F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Modeling Scope from the Business Analyst's Perspective Angie Perris, PMP Vice President of Business Development B2T Training, L.L.C.

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E B2T Training Company Mission Define and scope the business problem Gather requirements Analyze and document the requirements Communicate the requirements Implement the requirements and verify the solution has met its defined objectives Training Business Analysts in industry best practices, skills, and techniques to connect business requirements to technology solutions. Our training focuses on proven skills and techniques to:

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Industry Leader in BA Training Developed the first BA training program in North America Implemented BA Certification Program requiring individuals to demonstrate analysis proficiency Sponsored the first US conference for Business Analysts Supporting the development of the IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis)

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Introduction A clear scope is vital to project success Who defines scope? How does a BA model scope? –“Scope of Investigation” should be agreed upon early –“Scope of Solution” is also needed

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Agenda What is the difference between a PM and a BA as it relates to project scope? Scope of Investigation –The In and Out List –Context Level Data Flow Diagram –Information Flow Diagram Scope of Solution –UML Use Case Diagrams

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Project Life Cycle: When to Scope the Project? Project Life Cycle

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E What is the Difference Between a PM and a BA? The PM manages project resources; the BA manages the business stakeholders The BA reports to the PM BAs/PMs have significant overlapping responsibilities - including scope definition Excellent PMs and BAs work hand-in-hand

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E InitiationRequirements Design & Implementation Planning Construction QA ImplementationClosure The Execution of a Project BAPM PLC What is the Difference Between a PM and a BA? Scope Budget Team PIR Planning Execution & ControlDocument Requirements System Checkout Scope Functional Design Testing & Training Strategies Test Case Creation Test UAT Train PIR

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E What is the Difference Between a PM and a BA? A Project Manager manages the entire project PM’s Triple Constraint Core requirements components used by BA to define the product Resources Scope Time Product Oriented Processes Project Management Processes

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E What is the Difference Between a PM and a BA? Project Manager Manages Project Scope using the Project Plan, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Project Deliverables Manages project change control Business Analyst Manages the Product Requirements by first defining the Scope of Investigation and later identifying the Scope of Solution Manages requirements change requests PMBA

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Business Analysis Tools and Techniques Business Requirements Functional Requirements Broad, high-level Very detailed Business Use Case Description Data requirements (entities, attributes, relationships) Essential Process Description Glossary Workflow diagram Decomposition diagram Context-level DFD Use Case diagram System Use Case Description Screen or report prototype Database design Business Use Case Description Screen Storyboard prototype Process Maps In and Out List Information Flow diagram

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Tools for Modeling Scope In and Out List Information Flow Diagram Context Level Data Flow Diagram Use Case Diagram

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E The “In and Out List” TopicWhoInOut Allow customers to order on the Web Customer Service Create invoicesA/R Change current inventory management system Inventory Process order cancellations Customer Service Provide retail store location information Customer Service

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Early Scope Questions Why are we doing this project? How complex is the business? Which organizations will be impacted by this project? Will the project require a change to the existing business process? Is this outside my sponsor's span of control? Will the project result in changes to our organizational structure? Who are my suppliers and my customers? Which business processes are included? Which systems will be impacted?

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E In and Out List Strengths Great starter for scope group discussions and easy to use during brainstorming Great attachment with scope model diagram Summary of stakeholder expectations of business solution Great tool to use whenever there is confusion about the scope of a project or even the scope of a meeting discussion Useful to drive consensus among project stakeholders

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E In and Out List Weaknesses Usually high level only; most often not comprehensive Deceptively simple Looks precise but may gloss over important details Not a replacement for more detailed analysis May not be as helpful for complex systems

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Context Level Data Flow Diagram Project/Business System = circle External entity/agent = rectangle Data flow = arrows Symbols

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Context Level Data Flow Diagram How do I start? Identify process stakeholders Identify key information flows Consider sponsor’s span of control Develop interim product - Information Flow Diagram Use an Information Flow Diagram to build a Context Level Data Flow Diagram

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Information Flow Diagram 1.Identify the parties involved and the information flows between them 2.Circle the area of study 3.Name the project 4.Draw the Context Level DFD Customer Customer Service Inventory Order Fulfillment A/R Shipping Dept. Shipping Company Info Flow: Order Credit Card Processor Order Entry System Marketing Discounts

