The benefits of benefits mapping

The benefits of benefits mapping

Eloise Taysom - Senior Business Analyst at GDS

Context

Providing a service to citizens often involves an eligibility check. Generally, this is a laborious manual process where the citizen sends in paper forms to prove eligibility and the service provider checks this evidence. This is time consuming and expensive for government bodies providing services. The data that service providers use to prove eligibility is usually already held in other parts of government, but accessing it is difficult. Personal Data Exchange (PDE) is a team in Government Digital Service who are trying to solve this problem. We’re building a simple and secure way to query existing personal data held by government departments. PDE is currently in Alpha.

Process

At the start of this work, PDE was exploring the problem that data access and sharing in government is difficult and expensive. Solving this issue is a big challenge, so we had to work out how to focus our efforts and how to deliver the most impact. One of the ways we did this was to use benefits mapping. This involved mapping out the benefits that we could deliver and the changes we need to bring about to deliver these benefits. We found that going through the benefits process was useful both for refining our scope and for communicating our vision to stakeholders. In this article I will give an overview of what the benefits mapping process looked like for us. 

A benefits map links drivers to strategic objectives in a series of stages:

drivers -> project outputs -> enabling changes -> intermediary benefits -> end benefits -> strategic objectives

We started our benefits map by listing out all of the drivers behind PDE that we’d identified in discovery through user research. We also listed out all of the benefits we could bring, sorting them into medium and long term, and linked them to our two strategic objectives:

1. To improve and standardise the service experience for citizens proving eligibility
2. To increase the efficiency of accessing personal data to conduct eligibility checks

The last stage was linking the drivers and benefits with enabling changes that would realise those benefits. In the first iteration of the benefits map, we left out project outputs because we didn’t want to define the solution too early.

Outcomes

Our first benefits maps were very useful in team discussions about work we should prioritise. We used them to help trade off design decisions by identifying which project outputs would deliver the most impact against our strategic objectives. There are three user groups that we’re trying to benefit: citizens, government bodies providing services and government departments providing access to their data. Therefore, we also used the first benefits map to identify which elements applied to each user group. This meant we could map the critical paths for each user group where the most benefit would be realised. I also went through the drivers with our user research to work out which drivers we had the most evidence for and which needed more research.

By this point our benefits map was big. We had 15 drivers, and 13 enabling changes. Although this was useful for team discussions, it was difficult to read for anyone not involved in the project. Therefore, we decided to iterate on the map and produce a ‘condensed’ version. 

Here we refined the drivers to four main points which were well supported by research and areas we could deliver high impact:

1. Manual eligibility checking is time consuming and expensive
2. Data sharing agreements are time consuming and expensive to set up
3. There is pressure to digitise government services
4. GDPR will impact data sharing practice

This paired down version has been particularly useful in communicating our vision to senior stakeholders and focusing our roadmap. 

Next steps

Now we’ve got a benefits map we will continue to refer back to it and refine it where necessary as the project progresses. At the moment, we’re using it to help define how we will measure the benefits of PDE. Against each benefit we need a metric. These metrics will determine what data we collect through Alpha to baseline against. Once in Beta, the benefits map will help us to form a benefits realisation plan to ensure our products and services are delivering on the intended benefits and changes for our users. Overall, I would recommend the benefits mapping process as a way to tackle a complex problem, engage a team in a joint vision and communicate clearly with stakeholders about the benefits you’re bringing to your users.

Community 10k event at St George's Crypt

As part of the Community 10k initiative, a small group from the Leeds BA Community spent the day volunteering at St George’s Crypt. This is a Leeds city centre based charity providing a safe and comfortable place for the homeless, vulnerable adults and those suffering from addiction to rest, eat and be clothed.  It serves over 200 people each day at an annual cost of £1.8 million, with two-thirds of that amount gathered from fund-raising and donations.

On arrival we were given a tour of the building, a brief history of the charity and details of the different and supportive ways they are helping those in need.  After our induction we were all eager to get to work and make a difference during our day there.  We split into 3 different groups, working together in various parts of the building.

The housekeeping group worked incredibly hard: stripping beds, mopping floors, making all windows and glass sparkle and gleam, along with washing and drying bedding.  Not the most glamorous of jobs, but vital for the smooth running of the Crypt.  

Another group were kept extremely busy during the morning making tea and coffee for those coming in from the cold (not missing an opportunity to streamline the brew making process - to increase efficiency!)  Then on to deep cleaning the kitchen area during the afternoon, which involved lots of elbow grease and scrubbing!

The third group worked collaboratively, analysing non-perishable food produce in the somewhat cosy and windowless store cupboard, rotating stock and discarding unsuitable products (adding additional value by collating items fast approaching their use by date – for staff to use first). They also served food to those in need during the hectic lunch period. 

