Fundamental Concepts

Business Analysis
Balasubba Raman Guruswamy
Business Analysis Body of Knowledge

v2.0
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Information
Information is an organizational resource which
must be managed as carefully as other resources
Costs are associated with information processing
Information processing must be managed to take
full advantage of its potential

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Categories
Information systems fall into one of the following
eight categories:
Transaction processing systems (TPS)
Office automation systems (OAS)
Knowledge work systems (KWS)
Management information systems (MIS)
Decision support systems (DSS)
Expert systems (ES)
Group decision support systems (GDSS)
Executive support systems (EES)
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New Technologies
New technologies integrated into traditional systems
Ecommerce uses the Web to perform business
activities
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has the goal of
integrating many different information systems within
the corporation
Wireless and handheld devices, including mobile
commerce (mcommerce)
Open source software
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System Enhancements

Additional features to existing systems
Business and governmental requirements change
over time
Technology, hardware, and software are rapidly
changing
What is Business Analysis ?
Set of tasks and techniques used to work as a liaison
among stakeholders in order to understand the structure,
policies, and operations of an organization and to
recommend solutions that enable the organization to
achieve its goals.
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What is the role of the business analyst ?

What is the expected relationship between business analyst and
project manager?

Who are the stakeholders with whom the business analyst will be
interacting along the way?

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Business Analyst
Business Analysts act as
Outside consultants to businesses
Supporting experts within a business
As change agents

Analysts are problem solvers, and require
communication skills

Analysts must be ethical with users and customers
Business Analysts Role
Works as a liaison among
project stakeholders
Elicits, analyzes, communicates
and validates requirements for
changes to business processes,
policies and information
systems
Understands business problems
and opportunities in the context
of the requirements
Recommends solutions that
enable the organization to
achieve its goals.

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Essential Business Analysis Skills
Analyze and understand the business problems
Identify and document requirements
Communicate effectively (written and spoken)
Manage client relationships
Facilitate discussions
Negotiate and build consensus
Model data and processes
Plan and manage activities
Facilitate and develop business strategy
Understand and manage organizational change

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Exercise
Joe asks "will you fix my bike?" to Fred
Fred replies "yeah, if you pay me" to Joe
Joe asks "how much?" to Fred
Fred replies "$100 mate" to Joe
Joe says "OK" to Fred
Joe gives bike to Fred
Fred fixes bike
Fred says "I've fixed your bike. Please give the $100 to Mom" to Joe
Joe says "thanks, I will" to Fred
Joe pays $100 to Mum
Mom asks "what's the $100 for?" to Fred
Fred replies "savings for a new bike" to Mom

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Joe Fred
Joe asks will you fix my bike? to Fred
Fred replies yeah, if you pay me to Joe
Joe asks how much? to Fred
Fred replies $100 mate to Joe
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Convert into a diagram by erasing the object names on the left
and right sides, and by adding the direction (arrows) of
'conversation' and the people (object lifelines)
Messages are represented by an assortment of arrows.

Messages sent are either calls (an order or request) for a
service of another object or returns (answers) to the calls.
Modeling
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yeah, if you
pay me
how
much?
Will you fix
my bike ?
$100 mate
Give bike
Fix bike
Give money to
Mom
Joe
Fred
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Business Analyst & Project Manager
Project Manager
Focuses on planning and managing the
project to achieve the project
objectives and deliver solution to the
stakeholders
Makes sure the project team delivers
solution that meets requirements,
acceptance criteria and the customers
quality expectations
Juggles many constraints in the project
- scope, budget, schedule, resources,
quality, risk

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Business Analyst
Works with key stakeholders to
understand the structure, policies
and operations of an organization
and to recommend solutions
Business analysis work plans must
be consistent with the overall
project plan
Must work closely together on projects and maintain good
communications
Need to communicate well with key stakeholders
Who owns the stakeholders? Project owns the stakeholders
Dealing with Key Stakeholders
Vested interest in the project and its outcome
Major source of requirements, constraints, assumptions
One person may wear multiple hats and fill more than one role in
a project

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Customer Domain SME End User

Implementation SME Operational Support

Project Manager Tester Regulator (QA)

Sponsor Supplier

BA Career Path
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BABOK
The BABOK is
A collection of knowledge within the BA
profession (by IIBA)
Generally accepted BA practices
Recognizes business analysis is more than
requirements
A reference for BA professional knowledge
Aligns with CMMI Requirements
Development & Requirements Management
Provides the basis for CBAP certification
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BABoK v2.0
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6 KAs and 32 tasks
Applies to a wider range of methods
including Agile, BPM
Techniques consolidated
34 + 17 techniques described in v2.0
Includes all commonly used elicitation
and analysis techniques
Covers most situations a BA is likely to
encounter
BABOK v2.0 Knowledge Areas
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Copyright 2008 International Institute of Business Analysis
BA Knowledge Areas
Business Analysis Planning
identify stakeholders
estimate the work involved
prioritize requirements for each release
manage changes to the requirements

