Keywords: Association Project Management, develop and promote project management

The Association for Project Management, with 17,000 individual members and 500 corporate members, aims to develop and promote project management.

Keywords: Study own actions / experiences

This is a process through which participants study their own actions and experiences in order to learn from them.

Keywords : investigation technique, observation, time spent on aspects of work.

This is an investigation technique carried out to determine the amount of time individuals spend on different aspects of their work. Activity sampling is a form of observation, and involves the collection of data that may be used for statistical analysis.

Keywords: User role, work within business system, individual, group, IT system, time.

This is a role that performs areas of work within a business system. Actors are modelled on swimlane diagrams and use case diagrams. Actors are usually user roles, and show the indivdual or group of individuals responsible for carrying out the work. An actor may also be an IT system, and time may also be an actor.

Keywords: Software development, incremental, iterative

Agile methods are a family of processes for software development using incremental and iterative approaches.

Keywords: Stories, illustrate point, doubtful authenticity, conventional wisdom, widely accepted belief

These are usually stories used to illustrate a point, although they are of doubtful authenticity. They may be an example of conventional wisdom or a belief that is widely accepted.

Keywords: Project Management Framework

Altern is the agile project management framework of the DSDM consortium.

Keywords : Strategic Management, Financial & non financial performance measures, Quadrants, financial, custmer, process, learning/growth

A balanced business scorecard support a strategic management system by capturing both financial and non-financial measures of performance. There are usually four quadrants:

• financial,
• customer, 
• process, 
• learning and growth

Keywords: delivery, business benefits, business case, managing projects, checking progress, additional actions

A process that is concerned with the delivery of the predicted business benefits defined in a business case. This process includes managing projects such that they are able to deliver the predicted benefits, and, after the project has been implemented, checking progress on the achievement of these benefits and taking any actions required in order to enable their delivery.

Keywords: Analyse market potential, provided services and products

A techinique used to analyse the market potential of the products and services provided by an organization. It was defined by the Boston Consulting Group.

Keywords: analysis framework, Investiage Situation, Consider Perspectives, Analyse Needs, Evaluate Options, Define Requirements, Determine framework most appropriate to situation

A framework for business analysis assignments that incorportates the strategic context and five sequential stages: 

• Investigate Situation
• Consider Perspectives
• Analyse Needs
• Evaluate Options
• Define Requirements

The framework places standard modelling techniques in context to help analysts determine the most appropirate technique for individual business situations.

Keywords: Conceptual model, from business perspective, planning, enabling, doing, monitoring, controlling

A conceptual model that shows the set of business activities that would be expected to be in place, given the business perspective from which it has been developed. There are five typical types of business activity represented on a business activity model:

• planning
• enabling
• doing
• monitoring
• and controlling

Keywords: people, interest in project- comissioned / work / users

Business actors are people who have an interest in a project, either because they have commissioned it, they work within the business system being studied or they will be the users of a proposed new IT system.

Keywords: Framework, structure, process, people, IT

A framework for a business system that describes its structure, process, people, information and technology.

Keywords: document, findings from analysis, recommended course of action, introduction, mgmt summary, description current situation, options considered, analysis costs + benefits, impact, risk, recommendations, appendicies supporting information

A business case is a document that describes the findings from a business analysis study and presents a recommended course of action for senior management to consider. A business case would normally include an introduction, management summary, description of the current situation, options considered, analysis of costs and benefits, impact assessment, risk assessment and recommendations, plus appendices that provide detailed supporting information.

Keywords: trigger to do something, initiate business process, external, internal, time based

A business event triggers the business system to do something. Typically this is to initiate the business process that forms the business system response to the event. In effect, a business event tells us when a business activity should be triggered; it fires into life the process that carries out the activity. There are three types of business event: external, internal and time based business events.

Keywords: business case, option to address business problem or opportunity.

A key step in developing a business case is to identify the options available to address the business problem or opportunity.

Keywords: Stakeholder view, values, beliefs, Several different perspectives for situation, CATWOE

A view of the business system held by a stakeholder. The business perspective will be based upon the values and beliefs held by the stakeholder. These values and beliefs will be encapsulated in a defined world view. There may be several divergent business perspectives for any given business situation. See CATWOE

Keywords: linked business tasks, response to event, receives, manipulate, transfers, creates output

A linked set of tasks performed by a business in response to a business event. The business process receives, manipulates and transfers information or physical items, in order to produce an output of value to a customer.

