Business Analysis 101Abhishek Navlakha Abhishek.Navlakha@gmail.com

AgendaBusiness Analysis • Definition• Project requirements example• Skills required for Business Analysis/Analyst• Common challenges during Business Analysis

Business Analyst• Organizational roles of a BA• Role and Importance of BA• What does a BA do?• BA’s involvement in project lifecycle

Certification, Resources & References • Certified Business Analysis professional• BABOK Guide• References

Business Analysis - Definition

We will simplify the definition as a BA would do…

Source: www.wikipedia.com

Business Analysis is the practice of enabling change in an organizational context,

by defining needs and recommending solutions that

deliver value to stakeholders. 

Facilitate and

coordinate

Translate and

analyze

Simplify

Business Analysis – Project Requirements (Example)

Who is involved

Stages of requiremen

t

Budget = 100KWebsite for selling to customers

Website for1. Responsive

site2. Sell apple

products3. iOS and

Android apps

Project charter scope1. Sell laptops

and tablets2. Websites only

In scope1. (H) Site for desktop,

tablets & mobiles2. (H) Sell Macs 3. (M) Sell iPads

Out of scope4. Selling iPhones,

apple tv, accessories

5. iOS and Android apps

How it is done

1. Facilitate• In person meetings• Telephone conversations• Questionnaire/ Surveys

2. Prioritize requirements3. Align with scope4. Add assumptions5. Review documentation

Project Sponsor End users Project

managerBusiness Analyst

Skills required for Business Analysis

Source: http://intjbizanalystwanderlust.weebly.com

Skills needed for good/great business analysis

AnalyticalChew on whatever comes your way

CommunicativeUse pictures, be concise, to the point

CreativeThink out of the box

Listening abilityWe have two ears, one mouth

CuriosityBe a child…Ask questions all the time

Good

BA

Grea

t BA

Most common challenges in Business Analysis

Not well defined business

requirements

Changing requirements

Development team wants unending level of details

Multiple document reviews delay sign

offs

If they cannot be refined further, make assumptions, and have detailed minutes of the

meeting for any further requirements discussions

Dev team will like to get all details and will likely have many questions. Define a review process to # of reviews, timelines for documentation review

Change is inevitable, you should document, team should analyze impact and follow up on sign off

The team need details to design, they aren’t wrong in asking. You are constrained by what business can give. Assumptions needed, to

communicate to all and documented

Organization roles for a Business Analyst

BA’s are generally talked about as a single role. In reality there are many more roles in an organization that do Business Analysis

Source: Business Analysis Standardization A Strategic Mandate by John E. Park (CVO – EnFocus Solutions)

Role and Importance of Business Analyst

A business analyst is someone who analyzes an organization or business domain (real or hypothetical) and documents its business

or processes or systems, assessing the business model or its integration with technology

Source: www.wikipedia.com

What does a Business Analyst do?

Understand business case and

objective

Analyze and Elicit Requirements

Develop project scope and define project boundaries

Develop business requirements (use

cases/BRD)

Perform technical analysis/

evaluations

Develop data models and process

flows

Create mock ups and interfaces

Perform technical documentation

Facilitate implementation through training

Develop requirements /

scope plan

Assist in testing and monitor Quality control

Support change management

Perform cost benefit analysis

Suggest process improvement/traini

ng

Constantly liaise with stakeholder

Assist in estimating project costs and time

Business

Technical

Managerial

Functional

BA’s involvement in project life cycleDiscovery

Requirements

Design

Build

Test

Warranty

What are your thoughts about BA’s in Agile projects?

**The bars do not indicate percentage, but show the relative involvement of a BA across the phases

Certifications and ResourcesCertified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) – LinkBABOK- Business Analysis Body of Knowledge – LinkPMI-PBA® certification – Link

Other resourcesMinto’s Pyramid Principle – LinkFlat design philosophy – LinkMcKinsey Quarterly Harvard Business ReviewKnowledge at Wharton