tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-187191362024-03-13T11:50:16.263-04:00From start to endA quest to understand things big and small... or how to survive as a Business Analyst and beyond.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.comBlogger149125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-61455100960925640832010-07-11T12:49:00.006-04:002010-07-11T13:32:18.694-04:00Making change requests tangible - the home reno<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/TDn212dsGiI/AAAAAAAACGc/2ixHbZdhp6c/s1600/Day+6+-+082.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/TDn212dsGiI/AAAAAAAACGc/2ixHbZdhp6c/s320/Day+6+-+082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492692625568569890" border="0" /></a>The cost of change requests are sometimes difficult for a client to visualize. This is especially true with software development projects. There is just nothing tangible a client can wrap their mind around. 200 lines of C+? 400 lines? What's the difference?<br /><br />To make the impact of a change request more tangible, I suggest using an example most of us can relate to - home renovations. Last fall, I had a series of basement renovations performed. One component was to add a partial wall to split an area of a room off (notice the wall on left.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/TDn3kJoKZBI/AAAAAAAACGk/9rV7KMHwFOM/s1600/Day+11+-+030.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/TDn3kJoKZBI/AAAAAAAACGk/9rV7KMHwFOM/s320/Day+11+-+030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492693420986754066" border="0" /></a>After the installation of the initial studs and drywall, I decided the wall should be a little longer. This would provide me with the option of putting larger pieces of furniture on the other side (e.g., more shelves.) The contractor had to use more materials and time to extend the unfinished wall.<br /><br />Had I realized my requirement for a longer dividing wall earlier, it may have saved my contractor some time (because I caught this early I didn't waste any materials.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/TDn4PPMtYFI/AAAAAAAACGs/6vDgq6_7l08/s1600/Day+24+006.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/TDn4PPMtYFI/AAAAAAAACGs/6vDgq6_7l08/s320/Day+24+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492694161216594002" border="0" /></a>Now that the renovation is complete you can't even tell the wall was extended. I got what I wanted even though it took a little more time.<br /><br />For arguments sake, suppose I figured out I needed the wall extended after all the painting, floors and baseboards had been installed. Considerably more time and material cost would have been incurred. Why?<br /><br />If my contractor needed to remove flooring, drywall and repaint - I would have wasted a lot of materials. Some of the flooring and baseboards would have been thrown out, additional paint and priming time would have been required, etc... All of this costs money.<br /><br />On a side note, the wife of a friend of mine was also performing a renovation - the kitchen. She decided to replace the marble tile pattern she had picked for the backsplash. She made this decision <span style="font-weight: bold;">after </span>the tiles had been bonded to the walls, grouted and treated (so oil wouldn't damage them.) My friend literally cried... he understood the impact.<br /><br />The moral of the story - the earlier you can identify the need for a change the less costly it will be.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-85741835709101756372010-06-27T18:39:00.004-04:002010-06-27T19:29:24.066-04:00Avoiding inertia and estimating how long it will take to write requirements<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/TCfUqqH2zSI/AAAAAAAACF0/hCp-jGDoWus/s1600/1124003_74220302.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/TCfUqqH2zSI/AAAAAAAACF0/hCp-jGDoWus/s320/1124003_74220302.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487588500301073698" border="0" /></a>Back in 2007, I decided to take a couple of months off from writing on this blog. A few months stretched into a few years really easily. Once a habit is broken, it's very easy to give into inertia. I guess this is why one should aspire to never miss a workout.<br /><br />Recently, I received an email from Georgia on <a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/01/requirement-gathering-techniques-part_08.html">one of my posts</a> in which she asks, "<span style="font-style: italic;">..., I was wondering if you have any tips on how to estimate how long it will take to write requirements for a project you've been assigned to. The project is new, you know nothing about the business, how can you provide an estimate? Should you just give a high-level estimate and then adjust as you go along and see the progress?</span>"<br /><br />Why do businesses execute projects? To improve how things work, to meet regulatory and compliance requirements, to capitalize on new opportunities or avoid potential threats.<br /><br />At some points in your career you'll be asked to work on projects where you have little to no expertise. Don't be discouraged however, this is how we learn. What approach should you use to estimate how long it will take you to write requirements? Here are some thoughts:<br /><ol><li>Decompose the project into the key basic business processes which will be impacted (e.g., billing, order entry, inventory reconciliation, campaign deployment, etc...)</li><li>Create a matrix using the business processes versus the different stakeholders involved - such as finance, marketing, customer service, warehousing, etc...</li><li>Indicate which teams are involved in which processes and which team is the ultimate owner of each process (who do you go to if you need a decision.) The more teams involved, the more potential stakeholder complexity.</li><li>For each process indicate how complex you feel it is. If you don't know much about the process, rely on the stakeholders and management for guidance.</li><li>Using the information you've gathered determine which processes have high, medium or low levels of complexity. As a rule of thumb you could say high = 10 days, medium = 5 days and low = 3 days.<br /></li><li>Add up the total number of days and this will provide a really rough estimate.</li></ol>Understand this is merely a high-level estimate and as further analysis is performed the estimate will become more precise. This is project estimation <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">after all</span>. At the start, you might provide an estimate with 100% contingency, however as the project starts to execute the level of contingency drops as more things become known.<br /><br />One side benefit of using the matrix is it will also help you plan out your requirements gathering sessions (you know exactly who needs to be involved for each process.) Use this to secure participation from those teams and your project's sponsors.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-42283932876561443942007-07-31T22:27:00.000-04:002007-07-31T23:39:00.140-04:00Random thoughts on being service-orientedCurrently, I work in a support group in the IT department of my company. Our group assists other IT teams by scheduling, assessing impact and coordinating deployments to our production systems. In essence, these are the <span style="font-style: italic;">services </span>we provide. For the purposes of this posting, this is my frame of reference when I say <span style="font-style: italic;">service-oriented</span>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/Rq_xrCvevwI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/S1--r0TJoV0/s1600-h/837373_92956334.