A thoroughly rewarding albeit physically demanding day.  It was fantastic to see everybody getting stuck in and doing whatever was asked of them.  We even found opportunities to put into practise some BA techniques and a number of us even learned new skills (Gary – we were all impressed by your new found talent for polishing glass…..not a smear in sight!)

Wanting to do more to help, back at the office we organised a raffle – with the generous folk in Leeds One helping us to raise an impressive £283!  If you would like to make a donation or learn more about this charity, please see St George’s Crypt website.  

So how was it for you?  A blog by Andy Lomas.

A question normally greeted with an awkward pause while my brain figures out the likely consequences of the next words uttered.  So I have learnt it’s best to avoid that question wherever possible or not over commit. It was alright being my stock reply.  

However, having ‘volunteered’ to write a few words about the recent Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis, alas, I can avoid it no more. ‘It’s alright’, I feel, isn’t going to cut it.

So the Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis course is over three days with and exam on the afternoon of the final day. It covers the breadth of business analysis. Examples of the course content include; strategy analysis, stakeholder analysis and management, documenting requirements, modelling requirements to name a few.  

Now I say this is a foundation course but the trainer asked why are you doing the most difficult course first?  This set alarm bells ringing in my head. Apparently it’s better to do the practitioner course and core courses before tackling the knowledge based Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis.  

The reason is that this course is INTENSE. There is a lot to cover over the three days, plus I spent several hours in the evening doing the homework, reviewing what we had already covered and then reading ahead for the following day. 

The days themselves were long and I now sympathise with a computer trying to download a large file while some idiot keeps clicking the mouse. Yep my brain was pretty much ‘locked’ at the end of each day.

The three day format of the course left little time for consolidation particularly on the last day.  In the good old days this used to be over a five days! The course finished at 2:30 pm and we were in the exam at 3:15pm. My head was still reeling from day three subjects; modelling requirements, delivering requirements, delivering a business solution.

So other than waking up on the next two nights wondering if I had put the right answer down and absolutely convincing myself I was resitting, what did I learn?

1. There’s life in the old dog yet, I passed!
2. My thirst for knowledge has not diminished; I want to continue and get my Diploma.
3. I know more about Airbus A380, Ryan Air and British Airports Authority then I want to.
4. How to not pay a parking fine, get free cash and free fuel. None of which I would ever do.

On a serious note point 4, however, demonstrates how a failure in a process upstream creates opportunities for exploitation that if not corrected quickly lead to consequences not previously imagined - a lesson for all.

Would I recommend the Foundation Certificate in Business Analysis?  Absolutely.

BA Community Event - Stockport, Dec 2016

Hi, I’m Ryan Thomas Hewitt. I’m the Lead Business Analyst in the DWP Stockport hub.

 

I’m delighted to write the 1^st post on the DWP BA blog. It’s a great area to share our experiences building a BA community in the DWP.

 

In this post I want to share the insights + learning material from our BA Community day (presentations, exercises, facilitator notes). The aim is for other BA communities to use the materials and run similar sessions in their BA community.

 

 

 

OVERVIEW

Over 30 BAs attended our DWP Business Analyst community day. We ran 6 sessions about BA techniques & experiences e.g.Impact Mapping, Use Cases, User Stories.

 

I’ll share the experiences & materials of each session. People appreciated an opportunity to participate in the day & learn new techniques.

 

 

MARSHMALLOW CHALLENGE

The Marshmallow Challenge is a group activity that conveys key aspects of iterative product development & team dynamics. It’s a fun and interactive activity we used to kickoff the day.

 

To run the challenge we split the attendees into smaller groups, introduced the goal of the challenge (goal = to create the tallest tower with the marshmallow at the top), and outlined the rules of the challenge. We provided the materials and let the groups create their towers.

 

At the end of 18 minutes – all towers were standing with a marshmallow ontop. The winning team built a structure of almost 20 inches.

 

 

 

We played the TED talk, which covers the key insights generated by the challenge. We discussed the team observations and how the exercise demonstrates:

• The importance of iterating vs incrementing
• The stages that teams go through (orienting etc)
• The importance of cross-functional teams
• The importance of facilitation skills
• The need to identify the “project marshmallow” upfront!
• That high stakes can have a strong impact on performance

 

The materials we used to run the session are below. We took about 45 minutes to run the entire exercise.

