PROJECT
MANAGEMENT and BUSINESS ANALYSIS SERVICES

This we know: projects, whether standalone or part of a larger program or portfolio, exist for one simple reason: to create tangible, measurable and persistent value, in a timely and cost effective manner. This can't happen without a thorough understanding of strategic, tactical and operational requirements, and the many stakeholder groups they represent.

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The Japanese term Gemba means the place where value is created. It drives and differentiates our value promise to you.

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We have almost four decades of experience leading and managing successful development programs and projects. Projects succeed only to the extent that the right people, with the right competencies, with the right resources and fully integrated processes, are in place. And, to be able to replicate and grow success, projects must be just as much about developing your people as they are about developing your products and services.

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Here are some of the reasons why you should talk to us about managing, or assisting you in managing, your next projects:

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Requirements Capture and Fulfillment at the Centre

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This means comprehensive business analysis, up front and fully integrated with project management. Business analysis cannot be limited to speaking with key stakeholders and users. While critical, this must be done within the context of understanding how a proposed project aligns with and supports strategy planning and execution, has a solid business case, and creates value. No project is an island.

 

Jason Questor, our Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, was one of the founding members of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA), served as Founding President for the Toronto Chapter (a position he was re-elected to by the membership for 10 years), served as Editor for the Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) Version 3, contributor to versions 2 and 4, and led the team building out the sections on Enterprise Business Analysis.  He has built out multiple programs and courses in business analysis, and been a frequent speaker at business analysis conferences.  Jason has over 35 years running successful programs and projects, built and assisted clients in the building of their Project Management Offices, and developed and delivered project management training for Canadian and global clients.

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Integration with Business Process Engineering

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How many times have you had to deal with a new computer application, piece of machinery, or purchased solution that does not mesh with how you and your people actually work?

 

Business goals drive the configuration of your bench: those business functions that are fulfilled by your people to create value. Business functions are operationalized through business processes. Any project solution, whether technological, product based, or service driven, must be fully integrated with the processes that create value.  This is why we incorporate business process analysis and optimization into our projects.

 

If desired, our team of project leaders will work with your business stakeholders to identify and map both the current and future desired state of new or affected business processes, as part of requirements capture. This critical element validates the requirements in the first place, delineates training and transition requirements, enables seamless implementation, and saves you money, time and rework. There is a saying in our world: if you automate an ineffective business process, all you get is a fast, ineffective business process. Let's find out how your business works at the process level, where improvements can be made, and build solutions to that.

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We Help You Select the Right Approach for Project Success

 

​One of the most common mistakes we see is to select the project approach or methodology, and then try to fit every project into that. This makes no sense. You don't hire a private jet to go to the corner store (at least we don't). When it comes to projects, one size does not fit all.

 

We take the time with you up front, to fully understand, not only the project objectives, but also the complete environment and set of constraints that the project will operate within: budgets, resources, time frames, product and project scope, required quality levels for deliverables, and the risk profile for the project.

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Armed with this, we work with you to select the best approach: agile, iterative, waterfall, or a hybrid of these. This comes from our decades of experience in project management and this simple path to success:

• first, understand where you are starting from;

• next, understand what your destination is;

• only then, decide the best way to get there.

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