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/Rq_xrCvevwI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/S1--r0TJoV0/s400/837373_92956334.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093555425352007426" border="0" /></a>Random thoughts on improving your customers' experience:<br /><ol><li><a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/04/someone-elses-shoes.html">Think about things from the perspective of your customers.</a> Perspective is everything after all.<br /></li><li>Take your own medicine - go through the process yourself. <span style="font-style: italic;">Have you ever come across a user interface where you wondered, "What were they (the developers) thinking?!"</span><br /></li><li>Don't be a cold heartless bureaucrat. It's important to your customer; make sure they know it's important to you.<br /></li><li>Do things which provide benefit and value, not because you're following a checklist.<br /></li><li>The process you steward can be a part of a much larger one. Never forget it. When someone asks for help but it's in another area, make sure you explain to them how the larger process works and your piece in it.<br /></li><li>When you need to pass a client onto another service team, do it personally if possible. Make sure the transition goes smoothly.</li><li>Acknowledge the requests you've received and set expectations for completion.</li><li>Provide updates when you're running late and won't be able to meet the expectation.</li><li>Follow-up afterwards and ask for feedback.</li><li>People shouldn't use your services because they have to. Don't tell them that. People should use your services because they want to! Be ready to <a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/02/art-of-war.html">market the benefits</a> in a tangible way.</li></ol>Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-89375809010853732842007-07-20T00:22:00.000-04:002007-07-20T00:27:11.258-04:00Webinar: Trace requirements to business intent<a href="http://www.compuware.com/">Compuware</a> is providing a webinar on July 26 @ 2:00pm EDT. You can register following this <a href="https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=73240&sessionid=1&key=4DB5982295F891FA36415983FCCC6682&partnerref=cpwr2&sourcepage=register">link</a>.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Practical techniques: Trace operational and other non-functional requirements to business intent</span><br />More and more there is increased pressure to develop applications that are closely tuned to business processes and yet can be changed on a moment’s notice to reflect new priorities.<br /><br />Achieving balance between business goals and the associated operational requirements set has been a challenge. Too often different stakeholders are defining the business (domain experts) and operational (technical experts) perspectives. This can lead to disconnects in the systems delivered, requiring expensive rework either late in the development cycle or in post-production maintenance releases.</blockquote>Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-31790115312502283342007-07-17T22:10:00.000-04:002007-07-18T09:01:15.712-04:00WIIFM - What's In It For Me<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/Rp15i8nlgPI/AAAAAAAAAEA/hXmePHPeV5c/s1600-h/2084_9891.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/Rp15i8nlgPI/AAAAAAAAAEA/hXmePHPeV5c/s400/2084_9891.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088356795293204722" border="0" /></a>I remember sitting through some of my directors' presentations listening to them talk about, <span style="font-style: italic;">What's In It For Me</span>, or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">WIIFM</span> for short (not to be confused with the <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/home">Nintendo <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Wii</span></a> - which I play but suck at.) The basic idea was while you worked hard on projects you were also learning, developing new skills and getting new experiences. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">WIIFM</span> for everyone!<br /><br />In a few of my blog posts I've written about how important it is to <a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/05/index-for-presentation-skills.html">adjust your presentation and communication to your audience</a>. In effect, you were telling them, What's In It For Them. It's all about creating a relevant experience to sell an idea, product or concept.<br /><br />Now let's step back and examine this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">WIIFM</span> concept applied to another situation. Have you ever worked on a project where you have an idea on how more success can be achieved if the project team were to work more collaboratively with other project teams and personnel? In my experience the typical project manager response is, "It's not my problem," or, "It's outside of my scope," or, "It's someone <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">else's</span> problem." Then you step back and watch the car crash in slow motion; the problem manifests itself and severely impact the project and company as a whole.<br /><br />I liken this to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Smith">Adam Smith's</a> (the Father of Economics) "invisible hand."<br /><i><blockquote>As every individual, therefore, endeavors as much as he can both to employ his capital in the support of domestic industry, and so to direct that industry that its produce may be of the greatest value; every individual necessarily labors to render the annual value of society as great as he can. He generally, indeed, neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it. By referring the support of domestic to that of foreign industry, he intends only his<br />own security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was no part of it. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good. It is an affectation, indeed, not very common among merchants, and very few words need be employed in dissuading them from it. (Adam Smith, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Nations-Bantam-Classics/dp/0553585975/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-5657550-0262054?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184726793&sr=8-1">The Wealth of Nations</a>)<br /></blockquote></i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/Rp2BGcnlgQI/AAAAAAAAAEI/ZYeuU4NSrjQ/s1600-h/674960_37300110.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/Rp2BGcnlgQI/AAAAAAAAAEI/ZYeuU4NSrjQ/s400/674960_37300110.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088365101759955202" border="0" /></a>Basically, this means each individual acting in his (or her) own self-interest will lead to a better outcome for the society as a whole; or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">WIIFM</span> but on a project-scale. The problem with this is simple. No one ever builds roads and the infrastructure to connect things because it's in no specific person's best self-interest; but that's not my problem. Is it?<br /><br />I'm not saying expand a project's scope, merely understand how a project fits in with the big picture.