Transcript Professional Business Analyst Skills (IS 6008)

IS Consulting Process
(IS 6005)
Masters in Business Information Systems 2006 / 2007
Programme in Professional Information System Practices
Fergal Carton
Business Information Systems
Last week
• Segmenting consulting practice
– Emphasis on services (from Helpdesk to ASP model)
– Any other research on market?
– Homework on Vision
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PPARS project
Typical consulting assignments
Role of consultants
Perspectives on IS function
Do you know more than the client?
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
This week
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Segmenting consulting practice
Re-cap on PPARS project
Vision exercise
Project samples
IT Consulting profession
PCB case study
Freedman handout
Peter Keen article
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
PPARS discussion
• Payroll calculation relatively structured problem
– How are paychecks going to be produced (level of manual intervention)?
• Complexity of job specifications: Erinville Maternity Hospital Example
– Medical, catering, admin, Building & maintenance, …
• How would you go about this project again?
– Use of experienced resources where interface with customer may be
“sensitive”
– Split into 2 projects : pay regime harmonisation and payroll
– HSE has responsibility for 1st project before 2nd project scoped
– Is one single system a pre-requisite?
– Take into account funding input from Govt (context level diagram?)
• What did other Health Services do for Payroll (eg. UK)?
• What does it teach us about consulting process?
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
Segmenting the IS consulting market
• What services are provided?
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IT strategy definition (laying out an investment plan for IT spend)
Advise on IT cost reduction
Feasibility study or business case for IT spend
Develop requirements for new system
Package selection and implementation
Software development (Design, Build, Run, …)
Outsourcing operations (ASP, Helpdesk, IT support, …)
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• What markets are operated in?
– Public
– Commercial
– SME
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
The Consulting Industry
• Around along time
– Arthur Andersen, 1913
– McKinsey & Company, 1926
– Cap Gemini, 1968
• The Global Management Consulting Industry Market was
valued at $119 billion in 2004
• The Global Management Consulting Industry Market is
projected to grow at a 12.5% rate through 2005
source: Kennedy Information (Information source on Management
Consulting)
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
Vision exercise
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Background, size, structure, locations
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Unique selling point (if one exists)
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Industry sectors/practice areas
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Offers/services within these areas
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
Vision exercise
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
Look at existing clients
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
Project samples
• Implementation of Oracle Financials (SSP, AP, FA, GL, OE,
AR) in EMC’s international subsidiaries
• ERP systems selection and business process review for
international company in the chemicals sector
• Implementation of Project Management standards for
Financial Times on-line publishing department
• Roll-out of an accounting system for France Telecom’s
regional invoicing centres
• Implementation of on-board EPOS and procurement
systems for Eurostar’s catering operation
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
Is IT consulting a profession?
IT and
“Consultant”
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
Is IT consulting a profession?
IT and
“Project Manager”
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
PCB exercise
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Analysis method
Output
ERP vs. in-house
Next steps
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
CEO view of IT function
• “Black hole of Calcutta”
• “What’s all the fuss about”?
• IT = operations
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
2 basic questions
• How to plan and prioritise ICT investments?
• How to manage ICT operations?
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
Why is planning important?
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IT tends to evolve, not follow a plan
Difficult to align IT to corporate goals
Perception of poor “value” from IT
IT considered “too operational”
IT can constrain as well as enable
IT considered a major driver of cost
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
What do consultants do?
• Tell you what you already know?
• Guarantee project completion?
• Take ownership of issues?
• Energise an existing project team?
• Cost you a lot of money?
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
What do consultants not do?
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Give the answer up front
Give their services for free
Make a client look bad
Replace client’s own staff
Get involved in politics
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
Information Systems
• Types of assistance
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High level strategy
Feasibility study
Requirements specification
Package selection
Understanding costs of IS operations
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• Know-how that you bring to the table
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Frameworks to present and prioritise requirements
Trading off requirements when you can’t do everything
Technology and business awareness: best practice
Project management skills
Communication skills
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MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
Consulting process
• Process of consulting
– Understand the requirement
• Why is client using a consultant?
– What is the value you can bring to project?
– Writing a proposal
– Estimating FTE’s
• Project management
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Project phases and tasks
Project resources
Deliverables
Profitability of contract
Communication with
client
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
Topics covered
The IS Consulting Business:
• What does the IS Consultant do?
• Why do organizations engage consultants?
Managing Client Engagements:
• Making the sales pitch, writing a good proposal
• Requirements analysis and understanding the
client goals
• Task definition and project resources
• Preparing and presenting the solution options
Making the most of Client Relationships:
• Communication and selling on
• Building long-term client relationships
• Working your client base
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
Recommended text
• Rick Freedman (2000). The IT Consultant:
A Commonsense Framework for Managing
the Client Relationship, Jossey-Bass /
Pfeiffer, San Francisco
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills
Reading for
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2
Oct
• Peter Keen, BPM, Future of IT
• http://www.actiontech.com/library/Documents/
ProtectedDocuments/BPMFutureofIT.pdf
MBS (BIS) / 6008 / Professional Business Analyst Skills