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Decision Making[edit]
EDIT NOTE: Add graphic for Decision Making Arriving to decisions can be a daunting task because it involves many factors. One needs to understand that a high quality decision comes with a warrant: Not a guarantee of a certain outcome. But with good decision making tools we have a warranty that the process we used to arrive at a choice was a good one. As a Business Analyst you need to make sure that you take a systematic approach towards decision making. Some guidelines are:
It is important to create a constructive environment so that right people are involved in the decision making process. Also this makes sure that team members and stake holders dont hesitate to participate.
Once you create constructive environment, conduct sessions of brainstorming. At this stage it is important not to discard any point of view and give equal importance to each idea. You can also have written ideas in short surveys from the team. This gives chance to quieter people to voice their opinion. Once ideas are generated organize ideas with common theme in affinity groups category.
In some cases the impact of the decision may be significant. Analyze the consequences of each decision and look at its implications. In some cases it might be high on budget; some decision might require more people. Compare the decisions based on the available resources and constraints.
It can be difficult to predict how other people will react to the decision you make but at the same time it is important to understand the people acceptance on the implication of your decision
There are various tools available to help you with choosing the best alternative out of the available options. Please see the tools sections to refer to them.
Make sure you save a session for checking all the assumptions and methods you used to arrive at the decision
Once you have arrived at your decision, make sure you communicate it effectively to all the stake holders and involved parties. Let them know why you choose this decision and what expected impact and involved risks are. And importantly what projected benefits are. People involvement is the key to implementation. And last but most important thing is act on your decision.
The next step is to work out the relative importance of the factors in your decision. Show these as numbers from, say, 0 to 5, where 0 means that the factor is absolutely unimportant in the final decision, and 5 means that it is very important. Again, since many factors can have same importance, its not required to score it differently Step 4 To get weighted scores for each options multiply each of your scores from step 2 by the values for relative importance of the factor that you calculated in step 3. Step 5 Add up these weighted scores for each of your options. The option that scores the highest is the best suited option. Example: Say you have a situation where you are trying to decide the best vacation destination from the various options available to you. In this case say the factors that you want to consider are: Cost of travel, quality, distance, cost of hotel, activities and safety Destination options are Hawaii, Disney, Vegas, and Maine
Grid 1 with options and factors and score for each factor
Factors Travel Cost Quality Distance Cost of Stay Activities Safety Total
Weights 4
Hawaii
Disney
Vegas
Maine
Next is to decide the relative weight for each factor and multiply these by the scores already entered and total them each. Grid 2:
Factors Travel Cost Quality Distance Cost of Stay Activities Safety Total
Weights 4
Hawaii
12
16
45
Disney
20
50
Vegas
12
12
44
Maine
16
42
2. T-Chart Technique A T-Chart in the simplest form can be understood as a listing of positives and negatives surrounding a particular choice. Drawing up such a chart insures that both the positive and negative aspects of each direction or decision will be taken into account. For example, what are the pros and cons of deciding to hire more employees?
PRO
CON
Expertise of Ideas
3. PMI Technique T Chart method could be extended to include the aspects of decision which are outside the present context of judgment. Edward de Bono named it as PMI method for plus, minus, and interesting. In this method, you list all
the good points of the idea, then all the bad points, and finally all the interesting points which include areas of curiosity or uncertainty, or attributes that you simply don't care to view as either good or bad at this point. For example, consequences that some people/or some situations might view as good and others might view as bad
Problem Solving[edit]
Problems are only opportunities in work clothes." Henry Kaiser EDIT NOTE: Add graphic re: problem solving As a BA you are often solving a problem for a client (internal or external), supporting those who are solving problems, or discovering new problems to solve. Therefore, it's useful to get used to an organized approach to problem solving and decision making. Here are some guidelines to get you started. After you've practiced them a few times, they'll become second nature to you -- enough that you can deepen and enrich them to suit your own needs and nature.
