You are on page 1of 12

IRM UK Strategic IT Training Ltd

1st Floor, Park Farm House,


Ducks Hill Road, Northwood,
Middlesex HA6 2NP
T: +44 (0)20 8866 8366
E: customerservice@irmuk.co.uk

Strategic IT Training Ltd

www.irmuk.co.uk

Agile Business Analysis in Flow:The Work of the Agile Analyst


Business Analysis Seminars
Building & Using a Business
Process Architecture
Roger Burlton
25-27 February 2013,
7-9 October 2013, London
http://www.irmuk.co.uk/events/4.
cfm

Working with Business


Processes
Alec Sharp
28 Feb - 1 March 2013,
10-11 October 2013, London
http://www.irmuk.co.uk/events/92.
cfm
Mastering the Requirements
Process
James Archer
20-22 February 2013,
21-23 October 2013, London
http://www.irmuk.co.uk/events/1.
cfm

AgileBusinessAnalysisinFlow:
TheWorkoftheAgileAnalyst (Part1) and (Part 2)
(ThisarticlefirstappearedinModernAnalyst,May2009)
By Ellen Gottesdiener
EBG Consulting
ellen@ebgconsulting.com
www.ebgconsulting.com

Agile Requirements
Ellen Gottesdiener
24-26 April 2013, London
http://www.irmuk.co.uk/events/113.cfm

Ellen Gottesdiener is founder and principal of EBG Consulting, experts


helping you deliver high-value products your customers want and need. Ellen is an internationally recognized
facilitator, coach, trainer, speaker, and expert in agile product management practices, product envisioning and
roadmapping, business analysis and requirements, retrospectives, and collaboration. She works with global clients and
speaks at numerous industry conferences. Author of two acclaimed booksRequirements by Collaboration and The
Software Requirements Memory JoggerEllen is co-authoring (with Mary Gorman) a book on practical agile planning
and analysis practices.View articles, Ellens tweets and blog, free eNewsletter, and find a variety of useful practitioner
resources on EBGs web site, ebgconsulting.com.

Mastering Business Analysis


James Archer
22-23 April 2013,
11-12 November 2013, London
http://www.irmuk.co.uk/events/90.
cfm
Business Rules & Decisioning
Masterclass
Ronald Ross
11-12 April 2013, London
http://www.irmuk.co.uk/events/75.
cfm
Agile Requirements
Ellen Gottesdiener
24-26 April 2013, London
http://www.irmuk.co.uk/events/113.
cfm

This article was featured in IRM


UKs Monthly E-newsletter.
To subscribe visit
http://www.irmuk.co.uk/usefulinfo/
enewsletter.cfm

