A look at: a) the different types of tools available to BAs and the problems that can be encountered using standard MS Office-type tools b) the significantly improved features and usability that today's BA tools have to offer to increase your productivity in the areas of: - Authoring - Managing - Validating - Monitoring - Communicating - Tool Integration c) how to choose your BA Toolkit Refer to 2010 presentation for process and key tool requirements

1. What s
What’s in Your BA Toolkit?
(
(Reboot 2013)
)
Marie Halsey
November 2013
Marie Halsey Consulting Inc.

2. Learning Objectives
 Why consider upgrading your BA toolkit?
 What do today’s BA tools have to offer?
 How do you choose your BA Toolkit?
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3. Background
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4. One day …
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5. BA Role: Liaison Among Stakeholders …
Business
Sponsors
Project
Managers
Clients
Customer
Reps
End
Users
Solution
Delivery Team
Business
Analyst
- Solution Architect
- Developer
- DBA
- U bilit S
Usability Specialist
i li t
- Tester
- Trainer
- Change Manager
Suppliers
pp
Operational
Support
Regulators
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6. Types of Communication Tools…
 Low-tech
 Software-based
 Collaboration
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7. MS Office-Type Tools are Great!
When you have …
Static content or simple, sequential iterations
simple
Baselines are against entire document
Minimal traceability
Mi i l t
bilit
Minimal meta-data; none with diagram
elements
No need to duplicate content
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8. But?
 Traceability
 Impact Analysis
 Reuse
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 Model
Integration
It s
It’s HARD!
Marie Halsey Consulting Inc.
 Variable Meta-data
 RM
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9. Issue: WYSIWYG!
No ‘packaging’ for different stakeholders
Stakeholders Not
Fully Engaged
Overwhelming
Time-consuming
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10. And the Cost?
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11. BAs Need a Purpose-Built Toolkit!
 PMs
 MS Project
 Developers
 Highly sophisticated
Highly-sophisticated
 Testers
 Fully automated
Fully-automated
test generation, execution, tracking
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12. Past BA Tool Challenges
 Baselining, versioning, release management
C
Comparing versions
 Integration of requirements elements
 Packaging / reporting, esp. non-text and
associated elements
 Support for re-use
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13. BA Tools in 2013?
Significantly improved features and usability:
 Authoring
 Managing
 Validating
 M it i
Monitoring
 Communicating
g
 Integration
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14. Key Advantage: Central Repository
 Single data source
 No duplication
 Out-of-the-box standard
 Requirement types
 Att ib t
Attributes
 Models
 Customizable
 Requirement types
 Attributes
 Fully integrated
 Diagram elements
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15. Usability
Intuitive, consistent
interface
At-a-Glance
Navigation
Wizards,
Tutorials
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16. Usability
‘Drag and drop’
diagram elements
and objects
Customizable icons
Fast data capture & diagramming
p
g
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17. Usability
 Spell checking
 Glossaries
 Bulk data selection
Range (SHIFT Click) non contiguous (CTRL click)
(SHIFT-Click), non-contiguous (CTRL-click)
 Bulk processing
Parent-child, re-parent,
Parent child re parent traceability
Update attribute values
 Model and diagram searching, filtering, sorting
searching filtering
 Undo/Redo
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18. Requirements Authoring
Elicit and capture:
 Textual requirements
 Generic Diagrams
 Models
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19. Authoring – Textual Requirements
Rich text editor
Parent-child
hierarchy
Embedded objects
and hyperlinks
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20. Authoring – Generic Diagram Editor
System Context
Diagram elements fully
attributed, traceable
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21. Authoring – Use Cases
Structured
Use Cases
Actor
Glossary,
Glossary
Data
Entity,
Attribute
links
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22. Authoring – Activity Diagrams
Auto-generated/integrated
Activity Diagram
Auto numbering
Auto-numbering
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23. Authoring – Domain Models
Integrated Domain
I
dD
i
Model and Data
Dictionary
Customizable and
configurable
data attributes
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24. Authoring – UI Prototyping
 Low/high fidelity
 Branding
 Widgets, controls
 UI Snapshots
 User comments
 Integrated with data
model elements
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25. Authoring – Storyboards
Use mockups or
snapshots of existing UI
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26. Requirements Management
 Organize
Structure,
Structure Categorization
 Traceability
 Version Management
Baselines, Release management
Versioning / Revision history Differencing
history,
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27. Manage - Organize
Structure:
Projects, Requirement Types,
Parent child
Parent-child relationships
Categorize: Attributes help
Prioritize, Track, Filter
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28. Manage - Traceability Trees
Manage ‘suspect'
relationships
At-a-glance impact analysis
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29. Manage - Traceability Matrix
Directional /
Peer-to-peer
Visually assess coverage;
missing traceability
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30. Manage – Reuse
C
Cross-project traceability
j tt
bilit
Project
P j t segmentation
t ti
Requirement sharing
Solution branching
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31. Manage - Baselines
Select all requirements
or just a subset
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32. Manage – Revision History
Revision history
Revision d
details
Versions are automatically maintained for
y q
every requirements artifact
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33. Manage - Differencing
Easy to see what
changed/revision marks
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34. Requirements Validation
 Generate review content
 Conduct reviews
 Obtain feedback
 Obt i approval
Obtain
l
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35. Validate – Generate Content
Select artifacts to be
reviewed
November 2013
Check review
progress
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36. Validate – Conduct Review
Electronic
Approval!