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-1289191227697383512007-04-25T23:48:00.000-04:002007-04-26T00:23:19.234-04:00Someone else's shoesContinuing from my last <a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/04/change-your-perspective.html">post</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;">,</span> spending a day in another person's shoes will give you an appreciation and understanding of their point of view.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RjAiPuDC2ZI/AAAAAAAAAD4/PXNutrBYVw4/s1600-h/76589_9382.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RjAiPuDC2ZI/AAAAAAAAAD4/PXNutrBYVw4/s400/76589_9382.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057580034991249810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Try this simple exercise -</span> Drop any preconceptions or notions you may have and pretend you are in the position of one of your clients or end-users. Do a little role-playing to increase your empathy.<ul><li>What would you want or need to be successful?</li><li>Why would you want it? What would you do with it? What's the value?<br /></li><li>When would you need it?</li></ul><object height="350" width="425"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cHngouvDiO0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object>By no means do I suggest you use this technique to gather requirements for a client, however, it will help you look at things differently and with a more open mind.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-83118502996857866282007-04-21T21:22:00.000-04:002007-04-21T22:14:06.788-04:00Change your perspectivePerspective influences how you view the world. It allows you to see things in a different light than another person, but it can also keep you from understanding their point of view. When you are gathering requirements from a client, having empathy enhances your ability to understand their needs.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/Riq4_HPYPBI/AAAAAAAAADo/pbyLg25yCx0/s1600-h/188355_6859.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056056926091623442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/Riq4_HPYPBI/AAAAAAAAADo/pbyLg25yCx0/s400/188355_6859.jpg" border="0" /></a>Benefits of being able to view things differently: <ol><li>Allows you to be <a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/01/prepare-thyself-make-sure-its-not-you.html">open-minded</a>, receptive and patient.</li><br /><li>You learn to think like your client. In some of my engagements, I found my clients could not articulate exactly what they wanted. I needed to perform a lot of facilitation to help gather and define requirements. Being able to think like them allowed me to probe more effectively and determine the <a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/11/understanding-goal.html">underlying objectives</a>.</li><br /><li>Because you understand your client's point of view, you can anticipate their next question. This is an excellent value-add to your ability to provide service. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/Riq-83PYPCI/AAAAAAAAADw/dDR1CVAfXMk/s1600-h/714877_89081389.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056063484506684450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/Riq-83PYPCI/AAAAAAAAADw/dDR1CVAfXMk/s400/714877_89081389.jpg" border="0" /></a></li></ol><p></p><p>Changing perspective isn't a foreign concept. If you have ever created user stories, you have in essence used an approach that incorporates the different perspectives of the people involved. User stories are easy for the different parties to understand -- clear communication is always the goal.</p><p>Make understanding your client's perspective a part of every engagement.</p>Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-43482982158390679472007-04-08T11:15:00.000-04:002007-04-08T11:17:25.745-04:00Webinar: Getting the Right People on the Right Projects<a href="http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=41668&s=1&k=AF22E0C22685FD85EC329364F90B446C&partnerref=bzmedia2">Getting the Right People on the Right Projects</a> (Wednesday April 18, 2007 @ 2:00PM EST)<br /><blockquote>Completing projects isn't enough anymore. The real challenge is building applications that are on target, on deadline, and on budget, to save your company money and provide a competitive edge. Therefore, ensuring you've got the right people on the right projects at the right time is more important than ever. That means effective project management.</blockquote>Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-63749350158053722912007-04-03T20:54:00.000-04:002007-04-03T21:10:13.868-04:00Slew of webinars and resources<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RhL6uX8blrI/AAAAAAAAADY/P8N8T_t_drQ/s1600-h/709010_37347911.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049373806844155570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RhL6uX8blrI/AAAAAAAAADY/P8N8T_t_drQ/s400/709010_37347911.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div></div><div></div><div><a href="http://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/prereg/register.jsp?eventid=41149&sessionid=1&key=0BFF410C469465E2FB8BD48514E52213&partnerref=041807BOReup">Why requirements definition is a critical first step</a> (April 18, 2007 @ 1:00pm EST)</div><div><br /><blockquote>Managing your requirements is only half the battle. For management to be truly effective, taking the first step of defining complete, accurate requirements is absolutely critical. In this webcast, Forrester Senior Analyst Carey Schwaber will explain how you can build agreement around requirements right from the start, so there are no uncertainties down the road. </blockquote></div><div><a href="http://searchcio.bitpipe.com/detail/RES/1172853507_23.html?track=NL-167&ad=584745&src=wc_scio_ded_03_14_07&li=49302&asrc=EM_DWC_1210653&uid=3732250">Aligning Business and IT</a> (on demand)</div><div><br /><blockquote>Many CIOs are struggling in their quest of aligning IT with the corporate business strategies, objectives, metrics and culture. CIOs need to become more involved in the development of strategic initiatives and build an understanding of the corporate and line of business missions and goals if they seek to align IT with the corporate directions. Moreover, CIOs need to interpret that knowledge into a flexible IT strategy if the alignment is to succeed long-term. </blockquote></div><div><a href="http://searchdatamanagement.techtarget.com/loginMembersOnly/1,289498,sid91_gci1248083,00.html?Offer=DMbpded328&NextURL=http%3A//searchdatamanagement.techtarget.com/generic/0%2C295582%2Csid91_gci1248083%2C00.html%3Ftrack%3DNL-494%26ad%3D584519%26Offer%3DDMbpded328%26asrc%3DEM_MUP_1198791%26uid%3D4094115">Business Intelligence Trends</a> (podcast)</div><div><br /><blockquote>As business intelligence (BI) evolves, new trends emerge. But whichimportant BI trends should you pay attention to? And how should yourorganization incorporate this information into BI strategies?</blockquote></div>Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-62428064517055066282007-03-16T23:51:00.000-04:002007-03-17T00:18:42.929-04:00Webinar: Bits and bites<a href="http://sharedinsights.sparklist.com/t/16036/232965/1141/0/">BPM: Aligning People, Process & Technology</a><br />Monday March 26 @ 12:00pm (EST)<br /><blockquote>Join Paul Harmon, Executive Editor, BPTrends and Principal, BPTrends Associates and Roger Burlton, Founder, Process Renewal Group and Principal, BPTrends Associates, for an insightful and lively discussion about the advantages of aligning your people, processes and technology to achieve improved enterprise performance.</blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RftrXI3LaoI/AAAAAAAAADM/MeWldbv9hzY/s1600-h/372767_4193.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RftrXI3LaoI/AAAAAAAAADM/MeWldbv9hzY/s400/372767_4193.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042742253031484034" border="0" /></a><a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/02/webinar-deliver-what-business-expects.html">Deliver what the business expects</a><br />One of the webinars mentioned in a previous post has made its slides <a href="http://www.compuware.com/dl/execrdtwebcastslides.zip">available</a> as well as access to a 2006 <a href="http://www.compuware.com/dl/idcreqdriventesting.pdf">IDC research white paper by Ballou.</a><a href="http://cl.exct.net/?ffcb10-fe3015727061027d771678-fdf21077706d037e76167474-fefc16747d6607-fe9715757766017574-fe2e11737160057f7c1071" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><wbr></a><p></p>Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-42514884004896045332007-03-06T20:41:00.000-05:002007-03-06T22:32:46.572-05:00Building trustA business analyst bridges the communication gap between different parties through precise <a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2005/12/why-of-business-analysis.html">communication and understanding</a>. Part of this process requires the development of strong working relationships with clients, or more simply, client management skills.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/Re4oF8qMlnI/AAAAAAAAAC8/JKO4id4SZ6w/s1600-h/238217_7488.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/Re4oF8qMlnI/AAAAAAAAAC8/JKO4id4SZ6w/s400/238217_7488.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5039009115721733746" border="0" /></a>Like any relationship, professional or personal, establishing trust, confidence and credibility is of the utmost importance. Here are a few of my suggestions:<br /><ol><li><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/01/requirement-gathering-techniques-part_08.html">Set expectations</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. </span>Make sure your clients understand the necessary inputs and outputs from the engagement. Make sure they understand their own role.<br /></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">It's all about execution. </span>Do what you say you will do. Develop a plan and show your are executing against it. This improves your client's transparency into your activities as well as shows your accountabilities.</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Present the good and the bad. </span> By nature a lot of us will 'sugar-coat' the bad things or make them small footnotes. Present the bad news and its impacts however, provide options, alternatives and recommendations.<br /></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Be able to justify your work.</span> Be prepared to run someone through your thought process. I remember one instance where I had prepared reporting showing assets under administration a few hundred million dollars short of the previous month. Naturally the lead accountant questioned my data. I walked him through the process of developing the report and after he saw the diligence and supporting numbers he agreed with my conclusion. Afterwards, he never questioned any of my work and was always satisfied with the results.<br /></li></ol>Whenever you are starting an engagement with new clients there is a feeling out process. This is your opportunity to set the stage and provide exceptional value-add service.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-91114722564383035692007-02-16T00:50:00.000-05:002007-02-16T00:58:16.402-05:00Webinar: Deliver what the business expects<span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.compuware.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Compuware</span></a> is providing a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">webinar</span> entitled, <a href="https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=36889&sessionid=1&key=B8B9888F255D797B6622F9495DBB5BDF&partnerref=compuware2&sourcepage=register">Deliver what the business expects</a>, at 2:00 PM EST on February 27, 2007. Here's a brief synopsis:</span><br /><blockquote>By establishing a sound requirements gathering and management process and tightly aligning it with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">QA</span> and the rest of project life cycle, IT can deliver relevant and business-facing applications faster and more efficiently. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">IDC</span>’s November 2006 research white paper, "Driving Effective Requirements Through Quality Coordination for Adaptive IT/Business Collaboration," by Melinda-Carol <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Ballou</span> shows that leading global companies are looking deeper within the IT organization to deliver competitive advantage.</blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RdVHdat7HAI/AAAAAAAAACw/UsxficJcPbk/s1600-h/59391_4216.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RdVHdat7HAI/AAAAAAAAACw/UsxficJcPbk/s400/59391_4216.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5032006729370115074" border="0" /></a>Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-86993708351651073052007-02-02T00:18:00.000-05:002007-02-02T00:36:17.526-05:00Webinar: From Process Understanding to Business Innovation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RcLNJD_ns2I/AAAAAAAAACk/ID4h5ixvnQc/s1600-h/485097_60890254.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RcLNJD_ns2I/AAAAAAAAACk/ID4h5ixvnQc/s400/485097_60890254.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026805689673560930" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.ebizq.net/">ebizQ</a> will be hosting a webinar called <a href="http://www.ebizq.net/webinars/7625.html"><span class="feature_title">From Process Understanding to Business Innovation</span></a> on February 6, 2007 @ 12:00 PM (EST.) Here is a brief description of the event.<br /><blockquote>Transformation and innovation are the cornerstones of your success. It's no longer enough to be efficient. Business innovation is the name of the game if you want to stay ahead of your global competition. But enhancing customer experiences, increasing operational agility, and re-thinking the way you create value is no easy task. It requires you to change and continually improve your processes.</blockquote>Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-16611263103431885042007-01-28T04:07:00.000-05:002007-01-28T05:01:30.276-05:00Business intelligence basicsBusiness intelligence is defined as,<br /><blockquote><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/business%20intelligence">The process of gathering information about a business or industry matter; a broad range of applications and technologies for gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data to help make business decisions.</a></blockquote>While I am not an expert in this field I do have a fundamental understanding of the key concepts. The picture below shows a high level view of a simple business intelligence configuration.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RbxoIz_ns0I/AAAAAAAAACM/nkbQ444uOlI/s1600-h/Business+Intelligence.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RbxoIz_ns0I/AAAAAAAAACM/nkbQ444uOlI/s400/Business+Intelligence.