Copyright EBG Consulting, Inc. 2009

www.irmuk.co.uk

isacceptableforrelease).Inessence,thecustomerisresponsibleforproductprofitability.By
understandingtheproductsmarketorbusinessneedandadvocatingforthevoiceofthe
(end)customer,thecustomerembodiesthecoremantraofagileteams:delivervalue.
Fortheprojecttosucceed,thecustomermustconductamixofstrategicandtacticalactivities.
Strategicactivitiesincludeanalyzingthemarketandbusinesscase,definingtheproduct
visionandroadmap,developingrequirements,adjustingtheproductbacklog,and
determiningdeliveryplans.Thecustomeralsoconductstacticalactivitiessuchasspecifying
theitemstobedeliveredineachiteration,determiningwheneachitemiscomplete,
analyzingdependenciesbetweenitems,andhelpingtheteamanalyzerequirementsstories.
Tofulfillbothstrategicandtacticalactivitiesonanagileproject,thebusinesscustomerneeds
productdevelopmentexperience,alongwithdeepdomainandproductknowledge.
Understandingtheunderlyingtechnologyalsohelpswhenmakingtechnobusiness
decisionsthroughoutproductdevelopment.
Withalltheseresponsibilities,insomeorganizations,thebusinesscustomerneedshelpwith
daytodaytacticaldecisionmaking.Thatswhereyou,asanagilebusinessanalyst,comein.
Onsomeagileteams,aBAwhohasdeepdomainknowledge(andperhapshasservedina
businessrole)servesasthetacticalcustomer(or,inaScrumproject,theproductowner)or
splitsthoseresponsibilitieswiththebusinesscustomer.Byservingasthetactical,iteration
levelcustomer,youfreetheseniorbusinesscustomertobetheteamsstrategiccustomer.You
leverageyouranalysisskillstohelpyourteamdelivervalue,oneiterationatatime.You
ensureeachdeliveryalignstotheoverallstrategyandgoals.
Whatwillchangewhenyoureonanagileteam?
Processes,products,andrelationshipschangeonanagileteam.Howyouplanthework,
delivertheproduct,representrequirements,shareknowledge,interactwithyourteamand
customer,managechangingrequirements,anddocumentrequirementswillbequite
differentfromtraditional,waterfallstyleprojects.
Inshort,youwillbepartofateamofhighlycollaborativecolleagueswithafuriousfocuson
deliveringvalue,negotiatingvaluedeliveryinshortcycles,andhelpingyourbusiness
partnersunderstandwhattheyreallyneednotonlyupfrontbutalsoastheproductunfolds
insmall,usablechunks.
Businessanalystsmustrelinquishcontroloftherequirements,thecustomerrelationship,and
theusualrequirementsdocumentation.Why?Itsbecauseonyouragileteam,youdeliver
working,valuablesoftwareeveryfewweeks.Andyou(andyourteamandcustomer)dont
knowexactlywhattheendproductwillbenotuntilyoustarttobuildit,deliverit,andget
feedbackonit.Thatswhenyoulearnwhattheneedreallyis.
Agile Business Analysis in Flow (Part I)
Copyright EBG Consulting, Inc. 2009

Page 2 of 5
www.ebgconsulting.com

Businessanalystsmustrelinquishcontrolofthe
requirements,thecustomerrelationship,andthe
usualrequirementsdocumentation.Why?Its
becauseonyouragileteam,youdeliverworking,
valuablesoftwareeveryfewweeks.Andyou(and
yourteamandcustomer)dontknowexactlywhat
theendproductwillbenotuntilyoustarttobuild
it,deliverit,andgetfeedbackonit.Thatswhen
youlearnwhattheneedreallyis.
ThatswhyIliketoquoteGildaRadnersphrase
deliciousambiguity.Anagileprojectisallabout
suspendingcontrolforaslongaspossible.
Eventeamrolescanbeambiguous.Specificsmay
vary,butanagileteamcollaboratestodelivertoa
committedsetofrequirements.Eachteammember
iswilling,eveneager,todowhateverittakesto
makethathappen,nomatterwhattheofficialjob
responsibilitiesdictate.
Itslikelythatyouwillnotbetheonlyonetoelicit,
analyze,andspecifyrequirements.Theteamis
focusedondeliveringshippablesoftwareinshort
cycles(iterations),soyourtasksmaycrossoverto
otheractivitiesthatcallonyourskills,capacity,and
interest.Forexample,youarelikelytoidentifyif
notalsocreateandexecuteuseracceptancetests:
handsonvalidation.Yoursoftskillsand
understandingofrequirementsdependenciesmake
youagoodcandidatetofacilitateplanning
workshopstodefinetheproductroadmapand
releaseplans.

Whatisastory?
Inagiledevelopment,astoryisaworkitem
thatneedstobecompletedtodeliverthe
product.Storiesarecontainedandtrackedin
theproductbacklog(thecatalogofallthework)
andarethebasisforiterationplanningand
development.
Astoryusuallydescribesauserrequirement
somethingofvaluethatauserneedstodo.
However,someagilistsusethestorymetaphor
forothertechnicalorteamrelatedwork,such
asdeliveringnonfunctionalrequirements,
settingupservers,tuningthedatabase,
cleaningupbugs,buildingautomatedtests,or
findingandsettingupateamworkspace.
Auserstoryisaconcise,sharplydefineduser
requirementthatbrieflydescribessomething
valuabletheuserneedstoaccomplish.Itis
usuallywritteninthisformat:Asa,Iwantto
sothat.
Forexample,Asabookbuyer,Iwanttoread
reviewsaboutthebookIamviewingsothatI
candecidewhetherIwanttopurchaseitor,
Asacorporatelibrarian,Iwanttofind
quantitydiscountinformationsothatIcan
comparethepricetoanothersuppliers.
Astoryisaplaceholderinthebacklog
requiringfurtherelaborationwhenandifit
willbeconsumedwithinaniteration.For
example,touseastoryforiterationplanning
anddevelopment,itsconditionsofsatisfaction,
ordoneness,mustalsobeclearlyunderstood.

