The Money Is All in the Stupid Stuff
Building on our case study from my last blog – to analyze stakeholder needs for a National and Global Identity System – let me show you what I mean about the money.
Here is a list of stakeholders who might have an interest in such a system – pretty straightforward, stupid stuff, often produced early in a project and never questioned:
Citizens
Everybody
Businesses
Banks
Credit Card Companies
On-Line Sellers
Airlines
Hotels
Disney (takes fingerprints, did you know?).
Retailers
More along the same lines…
Government
Law Enforcement
National Security
Immigration
Customs
Internal Revenue
Labor Department
Unemployment Agency
More along the same lines…
Now for a quiz:
- What might be wrong with the above list?
- What might it cost to ignore the errors/omissions/assumptions, if any?
- What concepts or categories might help with analyzing this list, regardless of any problems so far?
- If you, as a BA, can even begin to address such questions, what is your earning potential?
Potential answers will be discussed next month, and incorporated into the case study. The best reader response will be acknowledged next month (send a picture with your response!) and will undoubtedly receive a large raise in the near future, just for rising above the pack!
Hint in the meantime:
This is not a multiple-choice question exercise with trivial answers – it is a truly difficult and nefarious case to analyze, with every pitfall you can imagine. Don’t be afraid to question anything; we are building a REAL case study here. The best reader response might even turn out to be the best next questions to ask!