Implementing business analysis (BA) in organizations needs to be a planned and organized project. It consists of three phases with each one having many sub steps. Phase 1 determines the organizational target and primary group that will be primarily responsible for BA and who will be given initial training in the skills and knowledge needed to implement BA including Quality and Continuous Improvement methods. Phase 2 consists of training the personnel and in Phase 3 BA begins to be applied.
Phase 1: Determination of the organizational target and primary group
The first question that needs to be answered is what does BA mean in the organization? The answer needs to come from executive vision. Without high level vision and support, no BA effort will survive. Next, a determination of who the BA group will be and where they will “live” needs to be decided. It is usually a good idea to place the BA group in an area of the organization that easily reaches all components and reports to a senior executive.
Phase 2: Training
The training phase essentially needs to consist of a core curriculum and additional training, as necessary. Although actual training needs vary from organization to organization, we have found that three basic types of training are needed. First is an orientation or awareness program that introduces the concepts of BA. Second is a skills building program(s) that enables members to collect, analyze data and apply quantitative measures to requirements and work processes, and to create improvement. Third is a program that helps clarify new roles and expectations and provides the essential tools and techniques for re-engineering in a more supportive and participative environment.
Training delivery should begin with senior managers and cascade down through the organization. It is strongly suggested that the training be provided to intact work groups. This approach allows them to discuss their own unit's mission, improvement opportunities, and any barriers that might impede their progress. An example of possible training follows:
Orientation Training: The orientation training could consist of half day sessions and introduce participants to the BA process. This training will assure an understanding of the organization's mission, vision, values, and objectives relating to BA. Participants will form an understanding of their roles in contributing to on-going process improvement. Next, orientation explains the background and concepts of BA, the state of BA and why the company is investing in BA. A final objective of the orientation is that employees will know both what is expected of them and what they can expect.
Requirements, Process Identification and Analysis: Requirements, process identification and analysis training enable participants to begin putting the tools of BA to work as soon as they return to their jobs. The training should emphasize techniques for identifying internal and external customers, performing enterprise analysis, eliciting, validating and verifying requirements, and how to build an understanding of their expectations.
Process Improvement Training: The emphasis here is on "putting it all together" using a systematic model. This Is where participants are given the tools for improvement and practice applying the tools. They include modeling the “as is”; evaluating the processes using the elicited requirements and success criteria; modeling the “what if” and presenting the completed BA. In addition to the above steps, you may want to add training and inclusion of:
- Project Management (remember all BA work is a project)
- Statistical Quality Control
Phase 3: Implementation
Training needs to be followed by an application of newly acquired skills or the investment in training will be lost. Therefore, the training naturally leads to a process improvement project. Work on this project should begin when employees return to the workplace. Four criteria help in the selection of initial projects:
- Importance: The process is important to the organization and the employees. Successful completion will yield a measurable and clearly visible improvement for the organization.
- Do-ability: The process can be worked on by the organization and employees have the necessary skills, resources, and abilities to successfully complete the project in a reasonable period of time (usually less than six months).
- Energizing: The project is of inherent interest, and employees are stakeholders.
- Ownership: The process owner is sponsoring the project. Others who have a stake in the project but are not directly involved are kept informed by the team.
In summary, implementing BA needs to be handled like any change project. It needs to be planned, organized and implemented thoughtfully.
Victor Teplitzky is a Principal Consultant at Advanced Management Services, Inc. (AMS), a full service management consultancy servicing an international client base. Victor is an Industrial Engineer and Behavioral Scientist (HRD/OD). Since 1974 he has provided training, consulting and assessment services to a wide variety of organizations in both the public and private sectors including; the National Guard, US Postal Service, National Institutes of Health, Sara Lee Corporation, DoE, DoD, GPO, USACE, FAA, Wal-Mart, The Hartford, ING and many more Fortune 100 and Global 2000 companies. Victor has designed and developed over 100 training workshops including both general programs for “off the shelf” presentations and workshops tailored to meet specific client needs in the areas of Project Management, Business Analysis, Professional Development and Business Development.
