Challenge yourself by keeping up with practical business analysis techniques you can apply on the job.
A control chart can be used to monitor processes for problems and to determine whether a process has become stable enough. As an analysis tool, it can be used to detect when problems occur and propose possible causes and solutions via an extensive root cause analysis exercise.
Read MoreSome processes, problems, and projects appear complicated, yet their complexity disappears as soon as one takes a closer look and breaks them down into simpler parts. This is the objective of functional decomposition - to clarify how the overall functionality emerges from the interaction between individual components in increasing detail.
Read MoreThe key importance of problem tracking is seldom evident when there are just two or three problems to overcome at the same time; it doesn’t take much to stay organized in such situations. It gets much more complicated, however, when the number of problems increases, especially in the early phases of software development projects.
Read MoreIn a perfect world, our plans would always go according to our expectations, and nobody would ever make a wrong decision. Sadly, we don’t live in a perfect world, and things don’t always go according to plan. Knowing that mistakes are inevitable, the question is how to improve our practice or reduce those mistakes the next time we get an opportunity.
Read MoreThere are some major tell-tale signs to look out for when improving processes. These trouble spots exist to varying extents in most poorly-performing business processes. The objective of any improvement effort is therefore to minimize these as much as possible to ensure that affected processes perform as efficiently as possible and deliver value to the business.
Read MoreThe most obvious benefit of gathering stakeholders with different backgrounds in a single room is the increased chance of spotting defects in requirements before development or implementation begins. Structured walkthrough sessions also raise awareness about the different development or maintenance methodologies.
Read MoreState diagrams typically describe the states of an object, the transitions between the different states and the events that trigger those transitions. Thinking through objects in a system and their respective states can also help to identify missing requirements.
Read MoreThis technique is also known as “Item tracking” or “Issue Tracking" and it covers the supervision of defects, assumptions, actions and issues until they are resolved. It provides an opportunity for stakeholders to rank the importance of issues affecting them.
Read MoreIn developing a business case or a feasibility study, many activities are associated with inherent uncertainties and therefore, estimating the resources required to complete such project activities can be a challenging task for the business analyst.
Great project estimation commonly involves applying one or more techniques in arriving at time and cost estimations, some of which are discussed in this article.
Read MoreBusiness analysts can use VRIO to accurately assess the internal resources of a business, its competitive advantage potential, and the possibilities of improvement of relevant resources within key business areas.
Read MorePersonas are particularly useful because they serve the purpose of constantly reminding the design team whom they are building the solution for, plus they are easier to remember since there’s a story behind each persona.
Read MoreThe PDCA methodology is an iterative management methodology that is deceptively simple to implement yet frequently overlooked.
Read MoreCommonly referred to as Kotter's 8-Step Change Model, this change management strategy describes eight steps organizations must take to enhance their ability to implement change initiatives successfully.
Read MoreWith TQM, everyone in the company or organization is responsible for quality assurance and problem prevention. This management concept was originally applied solely to manufacturing, but it has since been successfully implemented by a number of businesses across many industries.
Read MoreProjects and product development exercises typically start by defining a vision of what is needed. The business analyst plays a central role in articulating the product vision statement, a common deliverable more popularly known as the "elevator pitch".
Read MoreImagine a situation where you have been asked to improve the performance or efficiency of a particular unit of an organization. You have no clue whatsoever as to what set of factors is the real cause of the degraded performance you have been asked to improve.
Read MoreExpert judgment is a technique of decision-making that relies on knowledge from experts within a specific knowledge area, discipline or industry. For example, the opinions of experts can be sought on software projects when estimating the duration of activities or planning; what BA methodology to follow for specific types of projects; or what programming language to use. For the business analyst, it’s worthwhile bringing in experts when faced with situations that involve:
Read MoreRequirements prioritization is one of the key tasks that business analysts should assist stakeholders to complete. Priorities serve as a guide to determining which requirements should be fulfilled first and how scarce resources should be allocated. The prioritisation exercise should be done with key stakeholders who have the authority to make decisions on eliminating or including business requirements based on their relevance.
Read MoreThe Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is the building block that allows for careful planning and control of a project. It is the link between the actual work and various other aspects, such as cost estimates, cost expenditures, schedule information and accountability.
Read MoreConducting a review of how a business is performing can prove daunting, since it requires an organised collection and evaluation of financial information. Financial analysis may be defined as the process of highlighting the financial strengths and flaws of a business by studying both the balance sheet and income statement elements.
Financial statements produce a summary of data from which important analysis and interpretation can be made.
Read MoreThis business analyst blog contains practical insights into business analysis, software testing and business process management. I will be sharing business analyst tips, CBAP Certification tips, lessons learnt and insights into all the things I've learnt during my BA career.
