Frequently Asked Questions and Related Information

# Question Response Source
1 What is "Maintenance"? There are two  fundamental types of maintenance:   
1. Implementation defects These are caused by developers and usually found as part of the development process. 4
2. Requirements defects These usually occur during requirements gathering (elicitation or analysis) and are found during implementation or operation by users. 5
2 What is the cost to find and fix a requirements defect (by phase)?
Phase Average Cost to Repair Defect    2
Requirements $139
Design $455
Coding $1,000
System Testing $7,000
Production $14,000
3 How much more does it cost to find and fix a defect in system testing or operation than in requirements?
Phase Cost Multipliers 2, 3
System Testing 50 times
Production 100 times
4 What are the major factors that affect the creation of requirements errors? Chaos Report 2003 Chaos Report 1994 5, 6, 11
User Involvement User Involvement
Executive Support Executive Support
Experienced Project Manager Lack of Planning
Clear Business Objectives Lack of User Involvement
Minimized Scope  
Requirements Process Incomplete and Changing Requirements
Standard Infrastructure New or Unknown Technology
Formal Methodology  
Skilled Staff Lack of Resources
Reliable Estimates  
  Others
Although items names have changed,
the impact of poor requirements remains about the same.
Facit: About 50-68% can be ascribed to parts of the requirements process. Facit: About 52-70% can be ascribed to parts of the requirements process. 5, 6
5 What amount of training would get an analyst to a capable or very capable level?  Most of the skills that make an analyst a capable analyst have been identified in a number of works -- and almost all can be taught. 9
We offer an Analyst Training Curriculum consisting of:
Core seminars teach the most commonly needed Business Systems Analysis techniques. Everyone who considers themselves a Business/System analyst or anyone playing that role must have the skills taught in these seminars.
Core+ seminars (10 days total) teach the next most common set of Business Systems Analysis techniques. Every Business/System Analyst who considers themselves an advanced practitioner of the art and science of Business System Analysis should have the techniques taught in these seminars.
Supplemental seminars (8 additional days) expand your personal set of techniques in the areas of estimating, leading and testing. All of them will make you a better Business Systems Analyst and place you in a position of leadership.
6 What level are your analysts currently at? We offer a Business Systems Analysis Skills Assessment tool helps you (and management) assess your comfort level in and knowledge of the business analysis activities and deliverables. Your organization can use our assessment results to define the importance and set the desired participant learning targets for each of the objectives for each seminar.  
7 What will the training cost? 20 days of training all inclusive of fees, expenses and training materials for up to 20 participants costs between $40,000-$100,000 depending on staff skills, customization and other factors. This is about $2,000-$5000 per seat for training.