Approach with Multiple Solutions: The more possible solutions you develop, the more likely you will come up with the right one. The quality of the solution seems to be in direct proportion to the quantity of solutions considered in problem solving. Prioritize: Of all the available solutions, some might be more complex demanding more money or more time. You need to prioritize your solution based on its balance on short and long term impact. Make a Decision: Once problem has been identified and solutions, you need to select one solution and act on it. The more you put off on deciding your best solution, the higher the cost and larger the impact of problem becomes. Best practice is to set a deadline for making a decision and course of action. Identify Responsible People and Delegate: Wits important to identify resources to carry on the task and make them responsible for different elements. Problem solving always needs multiple heads and hands working together. Define Objective Measures of Success: In a long term and complex problem solving it is easy to get sidetracked. Set defined measurements and test for measurements of completion.
It helps you to quickly determine the root cause of a problem. It's simple, and easy to learn and apply.
2. Constructive Controversy: Involving other people who inevitably have different perspectives and views helps us ensure that we've considered solutions from all possible sides. This problem-solving approach was introduced by David Johnson and Roger Johnson in 1979.This has been recognized as a leading model for problem solving by Arguing For and Against Your Options How to do it:
You need to facilitate meetings where people come and give constructive criticism to identified solutions For all rounded approach it's important to understand that people agree to disagree gracefully. Its not about winning but rather its an approach to improve collective understanding.
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1. Creative thinking: is the process by which we generate new ideas, imagine possibilities, and find relationships among seemingly unrelated concepts. a. Why creativity of thinking is needed for analytic?
Establishing and generation of new and fresh ideas and approaches. Convince others about these ideas. Putting these ideas into action.
b. Example:
When there is a problem exit at beneficiary side, the analytic should put new ideas may be more efficient to satisfy the requirements with generating new added values and benefits. For example, if the beneficiary would like to have system to log his customers complaints, there may be many solution exit like custom made application to just log these complaints or may be CRM application with work flow till end of complaints resolving cycle.
2. Decision Making: is an essential process for all organization and making right decisions are more crucial. A logical and systematic way of decision making can help to address critical problems of business more precisely. a. Why Decision Making is needed for analytic?
For convincing the stakeholders and decision makers of choosing a specific solution. To address how this solution will solve their existing problems. To address the impact and benefits of this solution.
b. Example:
Based on the previous ideas (CRM Custom made application) If the analytic discover that the CRM product will be more suitable for beneficiary needs. He/she will address why choosing the CRM, for example; workflow cycle from receiving the complaint till solving it, monitoring the bottle neck of pending the complaints, measure complaints resolver performance, efficiency on solving customers complaintsetc.
3- Learning: to know the domain of the solution and how to absorb new information and requirements may be appear a. Why Learning is needed for analytic?
To know and be specialized on his domain like CRM applications. Well known of issues and related problem may exist at this domain. Can generate any solution based on this learning and known experience.
b. Example:
If the beneficiary has a telephony system which is needed to be integrated with the CRM application to facilitate the complaints taking and creation. In this case the analytic should be well known of the product will be chosen to satisfy this requirement, and how this requirement will be implemented. This will be based on his knowledge at this domain.
4- Problem solving: is a mental process; part of the larger problem process that includes problem finding and problem shaping and its related with decision making process. a. Why problem solving is needed for analytic?
He /she have to have this skill to understand what is the problem and to address down in analytical understandable why. He/she should know many technicians in addressing this problem with its weaknesses and strengthens.
Need to convince the decision makers on the chosen solution based on problem finding and analysis.
b. Example:
After addressing the main pain and problem beneficiary is facing. He/she needs to write them down, to know which the best way to identify the required application.
5- System thinking: is the process of understanding how things influence one another within a whole a. Why system thinking is needed for analytic?
Understanding of the system will be provided and how any change may affect the whole system functions. Identifying how the system can be adapted to different changes. To be well known how the system will affected by any change and the system cannot absorb any changes.
b. Example:
Some readymade systems have restrictions in some changes, so the analytics should aware of these restrictions. These restrictions shall be notified and identified to decision makers. Some readymade systems have limitation on work flow design and customization, so the analytic should know of these limitations on the system how the system can handle a work round or special development or customizations to serve the requirements and needs.
The analytic should draw the system loops and links and how any change will effect on these loops with identification of issues or risks may exist after applying these changes.