SRE(SE-321)

(Lecture 15-16)

Instructor:

GUL SHER ALI

UOG
 CHAPTER’S OBJECTIVE
CH-04: THE BUSINESS ANALYST

• Vital function of BA
• Skills and Knowledge an effective analyst need
• Role of BA in Software development
 WHAT IS A BUSINESS ANALYST?
• The business analyst is the individual who has the primary responsibility to
elicit, analyze, document, and validate the needs of the project
stakeholder.
• Serves as the principal interpreter through which requirements flow between
the customer community and the software development team,
THE BUSINESS ANALYST BRIDGES COMMUNICATION BETWEEN
CUSTOMER AND DEVELOPMENT STAKEHOLDERS
 THE BUSINESS ANALYST ROLE
• It’s a project role not a job title • Regardless of the job title, the person
• Interchangeably used requirement performing the analyst tasks must have
analyst/ system analyst/requirement the skills, knowledge, and personality to
engineer/application analyst/business perform the role well.
system analyst/ analyst • Using highly experienced analysts can
reduce the project’s overall effort by
• These titles varies organization to
one-third compared to similar projects
organization
with inexperienced analysts.
• It may be person who is preforming
other function on project
• Note: these two roles are distinct role
and requiring different set of skills
THE BUSINESS
• work as a BA begins when you help the
ANALYST TASK business or funding sponsor, product
manager, or marketing manager define the
1. Define Business project’s business requirements.
Requirements • You might suggest a template for a vision
and scope document
THE BUSINESS • The analyst should develop plans to elicit,
ANALYST TASK analyze, document, validate, and manage
requirements throughout the project. Work
2. Plan the closely with the project manager to ensure
Requirement these plans align with the overall project
plans and will help achieve the project
Approach goals.
THE BUSINESS • Work with the business sponsors to select
appropriate representatives for each user
ANALYST TASK class
3. Identify Project • enlist their participation, and negotiate their
stake holders and responsibilities.
user class • Collaborators and agree on an appropriate
level of engagement from each one.
THE BUSINESS • A proactive analyst helps users articulate the
ANALYST TASK system capabilities they need to meet their
business objectives by using a variety of
4. Elicit The information-gathering techniques
requirement
5. Analyze
Use requirements models to recognize
Requirements patterns, identify gaps in the requirements,
reveal conflicting requirements, and confirm
that all requirements specified are within
scope.
THE BUSINESS
ANALYST TASK
6. Document • Analyst is responsible for documenting
Requirement requirements in a well-organized and well-
written manner that clearly describes the
solution that will address the customer’s
problem using standard templates
THE BUSINESS
• Analyst is responsible for documenting You
ANALYST TASK must communicate the requirements
effectively and efficiently to all parties.
7. Communicate
• The BA should determine when it is helpful to
Requirements represent requirements by using methods
other than text, including various types of
visual analysis models
• Communication is not simply a matter of
putting requirements on paper It involves
ongoing collaboration with the team
THE BUSINESS
ANALYST TASK • BA should also review designs and tests that
were derived from the requirements to
8.Lead ensure that the requirements were
Requirement interpreted correctly
Validation • The analyst brokers collaboration and
negotiation among the various stakeholders
9. Facilitate and the developers to ensure that they
make sensible priority decisions in alignment
Requirement with achieving business objectives.
prioritization
 ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR BA
• Listening Skills • Observational skills
• Interviewing and questioning skills • Communication Skills
• Thinking on your feet • organizational skills
• Analytical skills • Modeling Skills
• Systems thinking skills • Interpersonal Skills
• Learning skills • Creativity
• Facilitation skills
• Leadership skills
 THE MAKING OF ANALYST
• The former User
• The former developer/tester
• The former Project manager
• The subject matter expert
• The Rookie
 THE ROOKIE
• Becoming a business analyst is a good entry point into the information
technology arena
• someone right out of school or coming from a completely unrelated job.
The new graduate will have little, if any, relevant experience or knowledge.
He will likely be hired into the BA role because he demonstrates many of the
skills required to be a good analyst.
• Because he lacks related experience and knowledge, a new graduate will
have much to learn about how to execute the BA tasks and the intricacies
of the practices.
• The recent graduate also needs to learn enough about the software
development process to understand the challenges that developers, tester
and other team member
• No matter what his background, a
creative business analyst can apply it to
enhance his effectiveness. The analyst
needs to gain the knowledge and skills
he is lacking