Business Analysis 101Abhishek Navlakha [email protected]
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