The Benefits of JRP/JAD (Joint Requirements Planning / Joint Application Delivery)

JRP / JAD Saves Time

Projects based on the right requirements run a lot smoother and deliver a better solution earlier with less effort. All of the activities of a JRP/JAD session focus on getting the early business analysis activities (AS-IS analysis, Business Process and Problem Analysis, Business Data Modeling, etc.) completed quickly and accurately. Everything else in the project builds on the user requirements, so the quicker you get them done, the quicker the development can proceed.

 

The JRP/JAD approach is about making effective use of your valuable time. It reduces the number of interviews needed to gather the requirements and reduces discrepancies. Everyone is in the room. You, the business analyst, do not have to waste your time running from one SME to another to clarify misunderstandings and contradictory requirements. If you want to save time, call us at (813) 319-5851

 

JRP / JAD Saves Money

Projects that use JRP/JAD sessions tend to have fewer change requests because the first cut at the requirements was the result of a very concerted effort by all involved. Fewer changes during development automatically lead to a more robust and reliable solution delivered at a lower cost. In addition, reducing the rework that is caused by missing, misunderstood and bad requirements is a major savings. According to all of the statistics ever captured in our field over the past 30 years, the number one problem on IT projects is missing or misunderstood user requirements.

 

According to one statistic, over 65% of all code that is developed on a typical IT project is recoded at least once before the solution gets into production. That does not count the amount of code that gets thrown away on projects that never finish, and that number is verifiably larger. If you can reduce these numbers, the costs associated with doing a JRP/JAD becomes a very profitable investment. If you want to reduce the cost of your requirements discovery efforts, call us at (813) 319-5851

 

Early Recognition of High-Risk Projects

The decision to cancel a project that most likely will not succeed could just save your organization as much or more than completing a project successfully. If a project is not going to deliver a solution, the earlier and cheaper you can fail it, the better. The very first JRP/JAD session the author facilitated ended up in the customer canceling the project on the 4th day of a 5-day session. The customer was very happy with the result. It was a great idea that initiated the project, but the analysis work the contributors did in the session showed everyone that the cost/benefit was not there; so ultimately, the organization saved an estimated $3.4 million. If you want to ensure that your planned projects can deliver the benefits, call us at (813) 319-5851

 

Increased User Buy-In with JRP / JAD

When we refer to increased user buy-in, we are referring to the end-users and their managers. Whoever is going to use the solution when it is completed is much more likely to embrace it if they actually get what they asked for. Just like building a house, if you are able to make the decisions on the layout, colors, and interior decorations of the house, it is much more your house than one you buy “off the shelf”. In the second situation, you have to start off by figuring out how to personalize it to make it more of a home. The more invested the user is in the decisions the more they will own the solution. If you want help increasing the buy-in of your users, call us at (813) 319-5851

The business analysis techniques that we apply during a JRP/JAD session provide you with more than a requirements document. You can use the results to:

• Document and resolve key business issues and questions
• Recognize and resolve cross-functional communications break-downs
• Realize interfaces the business processes have with each other
• Create clear and fully-defined business processes quickly
• Apply state-of-the-art process improvement models to your business
• Break initiatives down into individual projects based on interactions
• Identify and prioritize information technology enabler projects

Better Requirements Document

Getting higher quality out of a process that focuses on compressing time might seem suspect, but it is true. The intense focus on the analysis portion of the project, the early clarification of the business needs, and the synergy created during efficient group interaction produce better business, stakeholder, functional and non-functional requirements. If you want to improve the quality of your requirements documents, call us at (813) 319-5851

 

Higher Customer Satisfaction with JRP/JAD

In the end, of course, it is the satisfaction of the customer (meaning whoever is paying the bill) that counts. Because the JRP/JAD approach shows concrete results within days or weeks as opposed to months or years, the customer is less insecure about where the project is and what is going on. By meeting all of the other benefits, i.e., higher quality, increased buy-in, etc., you can increase customer satisfaction without really trying. If you want increase your customers' satisfaction with the IT solution, call us at (813) 319-5851

 

Fewer Business Interrupts with JRP/JAD

A JRP/JAD session requires that the participants spend 2 – 3 days away from their normal duties. Some perceive that as a major inconvenience. The alternative means using the standard interviewing approach to gathering requirements during which they will be subjected to many more interrupts over the course of the project and the results will be less satisfactory. The JRP/JAD approach is about making effective use of your valuable time. It reduces the number of interviews, reduces the time needed to clarify discrepancies, and reduces ramp time (the record and recall time caused by interrupting a task). Multiply that times the number of people involved in the decision-making process, and you start to recognize that it is a non-trivial number. If you are limited in the amount of time the SMEs are available for your projects, call us at (813) 319-5851

Not every project is a good candidate for JRP / JAD.
Contact us for a free consultation (813) 319-5851.