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025005784843924290" border="0" /></a>There are:<br /><ol><li>Source systems which gather the information that will be analyzed.</li><li>Information from the source systems are stored in their native databases or other data sources. Typically the database are configured for speed of processing. This is good for processing transactions quickly but bad for analyzing them.</li><li>Information from the data sources goes through a process known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extract,_transform,_load">ETL</a> where the data is extracted from the source system, transformed (to meet business needs) and loaded into a data warehouse. Many different data sources can be consolidated.<br /></li><li>Information from the data warehouse is made available to end-users in the form of data marts where the data is organized to answer specific types of business questions (e.g., sales data can be cross referenced by product, region, time, sales representative, etc...)</li><li>Finally, reporting and analytic tools are used to analyze the information in the data marts. This genre of reporting tools are known collectively as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olap">on-line analytical processing</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olap">OLAP</a> for short.) There are a few different variations of OLAP tools: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOLAP">MOLAP</a> or multi-dimensional OLAP and relational OLAP or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ROLAP">ROLAP</a>. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. For more information on OLAP I suggest going to the <a href="http://www.olapreport.com/">OLAP report</a>.<br /></li></ol><span style="font-size:130%;">Considerations</span><br /><ul><li>Do you need real-time reporting? Is it important to understand what is going on right now? By nature, most business intelligence configurations update their information at a frequency insufficient for real-time reporting.</li><li>Are there standard reporting needs or are reporting needs of a more ad-hoc nature? The answer to this question my mean that one of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOLAP">MOLAP</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ROLAP">ROLAP</a> may be more relevant.<br /></li></ul>Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-53235840583930562672007-01-26T00:55:00.000-05:002007-01-26T01:04:18.425-05:00Webinar: Requirements-driven testingThere's a webinar offered by <a href="http://www.compuware.com/">Compuware</a> called, <a href="https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=35552&sessionid=1&key=6F9E887D13B3F4C630B43905264B08F3&partnerref=compuware4&sourcepage=register">Requirements-driven testing—The journey from business needs to test and user acceptance</a>. The event will occur on February 6, 2007 @2:00 pm EST (11:00 am PST.) Here's a brief description of the event.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RbmY9z_nszI/AAAAAAAAACA/JwpbhBzq2q8/s1600-h/428146_72054323.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RbmY9z_nszI/AAAAAAAAACA/JwpbhBzq2q8/s400/428146_72054323.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024215047004992306" border="0" /></a><blockquote>IDC’s research indicates that 70-80 percent of IT project failures result directly from poor requirements gathering, management and analysis. With a requirements-driven testing approach, you can improve the quality of your requirements, involve QA earlier in the life cycle and maximize the ability of your projects to deliver on all of their objectives.</blockquote>Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-41869756478751970992007-01-23T23:13:00.000-05:002007-01-24T00:01:48.581-05:00Decisions and consequencesEarly last year I wrote a post called, <a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/04/thoughts-on-decision-making.html">Thoughts on decision-making</a>, where I outlined some decision-making techniques and myths. One item I would like to add to that topic is to understand the consequences and ramifications of the decisions you make.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RbbhZT_nsyI/AAAAAAAAAB0/m2pOk6_Logs/s1600-h/632230_61130711.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RbbhZT_nsyI/AAAAAAAAAB0/m2pOk6_Logs/s400/632230_61130711.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5023450259358462754" border="0" /></a>Let's step back and examine this from a business context. Suppose we are working on a project and one of the requirements is simply, "to be able to process transactions from external sources." The design team proposes two solutions:<br /><ul><li>Processing batch files</li><li>Processing individual transactions (real-time)<br /></li></ul>Based on cost estimates, the batch file solution seems more appealing. One should consider whether, in the foreseeable future, real-time processing is desirable and whether the benefits of that approach will outweigh the increase in costs. It may turn out that the batch file design still wins out but the ramifications of the decision are fully understood and can be communicated.<br /><br />You may think the consequences of a decision will be minor and short-lived, but they may become <span style="font-style: italic;">temporary </span>like income taxes.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-30302020567670670432007-01-09T20:29:00.000-05:002007-01-09T21:12:00.474-05:00Ode to preparationThere's a short but <a href="http://www.blogmaverick.com/2007/01/04/success-and-motivation-what-i-learned-from-bobby-knight/">interesting post</a> on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Cuban">Mark Cuban's</a> blog, <a href="http://www.blogmaverick.com">Blogmaverick</a>. He paraphrases former Indiana Hoosiers coach, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Knight">Bobby Knight</a>, "Everyone has got the will to win, it's only those with the will to prepare, that do win."<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RaRJKecYrQI/AAAAAAAAABg/EdyIVQ6FmWI/s1600-h/580308_29250739.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5018216329117216002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RaRJKecYrQI/AAAAAAAAABg/EdyIVQ6FmWI/s400/580308_29250739.jpg" border="0" /></a>When you are working on business requirements, presentations or anything at all, good preparation will improve your performance. Words to live by.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-79482136537783837792006-12-26T23:13:00.000-05:002006-12-27T00:23:35.028-05:00Tips for end-user acceptanceAny solution, no matter how well it has been conceived will not be successful unless it is embraced by its intended end-users. Here are some quick tips to help promote acceptance (though I don't guarantee it.)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RZH-0Vl23NI/AAAAAAAAABI/WBMOGEoTVKY/s1600-h/532063_49487739.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RZH-0Vl23NI/AAAAAAAAABI/WBMOGEoTVKY/s400/532063_49487739.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013068035342654674" border="0" /></a><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Understand how end-users work</span>: Find out why they do the things they do. If you show an interest in them, they will be more comfortable with what you're trying to accomplish.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Provide opportunities for feedback</span>: This is particularly important when there are user interfaces involved. At regular intervals, let people see the development and direction and be willing to listen to suggestions and feedback.