Looking at the value of Business Analysis
A popular perception of business analysis is that it makes businesses do business better. It’s simple but true, and Bas are the people who function as the liaison between the problems and the solutions to make businesses everywhere do business better. Here are just a few of the ways that your performance as a BA can help an organisation:
Setting expectations: BAs help stakeholders define a solution for their problem. After a solution has been defined for example improve a business process to reduce costs, the expectations are set. The stakeholders expect whatever actions follow will result in the solution that was identified.
Improving estimation: Most people don’t like surprises when it comes to time and cost estimates. Performing business analysis helps define what needs to be accomplished. Having this clearer picture lets organisations do a better job of estimating what their solution will cost and how long they’ll take to implement.
A better alignment between a project and goals/objectives: Because business analysis professionals work on both the “Why” and the “How” pieces, they can see when a solution is no longer aligned with the goals and objectives.
Managing Scope Creep: Scope Creep refers to the phenomenon of bringing in new requirements after everyone agrees on what should be included in a project. In companies where projects are going on all the time, scope creep will definitely happen. Gain buy-in on the project scope from all impacted people as early as possible. Then, when scope creep happens, you can show the impact the new requirements would have so the business can make an informed decision.
Reducing project defects: Business analysis activities detail the rules, process and user interactions of the solution. This level of detail helps provide clear direction for the people developing the solution and those testing the solution to help ensure that defects are reduced and caught before the solution is implemented. In a solution that enables customers to buy products from a website, for example, one of the required conditions would be that the customer must enter a complete business and/or home address; the BA would then elicit requirements surrounding the expected experience from the customer’s viewpoint: Does the company cancel the order? Do customers receive an error message? If so, what does the message say?
Smoothing the transition to production: Transition, as it relates to projects, is all about moving from the development and test environment, where you’re building the solution, to the production environment, where users are actually using the solution. Good business analysis practices include ensuring the solution will be used in production, which you do by getting the organisation ready for the change and developing a roll-out strategy.
Reusing requirements and reducing duplicate solutions: For every initiative, Bas should be careful not to duplicate requirements underway in different areas of the company. Because you often develop many solutions at the same time for the same goals and objectives, companies may well be working on multiple projects trying to accomplish the same thing.
Improving communication within the team: Business analysis activities boil down to communication. One of the BA’s main roles is to elicit and communicate the true needs of the business so the right solution can be delivered. Making sure everyone has a clear and consistent understanding of what needs to be accomplished helps ensure all sides are working together to accomplish the goal.
Increasing customer satisfaction: BAs help address the inevitable changes a company goes through and can help mitigate any problems customers may feel as a result of those changes. One of the biggest ways you as a BA can help is by facilitating communication of the changes to customers. For example, if the company wants to make a change to its services or products, you can help it determine what the impact on the customers will be and how to effectively communicate to upcoming changes to those affected.
