What Engagement Is in Big Software Company? How we can define this role, what key problems we faced within engagement process?

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Engagement
Yes We Can

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Speaker Overview
I n t r o d u c t i o n
Started as a software developer, work for Microsoft Business Solutions, custom software development, Microsoft CRM / SharePoint
development and implementation
BA / EM
Anton Vityaz

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#01 Presale – How it works
Content
W h a t w e w i l l d i s c u s s t o d a y
#02 Presale Team
#03 Definitely Not Africa
#04 Engagement is …
#05 Skillset for BA in Engagement
#06 BA Challenges
#07 Yes We Can (if)

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ALL ABOUT MONKIES
Monkey can truly engage most peoples around. Externally needed after 18:00
Thank you all for being here after the end of the business day!
RELAX & FUN

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How it works
W h o d o e s w h a t
Let’s review presale process on the very high level
#1

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DEPENDS ON YOUR
BUSINESS MODEL
1

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ABOUT US
C u s t o m e r s a y s
Few words about company, business state, industry
WHAT WE NEED
C u s t o m e r s a y s
From few lines to several pages, from time to time it looks like Big
Fucking Tender with lots of pages inside
NEW REQUEST COMES
O N E S U N N Y D A Y

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• Statements of Work
• WBS
• Team
• Architecture
• Preliminary estimations
Offer
• Suggestions
• Demo
• Business Development
Bonuses
• Communications
• Dedicated person(s)
Relationship
• Members
• Processes
Team
It highly depends on the customer culture, size of the task, budget, previous experience and relationships
WHAT CUSTOMER EXPECTS
I N A F E W D A Y S

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OUR
H o w w e i d e a l l y w o r k
We work as a team to get things done – presale team work jointly under proposal, solution architecture. All team members –
analysts, architects, lead specialist and event team members – are involved in presale process. We have enough time,
resources and capabilities to handle all presale challenges. As a result we provide set of documents – including proposal,
detailed WBS, project plan, presentation, architecture description. From time to time we even can run small MVP to proof
future solution.

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Pre Sales Team
W h o d o e s w h a t
Who plays what roles: Account Manager, Experts, Architects,
Business Analysts, Project managers
#2

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#01 Knows how to find
Promises to do almost everything that we
mostly can do
#02 Agreement
Responsible for price and conditions
negotiations.
Prepares legal stuff, signatures
#03 Positive
Account Manager
S a l e s T e a m R o l e

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#01 Governs resources
Knows all about competences, general
availability.
Can help with missing resources
#02 Build competences
Drives competences development
#03 Fight for territory
Due to the Business Motivation and General
Politics
Line Manager
S a l e s T e a m R o l e

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#01 Manages project
Promise to do almost everything that we mostly
can do
#02 Manages resources
Price and conditions negotiations
#03 Protects the House
Say “R-r-r-r-r” to all bad boys asking for
resources
Delivery Manager
P o s t S a l e s T e a m R o l e

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#01 Technology guru
#02 Design system
#03 Looks like a mage
Architect

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#01 Analysis
#02 Solid background
#03 Heavy & Time Consume
Business Analyst

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#01 Do what to do
Quickly run MVP, represent concrete skills and
personas in team
#02 Micro design
Suggest on low level design
#03 Fight for territory
TBD
Brave Soldiers

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#01 Welcome
#02 Engage
#03 Do all other things
What others can not do because too busy.
Motivated by banana.
Engagement

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Not Africa
B e r e a l i s t i c ! i t i s …
How it really works – you can find different variations in the ideal
picture (how it should be)
#3

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AS(S) IS

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ALL ARCHITECTS
ARE BUSY
Please wait for a 5-7 days for a one who can help

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OK, WE NEED 3-5
DAYS TO
PROCESS
Y o u f i n d q u a l i f i e d p e r s o n

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IT IS LACK OF
DETAILS. WE
CANNOT DO IT
FINALLY
F e w d a y s c o m e a n d y o u w i l l h e a r

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GOT IT. IS ANY
MORE HELP
NEEDED?
F i n a l l y

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What to do?

