C4 The Business Analysis Process Model Flashcards
What is Isaksen and Treffingers six-stage approach to problem-solving?
- Mess Finding: identify and acknowledge what’s the mess that needs cleaning up, the situation that demands attention.
- Data Finding: “taking stock”–unearthing and collecting information, knowledge, facts, feelings, opinions, and thoughts. What do you know about the situation? What do you still need to know?
- Problem Finding: “problem statement” that expresses the “heart” of the situation. State the problem in such a manner as to invite novel perspectives on it.
- Idea Finding: brainstorm as many ideas or alternatives as possible. Don’t evaluate. Generate an idea pool of a variety of solutions to your problem.
- Solution Finding: evaluate ideas systematically; identify and evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of possible solutions. Generate a variety of criteria and select the most important for your problem. Is it cost? expediency? pleasure? time involvement? etc.
- Acceptance Finding: formulate a plan of action. Determine your need, obstacles or difficulties, and specific short- and long-term steps.
What is the Business Analysis Process Model?
The process model sets out the key stages for the business analysis project with each stage representing the areas that the need to be considered.
What is the INVESTIGATE SITUATION stage of the business analysis process model?
Procedure / Inputs / Outputs / Techniques
The INVESTIGATE SITUATION stage of the BAPM is concerned with uncovering issues and problems.
Procedure:
- Study background material - Project Initiation Document, Terms of Reference,
- Carry out initial investigation with key stakeholders,
- Document the results of the investigation using meeting reports plus diagrams such as ‘rich picture’, mind-map or fishbone diagrams.
Inputs:
- Terms of reference or project initiation document,
- MOST, statement of business values.
Outputs:
- View of the existing business situation, including meeting reports and diagrams such as rich pictures, mind maps and fishbone diagrams.
- List of issues / problems.
Techniques:
- Investigation techniques such as interviewing, observation and workshops.
- Quantitative investigation techniques such as surveys, sampling and document analysis.
- Rich pictures (Peter Checklands SSM 1999).
- Mind maps (Buzan and Buzan, 2009).
- Spaghetti Maps,
- Fishbone diagrams (Ishikawa),
- Business Process models.
What is the CONSIDER PERSPECTIVES stage of the business analysis process model?
Procedure / Inputs / Outputs / Techniques
The CONSIDER PERSPECTIVES stage of the BAPM is concerned with analysing stakeholders and their perspectives on the business situation.
Procedure:
- Identify key stakeholders whose perspectives are important to the business analysis project,
- Investigate the values, beliefs and priorities of key stakeholders,
- Develop and analyse the stakeholder perspectives,
- Build conceptual models of activities to fulfil the stakeholder perspectives,
- Explore and resolve conflicts between stakeholder perspectives,
- Synthesise conceptual models into one view of the desired business system.
Inputs:
- Terms of reference or project initiation document,
- Business values and MOST,
- Identified stakeholders (from documentation of the existing business system.
Outputs:
- Power / Interest grid
- Stakeholder perspectives
- Business activity models based upon stakeholder perspectives
- Consensus business activity model.
Techniques:
- Investigation and negotiation techniques,
Stakeholder identification and analysis,
- CATWOE,
- Business Activity Modelling.
What is the ANALYSE NEEDS stage of the business analysis process model?
Procedure / Inputs / Outputs / Techniques
The ANALYSE NEEDS stage of the BAPM is concerned with identifying where improvements can be made to the business system. Gap analysis.
Procedure:
- Examine the activities on the business activity model.
- Consider how well each activity is carried out in the current business system and how well it is supported by the organisation’s information systems.
- Identify the key business events to be handled within the business system; develop ‘as is’ business process models for the key business events.
- Develop ‘to be’ business process models for key business events,
- Analyse the gaps between the existing and the desired business systems. Use these as a basis for the identifying potential business system improvements.
- Ensure any potential improvements align with the business architecture.
Inputs:
- Agreed business activity model,
- View of the existing business system,
- Business values and MOST.
Outputs:
- Analysis of activities, including identified areas of weakness,
- ‘As-is’ and ‘To-be’ business process models,
- List of potential improvements to the business system.
Techniques:
- Gap analysis
- Activity analysis
- Business process modelling
What is the EVALUATE OPTIONS stage of the business analysis process model?
Procedure / Inputs / Outputs / Techniques
The EVALUATE OPTIONS stage of the BAPM is concerned with examining the potential improvements identified so far, developing some business options and evaluating them for acceptability and feasibility.
Procedure:
- Identify a range of business options,
- Explore acceptability of options and reduce to a shortlist,
- Develop and document each option in detail. In particular, consider the business, technical and financial feasibility of each option.
- Develop business case, including presenting options and recommendations to business managers.
Inputs:
- Terms of reference or project initiation document,
- Business values and MOST,
- List of potential improvements to the business system,
Outputs:
- Shortlist of business options,
- Business case including options, feasibilit assessment and recommendations
Techniques:
- Business options identification,
- Cost-benefit analysis, including quantification of costs and benefits; investment appraisal and techniques,
- Impact analysis,
- Risk analysis.
What is the DEFINE REQUIREMENTS stage of the business analysis process model?
Procedure / Inputs / Outputs / Techniques
The DEFINE REQUIREMENTS stage of the BAPM is concerned with gathering and documenting detailed requirements for changes to the business system.
Procedure:
- Gather the requirements:
- elicit and analyse the business requirements for the new business system.
- document and manage the requirements.
- validate the documented requirements.
- Document the requirements for the new business system, including as appropriate:
- business process models,
- catalogue of business requirements,
- models of the IT processing and data,
- glossary of terms.
Inputs:
- Selected option for revised business system.
- Business values and MOST,
- Terms of reference / project initiation document.
Outputs:
- ‘To be’ process models,
- Job definitions,
- Revised organisational structure,
- Validated requirements document including,
- Requirements catalogue,
- Models of business process and system requirements,
- Glossary of terms.
Techniques:
- Business process modelling,
- Job design,
- Investigation techniques,
- Requirements elicitation, analysis and validation,
- Requirements document and management,
- IT systems modelling techniques.
What is the DELIVER CHANGES stage of the business analysis process model?
Procedure / Inputs / Outputs / Techniques
The DELIVER CHANGES stage of the BAPM is concerned with how business changes will be delivered and implemented, and the business benefits realised.
Procedure:
- Decide the lifecycle and approach to be adopted,
- Design and develop the business change solution,
- Support the planning and implementation, in particular the development of the required learning materials and the delivery of training for the business staff.
Inputs:
- Business change process and organisation design,
- IT software solution,
- Business case.
Outputs:
- Business change plan,
- Communication plan,
- Training approach and materials,
- Revised job roles and descriptions,
- Benefits plan,
- Benefits review document.
Techniques:
- Use case descriptions,
- Decision tables,
- State charts,
- Benefits planning.
