BUSINESS ANALYSIS PROGRAM

»	Do your information technology initiatives go smoothly?
»	Does the design team know what to build, for whom and why?
»	Have alternative solutions been identified and evaluated?

Answered no to any of these?

We can help.

DOES YOUR TEAM HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS?

How successful are IT initiatives in your company?

Of course, it depends on how you define "success". Do you consider these all-too-common situations successful? A three-month schedule slip? A 20% cost overrun? A missed market window? An angry customer?

Successful or not, the adverse impact to your company is the same. How do these results occur over and over again in company after company?

It's the small things that matter. Paying attention to details early in the effort pays huge dividends later on. Before jumping into the design of a major new business inititive, there are five questions you need to answer? Who? What? When? Where? And, most importantly, why? Yes, that's journalism 101, yet these basics are all too often ignored.

If you can't answer the basic questions, your initiative is doomed. The solution designers will focus on the "how" of the implementation. They'll be forced to make assumptions around who, what, when, where and why. The result will be a solution that is less effective and more costly than it could have been.

Build a solid foundation and the rest of the project is much easier.

Here are some examples of basic questions that can turn complex and costly initiatives into framed and functional solutions:

Who is impacted by the current situation?
What activities does each impacted person perform?
When do these activities need to be done?
Where can the activities be performed?
Why do we need to get these things done?

Asking these questions has two primary objectives. First, we want to understand the current situation and what factors led to its existence. Second, we must be prepared to challenge the status quo. Are all these activities needed? Can the timing be accelerated? Are there viable alternatives?

Understanding comes before designing.

The goal of our Business Analysis Program is to find the root causes of the current situation, not just identify the symptoms. We examine alternative solutions which will achieve the business objectives. We'll help you select the most effective solution and document it in sufficient detail to avoid passing ambiguities to the design team.

We do this using one-on-one interviews and facilitation techniques such as Joint Requirements Planning (JRP) sessions. These are half-day or full-day probing meetings where key decision makers gather to draw conclusions. Our role is to facilitate and lead you to the right conclusions for your business.

Focusing on the fundamentals really works!

Whether you are planning workflow improvements, software upgrades, network enhancements or product introductions, business analysis focused on the fundamentals is critical. Ask who, what, when, where and why. You'll be more successful!

Simpler is better. (Not to mention faster and cheaper.)

We'll provide you with the three critical elements of business analysis.

Flow diagram showing business processes and how they connect to each other
Rules matrix showing the business rules for each process
Data model showing the business information that needs to be stored

Business analysis made simple!

This is not a static "one size fits all" program. We will tailor the approach to suit your needs and schedule. If your design process is already underway, it's not too late. We can factor design decisions into the effort such that the impact on the designers is minimal yet time and cost savings will still be significant.

Don't forget about updating business continuity plans and reviewing network security for any new initiative.

No paper jungle, please!

Major business initiatives involve many people and systems. Seemingly simple problems can become enormously complex as you assess the situation and uncover cause and effect relationships.

This often leads to the creation of mountains of documentation, especially when large consulting firms are involved. Large stacks of printed paper give the appearance of lots of work.

It doesn't have to be that way.

The goal is not to document, document and document some more. The goal is to understand. People always understand more and remember it longer when the documentation is simple and brief.

There are cases where lengthy paper trails are required such as when dealing with government regulations like HIPAA or SOX. But, these are exceptions. Don't treat every business initiative like a clinical trial requiring FDA approval.

Keep it simple. Using an expert business analyst will inform, educate and assist you in making your next business initiative a success.

Don't generate paper. Maximize understanding.

DAMICON can help!