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Manage change</span>: If something has to change let your customer understand the rationale. "Because it has too..." is not a useful response. If the change is meant to make things better explain how.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Make it seem familiar</span>: People by nature are resistant to change. Perhaps there is opportunity to gradually phase in changes (smaller changes are easier to digest) or provide an interface that is similar to an existing one.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Enlist champions</span>: End-users that can teach other end-users are a great way to provide support. It also gives the champions a sense of ownership for the adoption. <a href="http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci1127868,00.html">Early adopters</a> are good individuals to use as champions.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Teach don't point</span>: When someone asks for help one of the worst things you can do is point them to a manual. Spend time to teach them how it works. Show them they're important.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Measure & report</span>: If the new solution is meant to improve productivity, show them the gains that have been made over time as the end-users become more familiar and move up the adoption curve. This type of information shouldn't just be provided to the project sponsors and management.<br /></li></ol><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RZIAH1l23OI/AAAAAAAAABQ/IQ--U2WYQDk/s1600-h/202307_1382.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RZIAH1l23OI/AAAAAAAAABQ/IQ--U2WYQDk/s400/202307_1382.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5013069469861731554" border="0" /></a>Projects are usually justified quantitatively based on achieving benefit targets (e.g., gains in efficiency or increases in sales.) Maximum benefits will not be achieved if the end-users do not embrace the solution wholeheartedly.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-47570247723045638392006-12-22T00:14:00.000-05:002006-12-22T02:24:57.900-05:00Why we do things - ROILong ago, one of my professor's told me, "The purpose of education is to increase pleasure enjoyment." I've yet to fully grasp exactly what he meant (he was a professor of philosophy and often spoke in riddle), but I think it was something along the lines of, "Knowledge allows us to improve our station in life." It may take the form of allowing us to obtain better jobs, improve our ability to appreciate things or allow us to take better advantage of the opportunities presented to us.<br /><br />Let's examine a familiar concept - investing. Whether it is because we want to be able to make a large purchase (a house or car), enjoy a comfortable retirement, or live out some of our dreams, most of us are putting money aside. This money is invested based on our individual risk / reward preferences. If you lie awake at night worrying about your investments, you may be outside of your risk / reward <span style="font-style: italic;">sweet spot</span>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RYt9CVl23LI/AAAAAAAAAAw/4mxEd_WtZFg/s1600-h/92297_1081.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RYt9CVl23LI/AAAAAAAAAAw/4mxEd_WtZFg/s400/92297_1081.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5011236489488948402" border="0" /></a>Individuals who want to be safe, invest in financial instruments such as money market mutual funds, treasury bills or other assets where the risk of losing the investment is small (note that small risk generally implies small potential return.) Individuals with a higher risk tolerance purchase financial assets with higher potential returns.<br /><br />The prudent investor analyzes their assets periodically to ensure a suitable return on investment (ROI) is being realized. There is a good <a href="http://searchcio.techtarget.com/general/0,295582,sid19_gci1148144,00.html?track=NL-274&ad=575118&asrc=EM_NLT_860093&uid=4094115">guide on ROI</a> available on <a href="http://searchcio.techtarget.com/">SearchCIO.com</a> explaining basic ROI concepts from a business perspective.<br /><br />I want to introduce another concept - opportunity cost. <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/opportunity%20cost">Opportunity cost</a> is defined as:<br /><blockquote><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/opportunity%20cost">The cost of an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue a certain action. Put another way, the benefits you could have received by taking an alternative action.</a></blockquote>In business, all else being equal, you fund projects that have better rates of return for your company. Businesses use capital from their shareholders and money they've borrowed to fund their projects. Furthermore, a company is expected to invest in projects with ROI that exceeds their opportunity costs (e.g., projects that make them grow!) From the perspective of an individual investor you probably wouldn't be willing to purchase shares in a company that wasn't trying to increase its future earnings. Would you?<br /><br />Thus, in business the ultimate goal is to increase profitability. A business does this by undertaking projects that are expected to yield a return above their <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/opportunity%20cost">opportunity cost</a>. These projects have <a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/11/understanding-goal.html">specific goals and objectives</a> that support the <a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/11/how-does-your-project-contribute.html">business' strategy</a>. This is why it is important to tie requirements back to business goals and objectives. As well as business goals and objectives back to strategy.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RYuGbll23MI/AAAAAAAAAA8/kO0GlAAeV6A/s1600-h/213729_5695.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RYuGbll23MI/AAAAAAAAAA8/kO0GlAAeV6A/s400/213729_5695.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5011246818885295298" border="0" /></a>In business and in our personal life, we do things to improve, to grow, and as my old philosophy professor would say, "...To increase pleasure enjoyment."Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-82775294789328367802006-12-12T22:21:00.000-05:002006-12-12T23:34:13.046-05:00Webinars: PPM & ITILHere are some webinars that may be of interest. Note that you may need to sign-up to get access to them.<br /><br /><a href="http://searchcio.bitpipe.com/detail/RES/1161971820_228.html?src=wc_scio_Innotas_11_16_06_P&li=34813"><span class="paraHead">Project Portfolio Management for the Skeptical IT Organization</span></a> <br /><span style="font-style: italic;">You want to run IT like a business; you know Project Portfolio Management (PPM) can get you there, but you are worried about long implementations, high price tags, and consultants taking residence in your shop. In this webcast you'll learn how a web-based model with the right level of functionality has helped organizations like yours get a PPM solution up and running in two weeks and producing value right away.</span><br /><br /><span class="hideToPrint"><span class="resourceDetailsTitle"><a href="http://searchcio.bitpipe.com/data/document.do?res_id=1160511365_768&src=pc_scio_dayof_10_12_06">Part I: Introduction to ITIL for the IT Executive - Podcast - Expert Podcast</a></span><!