Published by Addison-Wesley (August 29, 2015) © 2016

Kent McDonald
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    ISBN-13: 9780133039856

    Beyond Requirements: Analysis with an Agile Mindset ,1st edition

    Language: English

    Satisfy Stakeholders by Solving the Right Problems, in the Right Ways

     

    In Beyond Requirements, Kent J. McDonald shows how applying analysis techniques with an agile mindset can radically transform analysis from merely “gathering and documenting requirements” to an important activity teams use to build shared understanding. First, McDonald discusses the unique agile mindset, reviews the key principles underlying it, and shows how these principles link to effective analysis. Next, he puts these principles to work in four wide-ranging and thought-provoking case studies. Finally, he drills down on a full set of techniques for effective agile analysis, using examples to show how, why, and when they work.

     

    McDonald’s strategies will teach you how to understand stakeholders’ needs, identify the best solution for satisfying those needs, and build a shared understanding of your solution that persists throughout the product lifecycle. He also demonstrates how to iterate your analysis, taking advantage of what you learn throughout development, testing, and deployment so that you can continuously adapt, refine, and improve.

     

    Whether you’re an analysis practitioner or you perform analysis tasks as a developer, manager, or tester, McDonald’s techniques will help your team consistently find and deliver better solutions.

     

    Coverage includes

    • Core concepts for analysis: needs/ solutions, outcome/output, discovery/delivery
    • Adapting Lean Startup ideas for IT projects: customer delivery, build–measure–learn, and metrics
    • Structuring decisions, recognizing differences between options and commitments, and overcoming cognitive biases
    • Focusing on value: feature injection, minimum viable products, and minimum marketable features
    • Understanding how analysis flows alongside your project’s lifecycle
    • Analyzing users: mapping stakeholders, gauging commitment, and creating personas
    • Understanding context: performing strategy (enterprise) analysis
    • Clarifying needs: applying decision filters, assessing project opportunities, stating problems
    • Investigating solutions: impact and story mapping, collaborative modeling, and acceptance criteria definition

    Kent J. McDonald uncovers better ways of delivering value. His experience includes work in business analysis, strategic planning, project management, and product development in the financial services, health insurance, performance marketing, human services, nonprofit, and automotive industries. He has a BS in industrial engineering from Iowa State University and an MBA from Kent State University. He is coauthor of Stand Back and Deliver: Accelerating Business Agility (Addison-Wesley, 2009).

    Preface xv

    Acknowledgments xxv

    About the Author xxvii

     

    Part I: Ideas 1

     

    Chapter 1: Guiding Principles 3

    Introduction 3

    Deliver Value 4

    Collaborate 5

    Iterate 7

    Simplify 8

    Consider Context 9

    Decide Wisely 10

    Reflect and Adapt 11

    Conclusion 12

    If You Remember Nothing Else 12

     

    Chapter 2: Helpful Concepts 15

    Introduction 15

    Needs and Solutions 15

    Outcome and Output 19

    Discovery and Delivery 20

    If You Remember Nothing Else 23

     

    Chapter 3: Influence of Lean Startup 25

    Introduction 25

    Customer Development 25

    Build-Measure-Learn 29

    Metrics 31

    If You Remember Nothing Else 38

     

    Chapter 4: Decision Making 39

    Introduction 39

    A Structure for Decision Making 39

    Real Options 46

    Cognitive Biases 48

    If You Remember Nothing Else 53

     

    Chapter 5: Deliver Value 55

    Introduction 55

    Feature Injection 55

    Minimum Viable Product 63

    Minimum Marketable Features 65

    If You Remember Nothing Else 67

     

    Chapter 6: Analysis with an Agile Mindset 69

    Introduction 69

    What Is the Need? 71

    What Are Some Possible Solutions? 71

    What Should We Do Next? 72

    What Are the Details of This Part (i.e., Telling the Story)? 73

    If You Remember Nothing Else 73

     

    Part II: Case Studies 75

     

    Chapter 7: Case Study: Conference Submission System 77

    Introduction 77

    The Need 77

    The Possible Solution(s) 78

    The Deliveries of Value 79

    Lessons Learned 92

     

    Chapter 8: Case Study: Commission System 95

    Introduction 95

    The Need 96

    The Possible Solution(s) 96

    The Deliveries of Value 97

    Lessons Learned 98

     

    Chapter 9: Case Study: Data Warehouse 101

    Introduction 101

    The Need 101

    The Possible Solution(s) 102

    The Deliveries of Value 103

    Lessons Learned 110

     

    Chapter 10: Case Study: Student Information System 111

    Introduction 111

    The Need 111

    The Possible Solution(s) 114

    Lessons Learned 118

     

    Part III: Techniques 121

     

    Chapter 11: Understanding Stakeholders 123

    Introduction 123

    Stakeholder Map 124

    Commitment Scale 129

    User Modeling 133

    Persona 138

     

    Chapter 12: Understanding Context 141

    Introduction 141

    Purpose-Based Alignment Model 142

    Six Questions 147

    Context Leadership Model 150

     

    Chapter 13: Understanding the Need 159

    Introduction 159

    Decision Filters 160

    Project Opportunity Assessment 163

    Problem Statement 167

     

    Chapter 14: Understanding the Solution(s) 171

    Introduction 171

    Impact Mapping 173

    Story Mapping 177

    Collaborative Modeling 182

    Acceptance Criteria 188

    Examples 192

     

    Chapter 15: Organizing and Persisting Solution Information 199

    Introduction 199

    Discovery Board 200

    Definition of Ready 204

    Delivery Board 206

    Definition of Done 211

    System Documentation 213

     

    Part IV: Resources 219

     

    Glossary 221

    References 245

    Index 249