Business Analysis The Key to Building the Right Software LeAnn Simonson, CBAP LeAnn Simonson...

Business Analysis

The Key to Building the Right Software

LeAnn Simonson, CBAPLeAnn Simonson Consulting, LLC

763 [email protected]

8 things to keep in mind when you are trying to build the right software…

EightVIII8

Building it right doesn’t mean you built the right thing.

8

Software could be…O ElegantO Error-freeO Designed with high cohesionO Designed with low couplingO Impressively well-performingO …O …But still might be the wrong thing.

Case in Point: The Legislative Tracking App

O Latest and greatest featuresO But, “real users” didn’t want or use

The Right ThingO Software should enable and facilitate

O the business purpose it is supporting, or

O The customer need it is meetingO If you miss this mark, nothing else

matters, no matter how well the software is built.

The software target is in the business, not in the software.

7

The Right Thing = The Business Target

O Spend sufficient time and effort making sure you have the true target.O The five whys

O Never lose sight of this target as you develop the software.

Case in Point:Data in, Never comes outO Report not usedO App working well; entry every day

O In fact, we have some enhancement needs.O That unused report is for management.O Management: Report not needed as now

pulled from another system.O Truth: Data in, never comes out.

O Might have fixed the report and enhanced the app with data to nowhere if the software was the target rather than the business.

Steven Ring

good example of building something that the business doesn't need.

Something to keep in mind…

O The system itself might be the wrong solution.

The why to the what to the how.

6

Steven Ring

The "need" to the "analysis" to the "architecture and design"

Soup and a Slice of PieO Why = NourishmentO Scenario 1: Bring a spoon because we

know we want to eat soup to nourish the body.

O Scenario 2: Bring a fork because its something to do with dinner. Results:O Drink from the bowl as a workaround (still

meet the why).O You need to eat the pie because we already

chose the fork (miss the why, miss the target).

The Business Target = the Why

O If you are asked for a how, trace back up to the business target

O Determine how you can support what the business needs to achieve the reason why the software is even needed.

O You might return to a different how.O The why to the what to the how.

Case in Point:Data Warehouse

O We need a data warehouse. O OK, here it is.

O Now its worse, the data isn’t real time, and now its just in one more place.

O Something went wrong.

Steven Ring

I think you confuse things here by putting the why after the what. I would rather see:We need a data warehouseWhy?If justified, what functions and requirements?Then what arch and design?

Case in Point:Data Warehouse

O Why do you need a data warehouse?O To make our data, which is all over the place, more

usable and accessible. O Why do you need your data to be more usable

and accessible?O To analyze up to the minute trends and correlations

across datasets so that we can respond rapidly to events.

O If we could make this happen by virtually bringing the right data together, might this be a possibility?O Sure, we don’t care how, if we can analyze the data

to rapidly respond.

Steven Ring

I think you confuse things here by putting the why after the what. I would rather see:We need a data warehouseWhy?If justified, what functions and requirements?Then what arch and design?

Something to keep in mind…

O Many “hows” for any “what”

O WHAT: Get to east coast.O HOW: Plane, train or automobile.

O WHAT: Manage schedule.O HOW: ??

Software “parts” don’t organically build to the best business “whole.”

5

Steven Ring

Not sure what you mean by Organically here. Maybe you mean "without analysis and design they will not automatically lead to the best business solution"Are you aiming for the optimization thing in this slide. "You can't optimize a system by optimizing its separate parts".Based on your next slide I think you are getting at the fact that system built for separate business purposes will not necessarily work together.

Case in Point:Race, Ethnicity & Health Disparities

O Separate systemsO Separate race, ethnicity & health

disparity data O = Data you can’t correlate & analyze

effectively

O Select the race you most identify with vs. select all that apply

O Ethnicity = Hispanic (y/n) (per OMB standards) vs. Country of origin

Business ArchitectureO Build a part to a target in the

business that is part of the right business wholeO Aligned goals across and through

enterprise (the “big why”)O The “big what”

O Data: Enterprise standards and a common vocabulary

O Process: Integrated and collaborative business capabilities

What happens if you build to a little what without a big what?

O Might cementO Misalignments of goalsO RedundanciesO Processes with cross-purposesO SilosO Processes that are not optimalO Data that doesn’t synchO Business processes and rules that no

longer work for the business

Hey, I’m not the business person or the customer!

