Recommended Technique: The 80/20 Rule

Business analysts and project managers frequently use the 80/20 rule, or Pareto analysis, to show the relatively small number of causes that may produce the majority of problems or defects the project team is encountering. The 80-20 rule tells you that 80% of the problems are due to 20% of the causes.

Basically, a Pareto diagram is a type of histogram. Histograms are vertical bar charts showing how often a particular aspect of a situation has occurred. The height of each column illustrates the relative frequency of the occurrence. Histograms help you figure out what is causing problems in your process or project. When you are using Pareto analysis, remember to keep focused on finding the biggest bang for the buck!

Here is an example of a simple Pareto diagram:

A Pareto diagram is typically used as part of your quality control activities on a project. This relatively simple bar graph used to arrange information in such a way that priorities for process improvement or dealing with defects or problems can be established. Another way to think of it is as a histogram view of data ordered by frequency of occurrence. You can focus your subsequent analysis and actions on the causes creating the greatest number of defects first to maximize the time you have on hand to deal with what’s causing you pain.   

Here are some interesting examples of this "80/20 rule":

• 20% of the time expended produced 80% of the results
• 80% of your phone calls go to 20% of the names on your list
• 20% of the streets handle 80% of the traffic
• 80% of the meals in a restaurant come from 20% of the menu
• 20% of the paper has 80% of the news
• 80% of the news is in the first 20% of the article
• 20% of the people cause 80% of the problems
• 20% of the features of an application are used 80% of the time

And now for a little history… the 80/20 theory was first developed by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed an unequal distribution of wealth and power in a relatively small proportion of the total population. Joseph M. Juran is credited with adapting Pareto's economic observations to business applications.

Happy New Year!

Susan

Defining Business Requirements

Let’s remind ourselves what the business requirements are and how they relate to developing, validating and managing our project's requirements. The business requirements consist of a set of "big picture" deliverables that scope out and frame your project's products and work activities. The BABOK® Guide recommends that you develop four deliverables as part of your Enterprise Analysis knowledge area tasks that together become your project’s business requirements. Let's take a look at each of these deliverables:

Business need  The business need describes the problem or opportunity that an organization is facing. This problem or opportunity exists within the framework of that organization’s business goals and objectives. The business need and the desired outcome from addressing that need guide the identification, definition, and selection of possible solutions and solution approaches for that situation.

Required capabilities  The required capabilities define the new capabilities that may be required to meet a business need. These capabilities may be multifaceted, addressing processes, staff and application features of the new solution.

Solution scope  Solution scope defines the major features, functions and interactions of your proposed solution. It describes what must be delivered to meet a business need including any effects the solution might have on the business and technology operations and infrastructure of the organization.

Business case  Your project's business case justifies the cost of doing the project in terms of the value the resulting solution adds to the business. A business case looks at both sides of the equation, comparing the costs and benefits of a proposed solution. The expected business benefits of the solution are evaluated relative to achieving the business objectives and meeting the business need.

These four deliverables are not always found in a stand-alone deliverable or document. They are each part of the project’s business requirements and are typically included in a more comprehensive business requirements document or as part of the project’s business case.

Happy requirements development!

Susan

Solution Assessment and Validation Knowledge Area: The Four Assessments

For all of you CBAP/CCBA exam crammers, remember that there are four different assessments created by and used in the Solution Assessment and Validation knowledge area, so make sure you can distinguish between them!

The  Solution Performance Assessment describes how the operational solution is performing relative to business goals and objectives.

The  Solution Validation Assessment assesses the solution’s ability to meet the business need at an acceptable level of quality.

The Organizational Readiness Assessment describes stakeholder readiness to accept the change associated with a solution and their ability to use the solution effectively.

Your Assessment of Proposed Solution or Solutions assesses the value delivered by each proposed solution and recommending the best solution.

Happy studies!

Susan

A Few CBAP and CCBA Exam Day Tips

On your CBAP or CCBA exam day, you should be relaxed, psychologically prepared, and confident.  Try to be well rested and adequately nourished when you take the exam. Staying up all night before the exam for some last minute studying is not a good idea! 

Make sure you know the location of your testing center prior to exam day.  Perhaps consider doing a “drive by” of the exam location so you know where you are going and exactly how to get there.  You can also scope out your favorite coffee spots along the route!  Just remember that you can't take any food or drink into the testing area, so you will need to finish your coffee or snack before you start the exam.

