Checklist Description

This checklist should be used in the planning stage of a business analysis to set the scope of the study. By quantifying the scope at each point, the focus and intensity of the analysis effort can be set in advance.

Checklist

1. Level of detail:

   1. Be careful of information overload. Look at your target audience how much detail are they interested in? Stop at the point where information is below their level of interest.

   2. How much time have you got? Fix your level of detail to the timescale you can always get the project sponsor(s) to commission a more detailed study.

2. Involving all the necessary business divisions/departments:

   1. Most processes cut across several organizational boundaries both internal and external (e.g. suppliers). Have you ensured that these divisions/departments are involved in the exercise?

3. Senior management buy-in:

   1. Don't rely on a thumbs-up from the board/steering committee, go and talk to all the divisional/departmental chiefs individually. List their expectations. Map out where they welcome change. Identify the sacred cows the things that they don't want to change. Try to assess whether the sacred cows are there due to ego, power or pleasure/interest. Are they doing this because the MD says so or are they genuinely pro-change?

   2. How much trust is there on the senior management team? Are they a team or are they a set of competing individuals?

4. Clear, genuine goal:

   1. Is there a clear goal? Does it have a definable end...