Business Analysis Vs Software Development

Submitted By solomonlist11
Words: 2312
Pages: 10

1. Business Analysis
a. The set of tasks and techniques used to work as a liaison among stakeholders in order to understand the structure, policies, and operations of an organization, and recommend solutions that enable the organization to achieve its goals
i. Business analysis involves
1. Identification of business problems and opportunities
2. Elicitation of needs and constraints from stakeholders
3. Analysis of stakeholder needs to define requirements for a solution
4. Assessment and validation of potential and actual solutions
5. Management of the product or requirement scope
2. Unclear differentiation between business analysis and project management
3. Business Analysis Professionals
a. Involved in software or IT solution
i. But not limited to software development
b. Focused on helping to elicit, analyze, document, and validate requirements and implement solutions to business problems
c. Most importantly they help not only design software but SOLUTIONS
4. Business Analysis vs. Software Development
a. Rational Unified Process
i. Business models and business modeling is an activity that happens before project initiation ii. Assuming:
1. When a software development project is started, the business model has already been developed and the solution determined to best support the business software.
5. The Role of the Business Analyst
a. Business Analysis profession continues to grow because of the need for people who can translate business needs into software technology and organizational solutions
6. Business Analyst Traits
a. BA’s have the combination of the ability to see the big picture while being very detail oriented
b. People skills necessary for a BA are:
i. Strong listening skills ii. Ability to ask good questions iii. Probe deeper for very detailed information iv. Leadership abilities
1. Running successful meetings
2. Encouraging team members
3. Supporting corporate goals
7. History of Business Analyst
a. Several factors have increased the need for dedicated business analyst professionals
i. Explosion of customer-facing web pages demanded an increase in the understanding of usability and human factors in design ii. The International Organization for Standardization set quality standards that must be adhered to when doing international business iii. Carnegie Mellon University created software development and organizational quality standards with CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration iv. Six Sigma has provided a disciplined, data driven quality approach to process improvement aimed at the near elimination of defects from every product, process, and transaction.
8. Where do Business Analysts come from?
i. BA’s come from both IT backgrounds and business areas.
b. From IT
i. Analytical individuals who enjoy problem solving ii. These individuals often were strong designers and developers because of their inherent logical thinking patterns and attention to detail iii. Also need to adjust their view of technology to one that supports the business goals rather than driving them.
c. From Business
i. Individuals who are promoted within the business because of their intelligence and ability to see more than just their job. ii. They recommend workflow changes to improve efficiency in their areas. iii. They show strong analytical problem solving skills within the business area, along with strong communication skills with management.
9. Where do business Analysts report?
a. Business Analysts Professionals reside in one of three departments in the most organizations:
i. IT ii. Individual business units iii. Central business analyst group (AKA Business analysis center of excellence)
b. BA’s working in a Business Unit
i. Aware of business conditions, competitive issues, and financial institutions
1. Working at a detailed level ii. BA’s in a Business Unit are also involved in writing business cases, documenting workflow, and re-engineering processes iii. By being close to the business, the