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ENGAGE!

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ENGAGEMENT
4.What is

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1 Understand
• What they say
• What they think
• What they want
• Why they need
Engagement skills
S e t o f s u p e r h e r o p o w e r a n d a b i l i t i e s

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2
3
Write
Letters / Documents – Clear, Simple, Targeted
Present
Communicate with business and IT, run fluent
speech on standup and full presentations

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4
5
Design
Design High Level Solution Architecture, clearly
define key components, their capabilities, needed
technologies.
Estimate
Prepare WBS – starting from initial analysis and
design till implementation and rollout.

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6
Sale
Really this is the main goal. Everything that you
do should be subordinated to Sales Success.

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Skill Set
J u s t w h a t t o k n o w
What you need to know to be VERY good Business Analyst in
Engagement
#5

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Skillset
1. Strategy Analysis
2. Enterprise Architecture
3. Business thinking
4. Innovative thinking
5. Industry experience
6. Technology background (full stack )
7. Implementation experience
Must: Document, Presentations, Fluent communications
+ Non documented skill set

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Strategy
Analysis
S k i l l C a r d
Understand key elements of Strategy Analysis – problems,
opportunities, goals, objectives, stakeholders, stakeholder needs

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Enterprise
Architecture
S k i l l C a r d
Zachman is cool

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Business
Thinking
S k i l l C a r d
Value, Value Chain, Business Model, ROI, Costs, Risks

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Innovating
Thinking
S k i l l C a r d
Innovation big and small, new product development, TRIZ

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Industry
Experience
S k i l l C a r d
Very nice to have a deep and wide understanding, multiple business

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Technology
Background
S k i l l C a r d
Really helpful to understand how to build software in your technology
stack

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Implementation
Experience
S k i l l C a r d
Training, Change management, Transitions, Migration

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Challenges
I s i t n o t e a s y a n d f u n n y ? W h y C h a l l e n g e s ?
Specific challenges that could challenge you in engagement
process
#6

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How to handle
Clarify expectations, quickly test approach, ask
for their internal standards
Tools to apply
Checklist, Desired Artefacts, Number of Pages,
Requirements to results
What affect
Disappointed by the Quality / Complexity
LIGHT VS BFR
W H A T A P P R O A C H Y O U N E E D T O C H O O S E
There is no one way to do presale. It highly depends on multiple
factors. There are too formal and well defined “Big Fucking Rocket”
standards. On the other hand there are multiple very lightweight
approaches.

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How to handle
Plan meeting immediately, simplify communication, prepare
variants. Do not wait for all answers
Tools to apply
Questions with Answers. Assumptions. Variants.
What affect
What you understand, how quickly you can get the answers
Time
W H A T A P P R O A C H Y O U N E E D T O C H O O S E
Key limit for all your analysis activities

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How to handle
Plan per days / per hours. Minimize number of
dependencies. Do engagement only with people who really
can work under No Time Constraint.
Plan B. Very simplified
Plan C. You do everything alone
Tools to apply
Schedule, Templates, Simplify
What affect
What you can do, what you can investigate, how quickly you
can get the answers
Availability
H o w y o u c a n w o r k w i t h c u s t o m e r
How frequently you can be in contact with key stakeholders

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How to handle
Clarify expectations, test on questions-answers-proposals
Tools to apply
Schedule, Templates, Simplify
What affect
Satisfaction / Angry
Innovations
C o u l d o r M u s t o r …
Is it required to get your ideas? How far you can go with?

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YES, WE CAN
(IF)
W o w ! T h i s i s l a s t s e c t i o n
Are you really ready to be Business Analyst in Engagement?
#7

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Can do the same in 1 Week. 1 Day. 1 Hour

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Take responsibility on Solution

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Lead the Myths. Define the Truth. Build right Focus

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Connect reality, opportunity and personas

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Feel like a Diamond

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Any
questions?
S e e m s t h a t i t i s a l l