Enterprise Analysis
business & application Architecture
development of business cases & feasibility
studies
strategies for identifying overall business
requirements

Requirements Elicitation
brainstorming, surveys, interviews,
workshops

Requirements Analysis
requirements are structured & specified
ensures that they are accurate


Solution Assessment & Validation
proposed solution meets the agreed-to
requirements
what to do if gaps are identified

Requirements Mgmt & Communication
shared understanding of the
requirements
peer reviews, presentations, formal
sign-off

Fundamentals
(Soft skills)
Analytical skills
Behavioral characteristics
Negotiation skills
Communication skills
Business knowledge
Software knowledge

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Business Analysis Planning
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Activities necessary to perform
in order to complete a business
analysis effort
Plan the
execution of
business analysis
tasks
Update or change
the approach to
business analysis
as required
Assess effectiveness of
and continually improve
business analysis
practices
Business Analysis Planning - Tasks
Conduct Stakeholder
Analysis

Plan Business Analysis
Activities

Plan Business Analysis
Communication

Plan Requirements
Management Process

Plan, monitor and Report on
Business Analysis
Performance

Personas & User Profiles
Communication needs
Decomposition
Metrics & Reporting
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Enterprise Analysis
Take a business need, refine
and clarify the definition of
that need, and define a
solution scope that can
feasibly be implemented by
the business.
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Identify and propose projects that meet strategic needs and goals.
Enterprise Analysis - Tasks

Identify Business Need

Determine Solution
Approach

Define Solution Scope

Develop the Business
Case

Brainstorming
Data Model
Decision Analysis
Decomposition
Environmental Assessment
State Model
Financial Analysis
Focus Group
Goal Analysis
Interview
Metrics & Reporting
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Elicitation
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Work with stakeholders to find out
what their needs are and ensure
that we have correctly & completely
understood their needs.
Stakeholder needs
Explore
Identify
Document
Elicitation - Tasks

Prepare for Elicitation

Conduct Elicitation

Document Elicitation Results

Confirm Elicitation Results

Brainstorming
Document Analysis
Focus Group
Joint application design (JAD)
sessions
Interface Identification
Interview
Observation
Prototyping
Requirements Workshop
Reverse Engineering
Survey / Questionnaire
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Requirement Analysis
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Analyze the stated requirements
of the stakeholders to ensure
that they are correct, assess the
current state of the business to
identify and recommend
improvements
Progressively
elaborate stated
requirements

sufficient level of
detail

accurately defines
the business need
within specified
scope
Validate
requirements
meet the
business need
Verify
requirements
are acceptable
quality
Requirement Analysis - Tasks
Organize Requirements

Prioritize Requirements

Specify and Model Requirements

Determine Assumptions and
Constraints

Verify Requirements

Validate Requirements

Gap analysis
Root-cause analysis
Force-field analysis
User Interface Modelling
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Solution Assessment
& Validation
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Assess proposed solutions to determine which solution best
fits the business need

Assess deployed solutions to see how well they meet the
original need in order to enable businesses to assess the
performance and effectiveness of projects
Solution Assessment & Validation - Tasks
Assess Requirements
Coverage

Allocate Requirements

Determine Organizational
Readiness

Validate Solution

Evaluate Solution

Multi-voting
Prototyping
Criteria-based grids
Impact/effort grids
User Acceptance Testing
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Requirements Management
& Communication
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Manage conflicts, issues
and changes

Ensure that stakeholders
and the project team
remain in agreement on
the solution scope
Purpose
Recognize that communication takes
places throughout all knowledge areas
Manage the approved solution and
requirements scope
Ensure stakeholders have access to
business analysis work products
Prepare and communicate
requirements to stakeholders
Facilitate enterprise consistency and
efficiency by re-using requirements
Requirements Management & Communication - Tasks
Manage Solution and
Requirements Scope

