how to sell the ba role in your organization
TRANSCRIPT
SELLING THE BA ROLE IN YOUR ORGANIZATION
PRESENTED BY MOMENTUM, INC.
2120 Market Street, Suite 100 Camp Hill, PA 17011
(717) 214-8000 www.m-inc.com@MomentumBlue Gain Momentum… Produce Results!
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LEARNING POINTS
• Understand the day-one benefits to be achieved from utilizing the BA
• Learn what the BA does and what operational significance this provides
• Discover the tangible payback to your organization
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THE HOOK…
BA
▫“We had no formal requirements and the communication throughout the project was poor”2
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Poor Communication 13
Poor (or No) Requirements 8
5No Defined Success Measures 6
Client Died 5
1Lack of Project Scope/Direction/Ownership 21
Worst Project Experience…
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WITHOUT A BA
• The deliverables are not meeting the customer needs• No real progress seems to be made• The “business” and IT teams don’t speak the same language• Continual escalations to the management team
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KEY BA BENEFITS
• Bridge the work tasks and communication gaps between the customers/business owners and IT
• Brings experience in all facets of SDLC• Ideally has a working knowledge of the target
applications/products, concepts, and architecture• Defines the present business situation and customer challenges• Helps differentiate the customer needs vs. wants• Works closely with the PM to ensure the on-time deliverables
meet the contractual customer expectations
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KEY BA BENEFITS
• Close out Post-Implementation / Deployment • Conduct research and data analysis on the ROI numbers• Gather 20/20 Review data• Coordinate Customer Satisfaction Surveys• Carry out document archival responsibilities• Develop post-production performance metrics
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BA FUNCTIONS
• Stakeholder / Decision maker analysis • RACI Matrix• Requirement Gathering• As-Is and To-Be Process Definition• Gap Analysis• Solutions Approach• Test Management Plans• Prototype / Interface Mock-ups• Use Cases / User Stories
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BA FUNCTIONS – CONTINUED
• User Manuals• Test Scripts• Change Management• Problem Management• UA Test Plans• UAT Coordination Among the User Community• Post-Implementation / Deployment Activities
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ATYPICAL BA ROLES
• User Group leader / Product Roadmap Management• Performance Management• Process Management• 3rd Party Software Evaluations
BA
▫“We had no formal requirements and the communication throughout the project was poor”2
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Stakeholder Management / Communication 7
Meeting Leader / Facilitator 7
5Scope of Work / Project Charter 5
Screen Mock-ups / User Experience Design 5
1Requirements / Elicitation 29
Most Valued BA Task or Deliverable…
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Organizational Payback
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THE ORGANIZATIONAL PAYBACK
• Project Managers – are not bogged down in deliverable content
• Can focus on project plans & deliverable timeframes• Can ensure appropriate communication to all levels• Can work multiple projects / deployments
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THE ORGANIZATIONAL PAYBACK
• IT Team – Has the administrative details performed by the BA • Can focus on design, coding and testing to exact
specifications• Can stop taking Level One support calls from the
customers
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THE ORGANIZATIONAL PAYBACK
• Account Managers – Are not pulled into day-to-day meetings and spending time handling customer escalations
• Can be working the account profitability numbers• Can be upselling to the customer• Can be calling on new customers
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THE SALARY NUMBERS
Role Toronto, ON
Buffalo, NY Harrisburg, PA New York,
NYBoston,
MAProject
Manager III$ 79,000 $ 80,000 $ 87,000 $ 128,000 $ 118,000
Senior Account Manager *
$ 63,000 $ 83,000 $ 91,000 $ 132,000 $ 122,000
IT Lead III $79,000 $ 83,000 $ 91,000 $ 133,000 $122,000
Source Indeed.com and Payscale.com
* Does not include sales commission %
BA III $ 63,000 $ 65,000 $ 71,000 $ 103,000 $ 95,000
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THE SALARY VARIANCE
Role Average Salary % Increase of BA Salary
Project Manager III $ 98,400 + 19.3 %
Senior Account Manager $ 98,200 + 19.1 %
IT Lead III $ 101,600 + 21.9 %BA III $ 79,400 --------
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THE PROJECT NUMBERS – WITH THE BA
Role Avg % of Time on Project
Hours of XYZ Project
Salary Cost on XYZ Project
Project Manager III 50% 1040 $ 49,200
Senior Account Manager
10% 208 $ 9,820
IT Lead III 30% 624 $ 30,480
BA III 100% 2080 $ 79,400
TOTAL 3952 $ 168,900
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THE PROJECT NUMBERS – WITHOUT THE BA
Role Avg % of Time on Project
Hours of XYZ Project
Salary Cost on XYZ Project
Project Manager III 95% 1976 $ 93,480
Senior Account Manager
35% 728 $ 34,370
IT Lead III 75% 1560 $ 76,200
BA III 0% 0 $ 0
TOTAL 3952 $ 204,050
Increase of $35,150
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INTANGIBLE COSTS
Intangibles Costs ?
Negative Market Exposure $$$Customer Confidence $$$Performance Issues $$Re-Work $$Customer Expectations $Communication $
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INTERNAL STAFF IMPACT – MORALE ISSUES
Project Manager responsibilities
Development Team Leads and Developer responsibilities
Account Manager responsibilities
BA
▫“We had no formal requirements and the communication throughout the project was poor”2
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Detail Oriented 9
Engaged / Passionate / Tenacious 9
5Organized 8
Knowledgeable / Smart 6
1Thorough / Diligent 11
6Attentive / Good Listener 5
Your Favorite BAs are…
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FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH…
What do the people say…
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CUSTOMERS WERE ASKED:
• What are the most beneficial contributions you’ve seen from the BA role?
• Survey says…..• “The BA was closely integrated with the Development team to
create meaningful requirements”• “The BA helped provide us well-tested applications that met
the customer needs the FIRST time”• “The BA provided us assurance that the solution was
performing to the agreed upon specifications”
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CUSTOMERS WERE ASKED:
• What are the highlights from a project with the BA role?• Survey says…..
• “Our project came in ahead of schedule and under budget”
• “The BA was used throughout our project to ensure the customer needs were met”
• “Because of our successful use of the BA, we have secured additional business with that customer”
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CUSTOMERS WERE ASKED:
• What are the low points from a project without the BA role?• Survey says…..
• “We had no formal requirements and the communication throughout the project was poor”
• “We did not have anything from the project documented and had no historical references available”
• “The continual ‘he said – she said’ causes continued stress among the customer and support teams”
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CUSTOMERS WERE ASKED:
• What is the key item you would share with another company considering employing a BA for their work?
• Survey says…..• “The additional time and cost up front provided significant
savings on the backend by reducing rework”• “The reduced stress on individual team members made for far
fewer escalations during the project”• “Greater assurance that projects were built to specification and
reduced risk of federal non-compliance issues”
BA
▫“We had no formal requirements and the communication throughout the project was poor”2
34
Owl 17
Golden Retriever / Bulldog / Bloodhound 13
5Horse 7
Heron / Stork 7
1Eagle / Hawk 23
Bird or Animal Favorite BA Resembles…
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FINAL WORD – ON THE BA
• Provide for more concise deliverables• Improves communication across the work groups• Allows entire team to work more effectively
• Long term customer satisfaction• Contract renewals• Corporate growth• Unbridled bliss for all ! ! ! ! !
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LEARNING POINTS - CHECK
Understand the day-one benefits to be achieved from utilizing the BA
Learn what the BA does and what operational significance this provides
Discover the tangible payback to your organization
