Training

Even a simple change to software should be accompanied by training. User help may be built into the software itself, or screen components like selection lists and message boxes may serve as the training mechanism. Users need to understand why a change was made and its value to their work. Some IT people underestimate the significance of a software change to a user. Even a change as small as repositioning a field on a screen has an impact on users. BAs understand the impact of changes because they have watched users at work and they understand the current business environment. They recognize that all of the individuals impacted by a change must be notified and prepared for it. Often, some of the people who will be impacted have not been involved with the project and don’t know that a change is coming. BAs can design training to clearly explain the ramifications of the change to all of the parties impacted. BAs sometimes write the training materials and deliver formal training sessions.

Figure 4.3: Sample Decomposition Diagram

Rollout Plan

A rollout plan details when, where, and how the solution will be made available to the business. Knowing the business environment allows the analyst to recommend the ideal time frame for the solution rollout. The rollout plan should be developed by the BA, the solution team, and the business stakeholders. It should include all of the technical steps necessary to implement any software changes, all of the business tasks necessary to transition to new procedures, and back-out or contingency plans in case there are problems during rollout. Table 4.3 shows a section of a sample rollout plan.

Table 4.3: Sample Rollout Plan
Date/Time	Task	Person Responsible	Notes and Back-out Contingency
Friday, April 3 noon	All users log out of the system after finishing the week’s data entry work.	John Business area representative	If work cannot be completed, keep paper backup of information so that it can be entered into the new system after the cutover.
Friday, April 3 12:30–1:30 p.m.	Back up database. Print pre-conversion counts.	Jeff IT database administrator	Backup has been tested and timed at about 45 minutes.
Friday, April 3 1:30–5:00 p.m.	Convert production data to new data-base format.	Donna IT development	Conversion programs have been tested and timed at about 2 hours.
	Review error report from conversion and make corrections.	Donna IT development John Business representative	Data cleanup should take no longer than 1 hour.
	Finalize conversion. Print post-conversion counts.	Donna IT development	Pre-conversion counts should match post-conversion counts. If not, find the discrepancy and correct if possible. If more than 10% errors, rollout will be canceled and rescheduled for the future.