 

Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1SzR68FF9OE4C9yG9DDemcs-TpMxWSeA47R1CH2mNWLk/edit?usp=sharing

 

Facilitator/follow-up questions: http://www.leadershipchallenge.com/resource/challenging-the-process-with-the-marshmallow-challenge.aspx

 

TED talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower

 

 

USER STORY SMELLS

Based on Mike Cohn’s book about applying user stories – we created an exercise called “user story smells”. We split into groups and provided each group with a pack of 10 user story smells. The “user story smells” are bad practices or anti-patterns that have been observed when creating user stories.  For example one smell is writing user stories from the perspective of a Product Owner rather than end user.

 

The smells were printed off as cards. We asked each team to write down their observations about the smells. Which smells did they agree with? Which had they observed? What would they do if they encountered a smell? Which are the most common story smells?
 

 

 

User story smells was a good way to get the group thinking about how to create better user stories & the challenges we face. Finally, we asked each team to match the smells to 10 example stories. The idea was this would reinforce the learning – and get people to think about their own experiences.

 

Matching the 10 smells to 10 example stories was really well received. Teams successfully matched most cards. We reflected on their thoughts about the smells & their performance on matching the cards.

 

Below is a link to the presentation I created. It has 10 user story smells, 10 example bad user stories and the answers sheet. Plus more information about the activity:

 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MXP3IMv0s56_FemJ8f_srWdZXphKiUIFpfVT0bLG_aY/edit?usp=sharing

 

 

IMPACT MAPPING

Impact mapping is a technique that several BAs asked to learn about. It’s a great technique to ensure that deliverables are traced back to the overarching goal.

 

During this session the presenter ran through the core elements of Impact Mapping based on Adzic‘s book.  We discussed an Impact Map I created on a previous project & how this was used.

 

To reinforce the concepts of the technique & make the session interactive we asked the teams to create an Impact Map for Stockport County. The challenge was to create an Impact Map for this goal: get Stockport County to the top of the Premier League by 2025. We found having a non-work example was useful & the activity kept people engaged and helped them learn about the technique.

 

The presentation & activity we ran is here: 

 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1phjR-zB7x4inDp63dFPKJlEEOjyYQ6fSksQhLOLJoOU/edit?usp=sharing

 

 

STRATEGY RUN AROUND

Strategy is an area that can sometimes be overlooked by BAs working on individual projects. However it’s important that BAs understand the wider picture of organizational strategy and how it impacts our projects. This session is probably the only activity we have run that incorporates aspects of a 1970s gameshow (Mike Reid’s Runaround).

 

The purpose of the talk was to:

1. Introduce key concepts of strategy (e.g. the types of strategy models, strategy vs tactics)
2. Help understand the DWP BA Community’s level of strategy understanding

 

For the talk the presenter asked a strategy question, and then had the group run a relevant corner of the room. Each corner represented a potential answer to the question (answer A, B, C or D). The presenter would then provide the answer and offer more content/insights about the answer. We had 10 questions and 4 corners – hence the runaround!!

 

The format was a good method of generating interaction and discussion. It helped us baseline the level of knowledge people had for strategy. It made a potentially tough subject engaging & fun. The material can be found below:

 

https://app.box.com/s/bw20dc8rl6zrvlrawt538qbvph34pl2h

 

 

BIG FAT QUIZ OF THE YEAR

This could be an annual quiz in the making. We closed the day with a pub quiz session – the winner received a prize and kudos points!! We had 25 questions about Business Analysis, DWP and Stockport.

 

We asked questions about the INVEST criteria, 3Cs, jobs-to-be done format, user story mapping etc. The questions and answer sheet are below. I’ve taken the liberty of removing the Stockport and DWP specific questions – you’re welcome ;-) Feel free to use this material:

 

Question & answers = https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qqaeFqeIQi2iGmXfiopzzzFYuBvXusLxNhq23YNY7hs/edit?usp=sharing

Answers sheet = https://app.box.com/s/ss8g6py3lyvdjat18axvqvyql44num4k

 

 

 

USE CASE DIAGRAMS

The session introduced the essential elements of use case diagrams. We find that use case diagrams are overlooked in agile projects. The speaker reflected on the benefits of use case diagrams on agile projects – namely that they provide an overview of how the actors interact with the system. The speaker also provided a number of examples about how use case diagrams have been used in the DWP on agile projects.

 

A link to a video summary of the presentation is below (it provides an overview of the elements of use case diagrams):

https://app.box.com/s/rda9bh621hcypzuhcj5akxsrdr64zxek

 

 

SUMMARY

Community days are a brilliant opportunity to reflect on best practices & share experiences with colleagues. They allow members of a community to learn new techniques & practice them. Community days are an opportunity to step back from the day-to-day project work and reflect on our experiences & professional development.

 

We’d love to hear your feedback about running community days & these materials.