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Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring (IIBA - ECBA)

1. Section Overview

The Business Analysis, Planning, and Monitoring course is aligned with the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge Guide, and in this course we are going to begin looking at the Business Analysis knowledge areas. Beginning with Business Analysis Planning and monitoring, the tasks in this knowledge area, produce documents that direct you as a business analyst throughout the project. These documents include the general approach that you will take, the plan for engaging stakeholders, and how you will manage information and changes to the requirements. The first section of this course, called An Introduction to Business Analysis, Planning, and Monitoring, includes the following topics: an overview of business analysis, planning, and monitoring; the Business Analysis Core Concept Model; and finally, an exercise on understanding business analysis, planning, and monitoring. The second section of this course, called Plan Business Analysis Approach, presents the followingtopics plan the business analysis approach inputs and elements, plan the business analysis approach guidelines and techniques, plan the business analysis stakeholders and output, and finally, do an exercise on planning the business analysis approach. The third section of this course, called Plan Stakeholder Engagement, introduces the following topics: Stakeholder Engagement, inputs and elements, Stakeholder Engagement guidelines and techniques, Stakeholder Engagement, stakeholders and outputs, and finally, a stakeholder engagement planning exercise. The fourth section of this course, called Plan Business Analysis Governance, details the followingsubjects Plan business analysis governance inputs and elements, guidelines and techniques, stakeholders and outputs, and finally, a planning business analysis governance exercise. The fifth section of this course, called Plan Business Analysis Information, discusses the followingareas plan information management, inputs and elements, plan information management guidelines and techniques, plan information management, stakeholders and outputs, and finally a planning business analysis information management exercise. The last section of this course, called "Identify Business Analysis Performance Improvements," includes the following topics: performance improvements, inputs and elements, performance improvements, guidelines and techniques, performance improvements, stakeholders and outputs, and finally, an exercise on identifying business analysis performance improvements. Next, an overview of the Business Analyzes certification program.