Asanagilebusinessanalyst,yourenolongershackledtolarge,complexrequirements
documentationandtemplates.Instead,youwillinfluenceyourbusinesspartnersandteams
torethinkwhatkindof(andhowmuch)documentationisneeded.Youmaydeliver
documentationinsmallchunks,alongwiththesmall,usefulchunksofrequirementsyour
teamdeliversineachiteration(oftenintheformofuserstories).Youmightpitchinto
developlightweightproduct,user,orsupportdocumentation.
Agile Business Analysis in Flow (Part I)
Copyright EBG Consulting, Inc. 2009

Page 3 of 5
www.ebgconsulting.com

Yourworkisbothtacticalandstrategic:youneedtograspthebigview(theproductvision,
roadmap,andreleaseplans)whilemaintainingafirmfootinginthenow(thecurrent
iteration).Thusyouneedthedisciplineandflexibilitytooperateinmultiplemodes(the
nowofthecurrentiterationandthelaterofupcomingiterations).
Yourworkwillbetransparent.Youwillgetbetteratestimatingandworkingwithyour
crossfunctionalteammatestoreliablypredicthowmuchsoftwareyourteamcandeliverin
eachiteration.Thevisibilityofiterationplanning,endofiterationdemonstrations,and
retrospectivespermitnohiding.Youwillfindgreatermasterybybeingopenlyaccountable
toyourcustomer,theteam,andyourself.
Untilnexttime
Inthesecondpartofthisarticle,welltakeacloselookatspecificbusinessanalystactivities
thatdifferinagileprojects.Wellframethesetasksinthecontextoftraditionalrequirements
engineering,whichinvolvessettingthestage;developing(eliciting,analyzing,specifyingand
validating)requirements;andmanagingrequirements(Gottesdiener,2005).Meanwhile,
pleasedirectyourquestionstomeatellen@ebgconsulting.com.
Theresneverbeenamoreexcitingtimetobeabusinessanalyst.Areyouopentothe
challenge?Canyouadaptyourskillstoyouragileteamssteadybeatofshort,valuedriven
cycles?Canyouinfluenceyourtraditionalteamtoalteryouranalysispractices?Staytuned.
Thanks!
TheauthorwouldliketothankPhilAbernathy,SusanBlock,MaryGorman,KamalSingh,
NormanStang,andStephanieWeissfortheirhelpfulreviewandfeedbackonadraftofthis
article.
RecommendedReadings:
http://www.ebgconsulting.com/agileModernAnalyst.pdf
CopyrightEBGConsulting,Inc.,2009
Author:EllenGottesdiener,PrincipalConsultant,EBGConsulting,helpsyougettheright
requirementssoyourprojectsstartsmartanddelivertherightproductattherighttime.
Ellenscompanyprovideshighvaluetraining,facilitation,andconsultingservicestoagile
andtraditionalteams.Anagilecoachandtrainerwithapassionaboutagilerequirements,
sheworkswithlarge,complexproductsandhelpsteamselicitjustenoughrequirementsto
achieveiterationandproductgoals.
EllensbookRequirementsbyCollaboration:WorkshopsforDefiningNeedsdescribeshowtouse
multiplemodelstoelicitrequirementsincollaborativeworkshops.Hermostrecentbook,The
Agile Business Analysis in Flow (Part I)
Copyright EBG Consulting, Inc. 2009

Page 4 of 5
www.ebgconsulting.com

SoftwareRequirementsMemoryJoggeristhegotoindustryguideforrequirementsgood
practices.Inadditiontoprovidingtrainingandconsultingservicesandcoachingagileteams,
Ellenspeaksatandadvisesforindustryconferences,writesarticles,andservesontheExpert
ReviewBoardoftheInternationalInstituteofBusinessAnalysis(IIBA)BusinessAnalysis
BodyofKnowledgeTM(BABOKTM).
YoucansubscribetoEBGConsultingsoffersafreemonthlyeNewsletterSuccesswith
Requirementsofferingpracticalguidanceandrequirementsrelatednews.Whenyousignup,
youllreceiveafreearticleonessentialsforscopingyourrequirements.YoucanfollowEllen
onTwitterorcontactherviaemail.

