Published by Addison-Wesley Professional (October 5, 2018) © 2019
James Robertson | Suzanne Robertson
Understand and Solve Your Customers’ Real Problems with Agile Business Analysis
To deliver real value, you must understand what your customers truly value, and solve the problems they really need solved. Business analysis can help you do this—and it’s as crucial in agile environments now as it always has been. In Business Analysis Agility, leading experts James Robertson and Suzanne Robertson show how to perform business analysis in an agile way: trying new things, adapting to changes and discoveries, staying flexible, and being quick. Drawing on their unsurpassed experience of hundreds of projects and organizations, the Robertsons help you prioritize relentlessly, focus investments on delivering value, and learn in ways that improve your results.
The Robertsons’ approach to analytical thinking will be valuable to anyone who wants to build better software in agile environments: analysts, developers, team leads, project managers, software architects, and other team members and stakeholders at all levels of experience.
To deliver real value, you must understand what your customers truly value, and solve the problems they really need solved. Business analysis can help you do this—and it’s as crucial in agile environments now as it always has been. In Business Analysis Agility, leading experts James Robertson and Suzanne Robertson show how to perform business analysis in an agile way: trying new things, adapting to changes and discoveries, staying flexible, and being quick. Drawing on their unsurpassed experience of hundreds of projects and organizations, the Robertsons help you prioritize relentlessly, focus investments on delivering value, and learn in ways that improve your results.
- Uncover the real customer problems hidden behind assumptions and conventional solutions
- Hypothesize potential solutions and quickly test them with safe-to-fail probes
- Understand how people, hardware, software, organizations, and other components come together in an optimal customer experience
- Write stories that help you find solutions that deliver more value to customers and the business
- Think about problems and projects in more agile, nimble, and open-minded ways
The Robertsons’ approach to analytical thinking will be valuable to anyone who wants to build better software in agile environments: analysts, developers, team leads, project managers, software architects, and other team members and stakeholders at all levels of experience.
Foreword xv
Preface xix
Acknowledgments xxv
About the Authors xxvii
Chapter 1: Agile Business Analysis 1
Why Is This “agile”? 2
Möbius Strip 2
Why Are We Concerned with Business Analysis? 3
Bernie’s Books–An Example in Agile Business Analysis 4
What Do You Do? 5
What’s Bernie’s Problem? 6
People Assume They Know the Solution 7
Analytical Thinking 7
Bernie’s Business Goals 8
Customer Segments 9
Loyal Customers 9
Twentysomethings 10
Book Cover Bandits 11
Value Proposition 11
Who Identifies Customer Segments and Their
Value Propositions? 13
How Can I Solve the Problem? 13
Safe-to-Fail Probes 15
Who Performs Safe-to-Fail Probes? 18
Investigate the Solution Space 18
Who Investigates the Solution Space? 20
Designing the Solution 20
Who Designs the Solution? 23
Opportunities 24
Write and Manage Stories 25
agile Business Analysis 27
Business Analysis for Traditional or Sequential Projects 28
The Changing Emphasis of Business Analysis 30
Chapter 2: Do You Know What Your Customers Value? 33
Problem Versus Solution 34
Identify the Customer Segments 36
How to Identify the Customer Segments 36
HomeSpace 38
Other Stakeholders 39
Prioritize the Customer Segments 39
Value Propositions 41
Talking to the Customers 43
What Impact Will Your Solution Have? 45
Business Value 47
Is It Risky to Deliver the Value? 47
The Moving Target 48
Wrong Until Right 49
Summary 51
Chapter 3: Are You Solving the Right Problem? 53
The Problem 53
Are You Solving the Right Problem? 54
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 56
The Outcome of Solving the Problem 56
The Customer’s Needs 57
Customer Journey Maps 58
Travel the Same Journey as Your Customer 60
Talking to the Customers 60
Uncovering the Essence of the Problem 61
Ask Why Again and Again and Again 62
Referred Pain 63
Disguised Problems 64
The Real Scope of the Problem 66
Are You Solving the Problem That You Want to Solve? 68
Now You Need a Solution 68
