BPM Library

Business Analyst Stream

How to use Streams?

The role of the BA facilitator is to guide activities on developing both the vision and software solution. The key word here is guide.

The BA facilitator role provides process to group settings and avoids participating in content. Typically, the BA facilitator role serves as the liaison between stakeholders, and the stakeholders and software development team respectively. As the liaison, the BA facilitator role uses various techniques and emotional intelligence skills to assist project sponsors and/or team leaders in accomplishing group meeting goals:

• Facilitation Techniques for identifying solution features

o Creating a Solution Vision and Scope

• Brainstorming – discussing of ideas
• Brainwriting – submitting written ideas for discussion

o Eliciting Features and Associated Business Rules

• Focus Group Meetings – soliciting opinions
• Joint Application Design – resolving conflicts

o Analyzing Features – Assumptions, Constraints, Risks, and Issues

• Root Cause – 5 whys, Ishikawa Diagrams
• Force-Field – listing negative and positive influences
• As-Is and To-Be Gap

o Making Decisions on Features and Priorities

• Multi-voting – subjective paring down a long feature list
• Criteria-Based Grid – weighting feature value criteria
• Impact/Effort Grid – comparing feature benefits versus effort

• Emotional Intelligence Skills for interfacing with stakeholders

o Active Listening and Paraphrasing
o Generating Participation
o Neutrality – focus on meeting process instead of solution content
o Questioning – seeking answers rather than posing solutions
o Maintaining Focus – use a parking lot and issue log for off agenda topics
o Obtaining Stakeholder Feedback
o Summarizing and Synthesizing Ideas
o Conflict Intervention



From The Need for the Business Analyst Facilitator Role
in an Agile Software Development Team
By Mark Monteleone, CBAP

This scheme provides information for the desired skills from recruiters about the role

A very useful article about C&E Matrix

Need Help Making Decisions?
by Ron Pereira on June 11th, 2007

Posted using ShareThis

Here is a list of the main Process Analysis methods:

• Cause and Effect - Fishbone
• 5 Whys Analysis
• Process Mapping
• Value Stream Mapping
• Mind Mapping
• SIPOC
• C&E Matrix
• Value-Add Analysis
• Waste Analysis
• FMEA
• Pair-wise Comparison

Design Document - The document that describes the how of the project. The steps to make the project happen

Project Notebook - the document that records events that take place during the project

Functional Requirements Specification - The document that details the what of the project and describes the system

Business Requirements Specification - The primary BA deliverable providing the why of the project

International Institute of Business Analysis
International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) is the leading international, professional association for business analysts and the business analysis profession, offering the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) and Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) designation.

Online Testing FAQ

Business Certificate Programs – Boston University Corporate Education Center
Boston University offers seminars and certificate programs in management, supervisory skills, project management, information technology, and more.

B2T Training Exams : The B2T Training Catalog
The B2T Training Catalog : B2T Training Exams - Core Course Study Guides B2T Training Exams IIBA CBAP Prep Study Guide Requirements Template Roadmap ecommerce, open source, shop, online shopping

Certified Business Analyst Professional
Find out what is required to get the CBAP, a certification for business analysts.

Masters Certificate in Business Analysis University of Victoria

Certifications - Business Analysis - CBAP Business Analysis - BA Certification Ottawa
CBAP Business Analysis - BA Certification in Ottawa

PmCentersUSA
All types of training page

PMCentersUSA - Online Education

University of California Irvine Extension BA Certificates

UBC Certificate in Business Analysis

Requirements Testing - An ambiguity check, a peer review, and an assumptions check are examples of this task

Ambiguity - When the communication of requirements lacks clarity or is not fully understood

Lack of Feasibility - When corporate resources will not support the scope or magnitude of the project

Questioning Technique - Asking open-ended questions and listening to the response.

Completeness Testing - Establishing agreement with the customer as to when the requirements process is finished.

Requirements Analysis - Evaluating what was learned during the information collection step and diagramming processes to assess requirements.

How versus What error - Attempting to describe the solution prematurely.