Agile Business Analysis in Flow (Part I)


Copyright EBG Consulting, Inc. 2009

Page 5 of 5
www.ebgconsulting.com

Phone: +1.978.261.5552 Fax: +1.978.261.5553 www.ebgconsulting.com

AgileBusinessAnalysisinFlow:
TheWorkoftheAgileAnalyst(Part2)
byEllenGottesdiener
EBGConsulting,Inc.:www.ebgconsulting.com

(ThisarticlefirstappearedinModernAnalyst,August2009)

InPart1ofBusinessAnalysisinFlowTheWorkoftheAgileAnalyst,Italkedaboutthe
newskillsandattitudesbusinessanalystsneedtobringtoagiledevelopment.Whenyour
organizationadoptsthisvaluecenteredapproach,youneedtohave,asIwrote,atolerance
forambiguityalongwithaconcurrentdriveforspecificityandclosure.

Nowitstimetotalkspecifics.WhatexactlydoBAsdoinagiledevelopment?Howwillyour
activitiesdifferfromthoseoftraditionaldevelopment?Letstakealookatagilebusiness
analysisfromtheperspectiveoftheactivitiesthatmakeuprequirementsdevelopmentand
management,comparingtraditionalwithagileanalysis..

Settingthestage:Requirementsplanningactivities
Tosetthestageforrequirements,theteamstrivestocreateasharedunderstandingofthe
productbyallthestakeholders.

TraditionalAnalysis
AgileAnalysisAdaptation
Attendprojectcharteringsessions
todefineavision,glossary,
requirementsrisks,andproduct
stakeholders.

Design,facilitate,orparticipateinproduct
visionandroadmappingworkshops.
Helpyourcustomerunderstandwhich
rolesandthemestobestdeliverineach
productrelease.
Helpyourcustomerandteamidentify
logicalgroupingsofvaluebased
requirements,andusethesegroupingsto
createaproductroadmapshowing
incrementallydeliveredrequirementsover
time.Theserequirementsoftentaketheform
ofminimallymarketablefeatures,stories,or
epics(i.e.,largestoriesthatcrossreleases),
usecases(highlevelonly),events,ora

Agile Business Analysis in Flow (Part II)


Copyright EBG Consulting, Inc. 2009

Page 1 of 7
www.ebgconsulting.com

combination.
Designandfacilitate(orparticipatein)
releaseanditerationplanningworkshops.
Regularlyprunetheproductbacklogby
collaboratingwithteammemberstogenerate
arelativesizeestimateforbacklogitems.
Conductanalysisspikes(short,
timeboxedresearchstories)toelaborateon
backlogitemsthatneedmoreanalysis,
researchingrequirementsandtheirpriorities.
Duringiterationplanning,togetherwiththe
restoftheteam,writedowntheneededtasks
todelivereachuserstory,andestimatehow
manyhourstheywilltake.
Shareactualtimeusageinformationwith
yourteamsothattheteamcantrackprogress
viavisualgraphs(informationradars)such
asburndown,burnup,orcumulativeflow
diagrams.

Reviewandmodifyalistoftasks,
time,anddeliverydatesinawork
breakdownstructureplan
developedbytheprojectmanager.

GenerateaSWAG(S#*&Wild
AssGuess)estimateoftime,
effort,orcostforeachrequirement
inthespecificationoruser
requirementsdocument.

Requirementselicitationactivities
Duringrequirementselicitation,theteamidentifiesthesourcesofrequirementsandthen
discovers,derives,evokes,andelicitsrequirementsfromthosesources.

