This perspective focuses on nonagile approaches to IT initiatives.
The Information Technology Perspective highlights the characteristics of business analysis when undertaken from the point of view of the impact of the change on information technology systems.
This perspective focuses on nonagile approaches to IT initiatives.
When working in the information technology (IT) discipline, business analysts deal with a wide range of complexity and scope of activities. Initiatives may be as small as minor bug fixes and enhancements, or as large as re-engineering the entire information technology infrastructure for an extended enterprise. Business
analysts are called upon to work with this diverse level of knowledge and skills among stakeholders to deliver valuable solutions to their IT needs.
For information regarding agile approaches within information technology initiatives, see The Agile Perspective (p. 368).
Being able to effectively articulate the business’ vision and needs to technical stakeholders is central to the success of a business analyst in the information technology discipline. Business analysts proactively collaborate with both the business stakeholders and development teams to ensure that needs are understood and aligned with organizational strategy. A business analyst frequently plays the role of the translator who helps business and technology stakeholders understand each other’s needs, constraints, and context. The concept of solution design is appropriate in a technology context, and from the IT business analyst’s point of view. However, the term “design”, when discussed within an IT setting, is generally assumed to mean “technical design” or the utilization of technologies to solve business problems. Business analysts within an
IT context define and elaborate solution requirements or participate in solution design with business stakeholders while maintaining a separation with technical design.
Important
In IT contexts, the term “design” has traditionally been reserved for solution or technical design performed by developers, IT architects, or solution architects. All work done by IT business analysts is covered by the term “requirements”, including concepts such as the definition and design of business processes, user interfaces,
reports or other elements of the solution relevant to stakeholders outside of the implementation team. Business analysts working in this context may prefer the term “solution requirements” instead of “design” in order to maintain a clear separation of responsibility.
Business analysts working in an information technology environment consider their tasks in light of three key factors:
- Solution impact: the value and risk of the solution to the business.
- Organizational maturity: the formality and flexibility of the organizational change processes.
- Change scope: the breadth, depth, complexity, and context for the proposed change.
11.3.1 Change Scope
Changes to IT systems are initiated for several reasons.
Each of the following triggers can lead to an IT change:
- Create a new organizational capability: can be executed to transform the organization. These types of IT initiatives may drive the creation of larger programs to address non-IT changes, but are centered on a technology that alters the business environment.
- Achieve an organizational objective by enhancing an existing capability: is part of a change that meets a defined need. This may include changes to meet regulatory requirements or to enable business specific goals. These types of initiatives often modify an existing system but may also require implementation and integration of new systems.
- Facilitate an operational improvement: is undertaken to improve organizational efficiency or reduce organizational risk. The change scope, organizational maturity, and solution impact dictate whether these changes will be managed as a project, part of a continuous improvement effort, or as an enhancement.
- Maintain an existing information technology system: is undertaken to ensure smooth operation of an existing IT system. Depending on the scope of the change, maintenance may be managed as a project or a regularly scheduled activity. This may include technology driven changes such as a vendor discontinuing support of a technology, scheduled releases or upgrades to a purchased software package, or technical modifications required to support architecture strategy.
- Repair a broken information technology system: is undertaken when an IT system that is not performing as expected is changed to correct the dysfunction. The urgency of the repair is generally based on the level of disruption caused. In some cases the scope of the repair effort is very large, so the repair is managed as a project.
.1 Breadth of Change
Information technology initiatives may focus on a single system or on multiple systems which interact with each other. Some systems are developed and maintained in-house while others are commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems developed by an organization that is external to the group implementing the system. It is also possible that an external organization completes custom development, such as when development tasks are outsourced or contracted.
The scope of an IT initiative is often narrowly focused on software and hardware and a minimal set of systems, applications, or stakeholders. Larger initiatives may impact multiple user groups or systems, and often require collaboration with the extended enterprise. The implementation of COTS information technology systems may begin with a small or limited scope when the change is initiated, but after analysis is complete the scope is broader than originally anticipated. The business analysis approach for a COTS selection and implementation is approached differently than in-house development. These IT systems almost
always require customization, integration, administration, and training. In some cases, the initiatives are limited to initial installation and implementation, or enhancements to an existing application. IT initiatives may also focus on a very specific technology solution such as what data is needed, how data is gathered, how it is stored and accessed in order to support business transaction methods, or how information is reported and available to the business groups.
Business analysts working in IT carefully consider the context for any information technology change. They consider whether the change is managed as a project, a continuous improvement, or a maintenance activity. Business analysts also consider organizational change management and all impacts including training, communications, and adoption of the change.
The nature of business analysis activities in an IT environment depend on a variety of solution impact factors:
- What happens to the business if this system shuts down?
- What happens if the system performance degrades?
- What business capabilities and processes depend on the IT system?
- Who contributes to those capabilities and processes?
- Who uses those capabilities and processes?
When considering these solution impact factors, not only do business analysts match the formality of analysis activities to the business analysis processes defined by the organization, but also consider the importance of the IT system.
The importance of the system under analysis may indicate that more analysis is needed to support and define the requirements for the change.
.2 Depth of Change
Changes in an IT environment frequently require the business analyst to define explicit details, including technical details such as the definition of individual data elements being manipulated or impacted by the change. Integration efforts can require analysis and definition at a great level of detail while identifying and defining the interfaces between IT systems. Due to the level of detail required in these types of initiatives, business analysts elicit and analyze how the organization works as a whole and how the IT system will support those operations. This provides the necessary context for the business analyst to understand whether
the details being discovered and documented are relevant to delivering value. This can be particularly challenging when an IT system change is initiated for technology driven reasons but without sufficient clarity or alignment to business purpose.
.3 Value and Solutions Delivered
Information technology systems are implemented to increase organizational value, which includes any support capabilities and processes that use the system.
Business analysts seek to align IT functionality to these processes and capabilities, and to measure the effect that the system has on them.
Changes to IT systems can increase value many ways, including:
- reducing operating costs,
- decreasing wasted effort,
- increasing strategic alignment,
- increasing reliability and stability,
- automating error-prone or manual processes,
- repairing problems,
- making it possible to scale up, enhance, or make more readily available a business capability, and
- implementing new functionality and new capabilities.
.4 Delivery Approach
The delivery of business analysis activities within an IT organization varies greatly. Initiatives may range from small enhancement efforts which are completed with a single, short time frame release schedule to multi-release, phased implementations.
Short time frame initiatives may involve a single business analyst for a short period of time. Larger efforts frequently involve several business analysts who may coordinate analysis activities in several ways. Business analysts may divide work based on business group involved or by specific activity.
.5 Major Assumptions
The following is a list of major assumptions of the IT discipline:
- business capabilities and processes that use an IT system are delivering value to the organization,
- business analysts working from other perspectives can integrate their work with the work of the IT business analysts, and
- IT systems changes are usually driven by a business need, although some initiatives may originate from within technology developments.
