A Business Analyst's Guide to
more Successful Projects
March 2013
This presentation represents observations and opinions of the presenter and is not endorsed or supported in whole or in part
by Sun Life Financial.
About Sandra Fickling
 15+ years of experience mentoring business analysts
and establishing business analysis best practices
 Certified Business Analysis Professional ™ (CBAP®)
 Member of IIBA® since 2004
 Waterloo-Wellington IIBA® Chapter board of
directors member for six years – secretary (2005-07) ,
president (2007-09) and past-president (2009-11)
Certified Business Analysis Professional™ is a trademark owned by International Institute of Business Analysis.
CBAP® is a registered certification mark owned by International Institute of Business Analysis. This certification mark is used with
the express permission of International Institute of Business Analysis.
IIBA® is a registered trademark owned by International Institute of Business Analysis.
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WIIFY (Agenda)
 WIIFY – What’s in it for you? We’re going to discuss:
 What is project success?
 What can BAs do to increase project success rates?
 What can you do differently to influence project success
in your organization?
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Project Success – What is it?
 How would you define project success?
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Project Success - Defined
 According to the PMBOK ® Guide:
“… success of the project should be measured in
terms of completing the project within the
constraints of scope, time, cost, quality, resources,
and risk …”
Source: Project Management Institute (2013) PMBOK® Guide, Fifth Edition. [Online]
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Project Management Triangle
Time
Source: Tutorialspoint. (2013) Project Management Concepts. [Online] Available from:
http://www.tutorialspoint.com/ [Accessed 08 March 2013]
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Project Management Triangle
Time
Source: Tutorialspoint. (2013) Project Management Concepts. [Online] Available from:
http://www.tutorialspoint.com/ [Accessed 08 March 2013]
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Project Management Triangle
Time
Source: Tutorialspoint. (2013) Project Management Concepts. [Online] Available from:
http://www.tutorialspoint.com/ [Accessed 08 March 2013]
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Project Management Triangle
Quality
Time
Source: Tutorialspoint. (2013) Project Management Concepts. [Online] Available from:
http://www.tutorialspoint.com/ [Accessed 08 March 2013]
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Project Management Triangle
Quality
Time
Source: Tutorialspoint. (2013) Project Management Concepts. [Online] Available from:
http://www.tutorialspoint.com/ [Accessed 08 March 2013]
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PM Triangle + Resources
Resources
Resources:
• People
• Processes
• Technology
Quality
Time
Resources
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PM Triangle + Resources + Risk
Resources
RISK
Quality
Time
Resources
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BA’s influence on “Scope”
Resources
RISK
Quality
Time
Resources
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BA’s influence on “Scope”
 How can a BA impact:
 “Scope”?
 “Risks” that impact “Scope”?
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BA’s influence on “Scope”
 Some observations and opinions:

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

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Thorough stakeholder analysis
Early elaboration of high level business requirements
Early agreement on expected project deliverables
Clear understanding of benefits and priorities
Diligent management of scope and interdependencies
Effective assessment of additional scope
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BA’s influence on “Time”
Resources
RISK
Quality
Time
Resources
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BA’s influence on “Time”
 How can a BA impact:
 “Time”?
 “Resources” that impact “Time”?
 “Risks” that impact “Time”?
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BA’s influence on “Time”
 Some observations and opinions:

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Thorough stakeholder analysis
Wise technique selection
Effective BA planning
Strong proactive and assertive behaviors
Prompt issue escalation
Confirm time constraint requirements
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BA’s influence on “Cost”
Resources
RISK
Quality
Time
Resources
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BA’s influence on “Cost”
 How can a BA impact:
 “Cost”?
 “Resources” that impact “Cost”?
 “Risks” that impact “Cost”?
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BA’s influence on “Cost”
 Some observations and opinions:



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Thorough stakeholder analysis
Quick determination of project scope
High quality requirements
Frequent revisit of priorities and benefits
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So, what do you think?
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