Business Analysis can be understood as a research discipline that helps you to find the business

needs and identify solutions to business problems. These solutions may include the development
of a software or system component, improvements in process, organizational changes or strategic
planning and policy development. The purpose of business analysis is to identify solutions that
meet the need for improvement (Guru99, 2021).

The in International Institute of Business Analysis (2021) presents its view about Strategic
business analysis and introduced a 9-Step Roadmap for Successful Business Transformation.
Their position on strategic business analysis involves outcome focused thinking, simultaneously
understanding business context, business challenges, and the complexities of the internal and
external environment to frame the scope of the transformation, articulate the business
need/outcome, and shape the agenda for transformation. Strategic business analysis requires a
focus on all aspects of the organization. It leverages business analysis, change leadership, and
program and project management. Strategic business analysis focuses on ‘what and why’, not the
‘how’ of solution implementation.

The Strategy to Execution Framework or the 9-Step Roadmap for Successful Business
Transformation is a proven roadmap that provides the foundations and transparent pathways for
business change. The framework is presented in logical order, however, depending on the need
of the organization the organization may apply it in different sequential order. Most often it
tends to precede other frameworks and methodologies because it forms the bridge between
strategic planning and implementation and sets the foundations for a business-led change
program or transformation program. The focus of the strategy to execution process is on
programs rather than projects, as programs produce a business outcome that is aligned to the
strategy.

The Strategy to Execution Framework consists of nine strategies and elements:

Figure 1. Strategy to Execution Framework

• Program Strategy
• Sponsorship and Governance Framework
• Stakeholder Strategy
 • Execution Roadmaps
• Business Case
• Sourcing Strategy
• User Journeys
• Transition Strategy
• Change and Adoption Strategy

1. Program Strategy

The program strategy is the first and most vital element of strategic business analysis. The
program strategy provides the foundations for a transformation or change.

1.1. Purpose
Programs operate within an organization and are context sensitive. The program strategy
contextualizes the business problem within the wider business function and articulates the
outcome of the program. The program strategy determines how to solve the business problem in
the way that will obtain the best result and contextualizes the change.

The program strategy uses visualization for sense-making and sense giving for sponsors and
stakeholders to make sense of the problems and intended change and enable the understanding of
the new reality, in complex ambiguous environments.

1.2. Description
The first and most important activity in the program strategy is to determine the core business
problem that needs to be resolved. The core business problem may be surrounded by numerous
other problems or issues that may mask the true problem. Often the effects or practices have been
built up over many years in response to the fundamental problem.

2. Sponsorship and Governance Framework

Typically, governance tends to focus on the delivery aspects of a program, including
deliverables, time, and cost. There are two aspects that are needed in our governance organization
structures: governance and sponsorship. The absence of, or ineffectual senior and executive
sponsorship, is a significant contributor to program/project failures.

2.1. Purpose
The sponsorship and governance framework creates a terms of reference document that outlines
the
• program organization structure,
• roles and responsibilities of each of the functional areas, and
• escalation process.

The framework also articulates how often each functional group meets and communicates. It
provides a clear understanding of the governance and sponsorship required for the program.
Nominations for the sponsorship group and program board are put forward in this document and
these nominations are then ratified by the sponsor and executive. Sponsorship is crucial to
ensuring the products, services, and capabilities of the program align to the purpose of the
business and to sponsor the programs into the business.

To engage stakeholders and ensure value is delivered, sponsorship is required from all the
members of the program board, not just the program sponsor. Sponsorship means championing,
protecting, facilitating, and enabling the transition and adoption of the enabling innovation in the
adaptive program into the business operational environment. In order to successfully implement
the change for the execution of strategy, many sponsors are required to work together to provide
sponsorship. The sponsorship and governance framework ensures that there is both sponsorship
and governance for the program and functional stakeholder groups and the communication
protocols necessary to succeed are in place.

2.2. Description
The sponsor is typically an individual executive who champions a program initiative, provides
leadership, resources and is accountable for the benefits. Actively engaged sponsors are needed
for program success. The sponsor usually chairs the program board/steering committee of a
program. The program board/steering committee is responsible for the achievement of goals,
delivery within constraints, addressing risks and issues, investment decisions, alignment of the
program to the strategic direction of the business, and the implementation to ensure the
realization of benefits.

3. Stakeholder Strategy
A stakeholder strategy is vital for any transformation program. Stakeholders need to be involved
through the life cycle of a transformation program. Lack of effective engagement with
stakeholders is one of the major causes of failure.

A stakeholder strategy includes the identification of the functional areas where decisions and
contribution are required for the change and the identification of the key stakeholders groups that
will provide this. The term stakeholder refers to anyone who has an interest or who may be
affected by the change. The outcome of the stakeholder strategy is to form partnerships with the
stakeholders, with the term partnership referred to as establishing working and committed
relationships.