2. Overview of Business Anlysis Planning and Monitoring

Overview of Business Analysis, Planning, and Monitoring After completing this topic, you should be able to identify planning and monitoring tasks. The Business Analysis, Planning, and Monitoring Knowledge Area contributes to the coordination of business analysis activities. Tasks in this area are used to select the business analysis methodology, plan for stakeholder collaboration, and manage the information obtained through elicitation activities. This knowledge area includes the task of identifying business analyst performance improvements. The business analyst will share his or her plan with the project manager and stakeholders to get buy-in for the approach. Basically, this knowledge area lists what a business analyst should consider when planning the outputs from this knowledge area. Describe how the business analyst will execute business analysis activities within a context, an initiative, or a project. The reminder of this topic gives a brief introduction to each of the tasks in the business analysis, planning, and monitoring knowledge area. The task plan business analyst approach considers the context of the initiative. The methods used could be dictated by organisational standards, set by the project manager, or determined by the business analyst. The two primary approaches are predictive and adaptive. Predictive approaches plan for requirements to be defined before implementation. This is intended to reduce risk. Context within knowledge area Model business analysis is illustrated by a diagram with six interrelated knowledge areas business Analysis Planning andMonitoring Lifecycle management strategy analysis for requirements elicitation and collaboration Requirements analysis and Design definitionand Solution evaluation strategy analysis requirements analysisand Design definition and solution evaluation havea cyclic relationship. while business analysis Planning and monitoring Elicitation and collaboration and requirements Lifecycle management is connected to the cycle at different points. Business analysis, planning, and monitoring connect to both elicitation and collaboration requirements. Lifecycle Management Plan, Business Analysis Approach During this approach, a business analysis methodology is defined as specific activities are planned and strategies for managing risk are defined. Adaptive approaches deliver requirements in short iterations; the Business analysts should be comfortable with uncertainty and will use this approach to deliver enhancements or functionality that is delivered incrementally. The business analyst will plan activities based on the approach, which includes strategies for managing risk to the solution and to the business analysis activities. In order to obtain the information necessary to address the business need, the stakeholders impacted by the change must be identified and described. The business analysis plan lists the stakeholders either by department, business unit, or as an individual. For example, a sponsor. Stakeholder engagement depends on the complexity of the initiative, who they are, their level within the organization, their location, and their influence over the resulting solution. The approach described will outline how the business analyst will collaborate and communicate with stakeholders, such as the level of detail, formality, and frequency of the communication plan. Stakeholder Engagement During the planning of stakeholder engagement, you should identify relevant stakeholders, identify stakeholder requirements, and determine methods for collaborating, communicating, and managing stakeholder risk. A business analyst analyses the stakeholder's attitude towards change and may need to mitigate risks such as stakeholder disengagement and the inability to get the subject matter resources to describe the details of their business needs. Although an organisation may have standards by which business analysis is practiced, each initiative is different. The approach, rules, and outcomes should be documented to avoid any misunderstanding. A business analysis plan should include a list of those stakeholders who are accountable for the initiative and will likely include more than one person who needs to review and approve outputs from the business analysis activities. This could include the IT lead, who should signoff on the requirements that impact the IT department. A change management strategy provides clear guidance on how changes are managed, keeping the solutions cup in check. A documented decision protocol could include directions on which methods will be used to ensure decisions are based on a commonly understood process, such as weighted decision matrices. This task links directly to acceptance criteria and a prioritisation plan. Business-driven governance During the planning of business analyst governance, it's important to identify decision makers and what information they need, develop a change management strategy, and establish decisionmaking protocols. Again, the purpose of the plan is to set expectations and gain buy-in from stakeholders. It is also necessary to ensure clear communication. How information is captured, organized, stored, and accessed is documented in the business analysis plan. For example, requirements could be stored in a business analysis management tool, or a link to a SharePoint site could be included in the plan. It's necessary to be clear about access rights. This would include who has access and what type of access he or she has in order to maintain the integrity of the information. Business analysis information could be communicated at the conceptual level or at a more detailed level. The business analyst should determine the level of detail needed by the stakeholders. The goal of this task is to ensure that commitments are met and continuous learning and improvement opportunities are realized. Performance metrics may have been defined. If not, the business analyst should consult with management on which metrics are appropriate for an initiative. Measures could include accuracy, a complex of four products, and timelines measuring time-to-delivery based on stakeholder expectations. A business analysis performance assessment completed by stakeholders, project managers, and management is a tool to determine business analyst performance. Let's stipulate that sessions with a business analyst and stakeholders could take place at any time during the initiative. It is important to plan how corrective action will be taken. Collective action could include reviews and coaching plans. business Analyzes Information Management During the planning for business analysis information management, you should plan information capture and organization, plan how information will be stored, plan who has access, and determine the level of detail. Identify business metrics and analyse performance improvement at this stage. You should identify performance metrics, determine how performance will be monitored, and plan preventive and corrective actions.

3. Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring and the Business Analysis Core Concept