TraditionalAnalysis
AgileAnalysisAdaptation
Planhowtoelicitrequirements
usingavarietyoftechniques.

Plan,design,andfacilitate
requirementsworkshopsover
weeks(ormonths).

Agile Business Analysis in Flow (Part II)


Copyright EBG Consulting, Inc. 2009

Usefacetoface,collaborativeelicitation
techniques(workshops,prototypes)asmuch
aspossiblewhileavoidingtechniques
(interviews,surveys,documentationstudy)
thatrequirelongerlapsetimesor
interpretation.
Planandfacilitateshort,informal
requirementsmodelingsessionsthroughout
eachiteration.
Planandfacilitateproductvisionand
roadmappingworkshopsandrelease
planningworkshops.
Teachyourcustomeraboutsupplemental
analysismodelssothattheycanquestion,
participate,critique,review,andapprove
them(thisshouldbedoneintraditional
Page 2 of 7
www.ebgconsulting.com

projectsaswell).
Sketchoutprototypesandidentifyuser
acceptancetestdatainrealtime,whileastory
isbeingdesigned,coded,andpreparedfor
testing.

Requirementsanalysisactivities
Duringanalysis,theteamseekstounderstandanddefinerequirementssothatstakeholders
canprioritizetheirneedsanddecidewhichrequirementstobuild.

TraditionalAnalysis
AgileAnalysisAdaptation
Definethescopeupfrontbyusing
asetofrequirementsmodelsasthe
basisfordetailedmodeling.

Developanalysismodelsforthe
entiresetofrequirementsthatare
inscope.

Askthecustomertoprioritize
requirementsusingaranking
scheme.Ifthecustomerisnot
available,dotherankingyourself.

Helpyourcustomerdefinethevisionandthe
scopeupfrontatahighlevelonly.
Helpyourcustomerandteamcreate
lightweightmodelsduringproduct
roadmappingandreleaseplanning.These
modelshelpcustomerscarveoutavalue
basedreleaseschedulethatbalancesbusiness
prioritywitharchitecturaldependencies.
Collaboratewitharchitectsanddeveloperson
designtoensurethatrequirementsinclude
thetechnicalaspectsoftheproduct.
Helpyourcustomerandteamdevelopstories
(userstoriesaswellasstoriesthatincorporate
orseparatelydefinequalityattributes).
Helpyourcustomerandteamdevelopand
extendanalysismodelsthatsupport
understandingbacklogitemsselectedfor
deliveryinaniterationifandwhenneeded.
Helpyourcustomerassignabusinessvalue
andarankingtoeachbacklogitem.
Helpyourcustomerunderstandrequirements
dependenciesthatmightwarrantadjustments
tobacklogrankings.
Questionrankingsbasedongoalsorthemes
forupcomingreleaseoriterations.
Assistyourcustomerandteamtorightsize
highprioritybacklogitemsthataretoobigto
deliverincombinationwithotherhigh
prioritybacklogitemsinthenextiteration.

Agile Business Analysis in Flow (Part II)


Copyright EBG Consulting, Inc. 2009

Page 3 of 7
www.ebgconsulting.com

Requirementsspecificationactivities
Specificationinvolvesrefiningandorganizingrequirementsintodocumentation(typicallya
softwarerequirementsspecification).Thisincludestheentiresetoffunctionaland
nonfunctionalrequirementstobetransformedintodesign,code,andtests.

TraditionalAnalysis
AgileAnalysisAdaptation
Writearequirementsspecification.

Helpyourcustomerandteamwritestories
(orifyoureactingasproxycustomer,you
writethem).
Createdonenesscriteriaforstoriessothat
eachbecomesawelldefined,smallpieceof
valuablesoftwarefordeliveryinthenext(or
current)iteration.
Createuseracceptancetestsorsample
inputandoutputdataforeachstory.
Determinetheformandformatof
documentationthatisnecessaryand
sufficientforrequirementsrelatedworkin
progress,handover,orproduct
documentation.

Requirementsvalidationactivities
Duringvalidation,theteamassesseswhethertheproductsatisfiesuserneedsandconforms
totherequirements.

