Business Analysis Agility
Delivering Value, Not Just Software
1st Edition
Published on 5. October 2018
320 pages
978-0-13-484717-7 (ISBN)
Description
Understand and Solve Your Customers' Real Problems with Agile Business Analysis
To deliver real value, you must understand what your customers truly value, and solve the problems they really need solved. Business analysis can help you do this-and it's as crucial in agile environments now as it always has been. In Business Analysis Agility, leading experts James Robertson and Suzanne Robertson show how to perform business analysis in an agile way: trying new things, adapting to changes and discoveries, staying flexible, and being quick. Drawing on their unsurpassed experience of hundreds of projects and organizations, the Robertsons help you prioritize relentlessly, focus investments on delivering value, and learn in ways that improve your results.
Uncover the real customer problems hidden behind assumptions and conventional solutions
Hypothesize potential solutions and quickly test them with safe-to-fail probes
Understand how people, hardware, software, organizations, and other components come together in an optimal customer experience
Write stories that help you find solutions that deliver more value to customers and the business
Think about problems and projects in more agile, nimble, and open-minded ways
The Robertsons' approach to analytical thinking will be valuable to anyone who wants to build better software in agile environments: analysts, developers, team leads, project managers, software architects, and other team members and stakeholders at all levels of experience.
To deliver real value, you must understand what your customers truly value, and solve the problems they really need solved. Business analysis can help you do this-and it's as crucial in agile environments now as it always has been. In Business Analysis Agility, leading experts James Robertson and Suzanne Robertson show how to perform business analysis in an agile way: trying new things, adapting to changes and discoveries, staying flexible, and being quick. Drawing on their unsurpassed experience of hundreds of projects and organizations, the Robertsons help you prioritize relentlessly, focus investments on delivering value, and learn in ways that improve your results.
Uncover the real customer problems hidden behind assumptions and conventional solutions
Hypothesize potential solutions and quickly test them with safe-to-fail probes
Understand how people, hardware, software, organizations, and other components come together in an optimal customer experience
Write stories that help you find solutions that deliver more value to customers and the business
Think about problems and projects in more agile, nimble, and open-minded ways
The Robertsons' approach to analytical thinking will be valuable to anyone who wants to build better software in agile environments: analysts, developers, team leads, project managers, software architects, and other team members and stakeholders at all levels of experience.
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More details
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
Boston
United States
Publishing group
Pearson Education (US)
Target group
Professional and scholarly
File size
12,21 MB
ISBN-13
978-0-13-484717-7 (9780134847177)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
James Robertson | Suzanne Robertson
Business Analysis Agility: Delivering Value, Not Just Software
Delivering Value, Not Just Software
Book
01/2019
1st Edition
Addison Wesley
€39.49
Shipment within 15-20 days
Persons
James Robertson is a business analyst, problem solver, author, speaker, instructor, photographer, designer, and coach. He trained as an architect but left that for a career in IT and the sociological side of technology.
He left the security of employment in Australia to move and start his own company (with his brilliant wife) in the United Kingdom. Since then he has gone on to co-author seven books, numerous courses, and the Volere requirements techniques and templates, which have been adopted by organizations all over the world as their standard for gathering, discovering, communicating, tracing, and specifying solution needs.
James' career is broad, both in a geographical sense and the areas and systems that he has worked with. It is fair to say that James has worked on almost every type of commercial IT project-from a start as a programmer in a software development house in Sydney, to consulting in New York, London, Rome, and most European capitals. He has earned his experience at the sharp end of both project and research work.
He divides his time between London and the French Alps. He skis for as much of the winter as demands on his time allow, and hikes all summer.
Suzanne Robertson is having a stellar career in information technology and systems engineering. She is a teacher, practitioner, writer, instructor, and guide.
Suzanne is a pioneer in adapting ideas from other domains for automated solutions. She has collaborated in workshops using experts from fields as diverse as modern music, visualization, and cookery. Ideas from these domains were adapted to make major breakthroughs in creative ideas for domains ranging from air traffic control to local government.
She is co-author of the best-selling Mastering the Requirements Process, among other books and courses. She is co-creator of the Volere requirements techniques. She was the founding editor of the Requirements Column in IEEE Software.
She has also made an impact in the socio-technical arena. This includes research and consulting on managing project sociology, both individually and as collaborative efforts between business, technology, and academia.
Her experience with different projects in both the private and public sectors has given her experience in a wide variety of systems and locations. She has worked in Europe, Australia, the Far East, and the United States.
Suzanne is a founder and principal of the Atlantic Systems Guild. Her other interests include opera, cooking, skiing, and finding out about curious things.