Keywords: diagram, tasks, response to event, achieve specific goal

A diagram showing the tasks that need to be carried out in response to a business event, in order to achieve a specific goal. See SWIMLANE DIAGRAM.

Keywords: investigation, collect requirements for solution, resove problem, enable opportunity

The proactive investigation and collection of requirements for a solution required in order to resolve a business problem or enable a business opportunity.

Keywords: define business activities, important when modelling, constraints, operational guidance

Business rules define how business activities are to be performed. It is important tha these rules are considered when modelling the processing to carry out the activitty. There are two main types of business rule: constraints that restrict how an activity is performed and operational guidance rules which describe the procedures for performing activities.

Keywords: Senior, accountable for delivery, responsible for resources

A senior person in an organization who is accountable for delivering the benefits from a business change. The sponsor is also responsible for providing resource to the project team.

Keywords: long term direction, achieve objectives

A strategy describes the long-term direction set for an organization in order to achieve the organizational objectives.

Keywords: components working together, defined purpose, people, it systems, processes, equipment, recursive

A set of business components working together in order to achieve a defined purpose. the components of a syetm include people, it systems, processes and equipment. Each component may be a system in its own right.

Keywords: Individual, customer side, adopts roles sponsor / domain expert / end user

An individual member of staff involved in a business change project from the customer side of the equation. A business user may adopt a number of business roles including business sponsor, domain expert and end user of a solution.

Keywords: Internal, consuntant, investigate business situations, identify evaluate options, improve systems, define requirements, ensure effective use

This is an internal consultancy role. It has the responsibility for investigating business situations, identifying and evaluating options for improving business systems, defining requirements and ensuring the effective use of information systems in meeting the needs of the business.

Keywords: Defining business perspectives, Soft Systems Methodology

A technique from the Soft Systems Methodology that provides a framework for defining and analysing business perspectives. 

Keywords: process improvement, integrate functions, goal, priorities, guidance, quality

A process improvement approach used to help integrate traditionally separate functions, set process improvement goals and priorities and provide guidance for quality processes.

Keywords : Requirements change, controlled, steps, documentation, analysis

A process whereby changes to requirements are handled in a controlled fashion. The change control process defines the process steps to be carried out when dealing with the proposed change. These steps include documenting the change, analysing the impact of the change in order to decide upon the course of action to take and deciding whether or not to apply the change. The analysis and decisions should be documented in order to provide an audit trail relating to the proposed change.

Keywords: definition, attributes, operations.

A class is a definition of the attributes and operations shared by a set of objects within a business system. Each object is an instance of a particular class.

Keywords: UML, describe classes, associations

A technique from the Unified Modelling Lanague (UML). A class model describes the classes in a system and their associations with each other.

Keywords: Hosted, Services, Internet 

A general term for the delivery of hosted services over the internet.

Keywords: Skill, job

A competency is a skill or quality that an individual needs in order to perform his or her job effectively.

Keyword: tool, requirements engineering, documentation, cross-references, access restiction, versioning

An automated tool that provides facilities to support requirements engineering work. These facilities will include the production and storage of documentation, management of cross-reference between documentation, restriction of access to documentation and management of document versions. Sometimes known as COMPUTER-AIDED REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING.

Keywords: agreed activities, various stakeholder BAM

The definitive, agreed BAM representing the activities needed by a business, and created from the individual stakeholder BAMs.

Keywords: technique, identify cost/benefit of Change intiative, tangible or non tangible, financial value, potential fiancial return, standard investment techniques.

A technique that involves identifying the initial and ongoing costs and benefits associated with a business change initiative. These costs and benefits are then categorised as tangible or intangible, and a financial value is calcualted for those that are tangible. The financial values are analysed over a forward period in order to assess the potential financial return to the organization. This analysis may be carried out using standard investment appraisal techniques. See: - Payback Period (Break Even Analysis) - Discounted Cash Flow / Net Present Value Analysis.

Keyword: Area succeed, positive performance

The areas in which an organization must succeed in order to achieve positive organizational performance.

Keywords: Iterative, project delivery, framework, continuous user involvement, right solution, right time

DSDM Altern is an iterative project delivery framework that emphasises continuous user involvement and the importance of delivering the right solution at the right time.

