by Jenny Boronyak | Jun 9, 2014 | Business Analysis, Project Management, Uncategorized |
With the PMI’s recent release of the new Professional in Business Analysis (PBA) certification, business analysts (BAs) in the community are asking what is the difference between this new PMI-PBA and the IIBA’s existing Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP)? Also, if we’re looking into getting certified, which one should we go after? In their announcement to offer the new certification, the PMI quoted a statistic by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics that “business analysis jobs are predicted to increase 19 percent by 2022.” We agree that this is a good reason for more people to get certified in the field of business analysis. We’re looking at this new certification from the PMI as great news; business analysis as a profession needs to break through the lack of recognition and demand more respect from the global community so that we can all be more successful in our jobs. This certification is definitely a step in that direction. But before you go and sign up for the PMI-PBA pilot program, we recommend making sure it’s the right certification for you. After looking at the available literature, including the PMI-PBA Examination Content Outline (ECO), it is apparent that this particular certification is focused on a very specific area of business analysis, and is developed for a very specific subset of business analysts. According to the PMI’s literature on the new certification, “business analysis is a critical function that helps define business requirements in order to shape the output of projects and drive successful business outcomes. In order to ensure the quality of requirements and projects, it is crucial that individuals be...
by John Parker | May 16, 2014 | Agile, Uncategorized |
There were a few great questions asked at the end of our webinar yesterday, Agile Business Transformation. While I didn’t have time to answer them in the information-packed webinar, here are your answers. Q: Does Enfocus know of publications on Agile transformations for business with products with HW as well as SW products? A: –Agile Development has been used for both the development of hardware and software products. One of the best-known examples is the development of Nokia phones. In Enterprises, many infrastructure groups are also starting to use agile. Many organizations are starting to adopt DevOps which is an umbrella concept that refers to anything that facilitates a smoother interaction between development and operations. The best information for large agile transformations is at www.scaledagileframework.com. There is also a major movement toward integrating Lean with agile and there are several good books on this subject. A very good book on this subject is Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash by Tom and Mary Poppendieck. Q: I find it challenging to differentiate a Feature from An Epic! For example, how would you determine if a BR is a feature or an Epic? A: — Great Question. A feature has to be small enough to fit into a Release. An epic spans multiple releases. Epics are approved by Portfolio management, whereas Features are defined by program management and are used to decompose an Epic into manageable components. View an epic as a project and a feature as a component of a project. Q: Most of the time, we find the stories changing to be a Feature or Epic! A:...
by John Parker | Mar 31, 2014 | Business Analysis, Project Management, Uncategorized |
Simply put, cloud computing is computing based on the Internet. In the past, people ran applications on a physical computer or server in their building, cloud computing allows people access the same kinds of applications more easily and anywhere through the Internet. Cloud computing is growing rapidly because it just makes economic sense. So why are so many businesses moving to the cloud? It’s because cloud computing increases efficiency, helps improve cash flow and offers many more benefits. Let’s explore some of these benefit: Automatic software updates Many organizations that have implemented an on-premise ERP or CRM system know how painful it is to upgrade the software. With Cloud computing, updates are applied automatically — this is part of the basic service and often saves organizations millions of dollars per year. This frees up customers’ time that can be used on other important tasks. Flexibility The Cloud provides much more flexibility for increases and decreases in demand. For example, if a company needs more bandwidth than usual, maybe for some special promotion, a cloud-based service can instantly meet the demand because of the vast capacity of the services’ remote servers. In fact, this flexibility is so crucial that 65% of respondents to an InformationWeek survey said “the ability to quickly meet business demands” was an important reason to move to cloud computing. New users can be added or removed very easily adjusting to business demand as needed. Disaster recovery Disaster recovery is often much easier for cloud based services as this capability is a standard part of the service. Cloud computing providers take care of most issues, and they...
by John Parker | Mar 10, 2014 | Project Management, Uncategorized |
According to the Standish Group, over 60% of projects fail or are challenged. Gartner Group 2011 research shows the same story; only it paints a slightly worse picture. Based on these statistics, program/portfolio managers and PMOs need to have skills for rescuing troubled projects. Determining if You Have a Troubled Project It is important to determine if you have a troubled project before any significant intervention is taken. It is best to do this using predefined criterion that are administered at the PMO or portfolio level. The following criteria provide some examples: Project Planning The project does not have an agreed upon vision and clear set of objectives. Impacts that the project will have on the business architecture have not been identified and defined. A thorough stakeholder analysis has not been performed. Discovery The solution scope has not been clearly defined as a set of features that can be delivered independently. Customers and users are not adequately engaged in project discovery activities. Delivery Delivery team satisfaction is low. Agile team commitments have not been met. Velocity is decreasing. Project Performance The project is trending 20% or more over its estimated budget. The project is trending 20% or more over its estimated deadline. Benefits Realization The client is extremely dissatisfied with the performance of the project team. Benefits as defined in the business case are not being achieved. Project Recovery Process Turning around a troubled project is never easy, but there are approaches that can be used that provide a good chance for success. It is important to note that success may not mean delivering the project within the original time and budget constraints. Rather the focus must now be on salvaging the project to ensure that the project addresses the business need and achieves the expected business outcomes. If...
by Jenny Boronyak | Mar 5, 2014 | Agile, Project Management, Uncategorized |
In our previous blog on Dual-Track Agile, John Parker described the benefits of this emerging concept. Dual-track agile is an approach to agile development in which project teams are constantly working on the discovery and delivery of solutions that will deliver business value and obtain user adoption. By following the principles of dual-track agile, project managers and their teams can eliminate a lot of frustration and costs in agile development. Below are the key guidelines to implementing dual-track agile in your projects. 1. Put together a proficient discovery team with expert capabilities who are able to blend entrepreneurial skills and research gathered from the market. Your team needs to have the following skills so they can thoroughly and effectively understand the problem, recommend the best solution, and align the project with business needs: User Experience/User-Centered Design Business Analysis Pricing and Financial Analysis Customer Discovery Impact/Gap Analysis Focus on Collaboration Experimentation Attitude 2. Have the discovery team working one or more months ahead of the development team. The discovery team should be constantly populating the backlog with validated ideas and user stories. 3. With the help of the discovery team, create an understanding of your customers’ core problem before gathering ideas/features. Do not start putting together a solution until you have a complete understanding of the problem. Use Root Cause Analysis techniques like Fishbone Diagrams or The Five Whys to dig deep into the source of the problem and set the context for the project. 4. Develop a shared vision by hosting a vision planning workshop. Invite the product owner, business stakeholders, technical subject matter experts (SMEs), user-centered designers, and...
