 25, then: – Write what it was that you really liked about prior jobs, or what

you imagine you’d like about future jobs. This is a discovery process also.

Concrete Inspector Going to job sites, being on my own, being responsible for ensuring quality. Visiting many sites per day, coming back several times.

Waiter at a Resort Waiting on the same families for breakfast and dinner for the week. Getting to know them and provide excellent service. Next week, new set of families.

Strategic Planner Enabling others to realize and plan their future business. Being on my own, figuring out how to help them. Short duration.

Option 3: Find Your Path

4. Chunkify those 75 post it notes into themes – start looking for similarities between what you like to do, what you’re good at, and jobs you like and then understand the common threads that you didn’t consciously realize

5. ID the characteristics of your future occupation

Option 3: Find Your Path

Characteristics of My Future Job As of 1996?

• Short term, intense situations • Being unsupervised while providing a needed service • Being confronted by the unexpected • Needing to react in the moment • Putting together a plan, but being flexible • Coming into situations where there is no real defined

way to the end and being challenged to figure it out • Helping others achieve their goals

Begin with the end in mind.

Thanks.