Purpose
Relationship-orientated factors of leadership, the culture of the team and organization,
communication with suppliers and sponsorship group, and partnerships with stakeholders is
essential for the achievement of objectives.

The stakeholder strategy identifies the functional stakeholder groups for the program. The
stakeholder groups are integral to the sponsorship and governance structure of the program. The
stakeholder groups are formed from the functional areas that will require stakeholder
involvement to provide business knowledge, draft the user journeys, make functional design
decisions, and assess the overall fit for purpose of the business solution. These stakeholder
groups also assist with the early adoption of the transformation.

2.2. Description
Programs are dynamic and evolve throughout the change journey. They are shaped through the
interaction with stakeholders, the business environment, and the power structures.

4. Execution Roadmaps
Execution roadmaps provide a high-level view of all the moving parts of programs in context.
Execution roadmaps provide sponsors, program team, stakeholders, and suppliers a visual
representation of the program including what has changed, who is involved and when, what is
needed, and when at a program stream/project level, and at a program portfolio level.

4.1. Purpose
Execution roadmaps provide a high-level guide for the planning and delivery of a program or
stream of work/project. They provide a visual representation of the program as a whole and do
not focus on the details of delivery. Execution roadmaps provide focus on the outcome and what
is needed when and by who, in context. They enable more informed decision making.

4.2. Description
Execution roadmaps enable the program team and the sponsorship and governance group to plan
and then monitor the health of the program. They are crafted for each stream of work/project and
then rolled up to give the program portfolio view. Each individual stream is intended to achieve
a business outcome. For example, one of the business outcomes for a program may be the
adoption of new workflows and practices, supported by enabling technology. This stream is
visually represented as part of the execution road map.

5. Business Case
A business case captures the reasoning and justification for initiating the program or project and
the anticipated commercial benefits. A business case provides justification for the course of
action based on the benefits to be realized. It captures the rationale for change. It is a reference
document that provides a reference point at a point in time. A business case is a living document
to facilitate communication and needs to be updated during the change journey.

5.1. Purpose
A business case summarized the need, the business challenges, and the business outcome desired
by a program. The business case determines what will be included and delivered in the
transformation.
• Will it be a new product?
• Will it be a new service?
• Will there be a cultural change?
• Will there be a combination of all of these in a transformation
• program?
• What will be the new business capabilities for the organization?

The business case enables an investment decision to be made by the executive.

The key elements to making an investment decision are

• understanding what is being are investing in,
• why the investment is being made,
• what investment is needed,
• what the risks of the investment are, and
• what the return on investment could be.

The business case is created following the program strategy and is updated following the
procurement activities and the first phase of implementation. The business case is the first
document that is requested for review, such as during any audit or any post implementation
review. An unsound and unplanned business case is one of the leading causes of program and
project failure.
5.2. Description
There are several areas in a business case that leverage the program strategy including the
governance and sponsorship framework and the execution roadmaps. The business case brings
together these components and combines them with the cost benefit analysis, so that executive
investment decisions can be made in context and with confidence.

6. Sourcing Strategy
A sourcing strategy guides procurement. A sourcing strategy ensures alignment with the
information, communication, and technology (ITC) strategy and partnership with the ICT
department.

6.1. Purpose
A sourcing strategy presents a preferred approach to sourcing the products and services necessary
to implement the enabling technology required for the program. A sourcing strategy determines
such decisions as
• how the purchase will be funded,
• where the funding will be secured,
• the services required with the purchase, and
• any other decisions supporting the purchase.

6.2. Description
A sourcing strategy is a formal document that contains
• what will be procured,
• how it will be procured,
• what is required for implementation,
• what is required post implementation,
• what aspects will be owned and managed in-house, and
• what aspects will be managed externally.

A sourcing strategy is constructed as a document because it requires approval by the executive to

proceed to market. Procurement of services and technology for a transformation program is an
expensive activity for an organization and the suppliers in the market. A sourcing strategy that
provides clear direction for both the organization and suppliers minimizes the costs and time
spent on the procurement process.

A sourcing strategy outlines a proposed solution, the architecture, the integration required, and
the roles and responsibilities of the organization and the market, and the procurement strategy. A
sourcing strategy includes consideration of:
• how the requirements for products and services should be bundled together,
• what contract packages should be formed from those bundled requirements,
• how to procure the required capabilities from the market in line with those contract
packages,
• contractual options,
• the contents and outcomes expected from each package,
• high-level timelines of procurement, and
• high-level timelines of implementation.

If the procurement documents and supplier responses are constructed in the same manner as the
sourcing strategy, evaluation can be managed more effectively and efficiently. Many of the
sections of the sourcing strategy are incorporated into procurement documents. The discussions
and detail that goes into the contents of a sourcing strategy prepares an organization for the
questions from suppliers during an initial industry briefing. This enables suppliers to quickly
understand and gauge their procurement responses.