business analysis planning and monitoring and the business analysis core concept model. After completing this topic, you should be able to recognise the business analyst role with regard to core concepts during planning and monitoring tasks. As mentioned earlier, the Business Analysis Core Concept Model is a framework for business analysis. It provides a common approach. No matter the scope, domain, or approach that a business analyst uses, no matter how thorough a business analyst is, changes will occur, so it's best to plan for them and communicate clearly how they will be addressed. Change requests are a formal approach to managing changes. In an adaptive approach, changes are handled less formally. No matter how the change is requested, the business analyst will analyse the change to determine the impact on other requirements and the scope of the solution. The business analysis plan will include the process and who will authorise the requested changes. The business analyst will select an approach that is appropriate for the project. For example, an adaptive approach works well for a Web-based project. The business analyst needs to understand the context for the change. This could include both internal and external politics and the business cycle. For example, if it's the end of the month, it's unlikely that finance stakeholders would be available to meet requirements. For discovery and to ensure understanding, the business analyst could validate the context with the sponsor, subject matter experts, and the project manager. Stakeholder analysis begins during initial planning and will continue throughout an initiative. Changes in Business Analysis, Planning, andMonitoring The business analyst determines how changes will be requested and authorized. A star-shaped diagram demonstrates the relationship between the six concepts, each of which is linked to all the others. These concepts are changes, solutions, context value, stakeholder needs, and To address the context in business analytics, planning, and monitoring to address the needs, a business analyst selects an approach that is appropriate for the project and provides sufficient analysis, given the nature of the change, to address the context. A business analyst ensures that context is fully understood and that the approach needs to work within a specific context. Stakeholders in Business Analysis, Planning, and Monitoring The business analyst performs initial stakeholder analysis. During the project, the business analyst will determine if the stakeholder needs are being met, often using iterative reviews, which could be planned for in one instance. The business analyst will confirm the information received during the requirements workshop. Once those requirements are fully described, he or she would conduct a review session with the relevant stakeholders to ensure clarity and understanding by all stakeholder characteristics, such as language, location, and organisational structure, needed to better describe user requirements. These are often described in the Quality of Service section that a business requirements document has. Web content, for example, must be displayed in French. The business analyst must plan for how the business analysis activities are evaluated, which metrics will be used, and how they will be gathered. A business analyst will work with his or her manager and/or the project manager to determine which metrics are more important in an adaptive approach. Collaboration and communication skills may be measured through the use of a survey taken by stakeholders and the project team. Throughout the project, the business analyst should monitor the business's analysed results. If requirements are incorrect or late, corrective action is taken to ensure a quality output going forward. Incomplete or incorrect requirements often result from the inaction of stakeholders, so the business analyst would work with the project manager and stakeholders to remedy the situation. Stakeholders in Business Planning and Monitoring Throughout the project, the business analyst ensured that our stakeholders' needs were met. Our stakeholder characteristics accounted for value in business analysis, planning, and monitoring. The business analyst conducts performance analysis and ensures that activities continue to provide value.