You might call your testing center the day before your exam to confirm your exam date and time and the hours of operation.  I suggest this based upon the experiences of one of my best buddies, Peggy.  She made it through a surprise and unpredicted Colorado spring snowstorm (8 inches of fresh snow, such fun!) and many car accidents in her way to get to her early morning exam. The story gets even better. When Peggy showed up at her testing center to sit her certification exam she discovered that the location of the testing center had moved the week before! Luckily, the new address (handwritten, no less) was taped to the front door. 

Peggy rushed to the other location and then begin her exam. Almost everyone, including the exam center staff, was late to work that morning so the damage was minimal.  However, the stress spike caused by this situation made Peggy have to sit at the computer for about 30 minutes before she could calm down and focus on the exam itself. This is when you discover the power of preparation, since she passed her exam with flying colors. The testing center staff told her that she had been notified of this relocation by email, but she could find no message from them in her inbox. Yow!

When you arrive at the testing center, you will have to lock up your personal belongings in a locker or leave them in your car for the duration of your exam.  The testing center staff will provide you with pieces of scratch paper and pencils, which you will need to return to them after your exam.  They will also take you into the testing area, seat you at your computer, provide you with headphones to muffle the noise, and confirm that the correct exam is being provided.

You have some time before the exam must start if you take the tutorial on how to use the exam software.  I recommend that you run the tutorial and then use this time to jot down any “cheat sheet” notes on the scrap paper that you have prepared prior to the exam.  Of course, these notes and reminders must all be in your head as you can’t take your own paper into the testing area.

Be aware that there could be other folks in the testing area taking a wide variety of exams, so people may come and go during your testing interval.   If you are easily distracted, this activity may take your attention away from your exam.  You may take a break during the exam; however, the timer keeps going while you are away from your seat!

Happy testing!

Susan

Recommended Techniques: Baselining and Signoff

When you are performing tasks in the Requirements Management and Communication knowledge area, there are two techniques you should use to make sure that your requirements are formally approved and that the approval is duly noted. Let’s look at those two techniques that may be used as part of the managing solution scope and requirements task in greater detail.

A baseline is a snapshot of the status and state of a project deliverable, such as a requirements document, at a specific point in time. Baselined requirements are considered to be the basis for your future project work. Once you have a baseline state for the project requirements, future changes to those requirements can be formally recorded and tracked. Any changes to the baselined requirements must go through a formal change control process versus just being added in. The specifics about the change control process relative to project requirements can be found in the requirements management plan for the project.

Baselining requires the business analyst and the team to follow the project or the organization’s change control process when making any changes to the requirements. Maintaining the baselined requirements assigns you the responsibility to maintain a description of the requirements change, the name of the person making the change and the documented reason why the change was made.

Requirements signoff represents formal agreement from the stakeholders that the content and presentation of the requirements was accurate and complete. Most organizations require formal signoff on their requirements documents. The signoff technique typically involves a face-to-face final review of either all of the requirements or a subset of the requirements with the approving stakeholders. At the end of the review, the approving stakeholders are asked to formally approve the requirements that were presented, either verbally or in writing.
Well, there you have two common techniques used to manage solution scope and requirements... holler if you have any questions.

Happy studies!

Susan

Receiving the Practice Exam CD with your eBook Purchase

Heads up!

Wiley is still working on how you get the CD and test engine of practice questions with your ebook purchases. WIley is currently working on a website that would allow ebook purchasers to download the associated files. However, they are still in the process of uploading the files, including those for my CBAP/CCBA book.

In the interim, Wiley will send you a CD when requested as part of your ebook purchase. You will need to contact Wiley Customer Support at http://sybex.custhelp.com/ and they should be able to send you the physical CD that is missing for the moment.

Thanks for your support and patience, and happy studies!

Susan

Quick Look: Systems Thinking

The BABOK® Guide breaks the essential analytical thinking and problem solving skills of effective business analysts into five areas: creative thinking, decision making, learning, problem solving and systems thinking. Let’s take a quick look at systems thinking.

Systems thinking is how you put all of the pieces together to understand the properties, behaviors, and characteristics of a system. This information is a moving target for the business analyst and can be quite unpredictable. You need to recognize that systems are not just information technology systems. You are looking at systems in the broader sense, consisting of not just the technology components but the people, the processes, the technology, and almost any other factors that come into play.

Projects and their resulting solutions are like puzzles, possessing many pieces and parts. Changes to one part of the puzzle can impact other parts as well as the whole puzzle. You need to be aware of the complexity of the systems that make up your business operations and keep an eye out for impacts within your new solution as well as to the business itself as work is being performed and decisions are being made.

We will take a quick look at each of the other four areas of your essential analytical thinking and problem solving skills in subsequent posts.

Happy studies!
Susan