How to Prepare and Facilitate Productive JRP/JAD Sessions

JAD Sessions (Joint Application Development Sessions) were an Agile approach to defining business requirements before Agile was a concept. JRP (Joint Requirements Planning) sessions focus exclusively on business and stakeholder requirements as defined by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA^®). These sessions can produce high-quality business and stakeholder requirements in extremely short time frames — if they are done correctly. The JRP/JAD session concept is unrivaled for getting cross-functional groups of stakeholders working together to define the business requirements for an information technology solution. Conducting productive JRP sessions and delivering valuable business analysis results is critically dependent on the JRP/JAD Facilitation Team.

This scenario-based business analyst training workshop develops business analysis skills that are based on the collective experiences of many successful JRP facilitation teams. These concepts can serve as a basis for your on-going efforts to improve the business analysis process. They can drastically shorten the time to complete the crucial early business analysis project phases while dramatically increasing the quality of the resulting business analysis deliverables. You will learn how to plan, schedule, resource, and conduct efficient, effective JRP sessions. You can also add a JRP simulation day to this workshop to further enhance the learning experience.

IIBA^®, the IIBA^® logo, BABOK^® and Business Analysis Body of Knowledge^® are registered trademarks owned by International Institute of Business Analysis. These trademarks are used with the express permission of International Institute of Business Analysis.

1. Introduction to JRP/JAD Facilitation

The Challenge of JRP/JAD Meetings

Dealing with Reality

Why Do Projects Take So Long?

What is a JRP/JAD?

Phases of a JRP/JAD

Mini-JRP/JAD

Roles in JRP/JAD

The Pros of JRP/JAD

The Flip Side of JRP/JAD

Risks of Acceleration

2. Methodologies and Acceleration

Methodologies and JRP/JAD

Of Parallel Universes

Chaotic Analysis

Structured Analysis

Object-Oriented Development

Agile Development

Exercise: Roadmap to Success

Activity Scheduling Form

A Minimal Methodology

Project Activities

Define Business Need

Exercise: Structure Applied

JRP/JAD Scheduling Form

JRP/JAD Applications and Focus

3. Preparing for a JRP/JAD Session

Documents of Meeting Preparation

Evolution of an Effective Meeting

Documents of Meeting Preparation

Exercise: Participant Selection

Meeting Invitation Contents

Exercise: Creating Effective Invitations

Sample Invitation Contents

Time Versus Depth

Preparing an Effective Agenda

Preparing an Effective Agenda

Activity Dependencies

Setting and Managing Expectations

Sample Agenda Format

Exercise: Sequencing Meeting Activities

4. Managing the Working Session

Identifying Icebreakers

Your Assignment, Mr. Phelps

Breaking the Ice

Sample Icebreakers

Exercise: Identifying Icebreakers

Assigning Group Work

The Momentum Challenge

Exercise: Maintaining Momentum

Assigning Group Work

Debriefing Group Assignments

Analysis Techniques

5. Managing the Deliverables

Managing the Session Deliverables

Preparing Meeting Documentation

Restructuring Deliverables to Increase Productivity

Example of Activity-Based Formatting

Maintaining Group Memory

Increasing Participant Productivity

Increasing Participant Productivity

Exercise: Managing the Facilities

Meeting Equipment

The Last Commandment

6. Developing the Facilitation Team

Profile of a JRP/JAD Facilitation Team

Exercise: Skills Comparison

Basic Behavioral Concepts

Motivational Needs

Motivated to Lead?

Motivated to Analyze?

Thinking Styles

Thinking on Your Feet?

Thinking Under Pressure?

Behavioral Styles

Leadership Behavior?

Well Behaved Analyst?

Balancing Behavioral Styles

Leadership Styles

Facilitator Style?

Analyst Style?

Exercise: Identifying Strengths and Challenges

7. Dealing with Difficulty

Meeting Murphy and Fighting Back

Dealing with Murphy

Everything Takes Longer Than You Think

Problem People or People Problems

Creepy Scope

Equipment Dependencies

Facilities Problems

Exercise: Back to Square One

8. Closing the Working Session

Wrapping Up the Workshop

Critical Success Factors

Assigning Open Issues

Post-Meeting Task List

Staying In Touch

Exercise: 3-Minute Meeting Evaluation

• Select from six types of requirements gathering workshop sessions
• Use a methodology to prepare an requirements gathering workshop
• Use a methodology to prepare an accelerated session
• Identify project types that are suitable JRP/JAD candidates
• Organize and schedule a business requirements gathering workshop
• Adapt a check-list of pre-meeting activities
• Use standard requirements gathering questionnaires to structure the meeting
• Prepare the participants for the workshop using effective email communication methods
• Organize and analyze the visible results of the workshop
• Use open issue, question, and post-session task lists to maintain momentum in the meeting
• Determine the usability of profiling tools for enhancing communication
• Assess their own strengths and challenges as facilitators and session analysts
• Recognize other people’s preferred mode of communication
• Develop contingency plans for dealing with unpleasant situations
• Evaluate a workshop to improve the process
• Evaluate a session to improve the process
• Apply 5 methods for maintaining the project momentum after the JRP/JAD
• Use open issue, question, and post-session task lists

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