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1. A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide) Version 2.0 www.theiiba.org Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
2. International Institute of Business Analysis, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ©2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, International Institute of Business Analysis. All rights reserved. Portions of Appendix A: Glossary are from The Software Requirements Memory Jogger, by Ellen Gottesdiener, ©2005 GOAL/QPC and are used with permission. Cover Image ©2006 iStockphoto.com/Damkier Media Group. Version 1.0 and 1.4 published 2005. Version 1.6 Draft published 2006. Version 1.6 Final published 2008. Version 2.0 published 2009. Second Printing. ISBN-13: 978-0-9811292-1-1 (print) ISBN-13: 978-0-9811292-2-8 (PDF and EBook) Permisson is granted to reproduce this document for your own personal, professional, or educational use. If you have purchased a license to use this document from IIBA®, you may transfer ownership to a third party. IIBA® Members may not transfer ownership of their complimentary copy. This document is provided to the business analysis community for educational purposes. IIBA® does not warrant that it is suitable for any other purpose and makes no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the use of the information contained herein. IIBA®, the IIBA® logo, BABOK® and Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® are registered trademarks owned by International Institute of Business Analysis. CBAP® is a registered certification mark owned by International Institute of Business Analysis. Certified Business Analysis Professional, EEP and the EEP logo are trademarks owned by International Institute of Business Analysis. CMMI® is a registered trademark of Carnegie Mellon University. COBIT is a trademark of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association and the IT Governance Institute. ITIL® is a registered trademark of the Office of Government Commerce in the United Kingdom and other countries. TOGAF is a trademark of The Open Group in the US and other countries. Zachman Framework for Enterprise Architecture is a trademark of the Zachman Institute for Framework Advancement. No challenge to the status or ownership of these or any other trademarked terms contained herein is intended by the International Institute of Business Analysis. Any inquiries regarding this publication, requests for usage rights for the material included herein, or corrections should be sent by email to bok@theiiba.org. Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
3. Table of Contents Preface 1 Chapter 1: Introduction 3 1.1 What is the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge? 3 1.2 What is Business Analysis? 3 1.3 Key Concepts 4 1.4 Knowledge Areas 6 1.5 Tasks 8 1.6 Techniques 13 1.7 Underlying Competencies 15 1.8 Other Sources of Business Analysis Information 15 Chapter 2: Business Analysis Planning Monitoring 17 2.1 Plan Business Analysis Approach 17 2.2 Conduct Stakeholder Analysis 24 2.3 Plan Business Analysis Activities 31 2.4 Plan Business Analysis Communication 37 2.5 Plan Requirements Management Process 42 2.6 Manage Business Analysis Performance 49 Chapter 3: Elicitation 53 3.1 Prepare for Elicitation 54 3.2 Conduct Elicitation Activity 56 3.3 Document Elicitation Results 59 3.4 Confirm Elicitation Results 61 Chapter 4: Requirements Management Communication 63 4.1 Manage Solution Scope Requirements 63 4.2 Manage Requirements Traceability 67 4.3 Maintain Requirements for Re-use 70 4.4 Prepare Requirements Package 72 4.5 Communicate Requirements 77 Chapter 5: Enterprise Analysis 81 5.1 Define Business Need 81 5.2 Assess Capability Gaps 85 5.3 Determine Solution Approach 88 5.4 Define Solution Scope 91 5.5 Define Business Case 94 BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 iii Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
4. Table of Contents Chapter 6: Requirements Analysis 99 6.1 Prioritize Requirements 99 6.2 Organize Requirements 103 6.3 Specify and Model Requirements 107 6.4 Define Assumptions and Constraints 111 6.5 Verify Requirements 114 6.6 Validate Requirements 117 Chapter 7: Solution Assessment Validation 121 7.1 Assess Proposed Solution 121 7.2 Allocate Requirements 124 7.3 Assess Organizational Readiness 127 7.4 Define Transition Requirements 131 7.5 Validate Solution 134 7.6 Evaluate Solution Performance 137 Chapter 8: Underlying Competencies 141 8.1 Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving 141 8.2 Behavioral Characteristics 144 8.3 Business Knowledge 145 8.4 Communication Skills 148 8.5 Interaction Skills 150 8.6 Software Applications 152 Chapter 9: Techniques 155 9.1 Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria Definition 155 9.2 Benchmarking 156 9.3 Brainstorming 157 9.4 Business Rules Analysis 158 9.5 Data Dictionary and Glossary 160 9.6 Data Flow Diagrams 161 9.7 Data Modeling 163 9.8 Decision Analysis 166 9.9 Document Analysis 169 9.10 Estimation 170 9.11 Focus Groups 172 9.12 Functional Decomposition 174 9.13 Interface Analysis 176 9.14 Interviews 177 9.15 Lessons Learned Process 181 9.16 Metrics and Key Performance Indicators 182 9.17 Non-functional Requirements Analysis 184 iv A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
5. Table of Contents 9.18 Observation 186 9.19 Organization Modeling 188 9.20 Problem Tracking 190 9.21 Process Modeling 192 9.22 Prototyping 196 9.23 Requirements Workshops 198 9.24 Risk Analysis 200 9.25 Root Cause Analysis 202 9.26 Scenarios and Use Cases 204 9.27 Scope Modeling 206 9.28 Sequence Diagrams 208 9.29 State Diagrams 209 9.30 Structured Walkthrough 211 9.31 Survey/Questionnaire 214 9.32 SWOT Analysis 217 9.33 User Stories 219 9.34 Vendor Assessment 220 Appendix A: Glossary 223 Appendix B: Bibliography 237 Appendix C: Contributors 243 C.1 Version 2.0 243 C.2 Version 1.6 245 Appendix D: Summary of Changes from Version 1.6 247 D.1 Overview 247 D.2 Enterprise Analysis 247 D.3 Requirements Planning and Management 248 D.4 Requirements Elicitation 249 D.5 Requirements Analysis and Documentation 249 D.6 Requirements Communication 251 D.7 Solution Assessment and Validation 251 D.8 Underlying Fundamentals 251 Appendix E: Index 253 BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 v Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
6. Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