4. Exercise: Understanding Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring

Exercises on understanding business analysis, planning, and monitoring. After completing this topic, you should be able to demonstrate your understanding of the tasks and responsibilities during business analysis, planning, and monitoring. So in this exercise, you will demonstrate your understanding of the tasks and responsibilities during business analysis, planning, and monitoring. Business analysis, planning, and monitoring involves several tasks to recognise how the business analysis, planning, and monitoring knowledge area relates to other knowledge areas Identifying tasks related to stakeholder engagement and team member performance improvement Identifying business analyst responsibilities related to change needs and contexts and identifying business analyst responsibilities related to stakeholder value and solutions The business analysis, planning, and monitoring knowledge area contributes to the coordination of business analysis activities. What are the other knowledge areas to which the business, analysis, planning, and monitoring knowledge area relates? Here you have the options of elicitation and collaboration strategy analysis, information management, and stakeholder engagement, and here you have the answers for you to compare. Option One. This option is correct. The Business Analysis, Planning, and Monitoring knowledge area includes tasks that are used to plan stakeholder collaboration as well as the management of information obtained through elicitation activities. Option Two: This option is correct. A change management strategy provides clear guidance on how changes are managed and is an important task related to the planning business' analysis of the government's knowledge area. Option Three: This option is incorrect. This is a task within the business analysis, planning, and monitoring knowledge area and not a knowledge area in itself. Option Four: This option is incorrect. This is also a task within the business analysis, planning, and monitoring knowledge area and not a knowledge area in itself. There are various tasks associated with the business analysis, planning, and monitoring knowledge area. Which of the following are business analysis, planning, and monitoring tasks? Plan business analysis information management, identify business analysis performance improvement, plan business analysis governance, plan compatibility with organisational processes, or use business analysis resources. And here we have the answer. Option One. This option is correct. This task includes planning, information capture, and how information will be stored. Option Two: This option is correct. This task includes identifying performance metrics and planning preventive and corrective actions. Option Three: This option is correct. This task includes developing change management strategies and establishing decisionmaking protocols. Option four is incorrect. This is not a task associated with business analysis, planning, and monitoring. This would be something that a business analyst would do after a solution was determined. Option five and the last one are also incorrect. During business analysis, planning, and monitoring, business analysis resources are planned but are actually allocated and used under other knowledge areas such as elicitation and collaboration. During planning and monitoring, stakeholder engagement and team member performance improvements are two very important tasks. Which activities and tasks are related to stakeholder engagement and team member performance improvement? Here you have the options to identify relevant stakeholders, determine how performance will be monitored, plan preventive and corrective actions, identify decision makers and the information required to make sound decisions, and finally, define strategies for managing risk. And here are the answers. Option One. This option is correct. In order to obtain the information necessary to address the business need, the stakeholders impacted by the change must be identified and described. Option Two: This option is correct. Performance metrics are established during planning so that the business analyst will know how to monitor performance. Measures could include accuracy and complaints of defective products, as well as the percentage of on-time delivery. Option Three: This option is correct. When identifying performance improvements, it is important to plan how corrective action will be taken. Two examples of corrective action are process changes and coaching. Option Four: This option is incorrect. This task is related to planning business analyst governance. Option Five: This option is also incorrect. This activity is related to planning the business analysis approach. Now another question: A business analyst has to consider certain factors when selecting an approach in business analysis, planning, and monitoring. What are the responsibilities of a business analyst in terms of change needs and context? Here you have the options of considering what is appropriate for the project, understanding the context in which the change will occur, ensuring that the approach will work within a specific context, assessing whether the stakeholder characteristics are being taken into account, and finally, conducting a performance analysis. and here you have the answer. Option One. This option is correct. The approach needs to consider the nature of the project. Option Two: This option is correct. This could include both internal and external politics as well as the business cycle. Option Three: This option is correct. To ensure understanding, the business analyst could validate the context with a sponsor, subject matter expert, and the project manager. Option Four: This option is incorrect. Although this is an important task, it is not directly related to changing needs or context. Option five, and the final one, is incorrect. This task is related to the core concept of value. Performance analysis will tell you if the activities planned have provided sufficient value to the stakeholder. A Different Question The Business Analysis Core Concept model provides a common approach, no matter the scope, domain, or approach that a business analyst uses. What are a business analyst's responsibilities in relation to stakeholders' value and Solution: We have the options of conducting performance analysis, ensuring that stakeholder needs are being met, ensuring that activities continue to provide value, communicating clearly that stakeholders must not request changes during the project, and providing a solution that sufficiently addresses stakeholder requirements. Here, you have the answers. Option One: this option involves corrective value planning and monitoring. The business analyst must plan for how the business analysis activities will be evaluated, which metrics will be used, and how performance data will be gathered. Option Two: This option is correct. One way to plan for stakeholder needs is to hold information sessions to ensure that they understand the project and that the business analyst understands their requirements. Option three. This option is correct. If this is not the case, the business analyst will work with the project manager and stakeholders to remedy the situation. Option four. This option is incorrect. Stakeholders are allowed to propose changes at any point during a project. Business analysis must plan for how changes will be addressed. Option five. and the last one. This option is obviously incorrect. This activity will be carried out during solution implementation. This knowledge area is concerned with planning and monitoring activities, such as evaluating how successful the solution's implementation was.