The Solution Is a Hypothesis 69
Off-the-Shelf Solutions 69
Options for Solutions 70
How Might We? 71
Willingness to Be Creative 72
Techniques for Generating Ideas 72
Innovation Triggers 73
Constraint Removal 74
Combining Ideas 75
The Slogan 76
Personas 76
Portraying Your Solutions 78
Safe-to-Fail Probes 78
Right Outcome? 82
“Failed” Probes 83
Double Loop 84
Outcome and Impact 85
Systems Thinking 87
Choosing the Best Option 88
Summary 89
Chapter 4: Investigate the Solution Space 91
Why Are We Investigating? 92
Defining the Scope of the Solution Space 92
Business Events 95
Scoping by Business Event 97
Finding All the Stakeholders 99
Investigating the Business Events 101
Prioritize the Business Events 102
Using Models for Your Investigation 103
Modeling Business Processes 104
Live Modeling 107
Business Rules 107
Why Don’t I Skip Analysis and Just Write Stories? 109
Contextual Inquiries 111
Creative Observation 112
Consider the Culture 113
Summary 115
Chapter 5: Designing the Business Solution 117
Designing 118
Designing: An Example 118
Useful, Usable, Used 121
What Is Design? 121
Making Decisions 122
Meeting the Essence 122
Meeting Constraints 123
Meeting Architecture 123
Good Design 124
What Are You Designing? 124
Designing the Information 126
Designing the Interaction 128
UX Design 130
Designing Convenience 132
Incremental, Iterative, and Evolutionary Design 134
Enabling Technology 135
Recording Your Design 136
Chapter 6: Writing the Right Stories 139
Business Events 140
Writing Stories 144
“As a …” 144
Try Not to Write “I Want” 144
Ask “why?” again and again 145
The Two-Line Story 146
Story Maps 146
Functional Stories 148
Given-When-Then 149
Breaking Down the Functional Stories 149
Detailed Tasks 151
Developing the Map 153
Enhancing Your Stories 155
Acceptance Criteria 155
The People Involved 156
Wireframes 157
Prioritizing the Map 158
Dependencies Among Business Events 160
Prioritizing the Tasks 160
Periodic Reprioritization 160
Kanban 161
Minimum Viable Product 162
Quality Needs 163
Qualities: What Do They Look Like? 165
Qualities at the Product Level 168
Fit Criteria for Quality Needs 169
The Volere Template 170
Look & Feel 170
Usability 171
Performance 171
Operational and Environmental 171
Maintainability and Support 171
Security 172
Cultural 172
Compliance 172
Exceptions and Alternatives 173
Stories and Development Cycles 174
Summary 177
Chapter 7: Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick 179
Jack Be Nimble 179
Wicked Problems and Gordian Knots 180
The Next Right Answer 182
Looking Outwards 183
Continuous Improvement 183
Why Are They Complaining? 185
Enlightened Anarchy 186
Jack Be Quick 187
Hour 1: Customer Segments 187
Hour 2: Value Propositions 188
Hour 3: Solving the Right Problem 189
Hour 4: Safe-to-Fail Probes 191
The Rest of the Day and Some of Tomorrow: Design the Solution 192
Jumpin’ Jack Flash 193
Jack and Jacqueline Jump over the Candlestick 194
Jumping the Silos 194
Avoiding Sign-Offs 196
The Blue Zone 197
Agile Business Analysis and Iterative Development Cycles 198
The Product Owner Coordinates 199
The Discovery Activity Responds to Priorities 199
And Jill Came Tumbling After 201
Documentation 202
Knowledge Artifacts 202
Project Goals 202
Solution Scope 204
Story Maps 205
Jack Sprat Could Eat No Fat 205
Traditional Business Analysis 208
Traditional Process 209
Routine Problems 210
Complicated Problems 211
Complex Problems 211
The Requirements Document 212
They Have Licked the Platter Clean 214
Glossary 217
Bibliography 223
Index 227
Preface xix
Acknowledgments xxv
About the Authors xxvii
Chapter 1: Agile Business Analysis 1
Why Is This “agile”? 2
Möbius Strip 2
Why Are We Concerned with Business Analysis? 3
Bernie’s Books–An Example in Agile Business Analysis 4
What Do You Do? 5
What’s Bernie’s Problem? 6
People Assume They Know the Solution 7
Analytical Thinking 7
Bernie’s Business Goals 8
Customer Segments 9
Loyal Customers 9
Twentysomethings 10
Book Cover Bandits 11
Value Proposition 11
Who Identifies Customer Segments and Their
Value Propositions? 13
How Can I Solve the Problem? 13
Safe-to-Fail Probes 15
Who Performs Safe-to-Fail Probes? 18
Investigate the Solution Space 18
Who Investigates the Solution Space? 20
Designing the Solution 20
Who Designs the Solution? 23
Opportunities 24
Write and Manage Stories 25
agile Business Analysis 27
Business Analysis for Traditional or Sequential Projects 28
The Changing Emphasis of Business Analysis 30
