Contact the Enterprise Business Analyst Team
EBA Support
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Enterprise Business Analysts
In 2020, a team of Enterprise Business Analysts (EBAs) was created to support our Data Trustees on large-scale, cross-divisional strategic projects for the university. Enterprise Business Analysts will be allocated to these projects based on prioritization through the Strategic Project Review and Resourcing Committee (SPRRC) and NAU’s Data Trustees.
The Enterprise Business Analysts offers the following core services for the institution, including:
- Business analyst support for cross-divisional projects that no single area “owns”
- Business analyst support for divisions without BA teams
- Strategic planning support for core institutional focus areas
- Product coordination for cross-divisional applications
- Business process review and analysis
To request help on any of our services, submit a request to EBA Work Request. A ticket within our ServiceNow system will be generated and routed to the team for review and assignment. If a project is submitted that should be managed by your divisional BA team, an EBA will connect the requestor with the appropriate area.
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Cross-Divisional Projects Tab Open
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Divisional BA Support Tab Closed
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Strategic Planning Tab Closed
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Product Coordination Tab Closed
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Business Process Reviews Tab Closed
Cross-Divisional Projects Accordion Open
How are EBAs allocated to a project?
Enterprise Business Analysts are allocated to cross-divisional projects based on an evolving set of criteria developed in conjunction with BA team Directors/Managers across NAU. This criteria includes:
- Three or more division’s resources are needed on the project team
- Multiple divisions must be consulted for input on the project
- No single division has clear “ownership” of the project (Please note – this does not refer to ownership of the product being implemented)
- Significant business analysis work is required on the project from across multiple divisions
How are EBA projects identified and prioritized?
Strategic projects can come from a variety of sources including:
- Requests from our Data Trustees or other senior leadership,
- Observations from analysis work identifying the need for a new system, process, or procedure, or
- External regulatory/legislative requirements
All of these “demands” are placed into a backlog and reviewed regularly with the Data Trustees for discussion and prioritization. Once a demand is prioritized for work in an upcoming quarter, the EBA team presents to SPRRC. During the SPRRC process, requests for additional divisional resources will be made asking managers to confirm or reject (as with all projects) each request. Resource conflicts will escalate following existing practices.
Divisional BA Support Accordion Closed
What resources are available for divisions without BA support?
The EBA team is able to provide project-based business analysis support for divisions who do not have an internal business analyst team. An EBA can support business process reviews, requirements gathering, facilitation workshops, and other services as needed. Requests for these services will be prioritized in conjunction with the strategic projects requested and prioritized by the Data Trustees.
How do I request an EBA?
Requests can be made for support on a specific project by submitting a project request to SPRRC (through your divisions SPRRC representative). You may also request support by submitting a request through our ServiceNow ticketing system.
What is the EBA resource plan group I should use in PPM?
Please create a resource plan using “RG-ITS: SPIES EBA” as the resource group. When requesting an EBA, please use the “Any Member” field value rather than specifically assigning an EBA to the request.
Who is my divisional business analyst?
The EBA team will have team members assign to “focus areas” rather than to divisions. This will help support an institution-wide view of these broader focus areas that cross multiple divisions at NAU. That said, we will have an assigned point of contact (see table below) that you can reach out to with any questions about how the EBA team works, help with requesting support, etc. Please note – this may NOT be the individual assigned to the focus areas that most commonly include your division. The intent is for multiple EBAs to become familiar with your division so we have support knowledge beyond one person deep built into our processes.
Strategic Planning Accordion Closed
What strategic planning resources are available?
The EBA team will be coordinate strategic planning sessions around the eight core focus areas that we’ve identified to date. During strategic planning sessions, EBAs will facilitate workshops with key stakeholders (including business analysts) to identify upcoming projects and maintenance items for building out an area road map 18-24 months into the future. The EBAs will facilitate discussion around these area road maps to ensure appropriate prioritization and timelines are established.
Following these strategic planning sessions, the EBAs will work with divisional BA teams to identify which projects on the roadmap would fall to the divisional team vs. the enterprise team for support. Once this path forward is defined, projects will be submitted following the existing SPRRC processes for quarterly review and resourcing efforts. This will allow for adjustments to the strategic plan based on unforeseen projects that may occur due to issues like COVID, or other external impacts to our initial plans.
What are the core focus areas?
Below are the initial eight focus areas that we’re working to develop along with the primary and secondary support point of contact from the EBA team. Details of the areas, systems, and processes included within each focus area will be developed in collaboration with subject matter experts and business analysts across campus. Links to that information will be shared with campus once available.
| Focus Area | Primary Support | Secondary Support |
| Academic Structure | Todd Firth | Kyle Cawood |
| HR/Faculty/Staff – “People” | Kyle Cawood | |
| Institutional Finance | ||
| Institutional Infrastructure | Mark Niles | |
| Marketing/Recruitment/Applicant | Kyle Cawood | |
| Student Academic Services | Kyle Cawood | Eric Bradford |
| Student Finance | ||
| Student Non-Academic Services | Todd Firth | Mark Niles |
Product Coordination Accordion Closed
What is Product Coordination?
At NAU, there are several applications (vendor products and custom developed applications) that are “shared” across several divisions. The EBA team will provide product coordination services for these applications including:
- Coordinating all product stakeholders to review and discuss the application
- Identification of new features/requirements
- Discussion around product deficiencies
- Maintenance planning
- Project support for cross-divisional application updates/upgrades
What products will the EBAs be coordinating?
The list of products eligible for EBA coordination includes applications such as:
- Advisor Assignment
- Appointments.nau.edu
- Civitas Suite
- Directory
- JacksPath
- PeopleSoft Campus Solutions
- Program Application
- PPM module in ServiceNow
- Salesforce/SF Marketing Cloud
- Transfer Pathways
This is not an exhaustive list of applications, so if you have questions about a specific application, please reach out to your divisional support EBA.
Business Process Reviews Accordion Closed
What business process services are available?
The Enterprise Business Analysts are available to help with the following:
- Map out existing business processes through workshop facilitation
- Review business process(es) for opportunities to streamline and improve the process
- Determine if a process may be automated through the application of technology
How do I request support for business process review(s)?
To request an EBA, please start by submitting a request through our ServiceNow ticketing system. We will review your request and assign the appropriate EBA for your area. Requests for these services will be prioritized in conjunction with strategic projects requested and prioritized by the Data Trustees.