He left the security of employment in Australia to move and start his own company (with his brilliant wife) in the United Kingdom. Since then he has gone on to co-author seven books, numerous courses, and the Volere requirements techniques and templates, which have been adopted by organizations all over the world as their standard for gathering, discovering, communicating, tracing, and specifying solution needs.
James' career is broad, both in a geographical sense and the areas and systems that he has worked with. It is fair to say that James has worked on almost every type of commercial IT project-from a start as a programmer in a software development house in Sydney, to consulting in New York, London, Rome, and most European capitals. He has earned his experience at the sharp end of both project and research work.
He divides his time between London and the French Alps. He skis for as much of the winter as demands on his time allow, and hikes all summer.
Suzanne Robertson is having a stellar career in information technology and systems engineering. She is a teacher, practitioner, writer, instructor, and guide.
Suzanne is a pioneer in adapting ideas from other domains for automated solutions. She has collaborated in workshops using experts from fields as diverse as modern music, visualization, and cookery. Ideas from these domains were adapted to make major breakthroughs in creative ideas for domains ranging from air traffic control to local government.
She is co-author of the best-selling Mastering the Requirements Process, among other books and courses. She is co-creator of the Volere requirements techniques. She was the founding editor of the Requirements Column in IEEE Software.
She has also made an impact in the socio-technical arena. This includes research and consulting on managing project sociology, both individually and as collaborative efforts between business, technology, and academia.
Her experience with different projects in both the private and public sectors has given her experience in a wide variety of systems and locations. She has worked in Europe, Australia, the Far East, and the United States.
Suzanne is a founder and principal of the Atlantic Systems Guild. Her other interests include opera, cooking, skiing, and finding out about curious things.
Content
Foreword xv
Preface xix
Acknowledgments xxv
About the Authors xxvii
Chapter 1: Agile Business Analysis 1
Why Is This "agile"? 2
Moebius Strip 2
Why Are We Concerned with Business Analysis? 3
Bernie's Books-An Example in Agile Business Analysis 4
What Do You Do? 5
What's Bernie's Problem? 6
People Assume They Know the Solution 7
Analytical Thinking 7
Bernie's Business Goals 8
Customer Segments 9
Loyal Customers 9
Twentysomethings 10
Book Cover Bandits 11
Value Proposition 11
Who Identifies Customer Segments and Their
Value Propositions? 13
How Can I Solve the Problem? 13
Safe-to-Fail Probes 15
Who Performs Safe-to-Fail Probes? 18
Investigate the Solution Space 18
Who Investigates the Solution Space? 20
Designing the Solution 20
Who Designs the Solution? 23
Opportunities 24
Write and Manage Stories 25
agile Business Analysis 27
Business Analysis for Traditional or Sequential Projects 28
The Changing Emphasis of Business Analysis 30
Chapter 2: Do You Know What Your Customers Value? 33
Problem Versus Solution 34
Identify the Customer Segments 36
How to Identify the Customer Segments 36
HomeSpace 38
Other Stakeholders 39
Prioritize the Customer Segments 39
Value Propositions 41
Talking to the Customers 43
What Impact Will Your Solution Have? 45
Business Value 47
Is It Risky to Deliver the Value? 47
The Moving Target 48
Wrong Until Right 49
Summary 51
Chapter 3: Are You Solving the Right Problem? 53
The Problem 53
Are You Solving the Right Problem? 54
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs 56
The Outcome of Solving the Problem 56
The Customer's Needs 57
Customer Journey Maps 58
Travel the Same Journey as Your Customer 60
Talking to the Customers 60
Uncovering the Essence of the Problem 61
Ask Why Again and Again and Again 62
Referred Pain 63
Disguised Problems 64
The Real Scope of the Problem 66
Are You Solving the Problem That You Want to Solve? 68
Now You Need a Solution 68
The Solution Is a Hypothesis 69
Off-the-Shelf Solutions 69
Options for Solutions 70
How Might We? 71
Willingness to Be Creative 72
Techniques for Generating Ideas 72
