For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Learn More About Your 2009 Business Analysts  (694 KB PPT)

by Mary Gerush, November 13, 2009

These data charts highlight more data from the Forrester Research/IIBA Q2 2009 Global Business Analyst Online Survey, first reviewed in the July 23, 2009, "Your 2009 Business Analysts: Know Them To Grow Them" report.

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Case Study: The IRS Got Audited, Leading It To Improve Software Requirements Practices

by Mary Gerush, August 10, 2009

When faced with a mandate to improve its software requirements practices, the United States Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Business Rules and Requirements Management (BRRM) team stepped up to the plate and embraced the opportunity for improvement. It . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Your 2009 Business Analysts: Know Them To Grow Them

by Mary Gerush, July 23, 2009

A recent survey of approximately nine hundred current business analysts (BAs) indicates that business analysts are alive and kicking in organizations of all sizes and in all industries. They report into many different groups, and many are finding homes . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

SOA Security 2009: Requirements And Design

Understanding Your SOA Security Requirements And Iterative Solution Design

by Randy Heffner, July 16, 2009

In industry discussions about SOA, external integration is treated as the benchmark indicator of SOA security maturity: If it's secure enough for external integration, SOA must be secure. By that benchmark, 30% of SOA users think SOA security is mature . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

When Looking For Product Insights, Not All Social Media Are Created Equal

The Choice Of Social Media Depends On The B2B Question Asked

by Tom Grant, Ph.D., July 10, 2009

"Location" — the "L" in Forrester's PLOT method for applying social media to product management decision-making — deserves special attention. The landscape of social media is now so broad, the tools so varied, and the creation costs so (relatively) low . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

PLOT: A Social Media Strategy To Make Better Development Decisions

Social Media Compel Product Managers To Learn A New Requirements Discipline

by Tom Grant, Ph.D., July 8, 2009

Social media provide a wealth of information that might help technology vendors make better decisions about products and services. To maximize the value of the answers, and the speed with which product managers can find them, Forrester recommends an approach . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Social Media Lower The Risks Of Bad Requirements

Product Managers Must Master The Inbound Side Of The Groundswell

by Tom Grant, Ph.D., June 8, 2009

To date, technology vendors have based product decisions on meager, skewed, and unreliable information, with predictable results. Schedule slips, user rejection, and other expensive problems are directly attributable to this highly flawed customer and . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Just Do It: Modernize Your Requirements Practices

Incorporate Agile Techniques To Better Meet Business Needs In Five Easy Steps

by Dave West, Mary Gerush, April 15, 2009

Developing sound requirements is one of the most important aspects of any software development project. When requirements are clear, concise, and comprehensive, all other aspects of the process are easier and more successful. But requirements approaches . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Get The Tools For Business Analyst Success

by Connie Moore, March 31, 2009

Organizations rely on business analysts (BAs) to facilitate the delivery of technology and use process methodologies to improve the organization's effectiveness at the business unit, business function, and/or business process level. So isn't it time to . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Cultivate Your Business Analyst Talent Pool

Your Project Management Success Depends On It

by Connie Moore, March 27, 2009

You have always depended on your business analysts for deep domain expertise, leadership skills, and the ability to see process improvement efforts to fruition. Increasingly, your expectations of business analysts have grown to encompass fluidity between . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

The ROI Of Improved Requirements  (112 KB XLS)

by Tom Grant, Ph.D., February 4, 2009

Calculate the likely benefit, measured in revenue from product sales, for implementing a requirements tool. In the process, identify the product issues that may need greater attention.