Feedback
Screen mockup
Activity Diagram
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Traceability
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37. Requirements Monitoring
 Track requirement lifecycle
Requirement completion
Review
Approval
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Dashboards!!!
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38. Monitor – Review Progress
By artifact type
By reviewer
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39. Monitor – Requirement Completion
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40. Monitor – Requirement Activity
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41. Requirements Communication
Package requirements
Collaborate
Comments and discussions
#hashtags, @mentions
Email notification
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42. Communicate – Packaging
 Template-driven
Word, Excel,
HTML, XML
 Corporate branding
 Standards
 Customized content
 Textual requirements
 Attributes / Meta-data
 Images, links
 Diagrams, Mockups
T
Traceability
bilit
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43. Tool Integration
 Internal
 External
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44. Integrate - Internal
 Associate requirements
artifacts with reference
material
Documents,
Documents images and
diagrams, URLs, etc.
 Associate diagram elements
with meta-data
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45. Integrate - Internal
Business Process
Diagram
Requirements
Requirement
R
i
t
Attributes
Business Requirement
Use Case Diagram
Business Process
Traces to
Defects
Logs
(e.g., Decisions,
Issues, Risks)
Activity Diagram
Use Case
Traces to
Solution Requirement
(Functional &
Non-functional)
Data Model
(ERD, Class Diagram)
User I t f
U
Interface
Mockup
Stakeholder
Requirement
Data Dictionary
Data Entity
Business Rule
Contains
Discussions
Data Attribute
ata tt bute
Peer-to-peer
P
t
Association
Integration/
Interoperability
Association
References
Documents, Tables. Diagrams,
Documents Tables Diagrams
URLs, Images, Other Artifacts
Lifecycle Management Tools
(e.g.,
(e g quality assurance,
assurance
development tools)
Integration is critical!
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46. Integrate - External
 Import/export from Word, Excel, Visio
 Open API
 Test generation/ integration
 ALM/SDLC Integration managers connect
best-of-breed point solutions
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47. How to Choose?
It depends …
 Project size and complexity
 Local or virtual team
 Methodology
 Waterfall, iterative, agile
 Project type
 Custom software COTS
software, COTS,
infrastructure/hardware-only
 Artifacts produced
 Maturity of BA organization
Note: MS Office-type tools may be enough!
yp
y
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48. Follow the process!
Assess
Current
State
Processes,
Problems
P bl
Detailed
Toolkit
Req’ts
Identify
BA Toolkit
Needs
Identify
Toolkit
T lki
Gaps
November 2013
Toolkit
Needs
Define
BA Toolkit
Req’ts
Conduct
Product
Assessmen
t
Select
Product(s)
Implement
p
BA Toolkit
Toolkit Gaps
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49. Prepare for Product Assessment
 Weight / prioritize requirements
 Prepare list of candidate vendors
f
Check the internet, web reviews
Talk to peers, professional associations
Gartner reports, Forrester surveys
Consider open source software
C
id
ft
 Conduct survey based on high-level
requirements, t short-list 3 5 vendors,
i
t to h t li t 3-5
d
 Arrange for demos, training & support
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50. Caveat emptor !
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51. What’s Available?
Tool spectrum:
 Specialized, such as:
Prototyping
BPM, UML
Mind maps
 Broad-spectrum best-of-breed
 ALM
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52. Some Broad-Spectrum Candidates …
Also Visual Use Case
Caliber
Formerly MKS Integrity
Also DOORS and
Requirements Composer
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53. References
 Marie Halsey Consulting Inc.
“What’s in Your BA Toolkit (2010)” on SlideShare
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariehalsey
Includes toolkit requirements & selection process
 IIBA Vendor Showcase webinars
V d Sh
bi
 Forrester reports
D
Doreen E
Evans and A
d Associates
i t
 INCOSE Requirements Management Tools Survey
 Seilevel - Evaluate and Select a Requirements
Management Tool
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54. One Final Thought …
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55. What You Learned …
 Why upgrade your BA toolkit?
 What do today’s BA tools have to offer?
 How do you choose your BA Toolkit?
y
y
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56. Thank you!
Questions?
Marie Halsey
Marie Halsey Consulting Inc.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariehalsey
November 2013
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