Effective Business Analysis enables the translation of a set of, often diverse, requirements into a cohesive statement of need; from which a solution may be devised.

C2 Consulting's emphasis is that the solution must fit the business as opposed to the business fitting the solution. C2 consultants utilise the following techniques to ensure that the analysis exercise is effective.

Understanding your organisation's business processes.

Ensuring the involvement of users at all stages.

The use of one on one structured interviews to elicit requirements.

Workshops to gain challenge requirements and gain common understanding.

A two-stage review process to ensure are deliverables are of the highest quality.

Structured walkthroughs of the requirements and dependencies with all users.

Analysis of the effectiveness of the existing system.

A detailed specification providing function and data based analyses.

Once the specification has been completed and agreed, C2 Consulting can provide your business with advice on system design or evaluating packages against that specification.

Business Analysis Details

Whilst many aspects of your business are similar to other businesses in your market place, the way you business does things and the challenges it faces will be unique. At the beginning of an engagement with your business, C2 consultants will not claim a complete understanding of your business. However, through research and careful questioning, they will rapidly gain an understanding of your business processes and the issues your business has manage. Top

A methodology which seeks to involve the users significantly throughout the analysis process. Whilst this requires investment from the business, the value of consulting those users who either perform the business processes or are responsible for them cannot be understated. Top

One on one structured interviews are a valuable tool to elicit specific domain knowledge, particularly from those members of staff who are actively involved in the existing business process. They are also a very good way in which detailed information can be obtained by meeting with the most appropriate individual capable of supplying it. Top

Workshops are used to agree high level requirements from a group of related users. Through use of facilitation techniques, our consultants will encourage all attendees to express their opinion and reach consensus Workshops are also used as a forum for high level structured walkthroughs with the business community to ensure that the solution being presented is an appropriate one. Top

All documents produced by our consultants undergo a two-stage review. The first is an internal review; a 'sanity check' which ensures that document obeys our internal standards, is well written and presented and captures your requirements at the correct level of detail. If the document passes this review and inspection, the second stage is a review from your business. This review will concentrate on the accuracy of the requirements and removing any gaps in the analysis. Typically, many reviews of each document will take place as the analysis iterates to completion. Top

At various points throughout the analysis project, C2 will organise formal, structured walkthroughs of the work done to date with a group of business users taken from all departments that will be impacted by the eventual solution. The purpose of these meetings is to present the results of the analysis to date to a wider audience and enable them the challenge it. Through these walkthroughs, all cross departmental dependencies can be checked to ensure that they have been included and mitigated. Top

Analysis of existing systems and processes - our consultants will analyse the current processes and systems employed by the business in the area to be analysed in order to determine their effectiveness. C2 will not suggest a new IT system or a rewrite of the existing system in use unless it is absolutely necessary. Top

C2 Consulting consultants will provide a full specification of your requirements broken down into several distinct areas including:

A Data driven analysis of your requirements. This will include a full specification of what data will need to be held as part of the proposed solution, how that data is interrelated and how it can best be stored

A Function driven analysis of your requirements. This will include a definition of all functions required in the proposed solution, how those functions relate to each other and how they are mapped onto your business processes.

Function-data ownership diagrams. These diagrams show the relationships between the data used by your business, collected in the data driven analysis above, and the functions defined in the function driven analysis above. These diagrams show which functions create, read, update and destroy the data associated with the area of your business being analysed.

A Business Process Impact statement. This document will identify any of your existing business processes that will be impacted by the proposed solution. In some circumstances, the solution may not require a new IT solution. Instead, some small changes to the business processes may yield great improvements.

An indication of the next steps. This will enable your business to plan the implementation of the proposed solution, if you decide to go further. The specification produced by C2 Consulting can then be used as part of an Invitation to Tender of Product evaluation exercise. Top