--- Company ---><br /></span><span class="hideToPrint"><span class="resourceDetailsInfo"><span style="font-style: italic;"> Based on a practical approach to addressing real-world challenges of IT service management, ITIL allows organizations to better package and deliver IT services to their customers. ITIL enables IT organizations to align their capabilities with business requirements.</span></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RX-CeOpzhdI/AAAAAAAAAAk/RTVjNeJ4VQY/s1600-h/97391_5844.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RX-CeOpzhdI/AAAAAAAAAAk/RTVjNeJ4VQY/s400/97391_5844.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5007864766500406738" border="0" /></a>Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-5464435307243777652006-12-05T21:14:00.000-05:002006-12-05T22:19:58.968-05:00Leadership stylesI remember taking a course developed by the <a href="http://www.lri.com/html/index.html">Leadership Research Institute</a> on leadership styles. The purpose of the course was to help identify the most appropriate way to interact with an employee given an understanding of an individual's<span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"></span>:<br /><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ability </span>to perform a task.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Motivation </span>level to perform a task.<br /></li></ol>Using these two factors to create a simple matrix you get a picture similar to the one below. For each quadrant a different approach is warranted for handling an employee.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RXYsbhI93wI/AAAAAAAAAAM/G4dQjJQ_C5o/s1600-h/Matrix.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RXYsbhI93wI/AAAAAAAAAAM/G4dQjJQ_C5o/s400/Matrix.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005236887132954370" border="0" /></a><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">High ability</span> to perform the job but <span style="font-weight: bold;">low motivation</span> to do it. <span style="font-style: italic;">Convince the employee to persevere and outline the task's importance.</span><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">High ability</span> to perform the job and <span style="font-weight: bold;">motivated</span>. <span style="font-style: italic;">Allow the employee to perform the task unhindered. There is no need to provide direct support or exert control.</span><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Not able</span> to perform the job and <span style="font-weight: bold;">not motivated</span> either. <span style="font-style: italic;">Basically you need to tell the employee exactly what to do to complete the task and monitor his (or her) progress.</span><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Not able</span> to perform the job but <span style="font-weight: bold;">motivated</span> to try. <span style="font-style: italic;">Provide support, feedback and guidance to help the employee complete the task.</span></li></ol>These guidelines assume that you are able to determine the competence and motivation level of an individual.<br /><br />Intuitively, this framework makes sense. When you understand how to perform a job well and are highly motivated to do it, you don't really appreciate someone looking over your shoulder, telling you what to do and asking for constant status updates.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RXYy5BI93xI/AAAAAAAAAAY/hieVWMD4zoM/s1600-h/593539_86305548.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ymco7_vAEAY/RXYy5BI93xI/AAAAAAAAAAY/hieVWMD4zoM/s400/593539_86305548.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5005243991008861970" border="0" /></a>The purpose of the course was to improve managing employees, however, I feel that these fairly simple guidelines can be used in any situation where you need a task performed by someone other than yourself.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-34044223304851524262006-11-28T21:53:00.000-05:002006-11-28T23:35:59.235-05:00Tips for Business IntelligenceThere was a short set of slides posted on <a href="http://www.baselinemag.com/"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">BaselineMag</span>.com</a> outlining <a href="http://www.baselinemag.com/slideshow/0,1206,l=&s=2100&a=194146,00.asp?kc=CMCIOEMNL111606EP07">6 Tips for Business Intelligence Success</a>. Make sure you check it out. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/416/2285/1600/266053/583031_39396748.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/416/2285/400/536335/583031_39396748.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The tips are:<br /><ol><li>Understand your enterprise</li><li>Involve key users</li><li>Make sure components of a BI system work together</li><li>Be mindful that different employee groups will want different interfaces</li><li>Consider making applications broadly available</li><li>Create a competency center</li></ol>Some of these tips are applicable to normal business analyst engagements as well.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-40721991227222507602006-11-20T20:47:00.000-05:002006-11-20T23:34:22.956-05:00Knowing when it's good enoughA business uses cost-benefit analysis as one of its evaluation criteria when deciding whether to pursue an opportunity or not. One concept central to this is the assessment of potential risks. To me there are a few components to risk assessment:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/416/2285/1600/677563/649726_98432988.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/416/2285/400/728933/649726_98432988.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><ol><li>Likelihood of the risk materializing. What's the probability of the risk becoming a problem?</li><li>Potential cost (monetary, compliance or reputation) to mitigate the risk. How much is it going to cost you? This also includes implementing any mitigation strategies.<br /></li></ol>Combined, these factors provide a value to each risk. Risk assessment can be applied in many different areas:<br /><ul><li>Managing the risks encountered in a project.</li><li>Understanding the importance of a defect or bug in a system.</li><li>Managing financial assets.<br /></li></ul>For the purposes of this post I'm only going to write about the second item.<br /><br />What do you do if you find a defect or bug in a system? You evaluate it to determine whether it's a <span style="font-style: italic;">show stopper</span> or whether you can proceed despite it. Creating bug-free software is the ultimate goal but it has cost and time implications. Here's a quote from an article, <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/06/writestuff.html">They Write The Right Stuff</a>, from <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/homepage/index.html">Fast Company</a> about a specific software system.<br /><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/06/writestuff.html"><blockquote>This software never crashes. It never needs to be re-booted. This software is bug-free. It is perfect, as perfect as human beings have achieved. Consider these stats: the last three versions of the program -- each 420,000 lines long-had just one error each. The last 11 versions of this software had a total of 17 errors. Commercial programs of equivalent complexity would have 5,000 errors.