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Harness The Power Of Your Business Analysts

A Guide To Building Your Business Analysis Program

by Mary Gerush, December 9, 2008

IT has long known that business analysis is important, but many shops are just beginning to focus on improving their business analysts' skills and practices. Smart application development leaders recognize that strong business analysis results in increased . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Find And Grow Great Business Analysts

How To Define, Hire, And Develop The Best

by Mary Gerush, October 22, 2008

It's time to get serious about optimizing your business analysts and their practices. Why? Project success eludes us, and CIOs struggle to improve customer satisfaction and IT's relationship with the business. Businesses are losing money due to poor and . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Business Analyst Assessment Workbook  (90 KB XLS)

by Mary Gerush, October 22, 2008

The Business Analyst Assessment Tool, which was produced in conjunction with the October 22, 2008, "Find And Grow Great Business Analysts" report, can be used to evaluate an individual's strengths and weaker points across a set of capabilities, knowledge, . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Preparing For The Business Technology Analyst

by Mike Gilpin, August 20, 2008

As traditional notions of the business analyst evolve, application development and program management professionals must prepare for a new, emerging type of business analyst: the business technology analyst. Because these new business technology analysts . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Requirements Management, Q2 2008

HP And IBM Lead, With MKS, Telelogic, Compuware, And Borland Close Behind

by Carey Schwaber, May 30, 2008

In Forrester's 79-criteria evaluation of requirements management tools vendors, five standalone requirements management tools and four application life-cycle management (ALM) solutions that include requirements management capabilities went head-to-head. . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

I&KM Pros: The New Business Analyst Takes Center Stage

by Connie Moore, May 6, 2008

Business analysts have always been an important part of any information and process-oriented IT initiative. They serve as intermediaries between business and technology stakeholders, analyzing the business processes that create, update, and consume information, . . .

For CIOs

The Business Analyst's Dual Focus: Technology And The Business  (214 KB PPT)

by Carey Schwaber, Rob Karel, April 10, 2008

The role of the business analyst is changing. This data chart will showcase some Forrester data that highlights the trends.

For CIOs

The New Business Analyst

Business Technology Analysts Become The CIO's Most Valuable Business Ally

by Carey Schwaber, Rob Karel, April 8, 2008

Everyone agrees on the importance of the business analyst role, but few know exactly what it is that business analysts do. In truth, there are two main types of business analyst: business-oriented and IT-oriented. But with the move from information technology . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

EA+Requirements Management Increases Enterprise Agility

by Henry Peyret, April 3, 2008

Large enterprises often struggle with managing changes to multiple projects and properly tracking the impact of changes across initiatives. Enterprise architects in such environments find the deck is stacked against them when they want to introduce design . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Selecting The Right Requirements Management Tool — Or Maybe None Whatsoever

by Carey Schwaber, Peter Sterpe, September 28, 2007

Many of today's requirements management tool purchases are misguided: Application development and program management professionals often buy requirements management tools for the wrong reasons and select tools that are out of line with their needs. To . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

The Root Of The Problem: Poor Requirements

Three Strategies For Addressing Three Types Of Requirements Problems

by Carey Schwaber, September 1, 2006

The quality of software requirements is a limiting factor on the success of software development projects. And it's the rare IT organization that couldn't improve its requirements practices. When it comes to getting requirements right, companies struggle . . .

The Changing Face Of Application Life-Cycle Management

Tomorrow's ALM Platforms Will Deliver On The Promise Of Today's ALM Suites

by Carey Schwaber, August 18, 2006

IT organizations spend billions of dollars a year on development life-cycle tools that don't play well together. The result? For most shops, application life-cycle management (ALM) — the coordination of development life-cycle activities — is still largely . . .

For CIOs

Requirements For Long-Term Architecture

Guiding Today's Decisions To Create Long-Term IT Agility

by Alex Cullen, Jost Hoppermann, August 8, 2006

Enterprise architecture (EA) groups need to guide the execution of IT projects, but the architects' value should be based more on their understanding of target architecture than on their skills as technologists. To be credible, the target architecture . . .

Next-Generation Banking Platform Requirements Revisited

by Jost Hoppermann, May 17, 2006

Forrester has defined next-generation banking platform requirements and the banking backbone to help identify target state architectures for banking platform renewal. Now, three years later, more sophisticated approaches to banking platforms and advances . . .