Agile Methods for
Business Analysts
 © 2009 – 2010 SQUARE PEG CONSULTING, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Today’s speaker
John Goodpasture, PMP
Program manager, system engineer,
author, and coach
Managing Principal
Square Peg Consulting, LLC
www.sqpegconsulting.com
www.johngoodpasture.com
John’s new book
 • Agile in the enterprise
 • Multiple methodologies
   thoroughly explained
 • From business case
   to benefit capture




  PUBLISHED BY J. ROSS PUBLISHING
Production assistance for today’s
presentation from
Todd W. Ruopp
A speaker, facilitator and coach
who promotes understanding
and integrated teamwork
Co-founder & President of
Unleashing Performance, Inc.™
Todd empowers professionals
to develop the knowledge & ability
to drive personal, professional
and organizational growth.
www.unleashingperformance.com
It’s not about productivity
                Dilbert
                We need 3 more programmers.
                Boss
                Use agile programming methods.
                Dilbert
                Agile programming does not mean
                doing more work with less people.
                Boss
                Find me some words that do mean
                that and ask again


                Dilbert™ is a creation of Scott Adams
It’s not the holy grail

• Almost any methodology can be
  made to work on some project.
• Any methodology can manage to
  fail on some project.
• Heavy processes can be
  successful.
• Light processes are more often
  successful, and more importantly,     Alistair Cockburn
  the people on those projects credit
  the success to the lightness of the
  methodology.
It’s about requirements!
And requirements analysis


The Requirements Paradox
• Requirements must be stable for
  successful development; but user
  requirements are never stable
• We don’t want requirements to
  change, but because changing
  requirements are a known risk,
  we should provoke change now.      Niels Malotaux
Requirements
    Dilemma




Not everything the customer
wants is known at the outset
 Requirements evolve with
  operational experience
Build in Increments




Freeze requirements over short cycles
         Define a little, build a little
  Allow evolution, encourage creativity
      Embrace change and innovation
No Big Bang!




Waiting until the end invariably misses the mark
Five Essential Points
1        Leadership & Management




Embrace change —
rather than fight it
Accept incremental
progress and results
Respect short delivery cycles
Keep value proposition
current and relevant
2       Best Value Method


       Orient best value to the customer or end-user
Deliver the most bang as seen through the customer’s eyes
3   Frequent & Incremental


             Most
           Important



                      ELY
                   REMNT
                EXT GE
                  UR

     Deliver frequently & incrementally
    Respect urgency and the importance
        conveyed by the customer
4   Small Teams




    Six to twelve people
       Self-managed
    Performance oriented
5   Coach for success
    Focus relentlessly on outcomes, not activities
    Knock down barriers to team success
    Communicate to sponsor and beneficiaries
Value begins in
the business case

Business case: a
framework for details
Only the goal—the shape of
the outcomes—not the
details
‘Just enough’ for
a mind’s eye of how it will be
‘Just enough’ for
compelling attraction
Value in Three Steps

          1                                         3
                                         Customer pays
  Sponsors
                                         or accumulates
visualize and
                                       advantage to realize
   invest
                                       value of investment



                2
                    Project transforms investment
                     into outcomes with potential
                            customer value
Investment, Milestones & More

  Milestones,      Investments,    Vision, not     Details will
not Gantt charts    not budgets   specifications    emerge


   Milestone
The Incremental Project
            1+2+3=6
Most Urgent
Most Important
                               Least Urgent
                                         ortant
                                Least Imp




             Partition project goals
         Sequence the most urgent first
      Schedule sequences to hit milestones
Use Cases, User Stories, &
           Backlog
Use Case Scenarios           Actionable backlog




           User Stories Vignettes
Dynamic Backlog Cycles
Must be completed
        Should be completed




             Backlog cycle
             One Time box

                                Lessons learned
                                 Creative ideas
                                 New cycle plan



Copyright 2010 John Goodpasture, All Rights Reserved   22
Time boxes regulate team work
Increments of the backlog are delivered at milestones


       Work on        Feedback       Make Course
       Backlog                       Corrections




                      TIMEBOX




                                                   Milestone
Team work benchmarks




  Time box throughput: rate of go-live value added
Throughput benchmark: enables planning predictably
Cadence
 is the
  key
Plan to the horizon

Team 1




Team 2


                                                         END

Team 3




         All time boxes are planned within one horizon
Throughput Accounting
 Measure Value Added to the business

Throughput only measures “value added”
Benefit realization




    Throughput is where the benefit is
Benefit is not realized until customer pays
                 and / or
 Benefit is realized when the deliverable
        advantages the customer
Beneficiary linkages




