(Professional Business Analyste Training

organisation)

Behavioral Characteristics for

Business Analysts

Behavioral Characteristics are a very important skill set for a business analyst and affect the results of his efforts. They are important because they help a business analyst gain trust and respect of stakeholders.

Traditional BA (Waterfall) Agile BARequirements are documented in Use Cases, Business Requirements, Functional requirements, UI Specifications, Business Rules.

Requirements are documented in Epics, User Stories and optionally Business (or Essential) Use cases.

   Focuses on completeness of requirement and spends time in ensuring the requirement is unambiguous and has all the details.

Focuses on understanding the problem and being the domain expert so that s/he can answer questions from the development team swiftly and decisively.

Focuses on getting a ‘sign off’ on the requirements.

Focuses on ensuring the requirements meet the current business needs, even if it requires updating them.

Often there is a wall between the BA/Business and the Development team.

Agile BA (Often called as Product Owner) is part of the team.

Tends to dictate solutions.Has to remain in the problem domain, leaving the development team ‘space’ to explore different solutions.

Long turnaround. Quick turnaround.Focus on what the requirements document said. In other words, output (Artifact) is a well written thorough requirements document.

Focus on the functionality of the developed software. In other words, output (Artifact) is the software that meets the business needs.

   

This can be achieved by-

a)Working ethicallyb)Meeting deadlines in desired way.c)Efficiently delivering results.d) Being adaptable

Ethics-

a)Purpose-thinking of not just profits but the ethical implications of a solution helps in reducing exposure to risk.

b)Definition-It requires understanding and focus on fairness ,consideration and moral behavior. Fairness does notmean that an outcome is beneficial for a stakeholder but they understand the reasons behind it.

c) Effectiveness Measures-prompt identification and resolution of ethical dilemmas.

Personal Accountability-

a)Effectiveness measures-a) Work effort is planned and communicated to others.b) Meeting deadlines and re planning with sufficient reasoning and lead time.c) Informing status of planned and unplanned work.d) Be organized.e) Risks and issues are identified and acted on.

Trustworthiness-

a)Purpose-it helps eliciting information around sensitive issues and help stakeholders believe that their recommendations will be evaluated properly and fairly.

b)Description-It offsets the fear of change experienced by stakeholders.a)being dependable and diligent.b)strong demeanor by consistent confidence.c)predictable and reliable availability.

Traditional BA (Waterfall) Agile BARequirements are documented in Use Cases, Business Requirements, Functional requirements, UI Specifications, Business Rules.

Requirements are documented in Epics, User Stories and optionally Business (or Essential) Use cases.

   Focuses on completeness of requirement and spends time in ensuring the requirement is unambiguous and has all the details.

Focuses on understanding the problem and being the domain expert so that s/he can answer questions from the development team swiftly and decisively.

Focuses on getting a ‘sign off’ on the requirements.

Focuses on ensuring the requirements meet the current business needs, even if it requires updating them.

Often there is a wall between the BA/Business and the Development team.

Agile BA (Often called as Product Owner) is part of the team.

Tends to dictate solutions.Has to remain in the problem domain, leaving the development team ‘space’ to explore different solutions.

Long turnaround. Quick turnaround.Focus on what the requirements document said. In other words, output (Artifact) is a well written thorough requirements document.

Focus on the functionality of the developed software. In other words, output (Artifact) is the software that meets the business needs.

   

Organization and time management

a)Purpose-Helps work effectively and efficiently.

b)Definition-Involves ability to prioritize tasks. Storing information in efficient manner to reuseit.Differentiate important and unimportant Information. Establishing short and long term goals, utilizing checklist and managing potential interruptions.

Traditional BA (Waterfall) Agile BARequirements are documented in Use Cases, Business Requirements, Functional requirements, UI Specifications, Business Rules.

Requirements are documented in Epics, User Stories and optionally Business (or Essential) Use cases.

   Focuses on completeness of requirement and spends time in ensuring the requirement is unambiguous and has all the details.

Focuses on understanding the problem and being the domain expert so that s/he can answer questions from the development team swiftly and decisively.

Focuses on getting a ‘sign off’ on the requirements.

Focuses on ensuring the requirements meet the current business needs, even if it requires updating them.

Often there is a wall between the BA/Business and the Development team.

Agile BA (Often called as Product Owner) is part of the team.

Tends to dictate solutions.Has to remain in the problem domain, leaving the development team ‘space’ to explore different solutions.

Long turnaround. Quick turnaround.Focus on what the requirements document said. In other words, output (Artifact) is a well written thorough requirements document.

Focus on the functionality of the developed software. In other words, output (Artifact) is the software that meets the business needs.

   

c)Effectiveness Measures-a) Complete preparation for meetings, interviews and requirements workshops.

Adaptability-Business analysts have to adjust their behavioral style and method of approach to increase their effectiveness when interacting with different stakeholders, organizations and situations.