Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis: The Essentials / Edition 2

by Jamie Champagne

Overview

This volume presents a detailed explanations of business analysis concepts, terms, tasks, and techniques, and includes examples to help readers understand how to apply them to real-world situations. It also delineates the key activities that are core to the BA role and the diverse range of activities analysts perform based on their career competency level, ranging from problem solving and identification of business opportunities, to complex systems thinking and solution development, to strategic planning and change management. It is a must-have reference for BA generalists, specialists, and hybrids at every career level and industry segment or perspective. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781604271607
Publisher:	Ross, J. Publishing, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/22/2019
Series:	Business Analysis Professional Development
Edition description:	Second
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jamie Champagne, CBAP, PMP, PMI-PBA, founded Champagne Collaborations. She was the first Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) in Hawaii and she earned her Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) degree from Hawai’i Pacific University.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv

About the International Institute of Business Analysis™ xvi

About the Author xvii

WAV™ Page xix

1 Your First Step-Understand Business Analysis: the Role and the Work Involved 1

What Is Business Analysis? 2

Business Analysis's Relationship to IT 3

The Role of the BA 3

BA Traits 4

History of Business Analysis 5

Where Do BAs Come From? 6

Where Do BAs Report? 8

What Makes a Great BA? 11

BA Suitability Questionnaire 15

BA Career Progression 17

Key Business Analysis Terms/Concepts 18

What Is a Requirement? 18

Core Requirements Components 19

Why Document Requirements? 21

Why Do Requirements Need to Be Detailed? 22

What Is a Project? 23

What Is a Product? 24

What Is a Solution? 24

What Is a Deliverable? 25

System Versus Technology 26

It Depends 27

Business Analysis Certification 27

Business Analysis Foundational Material 28

Summary of Key Points 29

Bibliography 30

Additional Reading and References 30

2 Your Second Step-Know Your Audience 31

Establish Trust with Your Stakeholders 32

With Whom Does the BA Work? 33

Business Executives 33

Product Owners 34

Project Sponsor 35

PM 37

Other Business Analysis Professionals 42

SMEs and Users 42

Quality Assurance Analyst 50

Usability Professionals 51

Scrum Master 52

Solution Architects 52

IT Developers and Various IT SMEs 54

Testers 58

Trainers 60

Vendors and External Consultants 62

Customers 62

Stakeholder Analysis 62

Balancing Stakeholder Needs 63

Understanding the Political Environment 65

Working with Dispersed Teams 65

Physical Distance 66

Time Zone Differences 66

Nationality and Cultural Differences 67

Language Differences 67

Using Team Collaboration Tools 68

Summary of Key Points 70

Bibliography 71

Additional Reading and References 71

3 Your Third Step-Know Your Project 73

Why Has the Organization Decided to Fund this Project? 73

Business Case Development 74

Project Initiated Because of a Problem 78

Project Initiated to Eliminate Costs (Jobs) 80

Project Initiated by Outside Regulation 82

Project Initiated by an Opportunity 83

Projects for Marketing or Advertising 84

Projects to Align Business Processes 85

Projects to Deliver Organizational Strategy 87

Strategic Planning 87

Portfolio and Program Management 88

How Does Your Project Relate to Others? 89

Enterprise Architecture 89

Business Architecture 91

Information Architecture 91

Technology Architecture 93

Communicating Strategic Plans 94

Project Identification 95

Project Initiation 95

Initiation 96

Approach or Methodology 96

Statement of Purpose 97

Objectives 97

Problems/Opportunities 97

Stakeholders 98

Business Risks 99

Items Out of Scope 100

Assumptions 100

Scope of the Business Value 100

Context of the Change 101

Revisit Scope Frequently 104

Summary of Key Points 105

Bibliography 105

Additional Reading and References 106

4 Your Fourth Step-Know Your Business Environment 107

How Does a BA Learn About the Enterprise? 108

Read the Organizations Marketing Materials 109

Read the Organizations Financial Reports 109

Review the Corporate Strategic Plan 110

Seeing Things from the Business and Customer Perspective 110

How a BA Learns the Business and Customers: Elicitation Techniques 111

Technique: Document Analysis 112

Technique: Observation 113