TraditionalAnalysis
AgileAnalysisAdaptation
Setupandrunmeetingstoreview
andsignoffonrequirements
documents,andhelpcustomers
runacceptancetestsaftertheentire
productscodehasbeencreated.

Communicatewithdevelopersor
testers(orrespondtotheiremails
andcalls)toexplaininformationin
Agile Business Analysis in Flow (Part II)
Copyright EBG Consulting, Inc. 2009

Meetwiththecustomerandsometeam
memberstoprunethebacklog(onceor
twiceeachweek).
Participateiniterationdemonstrationsand
listentostakeholderfeedbackonthe
deliveredrequirementstolearnthe
customersrealneedsanddeterminehowto
adapttheevolvingproduct.
Planandfacilitate,orparticipatein,
iterationretrospectives,andlearnfromthe
customerhowyoucanhelpdelivervalue
faster.
Conductjustintimeanalysismodeling
withcustomersandyourteamtovalidate
thebusinessvalueofeachstoryandto
Page 4 of 7
www.ebgconsulting.com

therequirementsdocument;attend
orrunformalrequirementsreview
meetings.

Helptesterscreateuseracceptance
tests,orrunthosetests,afterthe
entireproducthasbeendesigned,
coded,andunit/system/integration
tested.

ensureitwillbedeliveredtothecustomers
satisfaction.
Participateindailystandups.
Sitwithdevelopersandtestersastheyare
buildingcodeandteststoexplainthestory
anditsdonenesscriteria.
Defineinputdataandexpectedresultsor
specificuseracceptancetestsaspartof
definingdonenessforeachuserstory,
iterationbyiteration.

Requirementsmanagementactivities
Requirementsmanagementinvolvesmonitoringthestatusofrequirementsandcontrolling
changestotherequirementsbaseline(apointintimeviewoftherequirementsthathave
beenreviewedandagreedupontoserveasthebasisforfurtherdevelopment,Gottesdiener
2005).

TraditionalAnalysis
AgileAnalysisAdaptation
Establishtherequirements
baseline,documentchangecontrol
processes,andgenerate
requirementstracematrices.

Attendorschedulechangecontrol
meetings.

Agile Business Analysis in Flow (Part II)


Copyright EBG Consulting, Inc. 2009

Helpthecustomerandteamestablisha
productbackloganddefinethesmallest
necessaryrequirementsattributesforeach
backlogitem.
Helpthecustomerandteamdefinejust
enoughrequirementstracingneededto
satisfyexternalregulatorybody
expectations.
Helptheteamdeterminesimple,
meaningfulrequirementsmappingand
organizing(featurestostories,eventsto
stories,etc.).
Definesimple,unobtrusivewaystotrace
stories,withtheaimofcapturingmetrics
thatwillbeusefulforreuseandpromoting
developmentefficiencies.
Helpthecustomerandteamprunethe
productbacklogcontinually(reprioritize
items,breakdownstories,assignrankings,
estimatesize,andexplorerequirements
dependenciesthatwillimpactarchitecture
Page 5 of 7
www.ebgconsulting.com

andthereforereleaseplanning).
Helpthecustomermaintaintheproduct
backlogitems(onstorycardsonawall,ina
spreadsheet,orusinganindustrialstrength
agilerequirementsmanagementtool)or
dothisonbehalfofthecustomer.

Learning:Theheartofagilesuccess
Amantraforagileteamsisinspectandadapt.Thismeansregularlycheckingonthe
deliveredproductandtheprocessesused.Continuousimprovement(calledkaizeninlean
approaches)isessentialtoagilesuccess.Howdoyouinspectandadaptyourbusiness
analysisworktolearnanddevelop?

TraditionalAnalysis
AgileAnalysisAdaptation
Participateinmilestoneor
projectlessonslearned
sessionstofindoutwhat
wentwrong,whatwentright,
andwhoisresponsibleforthe
problems.Theproject
managerfillsoutthelessons
learnedtemplateandwrites
thecloseoutdocument.
Sitwithyourmanageronceor
twiceayearfora
performancereview,andget
feedbackonyour
performance,monthsor
weekslater.Sometimesthat
feedbackincludessecond
handcommentsfromyour
customerandteam.