O Sure, we want the “best business whole.”

O But, whose job is it any way to build the best business whole?

O Deliver value-added software engineering:O Opportunity to shine the light up (the

how up to the what up to the why).O Radiate to all the what touches.O Radiate to all the why touches.

Questions Radiating from Why

O Now that we’ve defined the purpose or goals of this effort, what higher level business goals or strategic directions is this effort in alignment with?O I.e., why do we want to achieve the goals of

this project?O Can you think of any higher level strategic

directions this effort might be at odds with?O Are there other efforts or sister project that

are part of achieving similar or higher goals?

Questions Radiating from What

O Now that we’ve defined the scope of this effort, are there entities, processes, or systems with which this effort must integrate?

O What are the entities, processes or systems with whom we exchange information or materials from within our scope?

OP + NT = EOP

4

Steven Ring

You might want to put this in text in the next slide.

To-Be or Not To BeO No question, need to-be before

introducing new technology.O Old processes + New technologies =

Expensive old processesO Risk: May freeze in:

O WorkaroundsO Inefficiencies O RedundanciesO Processes that are not optimal

Steven Ring

This is a little cryptic for me. I am not sure what you are saying in this slide.

Drink the SoupO Let’s purchase mugs for our soup

because our customers currently drink the soup.

O Or, let’s purchase some spoons because customers wish to eat, not drink the soup.

Case in Point: Government Application

O As-is government application processO Data flow analysis discoveriesO The to-be

O Sequential workflowO Concurrent workflow

The Right Thing Targets the To-Be State

O Build to the to-be stateO It can be painful (and expensive) to

move from the as-is to the to-be while building the software

O Did the requirements really change or did we not allow for a shift to the to-be before we started to build?

O You can be agile and iterate against the to-be state

Software can enable & “improve” the wrong thing.

3

Steven Ring

I assume that these slides are a first draft, but you may want to use some other term than "the build" to refer to the enhanced system. It is jargon that some may not know.

Case in Point: The Art Gallery

Contains copyrighted material © 2010 Advanced Strategies, Inc. www.AdvancedStrategiesInc.com

Steven Ring

This is a great sequence. I hope that the room you are using will allow it to show up well.

Current Physiological Model

Receive Commissioned

Art Form(Curator)

Enter Commissioned Art

Form(Data Entry Clerk)

Review Commissioned Art

Request(Owner)

Call Customer with Quote(Curator)

CUSTOMER

Filled out Commissioned Art Form

Written estimate

Current Pricing ListCurrent pricing list

Filled out CommissionedArt Form


Spindle

Log Book

Commissionedart request

Commissioned art request

Approved quote forcommissioned art



Update Current Pricing List

(Owner) If update needs identified

Updates tocurrent pricing list

Methodolgy copyright of Advanced Strategies, Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.

Building Current Logical Model: Deletions and Changes


Art Form(Curator)

Enter Commissioned Art

Form(Data Entry Clerk)


Request(Owner)

Call Customer with Quote(Curator)

CUSTOMER


Written estimate

Current Pricing ListCurrent pricing list

Filled out CommissionedArt Form


Spindle

Log Book






Update Current Pricing List

(Owner) If update needs identified

Updates tocurrent pricing list


Current Logical Model


Art Request(Curator)

Record Commissioned Art

Info(Data Entry Clerk)


Request(Owner)

Inform Customer of Quote(Curator)

CUSTOMER


Commissionedart estimate

Current Pricing Current pricing

Commissioned art requests






Update Current Pricing

(Owner)

If update needs identified

Updates tocurrent pricing



Building the Current Essential: Steps 1 - 7


Art Request(Curator)

Record Commissioned Art

Info(Data Entry Clerk)


Request(Owner)

Inform Customer of Quote(Curator)

CUSTOMER











(Owner)





Building the Current Essential Model: Midpoint (After step 7)

Determine Commissioned

Art Request

Determine Quote for Commissioned Art

Inform Customer of Quote

CUSTOMER












Building the Current Essential Model: Steps 8-14


Art Request


Inform Customer of Quote

CUSTOMER












Current Essential Model


Art Estimate


CUSTOMER

Commissioned art requestCommissioned

art estimate

Current pricing


Determine Current Pricing



Building the New Essential: Items to Delete


Art Estimate


CUSTOMER

Commissioned art requestCommissioned

art estimate

Current pricing





New Essential Model


CUSTOMER




CurrentPricing


Building the New Logical: Additions


(SYSTEM)

CUSTOMER




(Owner)

CurrentPricing

Daily

Methodology copyright of Advanced Strategies, Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.

