Business Analyse
Prof. Dr. Jochen De Weerdt
BA1: INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS ANALYSIS
1. WHAT IS BUSINESS ANALYSIS?
Business analysis is the practice of enabling change in an enterprise by defining needs and
recommending solutions that deliver value to stakeholders
i. Proliferation of IT systems (80s)
• There is a rapid growth of IT systems (due to demand for change)
• Organizations started digitizing business processes
• Increasing complexity created a need to align IT with business goals
• The Business Analyst field emerged during this period
• Digitalization became a key driver of business analysis practice
BUT IT alone does not deliver success, true impact requires broader view of business change
90% of the companies that are investing in AI, ChatGPT, … are wasting money because of
lack of knowledge
ii. BACCM
The BACCM is a core concept model (higher level concepts used in BA)
iii. BABOK
Business analysis body of knowledge
• Standard reference: defines concepts, activities, deliverables
• Accepted practices: captures what professionals use today
• Beyond IT: broader than just software requirements
• By professionals: developed and enhanced by practitioners
• Not a methodology: no step-by-step instructions (not a practice guide!)
2. ROLE OF A BUSINESS ANALYST
i. What is a business analyst?
• Liaison among stakeholders
o Elicit, analyze, communicate, and validate requirements
• Business focus
o Ensure solutions meet real business needs
• Scope of solutions
o IT-related, non-IT, or process improvement
• Core responsibility
o Understand actual needs, not just expressed desires
o Align business needs with IT capabilities
,ii. Types of business analysts
• Business analyst: focus on business processes & problem-solving
• IT business analyst: bridge between business & IT, “what” the system must do
• Systems analyst: focus on system design & technical aspects, “how” it will work
• Business systems analyst: hybrid of IT BA and systems analyst
iii. Roles
Problem solver, facilitator, architect, negotiator, planner, communicator, expert, strategist
3. COMPETENCIES OF A BUSINESS ANALYST
A competency is the capability to apply or use a set of related knowledge, skills, and abilities
required to successfully perform “critical work functions” or tasks in a defined work setting
The main areas of competence are:
• Business knowledge
o External business knowledge:
▪ Business acumen
▪ Industry knowledge
▪ Information technology
o Internal business knowledge:
▪ Business model and strategies
▪ Organizational knowledge
• Analytical thinking
o Discovering, synthesizing, analyzing, identifying, evaluating, …
• Organizing and time management
o Organizing different types of meetings
o Manage complex plans
o Manage frequent changes
• Communication and interaction
o While being neutral, facilitate, …
• Tools and techniques
4. BA PLANNING AND MONITORING
, i. BA planning parameters
ii. Elicitation
• Focus on gathering requirements from various stakeholder groups
• Identify the tasks, knowledge and techniques for capturing requirements
• “What do the stakeholders need?”
• Techniques:
o Brainstorming, focus groups, interviewing, observation, document analysis,
survey/questionnaire, requirements workshop, prototyping, …
iii. Requirements management and communications
• Focus on presenting and communicating documented requirements to all
stakeholders, including project team members, to bring the group to consensus on
project scope
• Identify and manage change
• “Does everyone understand and agree?”
iv. Enterprise analysis
• Understanding the “big picture”
• Define business goals the solution must meet
• Integrate requirements into larger business architecture
• Support initiatives and long-term planning
• Strategic planning, business case development, cost benefit analysis, feasibility
studies
• “Why are we doing this?”
v. Requirements analysis
• Focus on analyzing the data
• Defines the methods, tools, techniques to structure raw data collected during
elicitation
• Identifies gaps in requirements
, • Defines the “solution” capabilities and can serve as the foundation for selecting
among solution alternatives
• “What must the solution do?”
vi. Solutions assessment & validation
• Focus on ensuring the best approach is chosen, that solution will meet stakeholder
objectives, that the solution is feasible, and guides solution “verification”
• “Does the solution do what it is supposed to do?”
5. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
i. Stakeholders
• Definition: people or groups with a relationship to change or solution
• Relevance: stakeholders are those who
o Experience a change in value, or
o Can affect value experienced by others
▪ E.g. families of employees relocated to a new office are stakeholders,
not because they move, but because they affect employees’
experience of value
Stakeholder engagement is important for a healthy and productive collaboration and
