Best Practices For Success in Business Analysis
Blog: Business Analyst Learnings Blog
Often, the failure of projects in many organisations is assumed to be the fault of the project manager. As time and research have revealed, this is not always the case. Indeed, all organizations must be able to address the various challenges that arise, real or anticipated in order to deliver successful projects. Failure to do this poses risks of business problems or failure of the entire organisation. The competencies necessary for successful projects can often be linked to business analysis.
Despite this, many organisations do not have competencies that differentiate the role of a business analyst from that of a project manager. Since these two positions are very distinct, the business analyst and project manager need to have competencies that are clearly defined.
The duties of a person with the title, “Business Analyst” can also vary widely depending on the organisation. According to a poll conducted, several titles may represent the role of a business analyst as depicted in the figure below:
Source: stlouis.iiba.org (2006)
There are a number of essential competencies that help to correctly define the role of a business analyst. The business analyst competency model considers all the activities and tasks performed by a business analyst as depicted below:
Source: stlouis.iiba.org (2006)
The beginning of the year is a great time to reflect on what practices to promote in the coming year. This piece lists the best practices of business analysis that all BAs should be aware and at the least, strive to promote.
So, what are these practices?
The model is, principally, an explanation of what an experienced business analyst may get involved in. The competencies outlined above are broken down as indicated below:
Eliciting requirements: This is a key aspect of a business analyst’s job and it is to collect and document user requirements. The reason for collecting requirements is to offer a complete understanding of the problem before a resolution is proposed.
Developing functional requirement documents for the business: In establishing requirements’ documentation, the business analyst in collaboration with stakeholders, is responsible for describing the sources of the requirements and their relevance.
Structured analysis: This denotes the art of modelling. This competency requires a business analyst to be able to identify a variety of modelling methods that are simplified and full of information.
Object-based analysis: At this stage, a business analyst may develop models (e.g. activity diagrams) to further clarify requirements. Diagrams may be used to design improved system functionalities.
Testing: In the business analysis discipline, testing would involve the business analyst validating requirements by supporting the development and identification of test cases.
End-user support: Essentially, a business analyst during the post-deployment stage may work with end-users to simplify any complications or issues that ought to be addressed. The business analyst may also be involved in post go-live assessment of deployed solutions.
Fluency in IT: With regards to IT, the issue of how much knowledge is sufficient for a business analyst has been widely debated. In reality, the answer varies depending on the level of IT knowledge requirement of the project. Ideally, however, a business analyst should be fluent in IT in order to offer the best advice possible.
Re-engineering the business process: This requires the business analyst to identify problems and opportunities of process improvement to reap the associated benefits
What other best practices for success can you identify?
Picture Attribution: “Best Practices Key Shows Improving Business Quality” by Stuart Miles/Freedigitalphotos.net
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