Technique: Interviews 115

Technique: Context Diagrams 117

Technique: Surveys and Questionnaires 118

Technique: Facilitated Sessions 118

Technique: Focus Groups 120

Technique: Competitive and Market Analysis 122

Technique: Collaboration Games 122

Technique: Job and Persona Analysis 123

Technique: Process Modeling 124

Learn the Current (As-Is) System 125

What Is a Business Process? 127

Describing a Process 129

Formality of the Capture and Use of Business Processes 133

Seeing Things from the Top and from the Bottom 133

Implementation Planning 134

Summary of Key Points 134

Bibliography 135

Additional Reading and References 135

5 Your Fifth Step-Know Your Technical Environment 137

Why Does a Business Analyst Need to Understand the Technical Environment? 138

Understand Technology but Do Not Talk like a Technologist 140

What Does a Business Analyst Need to Know About Technology? 140

Software Development and Programming Terminology 141

Software Development Methodologies 142

An Organization's Formal Methodology 150

An Organization's Informal Standards 150

Technical Architecture 151

Key Technology Terms 153

Working with IT 162

Summary of Key Points 163

Bibliography 164

Additional Reading and References 165

6 Your Sixth Step-Know Your Requirements Analysis Techniques 167

Beginning Your Requirements Analysis 168

Planning Requirements Analysis Work 168

Business Analysis Governance 169

Technique: Estimation 171

Categorizing Requirements 172

Developing a System for Organizing Requirements 173

Business Requirements 175

Solution Requirements 176

Technical Requirements 177

Transition Requirements 178

Categorization of Requirements on Iterative or Incremental Projects 179

Categorization of Requirements on Agile or Adaptive Projects 179

Analysis Techniques and Presentation Formats 181

Technique: Traceability Matrices 182

Technique: Process Modeling and Analysis 184

Technique: Functional Decomposition 186

Technique: Business Rules Analysis 188

Technique: Decision Modeling and Analysis 189

Technique: Glossary 190

Technique: Data Requirements and Analysis 191

Technique: Use Cases and Scenarios 195

Technique: Interface Analysis 197

Technique: Prototypes 197

Technique: User Stories and Backlogs 198

Technique: Storyboarding 199

Choosing the Appropriate Techniques 200

"As-Is" Versus "To-Be" Analysis 205

Packaging Requirements 206

How Formally Should Requirements Be Documented? 206

What Is a Requirements Package? 207

Characteristics of Excellent Requirements 209

Getting Sign-Off 210

Requirements Tools, Repositories, and Management 210

Summary of Key Points 211

Bibliography 212

Additional Reading and References 212

7 Your Seventh Step-Increase Your Value 213

Build Your Foundation 213

Skill: Planning Your Start 213

Technique: BA Assessments, Lessons Learned, and Retrospectives 216

Skill: Think Analytically 218

Skill: Try New Techniques 219

Technique: Brainstorming 219

Skill: Systems Thinking 220

Value Your Time 220

Skill: Prioritization 220

Technique: Time Boxing and Grouping 222

Skill: Understand the 80/20 Rule 223

Build Your Relationships and Communication Skills 223

Skill: Build Strong Relationships 223

Skill Ask the Right Questions 224

Skill: Listen Actively 226

Skill: Write Effectively 229

Skill: Design Excellent Presentations 230

Skill: Facilitate and Build Consensus 230

Skill: Conduct Effective Meetings 231

Skill: Conduct Requirements Reviews 234

Sharpen Your Analysis Skills 241

Technique: Avoid Analysis Paralysis 241

Skill: Clear Statements of Situations 243

Skill: Make Recommendations for Solutions 243

Skill: Provide Objective Analysis 245

Skill: Be Able to Accept Feedback 246

Start Adding Value 246

Technique: Creating a BA Task List 247

Summary of Key Points 249

Bibliography 249

Additional Reading and References 250

Index 253

Editorial Reviews

"Wow! The thoroughness of this book is incredible. Champagne has crafted a comprehensive, extensive, and progressive guide to take one through the well-formed steps to becoming an outstanding business analyst. This guidebook provides a wealth of skills, tools, techniques, and perspectives to infuse competence and confidence into the work of any BA.” —Dr. Paul G. Schempp, Professor, University of Georgia and President, Performance Matters, Inc.


“Business analysis is a broad discipline. By distilling the breadth of the profession into seven applicable steps, the author provides a practical framework which will be of immediate interest to new and experienced BAs alike.” —Adrian Reed, Former President, IIBA UK Chapter, Author of Business Analyst

From the Publisher