Chapter 2: Do You Know What Your Customers Value? 33
Problem Versus Solution 34
Identify the Customer Segments 36
How to Identify the Customer Segments 36
HomeSpace 38
Other Stakeholders 39
Prioritize the Customer Segments 39
Value Propositions 41
Talking to the Customers 43
What Impact Will Your Solution Have? 45
Business Value 47
Is It Risky to Deliver the Value? 47
The Moving Target 48
Wrong Until Right 49
Summary 51
Chapter 3: Are You Solving the Right Problem? 53
The Problem 53
Are You Solving the Right Problem? 54
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 56
The Outcome of Solving the Problem 56
The Customer’s Needs 57
Customer Journey Maps 58
Travel the Same Journey as Your Customer 60
Talking to the Customers 60
Uncovering the Essence of the Problem 61
Ask Why Again and Again and Again 62
Referred Pain 63
Disguised Problems 64
The Real Scope of the Problem 66
Are You Solving the Problem That You Want to Solve? 68
Now You Need a Solution 68
The Solution Is a Hypothesis 69
Off-the-Shelf Solutions 69
Options for Solutions 70
How Might We? 71
Willingness to Be Creative 72
Techniques for Generating Ideas 72
Innovation Triggers 73
Constraint Removal 74
Combining Ideas 75
The Slogan 76
Personas 76
Portraying Your Solutions 78
Safe-to-Fail Probes 78
Right Outcome? 82
“Failed” Probes 83
Double Loop 84
Outcome and Impact 85
Systems Thinking 87
Choosing the Best Option 88
Summary 89
Chapter 4: Investigate the Solution Space 91
Why Are We Investigating? 92
Defining the Scope of the Solution Space 92
Business Events 95
Scoping by Business Event 97
Finding All the Stakeholders 99
Investigating the Business Events 101
Prioritize the Business Events 102
Using Models for Your Investigation 103
Modeling Business Processes 104
Live Modeling 107
Business Rules 107
Why Don’t I Skip Analysis and Just Write Stories? 109
Contextual Inquiries 111
Creative Observation 112
Consider the Culture 113
Summary 115
Chapter 5: Designing the Business Solution 117
Designing 118
Designing: An Example 118
Useful, Usable, Used 121
What Is Design? 121
Making Decisions 122
Meeting the Essence 122
Meeting Constraints 123
Meeting Architecture 123
Good Design 124
What Are You Designing? 124
Designing the Information 126
Designing the Interaction 128
UX Design 130
Designing Convenience 132
Incremental, Iterative, and Evolutionary Design 134
Enabling Technology 135
Recording Your Design 136
Chapter 6: Writing the Right Stories 139
Business Events 140
Writing Stories 144
“As a …” 144
Try Not to Write “I Want” 144
Ask “why?” again and again 145
The Two-Line Story 146
Story Maps 146
Functional Stories 148
Given-When-Then 149
Breaking Down the Functional Stories 149
Detailed Tasks 151
Developing the Map 153
Enhancing Your Stories 155
Acceptance Criteria 155
The People Involved 156
Wireframes 157
Prioritizing the Map 158
Dependencies Among Business Events 160
Prioritizing the Tasks 160
Periodic Reprioritization 160
Kanban 161
Minimum Viable Product 162
Quality Needs 163
Qualities: What Do They Look Like? 165
Qualities at the Product Level 168
Fit Criteria for Quality Needs 169
The Volere Template 170
Look & Feel 170
Usability 171
Performance 171
Operational and Environmental 171
Maintainability and Support 171
Security 172
Cultural 172
Compliance 172
Exceptions and Alternatives 173
Stories and Development Cycles 174
Summary 177
Chapter 7: Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick 179
Jack Be Nimble 179
Wicked Problems and Gordian Knots 180
The Next Right Answer 182
Looking Outwards 183
Continuous Improvement 183
Why Are They Complaining? 185
Enlightened Anarchy 186
Jack Be Quick 187
Hour 1: Customer Segments 187
Hour 2: Value Propositions 188
Hour 3: Solving the Right Problem 189
Hour 4: Safe-to-Fail Probes 191
The Rest of the Day and Some of Tomorrow: Design the Solution 192
Jumpin’ Jack Flash 193
Jack and Jacqueline Jump over the Candlestick 194
Jumping the Silos 194
Avoiding Sign-Offs 196
The Blue Zone 197
Agile Business Analysis and Iterative Development Cycles 198
The Product Owner Coordinates 199
The Discovery Activity Responds to Priorities 199
And Jill Came Tumbling After 201
Documentation 202
Knowledge Artifacts 202
Project Goals 202
Solution Scope 204
Story Maps 205
Jack Sprat Could Eat No Fat 205
Traditional Business Analysis 208
Traditional Process 209
Routine Problems 210
Complicated Problems 211
Complex Problems 211
The Requirements Document 212
They Have Licked the Platter Clean 214
Glossary 217
Bibliography 223
Index 227