5. Plan Business Analysis Approach: Inputs and Elements

Plan Business Analysis Approach Inputs and Elements: After completing this topic, you should be able to recognise considerations that are important when planning a business analysis approach. Plan business Analysis Approach approach This task can only begin once the business analyst understands the need. Completing the task planned by the business analyst results In a documented business analysis approach, the business analyst needs to consider whether the need is a result of an opportunity or a problem. The business analyst will ask what he or she knows about the problem or opportunity. The need will shape the business-analyzed approach. For example, if it's a problem, scheduling root cause analysis sessions could be included in the plan. As mentioned before, business analysis is about discovery, so the understanding of the need will evolve, and therefore the plan's predictive approaches include completing requirements before implementation. This is called a waterfall. An agile project uses an adaptive approach where planning is iterative and ongoing plan.Business Analysis Approach overview A diagram gives anoverview of the approach that a process brokendown into three phases inputs, tasks and output. Inputs are needed. The task is a planned, business-analyzed approach, and the output is a business-analyst approach. The input Needs When considering the need, you must establish if it is a problem or an opportunity and what is known about it. The need shapes the business analyst approach, and the degree of understanding will evolve. Planning Approach a table that compares predictive and adaptive. You can imagine these approaches. It consists of three columns, one for the approach components, one named predictive, and one named adaptive. There are three rows in this table titled "Level of Formality," "Enable," "True," and "Level of Detail." In the predictive approach, the level of formality is highly formalized. The enablement is formal documentation and standardised templates, and the level of detail is highly detailed. In upfront plans under the adaptive approach, the level of formality is informal. The enablers are team, interaction, and feedback, and the level of detail is focused on prioritised requirements. Predictive approaches are formal, using standardised templates and processes, whereas adaptive approaches are reliant on collaboration and feedback. Adaptive approaches prioritise high-level requirements using various techniques such as backlog management. Typically, you will know which approach to take based on the project methodology. For example, a project with phases is a predictive approach where each phase must be completed before the next can begin. In adaptive initiatives, a list of requirements is prioritised based on short iterations and answers the question, "What can we complete in two weeks?" After the two week period, the requirements may be revisited and further defined. A business analyst first determines which activities will get them where they need to go. For example, you will need to identify requirements. You may need to schedule a series of requirements workshops to enable the discovery of all requirements. Scheduling time to prepare through document analysis or interviews should also be taken into consideration. Each task will be further explored iteratively until deliverables are met. such a series of use cases are completed. The timing of tasks is often communicated in a schedule. Business Analysis Activities Business analysis activities include identifying activities to meet deliverables, breaking activities into tasks, and dividing work into iterations with their own deliverables. The schedule will reflect a phased approach, with each task completed before moving to the next, or iteratively. The business analyst considers the availability of resources, such as stakeholder availability. How urgent is the need? The business analyst prioritises this task as early as possible. There are, of course, various constraints that are considered, such as the amount of time or budget available. For example, the budget may not provide for travel; therefore, online sessions would have to be used. Other initiatives may need to be completed before the business analyst can utilise resources or until enough information is available to define certain requirements. The complexity of the change is the primary factor influencing business analysis activities. This can include the number of business units affected by the change, if the change spans internationally, and the number of types of information technology systems that are affected. The size of the change will affect complexity. Although a small initiative isn't as complex as one that affects multiple stakeholder groups and business units, the same activities apply. The business analyst must understand the problem or opportunity, the current state, the stakeholder needs, and so on. The business analyst will assess risk and plan for mitigation of those risks. Timing of Business Analysis Work When establishing the timing of business analysis work, you determine the timing of tasks, decide whether tasks will be performed in phases or iteratively, and consider the availability of resources, urgency, constraints, and other initiatives. Complexity and Risk The scope of business analysis work is affected by the complexity of change. Size of the Change Risk change poses to the organizationand number of stakeholders, but also resources involved. Larger projects will have higher risk due to the number of stakeholders and impacted systems. But sometimes even the smallest change, should it go wrong, could have far-reaching impacts. So no matter the size of the initiative, risk assessment is part of the business analysis activities. The number of stakeholders, as mentioned earlier, will contribute to complexity. The more stakeholders, the higher the likelihood of differing opinions and needs, resulting in complexity in the business analysis plan. As the number of and types of resources increase, so does their complexity. Multiple vendors and contractors add another layer of complexity, such as in system integration and data migration. The level of risk is increased when a business analyst has little experience with large initiatives. Also, stakeholder indifference is a risk to business analysis activities. When the business analyst identifies these attitudes, he or she should mitigate any risk of missing requirements by engaging the stakeholders. Agreement of the business analysis approach by stakeholderswill help during plan execution in some cases,usually in predictive projects, the business analysis planrequires signoff review and acceptance of the approachhelps to ensure that all activities are identified. The estimates are realistic and right. Roles and responsibilities are identified and assigned. Complexity and Risk: The level of risk is affected by the experience of the business analyst and the stakeholder. Attitudes and Availability acceptance of Approach toachieve acceptance of the approach, the approachshould be agreed upon by key stakeholders. This may necessitate delegating, but it will ensure that all activities are identified. Estimates are realistic, and the correct roles and responsibilities are assigned.