New Logical DFD


(SYSTEM)

CUSTOMER




(Owner)

CurrentPricing

Daily

Methodology copyright of Advanced Strategies, Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.

Building the New Physiological Model: Additions


(SYSTEM)

CUSTOMER



(Owner)

CurrentPricing

Daily

Quote SystemApproved quote forcommissioned art

Current pricing


New Physiological Model


(SYSTEM)

CUSTOMER



(Owner)

CurrentPricing

Daily

Quote SystemApproved quote forcommissioned art

Current pricing


Without analysis…O We might have optimized the

estimates when they should have gone away.

We don’t want any to-be, we want an optimized to-be

O Takes analysis skillO Takes asking the right questionsO Takes using the right techniquesO Takes communication with the business

O The business may or may not have this skillO The business analyst may or may not have this

skillO The developer may or may not have this skillO Remember: Value added software engineering

Be a business partner not an outsourcable IT group.

2

Hang your own rope.O Hey, I’m not the business person or

the customer!O When you know what you want…

O Let us know and we’ll code it.O It’s the business’s business to

determine what they need.

Steven Ring

Not sure what this one means or how it supports the business partner concept or whose perspective this is from. Are you talking about an IT group, a BA group, or a business group? How are you going to explain those relationships?

Value-Added Software Engineering

O Bring a skilled business analyst into your software development team

O Be a skilled business analystO Wear multiple hatsO Work effectively with a skilled

business analyst on the business side (or in between the business and IT)

Analysis is InevitableO …whatever the case, analysis is

inevitable.O Don’t

O Just do analysis after the fact to figure out what went wrong.

O Make your world only about the how.O Do

O Be a business partner.O Understand the why to the what to the how

and all that the problem radiates to in the domain.

Software should propel the business forward, not hold it back.

1

Case in Point: Hard Coded Form

O Desktop application built to match an application form.

O Form changed.O “We can’t add those questions for a

few months.”

Steven Ring

Not sure where analysis fits in here. Are you getting at the failure of analysis which led to a bad form or the failure of design which led to an inflexible structure?

Analysis Paralysis: Can you do too much?

O Yes and no, it depends.O What level of risk brought about by

unfinished analysis is acceptable?O Can you study a problem so long

that the problem and the world changes in the meantime?

Steven Ring

Need to find a level that is appropriate to the risk and complexity of the project/business.

Case in Point:Multiple Task Predecessors

O The missing single cardinality fact O Far-reaching fallout

Steven Ring

Need to find a level that is appropriate to the risk and complexity of the project/business.

Can’t technology discover new ways to do business?O The how can inform the what and

the why, but be carefulO Propel the business forward, don’t

hold it backO Business innovation can be found in

technologyO Technology can constrain or limit

business innovation

How does analysis fit in?

O When developing software, where does analysis fit?

Disciplines Involved:Gated vs. Iterative Approaches

O DefinitionO Analysis O DesignO DevelopmentO Testing

What is analysis vs. design?

Synthetics (Design)

Discovery Assessment SpecificationArchitectural

DesignEngineering

DesignDetailedDesign

Analytics (Analysis)

Mechanism (Design)Business Functionality (Analysis)


Analysis TechniquesO Business data flow diagramO Business state transition diagramO Business entity relationship diagram

Business Data Flow Diagrams

O Documenting factsO ReengineeringO DecompositionO Use casesO Information identification to build

into data model


Business State Transition Diagram

Business Entity Relationship Diagram

O Build a common business vocabulary

Exercise & Demo: Data, Process & Event

O Sally sells seashells by the seashore.O What information might she keep

about which objects and which transactions?

O What processes might she use to sell her seashells?

O What are the states a seashell might be in and which events make the seashell change states?

Business Analysis The Key to Building the Right Software LeAnn Simonson, CBAP LeAnn Simonson...

Documents

Transcript of Business Analysis The Key to Building the Right Software LeAnn Simonson, CBAP LeAnn Simonson...