</blockquote></a>The piece of software in question runs the NASA space shuttle. The consequences of failure could result in the deaths of the astronauts, the loss of a <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">multi</span>-billion dollar piece of hardware and many years of setbacks to the space program. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/416/2285/1600/459170/466661_87553735.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/416/2285/400/288695/466661_87553735.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Many of the systems we deal with in the business world do not have this level of <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">criticality</span>. In my past jobs I have worked with time sensitive trading systems where 1/2 second delays mean losses in the $10,000's of dollars. On other projects, variances in marketing and market research data were explainable ("Yes, someone did purchase 50 rolls of toilet paper and it skewed the numbers.") We need to understand when something is good enough as it is instead of always trying to be perfect.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-82774470451210479362006-11-17T22:23:00.000-05:002006-11-17T23:45:55.555-05:00How "bad" requirements can stifle innovationA great way to curb innovation and creativity is to impose improper limitations.<br /><br />Limits by themselves are not bad. Clearly a project needs to operate within a set budget, resource allotment and delivery schedule. These types of constraints can actually spur creativity and novel solutions.<br /><br />But let's think about business requirements and how improper requirements can hinder the process of innovation. More specifically let's examine how requirements that are not <a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2005/11/good-requirements-part-viii-design.html">design independent</a> can unfairly constrain a solution to a business opportunity (or problem.)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/416/2285/1600/756312/521988_56328022.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/416/2285/400/717002/521988_56328022.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Many times during my requirements gathering and elicitation engagements I have heard subject matter experts and clients tell me their requirements based on existing applications and functions. They assumed that the products delivering the new capabilities they desired would actually be enhancements to the existing applications. In truth, the eventual solution may be based on an existing one (particularly with software products), but this is not always the case.<br /><br />Suppose our company designs cars. The newest set of requirements for the upcoming model year state the driver has the ability to:<br /><ol><li>Determine where he / she is (e.g., location) at all times.<br /></li><li>Receive driving directions to a user specified address.</li><li>Interact with the system through the car's dashboard.<br /></li></ol>By themselves, these requirements seem fairly benign. Suppose our project advanced to the stage where we are developing a solution to meet these needs. Our team decides that a global positioning system (GPS) is required. Based on the third requirement, it is decided that an on-board system similar to <a href="http://www.onstar.com/us_english/jsp/index.jsp"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Onstar</span></a> is appropriate. Implementing this solution requires our company to purchase units of the GPS product and integrate it into our assembly (line) process.<br /><br />Nothing appears terribly wrong with the proposed solution, but what if the car model in question is marketed to first time car buyers and students (people who want to be sporty but on a budget.) Large scale changes to an assembly line are costly. Acquiring GPS units and integrating them into a car's electronics are expensive. The cost of the new model will increase as a result.<br /><br />Because of the third requirement we have ignored other solutions that may have been more optimal. Perhaps we could have offered portable GPS systems (e.g., <a href="http://www.tomtom.com/"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Tomtom's</span></a>) to people who purchased our vehicles. Our needs would be met in a more cost-effective manner.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/416/2285/1600/313330/480938_21207343.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/416/2285/400/413335/480938_21207343.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The third requirement constrained our innovation and creativity to the point where a more optimal solution was missed. This is how a requirement that is not <a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2005/11/good-requirements-part-viii-design.html">design independent</a> can stifle innovation and creativity.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18719136.post-25699752666030464582006-11-14T21:32:00.000-05:002006-11-14T22:46:06.079-05:00Understanding the goal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/416/2285/1600/242268_6526.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/416/2285/320/242268_6526.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>When gathering requirements, one of the most important things to understand is the answer to the question, "<a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/02/asking-questions-and-getting-answers.html">Why</a>?"<br /><br />The answer to this simple question will provide clarity and guidance to your requirements gathering efforts. This is because you will be able to evaluate whether the requirements you are gathering will solve your problem (or capitalize on the opportunity.) Thus, a business analyst should always seek to understand the underlying business objective.<br /><br />Suppose a client receives five sets of different reports. The client is concerned because it takes him a long time to get the necessary reporting. His request is for his five reports to run faster so he can perform his analytics. The business analyst (doesn't probe any deeper and) works with the IT developers to optimize the SQL used in the reports, create database views to reduce the number of multiple-table queries and revamps the reports so they are more efficient. Finally, the business analyst presents <span style="font-style: italic;">five optimized reports</span>. The client promptly looks at each report, takes two pieces of information from each and then creates a dashboard sales report for one of his customers.<br /><br />If the business analyst knew that the goal was to prepare a dashboard sales report, could a more optimal outcome have been achieved?<br /><br />Here are a few comments about what happened:<br /><ol><li>The requirements were not <a href="http://rationalizedthoughts.blogspot.com/2005/11/good-requirements-part-viii-design.html">design-independent</a>. It was pretty much determined to rework the existing reports and make them more efficient.</li><li>Ultimately, a useful result was obtained however, it may not have been the most optimal one. The business analyst also ran the risk of not achieving the goal at all because the business analyst did not probe deeply enough to uncover the underlying objective.</li></ol>If the business analyst had used active-listening techniques and probed the client, both of these issues could have been avoided.Marcus Ting-A-Keehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03667986666160492725noreply@blogger.com1