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Information Flow Diagram: Step 1 “First we have the customer.” “They contact Customer Service to place an order.” “Customer Service enters the order into our Order Entry System.” Identify the parties involved and the information flows between them. Custome r Custome r Service Info Flow: Order Custome r Custome r Service Info Flow: Order Order Entry System

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Information Flow Diagram: Step 1 “The order entry system automatically: Checks inventory Checks for Marketing discounts Notifies Order Fulfillment and Sends invoice notification to A/R or submits a charge to credit card processor and gets an authorization code.” Identify the parties involved and the information flows between them. Customer Customer Service Order Fulfillment A/R Info Flow: Order Credit Card Processor Order Entry System Marketing Discounts Inventory

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Information Flow Diagram: Step 1 “When Order Fulfillment completes the order, they update the order status, and transport the bin with the products to Shipping.” Identify the parties involved and the information flows between them. Customer Customer Service Order Fulfillment A/R Info Flow: Order Credit Card Processor Order Entry System Marketing Discounts Inventory

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Information Flow Diagram: Step 1 “Shipping packs the products, updates the order status, and gives them to the outside shipping company. The shipping company assigns a tracking number and delivers them to the customer.” Identify the parties involved and the information flows between them.

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Information Flow Diagram: Step 2 Circle the area of study.

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Information Flow Diagram: Step 3 Name the Project – Order Entry Order Entry

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Draw a Context Level Data Flow Diagram: Step 4 Marketing Customer Service Customer Order Fulfillment Shipping Dept Shipping Company A/R Inventory Customer, order status Customer discounts Ordered products Product availability Payment info Shipment Tracking number Payment info Authorization code Order shipment info Profile, requests, orders Confirmation, inquiry response Order item list Credit Card Processor Order Entry

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Why Use an Information Flow Diagram? Easy to use and understand Helps the group understand how Context Level Data Flow Diagram gets built Focuses on flow of information not processes Helps groups working on complex systems to focus on a minimum number of critical flows

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Context Level Data Flow Diagram Strengths Shows bird’s-eye view of project scope of investigation boundaries Helps remove ambiguity of text by using a graphical model Helps drive consensus while being created Displays SME viewpoint(s) of key information flows Provides foundation for modeling data and process Helps analyze key system interfaces Helps show scope for a single process or an entire system Identifies most critical flows as a way to begin analysis investigation for complex systems

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Context Level Data Flow Diagram Weaknesses Shows high level only May oversimplify project scope to stakeholders Summarizes important data details Glosses over important relationships Does not serve as a replacement for more detailed analysis Needs to be kept up-to-date with approved changes to scope or will create confusion May be cumbersome for complex systems

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E UML Use Case Diagram Summarize the “Scope of the Solution” Also referred to as the “System Under Design” or the “Design Scope”

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Define Actors and Their Tasks

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Use Case Diagram Symbols Actor: Resource external to the software Use Case: A goal of the software system Associations: Interactions between System and Actors Automation Boundary: Encompasses all Use Cases

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Use Case Diagram Strengths Requires very few symbols to understand Used by Business and IT Shows bird’s-eye view of Scope of Solution and automation boundaries Helps drive consensus while being created Displays all significant system actors Identifies software features that satisfy actor goals Assists in showing scope for a single release or multiple releases

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Use Case Diagram Weaknesses Often displays primary actors only Not a replacement for more detailed use case descriptions Cannot show implementation decision details May set false expectations with SMEs

F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Final Recommendations for Scoping Summarize details when trying to document scope Ensure appropriate SME resources are available for scope discussions Don’t decide on a solution until you have gathered business requirements Look for ways to modify scope to make a project less complex Establish standards for modeling scope Accompany graphic models with textual descriptions.

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F O C U SQ U A L I T YE X P E R I E N C E Selected Bibliography Robertson, Suzanne and Robertson, James, Mastering the Requirements Process, (1999), London, England: ACM Press DeMarco, Tom, Structured Analysis and System Specification, (1978) Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentiss Hall Inc. Wiegers, Karl E., Software Requirements, (1999), Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press. Cockburn, Alistair, Writing Effective Use Cases, (2001), Indianapolis, IN: Addison-Wesley.