ensuring a movement forward in the analysis process
1) Identify stakeholders
• Internal vs. external stakeholders
o Internal: employees, shareholders, management
o External: suppliers, customers, partners, competitors, candidate
employees
• Business analyst: responsible and accountable for BA activities
• Customers: use products/services, hold rights and expectations
• Domain SMEs: provide expertise
• End users: directly interact with the solutions
• Implementation SMEs: developers, architects, trainers, change managers
• Project manager: delivers solution within scope, budget, schedule
• Testers: verify solution quality and compliance
• Regulators: define and enforce standards and legislation
• Sponsor: initiates effort, authorizes work, controls budget
• Suppliers: provide products/services to the organization
Prof. Dr. Jochen De Weerdt
BA1: INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS ANALYSIS
1. WHAT IS BUSINESS ANALYSIS?
Business analysis is the practice of enabling change in an enterprise by defining needs and
recommending solutions that deliver value to stakeholders
i. Proliferation of IT systems (80s)
• There is a rapid growth of IT systems (due to demand for change)
• Organizations started digitizing business processes
• Increasing complexity created a need to align IT with business goals
• The Business Analyst field emerged during this period
• Digitalization became a key driver of business analysis practice
BUT IT alone does not deliver success, true impact requires broader view of business change
90% of the companies that are investing in AI, ChatGPT, … are wasting money because of
lack of knowledge
ii. BACCM
The BACCM is a core concept model (higher level concepts used in BA)
iii. BABOK
Business analysis body of knowledge
• Standard reference: defines concepts, activities, deliverables
• Accepted practices: captures what professionals use today
• Beyond IT: broader than just software requirements
• By professionals: developed and enhanced by practitioners
• Not a methodology: no step-by-step instructions (not a practice guide!)
2. ROLE OF A BUSINESS ANALYST
i. What is a business analyst?
• Liaison among stakeholders
o Elicit, analyze, communicate, and validate requirements
• Business focus
o Ensure solutions meet real business needs
• Scope of solutions
o IT-related, non-IT, or process improvement
• Core responsibility
o Understand actual needs, not just expressed desires
o Align business needs with IT capabilities
,ii. Types of business analysts
• Business analyst: focus on business processes & problem-solving
• IT business analyst: bridge between business & IT, “what” the system must do
• Systems analyst: focus on system design & technical aspects, “how” it will work
• Business systems analyst: hybrid of IT BA and systems analyst
iii. Roles
Problem solver, facilitator, architect, negotiator, planner, communicator, expert, strategist
3. COMPETENCIES OF A BUSINESS ANALYST
A competency is the capability to apply or use a set of related knowledge, skills, and abilities
required to successfully perform “critical work functions” or tasks in a defined work setting
The main areas of competence are:
• Business knowledge
o External business knowledge:
▪ Business acumen
▪ Industry knowledge
▪ Information technology
o Internal business knowledge:
▪ Business model and strategies
▪ Organizational knowledge
• Analytical thinking
o Discovering, synthesizing, analyzing, identifying, evaluating, …
• Organizing and time management
o Organizing different types of meetings
o Manage complex plans
o Manage frequent changes
• Communication and interaction
o While being neutral, facilitate, …
• Tools and techniques
4. BA PLANNING AND MONITORING
, i. BA planning parameters
ii. Elicitation
• Focus on gathering requirements from various stakeholder groups
• Identify the tasks, knowledge and techniques for capturing requirements
• “What do the stakeholders need?”
• Techniques:
o Brainstorming, focus groups, interviewing, observation, document analysis,
survey/questionnaire, requirements workshop, prototyping, …
iii. Requirements management and communications
• Focus on presenting and communicating documented requirements to all
stakeholders, including project team members, to bring the group to consensus on
project scope
• Identify and manage change
• “Does everyone understand and agree?”
iv. Enterprise analysis
• Understanding the “big picture”
• Define business goals the solution must meet
• Integrate requirements into larger business architecture
• Support initiatives and long-term planning
• Strategic planning, business case development, cost benefit analysis, feasibility
studies
• “Why are we doing this?”
v. Requirements analysis
• Focus on analyzing the data
• Defines the methods, tools, techniques to structure raw data collected during
elicitation
• Identifies gaps in requirements
, • Defines the “solution” capabilities and can serve as the foundation for selecting
among solution alternatives
• “What must the solution do?”
vi. Solutions assessment & validation
• Focus on ensuring the best approach is chosen, that solution will meet stakeholder
objectives, that the solution is feasible, and guides solution “verification”
• “Does the solution do what it is supposed to do?”
5. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
i. Stakeholders
• Definition: people or groups with a relationship to change or solution
• Relevance: stakeholders are those who
o Experience a change in value, or
o Can affect value experienced by others
▪ E.g. families of employees relocated to a new office are stakeholders,
not because they move, but because they affect employees’
experience of value
Stakeholder engagement is important for a healthy and productive collaboration and
ensuring a movement forward in the analysis process
1) Identify stakeholders
• Internal vs. external stakeholders
o Internal: employees, shareholders, management
o External: suppliers, customers, partners, competitors, candidate
employees
• Business analyst: responsible and accountable for BA activities
• Customers: use products/services, hold rights and expectations
• Domain SMEs: provide expertise
• End users: directly interact with the solutions
• Implementation SMEs: developers, architects, trainers, change managers
• Project manager: delivers solution within scope, budget, schedule
• Testers: verify solution quality and compliance
• Regulators: define and enforce standards and legislation
• Sponsor: initiates effort, authorizes work, controls budget
• Suppliers: provide products/services to the organization
