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Workshop Outline
Business Case: Planning & Analysis
A highly particpative approach to project success to fast-track your development
Foundational Knowledge
No foundational business systems analysis or technical knowledge is required.
Introduction
The project management and business specification for business projects has undergone a paradigm shift. Traditional project management and analysis techniques were derived from the engineering, construction and IT industries and reflected a mechanistic and rigid approach. Contemporary project management and analysis has evolved to become a dynamic and flexible approach that reflects the rapid changes in technology, organisations and development approaches. This workshop presents integrated models of project management and business systems analysis that are driven by the need for faster delivery cycles, full business client involvement and higher productivity and quality.
As the roles of business and technical experts become even more significant in the management and analysis of their organisation’s projects, the roles and responsibilities of project managers and business analysts remain poorly defined. Too many business people are required to undertake the project management and/or analysis and modeling of complex business processes with little or no training in either the concepts of participative planning or in techniques for process and data modeling.
Contemporary Project Management and Business Systems Analysis is different from traditional information systems development in two critical areas:
| 1. |
Project Management and Business Systems Analysis is about understanding the problem and the business opportunity not the solution. While traditional IT project managers and systems analysts examined the business processes, their focus tended to be on more IT concerns such as system design and development. In recognising projects as vehicles for organisational change and commercial positioning, Project Managers and Business Analysts are now more concerned with the effective planning, analysis and modeling of the business problem and business process dynamics; and |
| 2. |
Project Management and Business systems analysis is about the cost-benefit issues of a project. Project Managers and Business Systems Analysts are vital partners in developing the project Business Case. The understanding gained by the Business Systems Analyst through analysing and modeling the current and proposed business processes is used to develop benefit, cost and other project justification models used by the project manager to develop a rigorous project Business Case. |
Who should attend
The workshop is designed for all virtual team members who must collaborate on the planning and analysis of their organisation’s projects with:
- sponsors and project managers,
- business analysts,
- internal project development support groups; and
- stakeholders; and
Fast-track Your Development
This workshop is an ideal vehicle for project team members who want to fast track their development, as it is an amalgamation of the:
- 3 day Business Systems Analysis: Essential Techniques workshop, and the
- 3 day Project Management: Essential Techniques workshop;
presented over 5 days.
The Workshop
This five day workshop provides integration of the essential information requirements for a project’s Initiation and Analysis Phases. With a focus on contemporary partnerships and service agreements between the project sponsor, project team, business experts and stakeholders, this workshop introduces a participative approach in the development of a project’s business case and the analysis of the business specification.
These techniques have been developed, adapted and applied by thomsett INTERNATIONAL in many business and IT projects over the past 18 years. They are considered by experts as Best Practice and have been adopted by many leading organisations as a standard.
To ensure the maximum opportunity for skills transfer, this workshop comprises over 60% intensive case study work. The case study is used to highlight the practical application of the various models and techniques covered in the workshop. Small group sessions and simulations are also part of the workshop's design.
Topics Include
Day 1
- Introduction and context
- Project management paradigms
- Project definition
- Project Success - initial definition
- Project business drivers
- Overview of Project Steering Committees
- Project Justification/Business Case
- The project management model
- Project Approval/Business Case
- Project Planning
- Project Reporting
- Project Tracking
- Detailed Project Planning: Introduction
- Defining scope and objectives
- Stakeholders and related projects
- Project relationship management
- Case Study: Project Plan: Scope, objectives and stakeholders
- Introduction to data-flow diagrams
- Modeling scope and objectives
- Context Level Data-flow Diagrams
- Case Study: Current System Context Level Data-flow Diagram
Day 2
- Project risk assessment and management
- Case Study: Risk Assessment and management
- Select Project Development Strategy
- Select and tailor methodology
- Case Study: Strategy and methodology
- Estimation concepts/basic rules
- Sensitivity Analysis
- Metrics history
- Wide Band Delphi Model
- Effort based approaches
- Case Study: Developing project estimates
Day 3
- Essential analysis concepts
- Logical versus physical systems
- Data versus information
- Expectations versus requirements
- Modelling business processes
- Tips and tricks for modelling processes
- Level 1 Data-flow Diagrams
- Case Study: Current System Level 1 Data-flow Diagram
Day 4
- Analysing business problems
- Case Study: Business requirements analysis
- An introduction to Benefits Analysis
- Project Objective levels
- The IRACIS model
- Primary and secondary benefits
- Gathering benefits data
- Project objectives measures
- Case Study: Added Value Analysis Plan
Day 5
- Introduction to data analysis
- Basic terms and concepts
- Modelling data requirements
- Modelling proposed business systems requirements
- Case Study: Proposed System Context and Level 1 Data-flow Diagrams
- Putting it all together
- Case Study: Business Requirements Specification
- Case Study: Business Case review
- Conclusion
Documentation
Workshop participants will receive a full set of the workshop materials and a book written by Rob and Camille Thomsett on Business Systems Analysis plus a number of articles and PM templates to help you get a quick start in your project endeavours.
Book an In-house Workshop or a place on a Public Workshop
| In-house Workshop | Public Workshop | |||
thomsett INTERNATIONAL would be pleased to help you with your enquiry regarding the presentation and / or tailoring of this workshop for your organisation. For further enquiries please contact us. |
To book a place on a public workshop see our Public Workshop Schedule. |