Beyond Requirements: Analysis with an Agile Mindset, 1st edition
Published by Addison-Wesley Professional (September 11, 2015) © 2016
- Kent J. McDonald
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Beyond Requirements shows how to use business analysis practices and techniques to identify key business problems, find optimal solutions, and successfully implement them. Unlike most business analysis texts, it places analysis techniques in context, positioning them as a "means to the end" of solving organizational problems, not as an end in themselves.
- Integrates up-to-date analysis best practices with actionable ideas from other domains
- Shows how to systematically evaluate how project impacts the business model
- Helps readers understand project risks and opportunities more clearly, assess tradeoffs, and promote more informed decision-making
- For both professional business analysts and other managers who want to leverage business analysis techniques to improve their own performance
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Preface xv
Acknowledgments xxv
About the Author xxvii
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Part I: Ideas 1
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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
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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
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Chapter 3: Influence of Lean Startup 25
Introduction 25
Customer Development 25
Build-Measure-Learn 29
Metrics 31
If You Remember Nothing Else 38
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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
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Chapter 5: Deliver Value 55
Introduction 55
Feature Injection 55
Minimum Viable Product 63
Minimum Marketable Features 65
If You Remember Nothing Else 67
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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
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Part II: Case Studies 75
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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
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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
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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
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Chapter 10: Case Study: Student Information System 111
Introduction 111
The Need 111
The Possible Solution(s) 114
Lessons Learned 118
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Part III: Techniques 121
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Chapter 11: Understanding Stakeholders 123
Introduction 123
Stakeholder Map 124
Commitment Scale 129
User Modeling 133
Persona 138
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Chapter 12: Understanding Context 141
Introduction 141
Purpose-Based Alignment Model 142
Six Questions 147
Context Leadership Model 150
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Chapter 13: Understanding the Need 159
Introduction 159
Decision Filters 160
Project Opportunity Assessment 163
Problem Statement 167
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Chapter 14: Understanding the Solution(s) 171
Introduction 171
Impact Mapping 173
Story Mapping 177
Collaborative Modeling 182
Acceptance Criteria 188
Examples 192
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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
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Part IV: Resources 219
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Glossary 221
References 245
Index 249
Kent J. McDonald uncovers better ways of delivering value by doing it and helping others do it. His years of experience include work in business analysis, strategic planning, project management, and product development in a variety of industries, including financial services, health insurance, performance marketing, human services, nonprofit, and automotive. He is active in the business analysis and agile software development communities helping people share stories about what does and does not work.
Kent has a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from Iowa State University and an MBA from Kent State University.
Kent is also a coauthor of Stand Back and Deliver: Accelerating Business Agility.
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