Data Analysis: The Backbone of Business Strategy
It’s never been easier for organizations to cultivate an endless amount of data from a mass amount of sources. They could pull enough data to make their heads spin. But one key player stands at the intersection of raw data and strategic decision-making: the Business Analyst (BA).
Important Business Analysis Techniques You Should Know
Business moves fast and is ever-evolving. To excel in this very pivotal role, Business Analysts (BAs) need to be well-versed in analysis techniques that can help us draw out information and produce insights that uncover needs, opportunities, weaknesses, and issues. Read on to learn about some important techniques BAs need to master.
Leveraging Business Analysis for Data-Driven Decision-Making in Organizations
In today’s data-rich landscape, businesses are constantly inundated with an overwhelming amount of information. But extracting valuable insights from this data is vital for making informed decisions that can drive growth and success. In this article, we’ll explore how Business Analysts use data to empower organizations across various domains.
What’s the Business Analyst’s Responsibility When a Traditional Project Is Being Initiated?
In the world of change initiation, the role of a Business Analyst (BA) is crucial for ensuring value and success. However, the specific responsibilities of a BA during the project initiation phase can vary greatly across organizations. In some companies, BAs are brought in very early in the process – they might even initiate it! – but in other companies, Business Analysts are brought in much later in the process.
Mitigating Risk with Gap Analysis, Risk Assessment, and Feasibility Analysis
When you’re creating a change strategy for a proposed solution, there are many factors to take into account. A solution needs to satisfy a need or solve a problem in an organization, but it also needs to fit with the culture, work with technology that is currently available, and be a solution that will be supported by the organization to nurture it and allow it to grow in the future.
That said, business analysis projects can be complex and risky, so it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your solution’s scope, goals, and potential risks. One of the best ways to mitigate those risks is to conduct a strategy analysis and complete a Gap Analysis, risk assessment, and feasibility check.
How to Know When A BA Project is Failing & What to Do About It
So often, we focus our articles on how to do everything right; how to drive success in your business analysis project. Obviously, this is important information and insight. We all want to know how to approach projects in a way that promotes success and mitigates risk and failure. But real life isn’t perfect. People make mistakes, things get overlooked, and projects can fail.
We often learn more from our mistakes and failures than from our successes. Unfortunately, not all stakeholders or organizations see things with that kind of silver lining, so it’s good for you to know some of the early signs of project failure (so you can tackle them asap), the signs of late-stage project failure, and what you can do to mitigate or fix them.
Will Business Analysis be Automated?
Over the last decade, we’ve seen a rise in rapid technological advancements and conversation about the implications they have on our lives, our careers and jobs, and on society and, truly, the world as a whole. We’ve seen computers and smart devices become sleeker, and we’ve seen increased capabilities and uses of them.
We’re also witnessing growth in Artificial Intelligence (AI). Where we once heard of it mostly used in the military, science, and other government fields, we’re now seeing AI becoming more widespread and built for use in mainstream society.
The Importance of Innovative Thinking in Business Analysis
While it is easy to assume that our role as Business Analysts is entirely driven by process – and, let me be clear, processes are a large component of our jobs – there is a large degree of creativity and innovation involved in what we do. We bring organizations new and fresh ideas for processes and products, solutions to problems that they’re experiencing, and creative ways that they can optimize their business.
I was reminded of this after reading an article based on an interview between Koryn Anderson (of the International Insitute of Business Analysis (IIBA) Global Chapter Council) and Professor Carlos José Locoselli, Director of Education for the IIBA Brazil Chapter. In the article, Anderson reminds us of the popular Ralph Waldo Emerson quote:
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
Why We Need Diverse User Stories in Business Analysis
When Business Analysts undertake a project, one of the most essential components for success is understanding the needs of the end user and their purpose for those requirements. To aid in this, BA’s compile and analyze User Stories that provide small but powerful input from end users and customers.
User Stories are extremely valuable tools for organizing information and requirements directly from those who will be using the software, processes, or the end result product that you’ll be delivering. In this article, we’ll take a look at the essentials of User Stories and the benefits they generate for project teams and the customers or end users.
A Good Requirement is a SMART Requirement
A requirement is a function that a product, process, or system must do or a quality it must possess. Requirements are a crucial component of the solution that a Business Analyst proposes. They are one of the components that drive the BA to create the solutions that they bring to the table.
Typically, the SMART framework applies to goals. But it has been borrowed and re-adjusted to apply to requirements, making them Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable, and Traceable.