31. . . . e v i Drive t p Agile toward more a d structure A ↘ Iterative Project culture ↘ d e r Drive u t c Waterfall toward more u r adaptive t S Conformance to the plan Rapid business value ... Organisation culture
Ready to start:[click] for black screen to start talking[photo: istockphoto]
Today we’re going to explore what we mean by excellence in business analysis, and particularly what we mean by centres of excellence. I’d like to paint a scene for you:[click] for the global economic concerns
Today more than ever, our organisations need to achieve more with less. The global recession is causing businesses and government to save money by reducing IT spending where possible [click] to reveal “30% less funding for ICT projects is expected” (IDC NZ Ecosystem Study 2009) [click] for BA’s in a key position to help[photo: tba]
As business analysts, we are in a key position to assist our organisations achieving more with lessBut do we? Can we? In reality, we are an evolving community of practice for business analysis, struggling to meet those expectationsWe want to become highly effective and motivated business analysts, exceeding business expectations[photo: ]
The key message to take away from this is that:to meet our organisation’s expectations, we need to up our game and get better at delivering – and as we’ll see through this session – centres of excellence provides a way of justifying the effort in improvement[photo: metrobabel.wordpress.com]
Today, we’ll review :[click] the challenges (hurdles)[click] how centres of excellence (target) address them, and [click] how we can start our journey to excellence (road)[click] for challenges[photos: kendalldavis, matt_gibson, pewu]
In considering the challenges, we’re going to look at: > the state of play in project delivery, > some of the factors behind that, and > how that affects us in New Zealand[click] for CHAOS[photo: kendalldavis]
Since 1994, the Standish Group has published a report every two years on success with project delivery, and the factors involved – they called this the CHAOS reportWe’ve now had 7 reports showing that we’ve made *some progress* – as we’ll see[click] for outright failures
Over 14 years, cancelled projects down by just under 25%Cancelled projects are those that for whatever reason, never saw the light of day – ran out of budget, law changes, change of management/ownership, reprioritisation of projects, company went bust, etc. etc. etc[click] for challenged projects
Challenged projects down by just under 20%Challenged projects are those that did get implemented, but with not with all features, on budget, on schedule – or typically a combination of all three[click] for projects that delivered all features, on time, and on budget
And here’s the really good news – project success has doubled[click] for overlay of all three together
So although it has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride – things are definitely looking better than they did back in 1994 but we have a long way to go still - as we’re about to see[click] for summary of stats today
While we are now delivering twice as many successful projects as 14 years ago – that’s still less than one third So we’re still not delivering all features, on time, on budget for over two-thirds of projects[click] for the main factors
Let’s look at the factors that contribute to these failures, from the perspective of business analysts[click] for top reason – requirements, scope, case
There are 15 individual factors that contribute toward project success (if done right) or failure (if not). The CHAOS reports show us how much each factor affects the success or otherwise. I’ve combined their figures for cancelled and challenged projects to come up with this split. It’s amazing to realise that business analysts have influence [click] for first category – requirements, scope, business caseNote: slide hidden during presentation
Three aspects to this > Poor elicitation and management of requirements, > Poor control of solutionscope, and > Unclear or nonexistent business case, or not checking it as we go[click] for user involvement
Lack of appropriate two-way engagement with the business stakeholders> Not involving them enough at the start (hearts and minds),> Neglecting them through the project, or > Just delivering something unexpected to an unprepared audience (hopefully not like this talk)[click] for senior stakeholders
We’re also not engaging fully with our senior business stakeholders> Lack of vision for project> Lack of senior management support[click] for competencies
We could have better leadership, and improve our competenciesPaying attention – this only comes to 80%[click] for last one: project management
Project management is also a factor, but usually outside our influence> Allocating resources,> Adequate planning,> Timescales and milestones[click] for New Zealand
As business analysts in NZ, we’re struggling just as much as our colleagues overseas[click] for maturity
Initial: business analysis performed inconsistentlyRepeatable: some standardisation on practices and templatesDefined: process is formalised and predictableManaged: quality of artefacts is assured through reviewsOptimising: continuous process improvement[click] to reveal how NZ is doing[click] to highlight how many below level 3Majority of BA practices in NZ are below level 3 maturity[click] for qualifications
Majority of BA practices in NZ have none or very few professionally qualified in business analysis
Majority of NZ business analysts working at the tactical level
And like our colleagues everywhere, we’re also facing the challenge of agile approaches to project delivery
Before we continue, I’d just like to pose a challenge to us all. In 2009, let’s get the figure of successful projects higher, by focusing on what we can do. Let’s start
How centres of excellence can help business analysis practices overcome these challenges[photo: themarque]
What do we mean by ‘centres of excellence’One thing to sort out first, it does not mean everyone working together in one location[click] reveal community of practice[click] reveal community of competence[click] reveal centre of excellence[click] for developing BA’s[source: Glenn Brulee]
Centres of excellence enable us to to develop and support our staff and skills to become highly effective business analysts[click]knowledge, [click] skills, and [click] aptitude> Assess K, S, and A> Provide training and mentoring> Follow a path toward certification[click] for systems and structures
We need to establish, monitor, and continuously improve our systems and structures[click] for selecting appropriate methodologies[photo: istockphoto]
Selecting an appropriate methodology for the business and technical teams[click] organisation culture[click] project culture[click] waterfall – drive to adaptive – drive to structured[click] iterative[click] agile[click] continuum > Defining processes and standards> Developing templates> Maintain a knowledgebase[click] service
We need to work on our level of service to be recognised as delivering value to our organisationsImprove the way we elicit, document, check, and communicate requirementsAgree with the business how we manage scope, and then make sure we do itEnsure that we have a business case for our projects, and check at key milestones that it’s still valid[photo: istockphoto]
We need to get involved working at strategic enterprise analysis to deliver optimum valueEngage with our senior stakeholders, helping them select initiatives that realise most value soonestMonitor solutions after projects have been implemented, to ensure that benefits really are deliveredDoctors – sun shines on successes – earth covers up mistakes
How we can start our journey towards excellence[photo: pewu]
Create a vision that articulates how developing your practice improves your organisation’s effectiveness Find a senior business stakeholder who can act as sponsor and champion the changesConsult with all stakeholders and get them on side[photo: istockphoto]
> Consider what measures (KPI, SLA) you will need in place> Assess the maturity of your practice> Assess individual competencies[click] for organisation readiness
Check your organisation’s readiness to engage with in a new way
Know where you’re headed, and take the first stepsOnce you’ve agreed a new landscape, get going with new working practicesEstablish a regular training program
Gear up to providing the strategic enterprise analysis consultancy
Constantly monitor how you’re going and adjust if necessary> Collect the metrics agreed beforehand> Hold regular 360° reviews with key stakeholders> Be ready to change direction if things don’t work out
We’ve reviewed the challenges, how centres of excellence can help address them, and how we can prepare for taking this journey toward excellenceSo to recap, the key message to take away from this is that:to meet our organisation’s expectations, we need to up our game and get better at delivering – centres of excellence provides a way of justifying the effort in improvement[photo: metrobabel.wordpress.com]
I would be very happy to come talk to you about any of this. Please feel free to contact me via any of these accounts, and I’m happy to take any questions now. [back] to recap main point
