Business Analyst Knowledge Areas
Most principal areas of Knowledge
Business analysts are likely to perform tasks from all knowledge areas in rapid succession, iteratively, or simultaneously.
The Business Analyst Knowledge areas are the following:
1. Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring
Covers how business analysts determine which activities are necessary in order to complete a business analysis effort.
It covers the identification of stakeholders, the selection of business analysis techniques, the process that will be used to manage requirements, and how to assess the progress of the work.
It involves the following activities:
- Plan Business Analysis Approach
- Plan Stakeholder Engagement
- Plan Business Analysis Governance
- Plan Business Analysis Information Management
- Identify Business Analysis Performance Improvements
2. Elicitation & Collaboration
Describes the tasks that Business Analysts perform to prepare for and conduct elicitation activities with relevant stakeholders and confirm the results obtained.
This covers the need for a Business Analyst to continue working with stakeholders to engage them in the overall business analysis process, maintain relationships, and ensure that the Business Analyst can deliver the outcomes needed.
It is an iterative process.
It involves the following activities:
- Prepare for Elicitation
- Conduct Elicitation
- Confirm Elicitation Results
- Communicate Business Analysis Information
- Manage Stakeholder Collaboration
3. Requirements Life Cycle Management
There are specific tasks Business Analysts perform in order to manage and maintain requirements and design information.
These tasks describe meaningful relationships between related requirements and designs, and assessing, analyzing and gaining consensus on proposed changes to requirements and designs.
It involves the following activities:
- Trace Requirements
- Maintain Requirements
- Prioritize Requirements
- Assess Requirements Changes
- Approve Requirements
4. Strategy Analysis
Having a strategy assures that there is a most effective way to apply enterprise capabilities to reach the desired set of goals and objectives.
In this area is understood the current state better known as “As is” and defined the future state better known as “To be”.
It involves the following activities:
- Analyze Current State (As Is)
- Define Future State (To be)
- Assess Risks
- Define Change Strategy
5. Requirements Analysis and Design Definition
To help Business Analysts create representations of elicitation results and how these relate to the solution.
It involves the following activities:
- Specify and Model Requirements
- Verify Requirements
- Validate Requirements
- Define Requirements Architecture
- Define Solution Options
- Analyze Potential Value and Recommend Solution
6. Solution Evaluation
Focuses on the tasks that Business Analysts perform to assess the performance of and value delivered by a solution selected by the enterprise.
It involves the following activities:
- Measure Solution Performance
- Analyze Performance Measures
- Assess Solution Limitations
- Assess Enterprise Limitations
- Recommend Actions to Increase Solution Value
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MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ( BA Gabriel Salinas Cardona):
My Experience (Working Context and Problem Tackled)**
Observed Advantages:
- In my humble opinion, I have experienced advantages taking into consideration these Business Analysts (BA) knowledge areas before starting a new project, since I before joining at Globant, I was working in Companies which didn´t follow those tips and sometimes finally, the outcomes were different than the Main Customers expected because the working Software is delivered at the end of the entire project and also some requirements became outdated because the main customers or stakeholders only were consulted at the very beginning of the project.
- First of all, It is very important to have a plan to start the Analysis Process identifying among the totally Stakeholders, who of them are the key stakeholders in order to get the most important functionalities that really provide value to the Business process, besides having the key stakeholders identified we need to know which techniques among all will be used in the specific project.
- Furthermore, as BA we need to have clear, how the Elicitation process will be performed working together shoulder to shoulder with the key Stakeholders through the project life cycle, keeping a good relationship with them, and of course, getting their confidence in us even more and more in each stage of the project.
- Once understood what the Stakeholders want and having transformed them into what they really need, is a best practice as Strategy Analysis to divide the Analysis results into the As-Is, and To-be stages, confirming the assumptions with them and at the same time, reducing at maximum the gaps between those stages in order to reach the real value expected, that sometimes, even the main Customers didn´t really know when the project started.
- Taking into account that not always what is said is the same as what is understood, it is even better to create some graphic representations that make clear the unified understanding for everyone involved in the Project such as the Scrum team, Main Customers and users, and the Stakeholders
Observed Disadvantages:
- Sometimes as Business Analyst we could make the mistake of developing everything the Customer Requires, but as part of our position, we need to understand what they want and transform it into what they really need that satisfy and improve the Business Process and moreover, we need to think in an objective manner dividing what they personally need of what really provide value to the Business.
- Not to consider as part of the entire Analysis process and development the close collaboration of the main stakeholders and customers resolving doubts, confirming assumptions, and getting feedback of them each time, sometimes finally the outcomes are different than the Main users are expecting or maybe in these cases the project finally fails.
- Sometimes as Business Analyst, we commit the mistake of not asking the correct questions to the correct stakeholders, and even worst, not having prepared an efficient plan for the elicitation process, getting bored and uninterested those stakeholders who don´t stop repeating the same thing, because they don´t know how to express their ideas or needs in the correct way, resulting in a series of meetings that don’t provide value in the analysis process, that’s why, we need to conduct the elicitation process to obtain each time, more and more worth information, confirming the results with them the next time in order to unify the understanding of that is being said and what is being understood, and even rephrasing everything could work to obtain their consent.
Tips & Personal Recommendations:
- In my humble experience as Business Analyst, I only strongly recommend, don’t avoid taking into consideration every stage of the BA Knowledge areas, not only before stating the Analysis process, or at the beginning of the project, but also through the entire Project life´s cycle, working really closely with the key Stakeholders resolving doubts, confirming assumptions and proposals, and finally removing the gaps found, because, in this way, everyone involved will have a clear understanding of not only what will be developed but also why it is needed and how it provides value to the Business Process.