Innovation Triggers 73
Constraint Removal 74
Combining Ideas 75
The Slogan 76
Personas 76
Portraying Your Solutions 78
Safe-to-Fail Probes 78
Right Outcome? 82
"Failed" Probes 83
Double Loop 84
Outcome and Impact 85
Systems Thinking 87
Choosing the Best Option 88
Summary 89
Chapter 4: Investigate the Solution Space 91
Why Are We Investigating? 92
Defining the Scope of the Solution Space 92
Business Events 95
Scoping by Business Event 97
Finding All the Stakeholders 99
Investigating the Business Events 101
Prioritize the Business Events 102
Using Models for Your Investigation 103
Modeling Business Processes 104
Live Modeling 107
Business Rules 107
Why Don't I Skip Analysis and Just Write Stories? 109
Contextual Inquiries 111
Creative Observation 112
Consider the Culture 113
Summary 115
Chapter 5: Designing the Business Solution 117
Designing 118
Designing: An Example 118
Useful, Usable, Used 121
What Is Design? 121
Making Decisions 122
Meeting the Essence 122
Meeting Constraints 123
Meeting Architecture 123
Good Design 124
What Are You Designing? 124
Designing the Information 126
Designing the Interaction 128
UX Design 130
Designing Convenience 132
Incremental, Iterative, and Evolutionary Design 134
Enabling Technology 135
Recording Your Design 136
Chapter 6: Writing the Right Stories 139
Business Events 140
Writing Stories 144
"As a ..." 144
Try Not to Write "I Want" 144
Ask "why?" again and again 145
The Two-Line Story 146
Story Maps 146
Functional Stories 148
Given-When-Then 149
Breaking Down the Functional Stories 149
Detailed Tasks 151
Developing the Map 153
Enhancing Your Stories 155
Acceptance Criteria 155
The People Involved 156
Wireframes 157
Prioritizing the Map 158
Dependencies Among Business Events 160
Prioritizing the Tasks 160
Periodic Reprioritization 160
Kanban 161
Minimum Viable Product 162
Quality Needs 163
Qualities: What Do They Look Like? 165
Qualities at the Product Level 168
Fit Criteria for Quality Needs 169
The Volere Template 170
Look & Feel 170
Usability 171
Performance 171
Operational and Environmental 171
Maintainability and Support 171
Security 172
Cultural 172
Compliance 172
Exceptions and Alternatives 173
Stories and Development Cycles 174
Summary 177
Chapter 7: Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick 179
Jack Be Nimble 179
Wicked Problems and Gordian Knots 180
The Next Right Answer 182
Looking Outwards 183
Continuous Improvement 183
Why Are They Complaining? 185
Enlightened Anarchy 186
Jack Be Quick 187
Hour 1: Customer Segments 187
Hour 2: Value Propositions 188
Hour 3: Solving the Right Problem 189
Hour 4: Safe-to-Fail Probes 191
The Rest of the Day and Some of Tomorrow: Design the Solution 192
Jumpin' Jack Flash 193
Jack and Jacqueline Jump over the Candlestick 194
Jumping the Silos 194
Avoiding Sign-Offs 196
The Blue Zone 197
Agile Business Analysis and Iterative Development Cycles 198
The Product Owner Coordinates 199
The Discovery Activity Responds to Priorities 199
And Jill Came Tumbling After 201
Documentation 202
Knowledge Artifacts 202
Project Goals 202
Solution Scope 204
Story Maps 205
Jack Sprat Could Eat No Fat 205
Traditional Business Analysis 208
Traditional Process 209
Routine Problems 210
Complicated Problems 211
Complex Problems 211
The Requirements Document 212
They Have Licked the Platter Clean 214
Glossary 217
Bibliography 223
Index 227
Preface xix
Acknowledgments xxv
About the Authors xxvii
Chapter 1: Agile Business Analysis 1
Why Is This "agile"? 2
Moebius Strip 2
Why Are We Concerned with Business Analysis? 3
Bernie's Books-An Example in Agile Business Analysis 4
What Do You Do? 5
What's Bernie's Problem? 6
People Assume They Know the Solution 7
Analytical Thinking 7
Bernie's Business Goals 8
Customer Segments 9
Loyal Customers 9
Twentysomethings 10
Book Cover Bandits 11
Value Proposition 11
Who Identifies Customer Segments and Their
Value Propositions? 13
How Can I Solve the Problem? 13
Safe-to-Fail Probes 15
Who Performs Safe-to-Fail Probes? 18
Investigate the Solution Space 18
Who Investigates the Solution Space? 20
Designing the Solution 20
Who Designs the Solution? 23
Opportunities 24
Write and Manage Stories 25
agile Business Analysis 27
Business Analysis for Traditional or Sequential Projects 28
The Changing Emphasis of Business Analysis 30
Chapter 2: Do You Know What Your Customers Value? 33
Problem Versus Solution 34
Identify the Customer Segments 36