7. User Journeys
User journeys are the visualization of the strategy. They illustrate the flow of information and the
touch points between parties in the new reality. User journeys are used to illustrate core
functions operating in context. User journeys illustrate how the work and information will flow
in the future. Their construction leverages design thinking and are part of sensemaking or
stakeholders.

7.1. Purpose
User journeys show how solutions function in context, the roles involved, and the interactions
between the roles. They capture the information flow between stakeholders and are critical in
providing a shared understanding of the change and workflow of internal and external
stakeholders. When they include the required visual cues, they can be used as a basis for
functional organization design and change.

User journeys can provide a basis for the implementation team for the creation of the user
interfaces (UI), the development of screens, and their relationships. Because they show the
information required by who and when, they can also form the basis for workflows in the
solution. User journeys precede the creation of processes and procedures, role design, and
position descriptions.

7.2. Description
User journeys inform organizational and cultural change, any product and service development,
and capability increase required. They are a powerful communication mechanism and used at all
levels of an organization.

8. Transition Strategy
A transition strategy incorporates the information that is needed for the program to transition to
business-as-usual and embed cultural, organizational, and technological change. A transition
strategy focuses on the long-term strategy of the transformation and the future releases and
generations. A transition strategy tends to be created in parallel to implementation.

8.1. Purpose
The transition strategy informs the business-as-usual operating model for
• ongoing support and maintenance,
• the change and adoption strategy for the embedding of the change, and
• the next generation of new releases for product evolution.

The transition strategy also informs the sourcing strategy and procurement of services for
ongoing support and maintenance of products and services. The business-as-usual operating
model encompasses the new products, services, and capabilities that have been created as part of
the transformation program. The model focuses on the transition from current operating models
and technology to the new models and technology.

The transition typically starts at least mid-point through implementation.

8.2. Description
There are several important areas that the transition strategy define:
• embedding the program changes,
• the next generation of development, and
• ongoing support and maintenance.

The ongoing governance and sponsorship structure is central to the success of the transition
strategy. The ongoing business capability owner, the service and service capability leads, and the
product and product capability lead, play particularly important roles in its implementation.

9. Change and Adoption Strategy

A change and adoption strategy focuses on adoption and the strategies for change. It is important
to delineate the strategic change and activities required for the transformation and the
organization change and activities required.

9.1. Purpose
A change and adoption strategy focuses on the adoption of the change from a strategic
perspective. This is distinct from the organization's implementation activities for the change.
Strategic change and adoption focuses on business outcomes, stakeholders, capabilities, and
reputation while organization change is focused on people, structure, competencies, and
credentials. Communication is vital for all types of change.

9.2 Description
One of the first parts of a change and adoption strategy is the organizational areas and areas of
the ecosystem that will be impacted by the change. Visualizations help to illustrate the depth and
breadth of the change required and its cultural implications. Once the areas that are impacted by
the change are identified, a high-level impact assessment of the impacted areas can be completed.
This is the beginning of defining the overarching change and adoption strategy.

A change and adoption strategy also includes identified stakeholder groups from the governance
model. It supports the nomination of key individuals in each of the stakeholder groups, and
identifies when and how the stakeholders will be involved. Stakeholder groups are dynamic and
may be represented in different ways throughout implementation. It is key that all identified
stakeholder groups have a defined purpose and will be involved in some form of decision
making.

A change and adoption strategy also includes the planned communications, the key messages,
and when and how they will be communicated. Communications are aligned with corporate
communications. Ideally, program communications are integrated with corporate
communications. However, toward the peak of the transformation, or any product 'go lives', there
is usually too much and too many communications required to rely solely on corporate
communications. In order to ensure the key messages are received by the target audience, it is
good practice to use multiple channels to communicate key messages at least 3 times. Measuring
effectiveness of communications and communication channels helps to gauge and monitor
adoption and resistance and to develop responsive actions.

A change and adoption strategy articulates the increase in capabilities that are required to support
the new business operating model and the strategy. This may include new resources and training
in any new products. The change and adoption strategy includes at least three methods to
increase capabilities in order to begin to embed the change in the culture of the organization.
Methods of increasing capability include:
• first hand observation and support,
• additional specialized training,
• communities of practice,
• one-on-one support, and
• the use of a transparent backlog.

A change and adoption strategy includes the adoption baseline and the measurements that will
drive the adoption of the new products, services, and capabilities of the transformation. Baselines
in the current environment are needed, as well as the post implementation measures.

These measures are key to driving the adoption behaviours and may take considerable analysis
and rework prior to finalization. Measurement often drives behaviour; incorrect measures may
give undesired behavioural results. It is important to get the measures right.