Agile Business Analysis

Understanding Feature Injection

Antony Marcano & Chris Matts

@AntonyMarcanohttp://antonymarcano.com

@PapaChrisMattshttp://decision-coach.com

Agile Business Analysis

So, what is it?

What is Business Analysis

• Understanding the business value sought• Understanding the problem domain• Exploring the roles, incentives and required

product capabilities that solve the problems• Facilitating growth of that understanding

among others

What is Agile Business Analysis

• Accepting that we can’t have 20/20 foresight• Evolve everyone’s understanding of the value

& problem as the team evolves the solution• Working in small product increments• Remaining fully engaged on a project through

to delivery – why?

Feature Injection

• Feature Injection helps us incrementally and Iteratively:– Discover the real business value– Explore the problem domain– Explore the roles, incentives and required product

capabilities– Evolve’s everyone’s understanding of the problem

as the solution also evolves

Facilitate Growth in understanding

Understandthe value

Understand the problem

ExploreA

SolutionLearn

Example Driven Modelling

Example Driven Modelling

Business ValueBusiness Value

Feature

Business Value

FeatureFeatureFeature

The Problem(often communicated

as a solution)

A solution

Example Driven Modelling

Understand the Business Value

Understand the Problem(s)

Collaboration & Conversation

How?

Understand the value

Business ValueThe Problem

(often communicated as a solution)

Understand the Business Value

“Users ultimately dictate solutions to us, as a delta from the previous set of solutions we’ve delivered them. That’s just human psychology – writer’s block when looking at a blank page, as compared to the ease with which we provide ‘constructive criticism’ on somebody else’s work.” – Udi Dahan

Business Value

• IncreaseRevenue

ReduceCosts

ProtectRevenue?

A Useful Technique

5 WhysPopping the “why” stack

Understanding the problem

Example Driven

Modelling

Feature

Business Value

Feature

Example Driven

Modelling

KnownsKnow

ns

Unknow

ns

Unknowns

Unknown unknowns Unknown knowns

Known unknowns Known knowns

Modelling

The value is in the outputs

http://www.agilejournal.com/articles/columns/column-articles/1918-feature-injection-part-4

http://www.agilejournal.com/articles/columns/column-articles/1918-feature-injection-part-4

Aim to understand…

• That which helps achieve the business value:– Who will use the product? (roles)– What do we need them to do? (behaviours) – Why would they want to do it? (incentives)– How are user behaviours exhibited? (examples)

As these things solidify, we can pull “business value increments” (BVI) into a structure that makes it easy to incrementally deliver these in our product

What-ifExample

Reflect – in scope?

Elaborated Example

(Test)

EvolvingModel

Discussing the resulting evolution to the model may then inspire more examples

FeatureGroup of cohesive examples

Exploring the solutions

Business Value

FeatureFeature

We now have an understanding of…

• Value: What is our motivation?• Roles: Who will use our product?• Behaviour: What do we need them to do?• Incentives: Why would they want to do it?• Examples: How are user behaviours exhibited?

• <some business value sought>– <some solution increment>• <some role>• <some product capability>• <some benefit to the role>

– <some solution increment>• <some role>• <some product capability>• <some benefit to the role>

User Stories

• Grouping of cohesive examples• Explains the role, capability and incentive

As <some role>I want <some capability>So that <some benefit to the role>

XP Day 2001 session “Tuning XP” - Rachel Davies and Tim McKinnon

<Value sought>As <some role>I want <some capability>So that <some benefit to the role>

As <some role>I want <some capability>So that <some benefit to the role>

Should <achieve some outcome forsome stimulae>

Should <achieve some outcome forsome stimulae>

Should <achieve some outcome forsome stimulae>

Should <achieve some outcome forsome stimulae>

Exam

ples

Example

PrintCo – a Printer Manufacturer

We need mandatory

registration on our website

• Why? Because we need more e-mail addresses• Why? Because we want to e-mail more

customers• Why? Because 3% of them buy consumables

and this will increase our consumable sales figures

So ,we will increase revenue by increasing our mailing list

• Role: PrintCo Customers• Behaviour: Give us their e-mail addresses• Incentive: Get special deals on consumables

Printer Driver & Management Software

Update?Reminder e-mail page?

Discuss Examples

andy@riverglide.comantony+somecomment@riverglide.com

nobody@example.com

some.body@to.

Increase PrintCo Consumable Sales

As PrintCo CustomerI want to be asked for my e-mail address via the websiteSo that I can get monthly e-mails with special deals on consumables

As a PrintCo CustomerI want to be e-mailed with deals specific to my printerSo that I don’t have to wade through irrelevant info

Should capture valid email address:name[+comment]@somwhere.com

Should reject black-hole addresses: *@example.com

Exam

ples

Should contain Single ownership consumable deals

Should contain multiple ownership consumable deals

Resources• http://www.agilejournal.com/articles/columns/column-articles

/1472-feature-injection/1684-feature-injection-part-2/1643-feature-injection-part-3/1918-feature-injection-part-4

• http://www.testingreflections.com/node/view/8556

Discussion

Twitter:@AntonyMarcano @PapaChrisMatts

@RiverGlide

E-mail: talktous@riverglide.comantony@riverglide.com