Useacceptancetests,examples,sketches,
simpledrawings,andfacetoface
communicationtogetfeedbackonyour
understandingofrequirements.
Participateindailystandupstatus
meetingstoheartheimpactyouarehaving
onotherpeoplesabilitytodeliver.
Onanygivenday,asanitemyou
committedtodeliverisdeemeddone,show
ittothecustomertogetfeedbackonitand
confirmthattheconditionsofsatisfaction
havebeenmet.
Designandfacilitate,orparticipatein,
iterationandreleaseretrospectives(every
twoorthreeweeks,dependingonyour
iterationtimebox)tolearnwhatworks,
learnwhattoadapt,andcollaboratively
agreeononeortwothingstododifferently
inthenextiterationorrelease.Thegoalisto
learn,adapt,getbetter,andexperiencejoy
inyourwork.

Thenewworldofagileanalysis
Sothereyouhaveitabirdseyeviewofhowbusinessanalystsoperateandaddvaluein
agileprojects.Asyoucansee,thisapproachcallsonyoutostretchyouranalysismuscles.

Agile Business Analysis in Flow (Part II)


Copyright EBG Consulting, Inc. 2009

Page 6 of 7
www.ebgconsulting.com

Asanagileanalyst,youaredeeplycommittedtodeliveringbusinessvalueandbuildingthe
rightproductassoonaspossible.Asamemberofanagileteam,youarelessconcernedwith
rolesandjobboundaries,andmoreconcernedwithdeliveringasateam.

Youexperiencetherhythmofsuccessiveelaborationandproductdelivery.Youthriveon
feedbackandsmall,continualimprovements.Whatsmore,youhaveanintenseneedtoself
reflect,communicatetransparently,improveyourskillsandabilities,andserveyourteam
andcustomer.Youthriveontheenergyandjoyofbeinginrhythmwithanagileteam.

References
Gottesdiener,Ellen.TheSoftwareRequirementsMemoryJogger:APocketGuidetoHelpSoftwareand
BusinessTeamsDevelopandManageRequirements.GOAL/QPC,2005.

ResourcesandReadings
Video:AbriefoverviewofAgileBusinessAnalyst
AdditionalReadingsandResources

Thanks!
TheauthorwouldliketothankPhilAbernathy,SusanBlock,MaryGorman,KamalSingh,
NormanStang,andStephanieWeissfortheirhelpfulreviewandfeedbackonadraftofthis
article.
CopyrightEBGConsulting,Inc.,2009
Author:EllenGottesdiener,PrincipalConsultant,EBGConsulting,helpsyougettherightrequirementsso
yourprojectsstartsmartanddelivertherightproductattherighttime.Ellenscompanyprovideshigh
valuetraining,facilitation,andconsultingservicestoagileandtraditionalteams.Anagilecoachand
trainerwithapassionaboutagilerequirements,sheworkswithlarge,complexproductsandhelpsteams
elicitjustenoughrequirementstoachieveiterationandproductgoals.
EllensbookRequirementsbyCollaboration:WorkshopsforDefiningNeedsdescribeshowtousemultiple
modelstoelicitrequirementsincollaborativeworkshops.Hermostrecentbook,TheSoftwareRequirements
MemoryJoggeristhegotoindustryguideforrequirementsgoodpractices.Inadditiontoproviding
trainingandconsultingservicesandcoachingagileteams,Ellenspeaksatandadvisesforindustry
conferences,writesarticles,andservesontheExpertReviewBoardoftheInternationalInstituteof
BusinessAnalysis(IIBA)BusinessAnalysisBodyofKnowledgeTM(BABOKTM).
YoucansubscribetoEBGConsultingsoffersafreemonthlyeNewsletterSuccesswithRequirements
offeringpracticalguidanceandrequirementsrelatednews.Whenyousignup,youllreceiveafreearticle
onessentialsforscopingyourrequirements.YoucanfollowEllenonTwitterorcontactherviaemail.

Agile Business Analysis in Flow (Part II)


Copyright EBG Consulting, Inc. 2009

Page 7 of 7
www.ebgconsulting.com

You might also like