 Sponsor recovers investment
    Project manager earns
  the value of the deliverable
  Beneficiary pays according
    to the value of benefits
More information




www.johngoodpasture.com
Square Peg Consulting, LLC


Send John questions at
info@sqpegconsulting.com

johngoodpasture.com




PUBLISHED BY J. ROSS PUBLISHING

Agile for Business Analysts

  • 1.
    Agile Methods for BusinessAnalysts © 2009 – 2010 SQUARE PEG CONSULTING, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
  • 2.
    Today’s speaker John Goodpasture,PMP Program manager, system engineer, author, and coach Managing Principal Square Peg Consulting, LLC www.sqpegconsulting.com www.johngoodpasture.com
  • 3.
    John’s new book • Agile in the enterprise • Multiple methodologies thoroughly explained • From business case to benefit capture PUBLISHED BY J. ROSS PUBLISHING
  • 4.
    Production assistance fortoday’s presentation from Todd W. Ruopp A speaker, facilitator and coach who promotes understanding and integrated teamwork Co-founder & President of Unleashing Performance, Inc.™ Todd empowers professionals to develop the knowledge & ability to drive personal, professional and organizational growth. www.unleashingperformance.com
  • 5.
    It’s not aboutproductivity Dilbert We need 3 more programmers. Boss Use agile programming methods. Dilbert Agile programming does not mean doing more work with less people. Boss Find me some words that do mean that and ask again Dilbert™ is a creation of Scott Adams
  • 6.
    It’s not theholy grail • Almost any methodology can be made to work on some project. • Any methodology can manage to fail on some project. • Heavy processes can be successful. • Light processes are more often successful, and more importantly, Alistair Cockburn the people on those projects credit the success to the lightness of the methodology.
  • 7.
    It’s about requirements! Andrequirements analysis The Requirements Paradox • Requirements must be stable for successful development; but user requirements are never stable • We don’t want requirements to change, but because changing requirements are a known risk, we should provoke change now. Niels Malotaux
  • 8.
    Requirements Dilemma Not everything the customer wants is known at the outset Requirements evolve with operational experience
  • 9.
    Build in Increments Freezerequirements over short cycles Define a little, build a little Allow evolution, encourage creativity Embrace change and innovation
  • 10.
    No Big Bang! Waitinguntil the end invariably misses the mark
  • 11.
  • 12.
    1 Leadership & Management Embrace change — rather than fight it Accept incremental progress and results Respect short delivery cycles Keep value proposition current and relevant
  • 13.
    2 Best Value Method Orient best value to the customer or end-user Deliver the most bang as seen through the customer’s eyes
  • 14.
    3 Frequent & Incremental Most Important ELY REMNT EXT GE UR Deliver frequently & incrementally Respect urgency and the importance conveyed by the customer
  • 15.
    4 Small Teams Six to twelve people Self-managed Performance oriented
  • 16.
    5 Coach for success Focus relentlessly on outcomes, not activities Knock down barriers to team success Communicate to sponsor and beneficiaries
  • 17.
    Value begins in thebusiness case Business case: a framework for details Only the goal—the shape of the outcomes—not the details ‘Just enough’ for a mind’s eye of how it will be ‘Just enough’ for compelling attraction
  • 18.
    Value in ThreeSteps 1 3 Customer pays Sponsors or accumulates visualize and advantage to realize invest value of investment 2 Project transforms investment into outcomes with potential customer value
  • 19.
    Investment, Milestones &More Milestones, Investments, Vision, not Details will not Gantt charts not budgets specifications emerge Milestone
  • 20.
    The Incremental Project 1+2+3=6 Most Urgent Most Important Least Urgent ortant Least Imp Partition project goals Sequence the most urgent first Schedule sequences to hit milestones
  • 21.
    Use Cases, UserStories, & Backlog Use Case Scenarios Actionable backlog User Stories Vignettes
  • 22.
    Dynamic Backlog Cycles Mustbe completed Should be completed Backlog cycle One Time box Lessons learned Creative ideas New cycle plan Copyright 2010 John Goodpasture, All Rights Reserved 22
  • 23.
    Time boxes regulateteam work Increments of the backlog are delivered at milestones Work on Feedback Make Course Backlog Corrections TIMEBOX Milestone
  • 24.
    Team work benchmarks Time box throughput: rate of go-live value added Throughput benchmark: enables planning predictably
  • 25.
  • 26.
    Plan to thehorizon Team 1 Team 2 END Team 3 All time boxes are planned within one horizon
  • 27.
    Throughput Accounting MeasureValue Added to the business Throughput only measures “value added”
  • 28.
    Benefit realization Throughput is where the benefit is Benefit is not realized until customer pays and / or Benefit is realized when the deliverable advantages the customer
  • 29.
    Beneficiary linkages Sponsorrecovers investment Project manager earns the value of the deliverable Beneficiary pays according to the value of benefits
  • 30.
  • 31.
    Square Peg Consulting,LLC Send John questions at [email protected] johngoodpasture.com PUBLISHED BY J. ROSS PUBLISHING