Manage Requirements
Traceability

Maintain Requirements
for re-use

Prepare Requirements
Package

Communicate
requirements
Configuration Management
Coverage Matrix
Issue & Defect Reporting
Scope Definition
Structured Walkthrough
Traceability Matrix
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Underlying Competencies
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Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving
Behavioral Characteristics
Business knowledge
Communication Skills
Group Interaction Skills
Negotiation skills
Change management
Software Application Knowledge
Essential skills and knowledge of Effective
Business Analyst - BABOK
Analytical thinking & problem-solving skills
Assess and understand a situation, Recommends one or more potential solutions to
address the business need, problem or opportunity
Behavioral characteristics
Apply personal integrity and strength of character when dealing with people BA
team, project team, internal and external stakeholders
Build strong and lasting working relationships
Business knowledge
Understanding of the business/domain make good decisions and recommendations
Software Knowledge
Word processing, spread sheet tools, requirement management tool
Document project scope, Develop detailed user and system requirements
Interaction skills
Team Players interact and work well with team members, leadership and facilitation
skills
Communication skills
Number one reason for project failure is poor communication


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Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving
Decision Analysis
Criteria

Learning
Business domain

Problem Solving

System Thinking


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Behavioral Characteristics
Ethics
Mutual Respect

Personal Organization
Timeliness, Commitment

Problem Solving
Action plans, to do lists,
priorities

Trustworthiness
Sensitive issues

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Business Knowledge
Business Principles & Practices
Industry best practices

Industry Knowledge
New challenges & Competition

Organization Knowledge

Solution Knowledge
Communication Skills
Oral Communication

Teaching, Training, Sharing

Written Communication


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Interaction Skills
Facilitation & Negotiation

Leadership & Influencing

Team Work

Change Management


Negotiation Skills
Negotiation Basics
Resourceful
Equitable
Sensitive
Patience
Endurance
Character & integrity
Tolerance

Types of negotiating
Positional
Win-Win
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Change Management
Task of managing change
reactive or a proactive posture
An area of professional practice
variation in competency and skill levels among
practitioners
A body of knowledge
models, methods, techniques
A control mechanism
requirements, standards, processes and procedures










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Software Application Knowledge
General-Purpose Applications
MS Office , Open Office, Web browsing, Email

Specialized Applications
Tools for requirements gathering
RequisitePro, Mapping Tools, Rational tools (UML),
starUML
Project management
MS Project, MS Excel



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Underlying Competencies
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Exploring Requirements
Project success -> What is to be accomplished is
clearly stated and agreed upon

Define high level scope of the project and more
detailed project requirements

Defining and documenting requirements Needs,
wants and expectations of the project stakeholders
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Determining the Business Analysis Approach
Methodology for business analysis work on
the overall project and its phases

Team Roles
Deliverables to be produced
How and when tasks are to be performed
Techniques to be used
High level business process


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Defining Requirement Management Process
How the BA team performs requirements
development activities for a project

How the team will deal with requirement traceability
Explicit process of developing requirements
How the requirement will be prioritized
What requirements attributes will be collected
How the changing requirements will be handled
During requirements development
After requirements are agreed upon and baselined
Who will review and approve requirements and any
requested changes
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Classifying Requirements
Business requirements Highest level of requirements High level
goals, objectives, needs of the organization
Stakeholder requirements Needs of the stakeholders and how they
will interact with the solution, high level user requirements
Solution requirements
Functional requirements capabilities of the product provided to the
users
Non-functional requirements quality attributes, design and
implementation constraints, external interfaces
Transition requirements Solution capabilities required to transition
from current to future state, created later in the project life cycle


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Requirements States
Requirement State Description
Allocated
Associated with solution components to be implemented
Analyzed
Modeled and specified requirements
Approved
Agreed by stakeholders
Communicated
Shared and understood by stakeholders
Maintained & reuse
Formatted and suitable for long term use
Prioritized
Relative importance to stakeholders and organization
Stated
Needs expressed by stakeholders during elicitation
Stated Confirmed
Confirmed by Ba to match stakeholders needs
Stated Unconfirmed
BAs understanding of stakeholders intentions
Traced
Clearly defined & identifies relationship to other
requirements within solution scope
Validated
Delivers value to stakeholders, within solution scope,
aligned with business goals/objectives
Verified
Checked, sufficient quality for further work to be performed
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Key Terms
Business analysis
Business analyst
Business requirements
Domain
Elements
Functional requirements
Inputs
Knowledge areas
Non-functional requirements
Outputs
Project manager

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Requirements
Solution requirements
Solutions
Solution scope
Stakeholder requirements
Stakeholders
Tasks
Techniques
Transition requirements
Underlying competencies


Real world Scenario - Template
Title & reference
Summary
Lessons learned
Work products
Deliverable template
Deliverables filled up
Techniques/tools
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Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring
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Fundamental Concepts
Study Guide
Pages 4, 17, 21