4

PLANNING

The Planning Process Group consists of the processes performed to determine an optimal approach for performing business analysis activities, including how they are adapted for the chosen project life cycle, and to analyze the internal and external stakeholders who will interact and influence the overall definition of the solution so that:

• Business analysis activities and deliverables are defined and agreed upon;
• Processes that will be used for engaging stakeholders, eliciting, analyzing, tracing, monitoring, and evaluating are acceptable to key stakeholders; and
• Key stakeholders are aware of and support the activities and time commitments required to complete the business analysis effort.

In the same way that the outputs of the project management planning processes are consolidated to form the project management plan, the outputs of business analysis planning processes are consolidated to form the business analysis plan. Business analysis planning makes it possible to understand the scope of the work, stakeholders' expectations and their risk appetite, dependencies between activities, and the appropriate amount and level of business analysis required for the situation to avoid unrealistic expectations by those involved in the requirements-related activities. Business analysis planning activities work in conjunction with portfolio, program, and project management planning activities; therefore, collaboration is a key consideration so that content is neither duplicated nor contradictory.

There is no single approach to business analysis planning that works for every situation; ultimately, the project life cycle, context, complexity, and project characteristics, among other considerations, need to be understood to appropriately choose and size the planning activities for the situation.

Significant changes occurring throughout the project life cycle, lessons learned, or retrospectives trigger the need to revisit one or more of the planning processes. This progressive detailing of the approach is called progressive elaboration, indicating that planning and execution are iterative and ongoing activities.

Table 4-1 depicts the relationship between the processes within the Business Analysis Planning Process Group and project management.

^A For the business analysis processes, the numbers in parentheses refer to the section numbers for the processes that appear in The Standard for Business Analysis; the other numbers refer to the sections in The PMI Guide to Business Analysis.

4.1 CONDUCT STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS

Conduct Stakeholder Analysis is the process of researching and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information about the individuals, groups, or organizations that may impact, are impacted, or are perceived to be impacted by the area under assessment. The key benefit of this process is that it provides important insights about stakeholders that can be used when choosing elicitation and analysis techniques, selecting which stakeholders are appropriate to involve at different times in the business analysis efforts, and determining the best communication and collaboration methods to use. The inputs and outputs of this process are depicted in Figure 4-1.

4.2 DETERMINE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION APPROACH

Determine Stakeholder Engagement and Communication Approach is the process of developing appropriate methods to effectively engage and communicate with stakeholders throughout the product life cycle, based on an analysis of their needs, interests, and roles within the business analysis process. The key benefit of this process is that it provides a clear, actionable approach to engage stakeholders throughout business analysis and requirements-related activities, so that stakeholders receive the right information through the best communication methods and frequency to satisfy the needs of the initiative and meet stakeholder expectations. The inputs and outputs of this process are depicted in Figure 4-2.

4.3 CONDUCT BUSINESS ANALYSIS PLANNING

Conduct Business Analysis Planning is the process performed to obtain shared agreement regarding the business analysis activities the team will be performing and the assignment of roles, responsibilities, and skill sets for the tasks required to successfully complete the business analysis work. The results of this process are assembled into a business analysis plan that may be formally documented and approved, or may be less formal depending on how the team operates. Whether the plan is formally documented or not, the results from all of the planning processes should be considered in the overall approach. Failing to make planning decisions can result in a less than optimal approach when performing the business analysis work. The key benefit of this process is that it sets expectations by encouraging discussion and agreement on how the business analysis work will be undertaken and avoids confusion regarding roles and responsibilities during execution. The inputs and outputs for this process are shown in Figure 4-3.

4.4 DETERMINE ELICITATION APPROACH

Determine Elicitation Approach is the process of thinking through how elicitation activities will be conducted, which stakeholders will be involved, which techniques may be used, and the order in which the elicitation activities are best performed. The key benefits of this process are efficient use of stakeholder time, effective stakeholder collaboration, and an organized approach to elicitation. The inputs and outputs of this process are depicted in Figure 4-4.

4.5 DETERMINE ANALYSIS APPROACH

Determine Analysis Approach is the process of thinking ahead about how analysis will be performed, including what will be analyzed; which models will be most beneficial to produce; and how requirements and other product information will be verified, validated, and prioritized. The key benefit of this process is that it supports a shared understanding of the business analysis work to be performed to develop the solution. The inputs and outputs of this process are depicted in Figure 4-5.

4.6 DETERMINE TRACEABILITY AND MONITORING APPROACH

Determine Traceability and Monitoring Approach is the process of considering how traceability will be performed on the portfolio, program, project, or product, and defining how requirement changes will be managed. The key benefit of this process is that it appropriately sizes the level of traceability and formality of the requirements change management process for the situation. The inputs and outputs of this process are depicted in Figure 4-6.

4.7 DETERMINE SOLUTION EVALUATION APPROACH

Determine Solution Evaluation Approach is the process of determining which aspects of the organization and/or solution will be evaluated, how performance will be measured, when performance will be measured, and by whom. The key benefit of this process is that performance indicators and metrics are selected or defined so they can be collected, reported on, and evaluated to support the continual improvement of the organization and/or product. The inputs and outputs of this process are depicted in Figure 4-7.