How to Identify the Customer Segments 36
HomeSpace 38
Other Stakeholders 39
Prioritize the Customer Segments 39
Value Propositions 41
Talking to the Customers 43
What Impact Will Your Solution Have? 45
Business Value 47
Is It Risky to Deliver the Value? 47
The Moving Target 48
Wrong Until Right 49
Summary 51
Chapter 3: Are You Solving the Right Problem? 53
The Problem 53
Are You Solving the Right Problem? 54
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs 56
The Outcome of Solving the Problem 56
The Customer's Needs 57
Customer Journey Maps 58
Travel the Same Journey as Your Customer 60
Talking to the Customers 60
Uncovering the Essence of the Problem 61
Ask Why Again and Again and Again 62
Referred Pain 63
Disguised Problems 64
The Real Scope of the Problem 66
Are You Solving the Problem That You Want to Solve? 68
Now You Need a Solution 68
The Solution Is a Hypothesis 69
Off-the-Shelf Solutions 69
Options for Solutions 70
How Might We? 71
Willingness to Be Creative 72
Techniques for Generating Ideas 72
Innovation Triggers 73
Constraint Removal 74
Combining Ideas 75
The Slogan 76
Personas 76
Portraying Your Solutions 78
Safe-to-Fail Probes 78
Right Outcome? 82
"Failed" Probes 83
Double Loop 84
Outcome and Impact 85
Systems Thinking 87
Choosing the Best Option 88
Summary 89
Chapter 4: Investigate the Solution Space 91
Why Are We Investigating? 92
Defining the Scope of the Solution Space 92
Business Events 95
Scoping by Business Event 97
Finding All the Stakeholders 99
Investigating the Business Events 101
Prioritize the Business Events 102
Using Models for Your Investigation 103
Modeling Business Processes 104
Live Modeling 107
Business Rules 107
Why Don't I Skip Analysis and Just Write Stories? 109
Contextual Inquiries 111
Creative Observation 112
Consider the Culture 113
Summary 115
Chapter 5: Designing the Business Solution 117
Designing 118
Designing: An Example 118
Useful, Usable, Used 121
What Is Design? 121
Making Decisions 122
Meeting the Essence 122
Meeting Constraints 123
Meeting Architecture 123
Good Design 124
What Are You Designing? 124
Designing the Information 126
Designing the Interaction 128
UX Design 130
Designing Convenience 132
Incremental, Iterative, and Evolutionary Design 134
Enabling Technology 135
Recording Your Design 136
Chapter 6: Writing the Right Stories 139
Business Events 140
Writing Stories 144
"As a ..." 144
Try Not to Write "I Want" 144
Ask "why?" again and again 145
The Two-Line Story 146
Story Maps 146
Functional Stories 148
Given-When-Then 149
Breaking Down the Functional Stories 149
Detailed Tasks 151
Developing the Map 153
Enhancing Your Stories 155
Acceptance Criteria 155
The People Involved 156
Wireframes 157
Prioritizing the Map 158
Dependencies Among Business Events 160
Prioritizing the Tasks 160
Periodic Reprioritization 160
Kanban 161
Minimum Viable Product 162
Quality Needs 163
Qualities: What Do They Look Like? 165
Qualities at the Product Level 168
Fit Criteria for Quality Needs 169
The Volere Template 170
Look & Feel 170
Usability 171
Performance 171
Operational and Environmental 171
Maintainability and Support 171
Security 172
Cultural 172
Compliance 172
Exceptions and Alternatives 173
Stories and Development Cycles 174
Summary 177
Chapter 7: Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick 179
Jack Be Nimble 179
Wicked Problems and Gordian Knots 180
The Next Right Answer 182
Looking Outwards 183
Continuous Improvement 183
Why Are They Complaining? 185
Enlightened Anarchy 186
Jack Be Quick 187
Hour 1: Customer Segments 187
Hour 2: Value Propositions 188
Hour 3: Solving the Right Problem 189
Hour 4: Safe-to-Fail Probes 191
The Rest of the Day and Some of Tomorrow: Design the Solution 192
Jumpin' Jack Flash 193
Jack and Jacqueline Jump over the Candlestick 194
Jumping the Silos 194
Avoiding Sign-Offs 196
The Blue Zone 197
Agile Business Analysis and Iterative Development Cycles 198
The Product Owner Coordinates 199
The Discovery Activity Responds to Priorities 199
And Jill Came Tumbling After 201
Documentation 202
Knowledge Artifacts 202
Project Goals 202
Solution Scope 204
Story Maps 205
Jack Sprat Could Eat No Fat 205
Traditional Business Analysis 208
Traditional Process 209
Routine Problems 210
Complicated Problems 211
Complex Problems 211
The Requirements Document 212
They Have Licked the Platter Clean 214
Glossary 217
Bibliography 223
Index 227