Keywords: Appraisal technique, time value of money, net cash flow discounted by inflation.

An investment appraisal technique that takes into account the time value of money. The annual net cash flow for each year following the implementation of the change is reduced (discounted) in line with the estimated reduction in the value of money. The discounted cash flows are then added to produce a net present value.

Keywords: document samples, reviewed, uncover information, organziation, process, system, data

A technique whereby samples of documents are reviewed in order to uncover information about an organization, process, system or data items.

Keywords: Diagram, data, IT system

A diagram produced using the entity relationship modelling technique. The diagram provides a representation of the data to be held in the IT system under investigation.

Keywords: technique, data required for IT system, describes the "things" (entities), relationships

A technique that is used to model the data required to support an IT system. The technique models the data required to describe the 'things' the system wishes to hold data about - these are known as the 'entities' - and the relationships between those entities.

Keyword: Extended period of time, detailed understanding, culture and behaviours

An ethnographic study is concerned with spending an extended period of time in an organization in order to obtain a detailed understanding of the culture and behaviours of the business area under investigation.

Keywords: foremost in user's mind, easily articulate

The knowledge of procedures and data that is foremost in the business user's minds, and which they can easily articulate.

Keywords: external to organization, source forces impact organziation, laws, social trends, competitor

The business environment that is external to the organization and is the source of forces that may impact the organization. Types of forces may include the introduction of new laws, social trends or competitor actions.

Keywords: technique, forces, inside, outside, support, oppose

A technique to consider those forces inside and outside the organization that will support adoption of a proposal and those that will oppose it. This technique was developed by Kurt Lewin and may be used in evaluating options for change in change management.

Function Requirement (Definition)

Keywords : Function, required, system, provide

A requirement that is concerned with a function that the system should provide, i.e. what the system needs to do.

Keywords: Compriation, as-is, to-be, identify gaps, actions, BAM, BPM

The comparison of two view of a business system, the current or "as is" view and the destired or "to be" view. The aim of gap analysis is to determine where the current situation has problems or "gaps" that need to be resolved. This leads to the identification of actions to improve the situation. The business activity modelling technique may be used to provide an ideal view, which can then be compared with a view of the current situation. An alternative approach is to use the business process modeling technique, using 'as is' and 'to be' process models.

Keywords: All aspects, people, process, org areas, IT

The consideration of all aspects of a business syste: the people, process and organization areas, in addition to the information an technology used to support the business system.

Keywords: automated components, hosted, computer, collaborate, services, users

A set of automated components hosted on a computer that work together in order to provide services to the system users.

Keywords:Consideration, impact, change, business system, people

The consideration of the impact of a proposed change will have on the business system and on the people working with it.

Keywords: benefit, unpredictable value, monetary

A benefit to the realised by a business change project for which a credible, usually monetary, value cannot be predicted.

Keywords: Cost, unpredictable value, monetary

A cost incurred by a business change project for which a credible, usually monetary, value cannot be predicted.

Keywords: capability, ability to respond, ext. env. forces, MOST, resource audit, int. bus. env.

The internal capability of the organization that affects its ability to respond to external environmental forces. Techniques such as MOST analysis or the resource audit may be used to analyse the capability of the internal business environment.

Keywords: Calculation, assess, ROI, project, percentage, NPV=0, compare projects, better investment opportunities, leave in bank

A calculation that assesses the return on investment from a project, defined as a percentage rate. This percentage is the discount rate at which the net present value is equal to zero, and can be used to compare projects to see which are the better investment opportunities. Alternatively, this rate may be used to compare all projects with the return that could be earned if the amount invested was left in the bank.

Keywords: investigation, elicit information, bus. users, agenda distributed, organized manner, report produced

An investigation technique to elicit information from business users. An agenda is prepared prior to the interview and distributed to participants. The interview is carried out in an organized manner, and a report of it is produced once it has been concluded.

Keywords: Performance, targets, measures, assesment, critical success factors

These are defined performance targets or measures that assess the performance of an organization. Key performance indicators are often identified in order to assess the organizations performance in the areas defined by the critical success factors.

KEYWORDS:

• Swimlane Diagram, 
• Piece of work, 
• single actor, 
• specific moment

"On a business process model or a swimlane diagram, a piece of work carried out by a single actor at a specific moment in time."

Keywords: Process, People, Organization, Technology