7. Preface IIBA® was founded in Toronto, Canada in October of 2003 to support the business analysis community by: ▶▶ Creating and developing awareness and recognition of the value and contribution of the Business Analyst. ▶▶ Defining the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®). ▶▶ Providing a forum for knowledge sharing and contribution to the business analysis profession. ▶▶ Publicly recognizing and certifying qualified practitioners through an internationally acknowledged certification program. The Body of Knowledge Committee was formed in October of 2004 to define and draft a global standard for the practice of business analysis. In January of 2005, IIBA® released version 1.0 of A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide) for feedback and comment. That version included an outline of the proposed content and some key definitions. Version 1.4 was released in October of 2005, with draft content in some knowledge areas. Version 1.6, which included detailed information regarding most of the knowledge areas, was published in draft form in June of 2006 and updated to incorporate errata in October of 2008. This publication supersedes A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge®, Version 1.6. Following the publication of version 1.6, IIBA® sought out a number of recognized experts in business analysis and related fields and solicited their feedback on the content of that edition. Their comments were used to plan the scope of this revision. IIBA® volunteers then worked to define a structure for version 2.0 and developed the revised text, which was made available to the business analysis community for review in 2008. During that exposure period, IIBA® also solicited feedback from industry experts and business analysis practitioners through a formal review process. IIBA® received thousands of comments during this process, and this document has been revised to incorporate as many of those comments as possible. The BABOK® Guide contains a description of generally accepted practices in the field of business analysis. The content included in this release has been verified through reviews by practitioners, surveys of the business analysis community, and consultations with recognized experts in the field. The data available to IIBA® demonstrate that the tasks and techniques described in this publication are in use by a majority of business analysis practitioners. As a result, we can have confidence that the tasks and techniques described in the BABOK® Guide should be applicable in most contexts where business analysis is performed, most of the time. The BABOK® Guide should not be construed to mandate that the practices described in this publication should be followed under all circumstances. Any set of practices must be tailored to the specific conditions under which business analysis is being performed. In addition, practices which are not generally accepted by the business analysis community at the time of publication may be equally effective, or more effective, than the practices BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 1 Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
8. Preface described in the BABOK® Guide. As such practices become generally accepted, and as data is collected to verify their effectiveness, they will be incorporated into future editions of this publication. IIBA® encourages all practitioners of business analysis to be open to new approaches and new ideas, and wishes to encourage innovation in the practice of business analysis. The goal of this revision was to: ▶▶ Complete the description of all knowledge areas. ▶▶ Simplify the structure to make it easier to understand and apply. ▶▶ Improve the consistency and quality of text and illustrations. ▶▶ Integrate the knowledge areas and eliminate areas of overlap. ▶▶ Improve consistency with other generally accepted standards relating to the practice of business analysis. ▶▶ Extend the coverage of the BABOK® Guide to describe business analysis in contexts beyond traditional approaches to custom software application development, including but not limited to agile methodologies, Business Process Management, and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) application assessment and implementation. ▶▶ Clarify the relationship between business analysis and other disciplines, particularly project management, testing, and usability and information architecture. ▶▶ Focus on the practice of business analysis in the context of the individual initiative, with material on strategic or enterprise-wide business analysis separated for inclusion in a future application extension. The major changes in this release include: ▶▶ Changes throughout to address the goals described above. ▶▶ All content has been revised and edited, and much of it has been rewritten. ▶▶ Many of the tasks found in version 1.6 have been consolidated, resulting in a reduction from 77 tasks to 32. ▶▶ Tasks in the Requirements Planning and Management Knowledge Area have been reallocated to Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring and Requirements Management and Communication. ▶▶ Three other knowledge areas have been renamed to better reflect their purpose. ▶▶ Techniques apply across multiple Knowledge Areas. ▶▶ Inputs and Outputs have been defined for all tasks. IIBA® would like to extend its thanks and the thanks of the business analysis community to all those who volunteered their time and effort to the development of this revision, as well as those who provided informal feedback to us in other ways. 2 A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
9. Introduction chapter ONE 1.1 What is the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge? A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide) is a globally recognized standard for the practice of business analysis. The BABOK® Guide describes business analysis areas of knowledge, their associated activities and tasks, and the skills necessary to be effective in their execution. The primary purpose of the BABOK® Guide is to define the profession of business analysis. It serves as a baseline that practitioners can agree upon in order to discuss the work they do and to ensure that they have the skills they need to effectively perform the role, and defines the skills and knowledge that people who work with and employ business analysts should expect a skilled practitioner to demonstrate. It is a framework that describes the business analysis tasks that must be performed in order to understand how a solution will deliver value to the sponsoring organization. The form those tasks take, the order they are performed in, the relative importance of the tasks, and other things may vary, but each task contributes in some fashion, directly or indirectly, to that overall goal. This chapter provides an introduction to key concepts in the field of business analysis and describes the structure of the remainder of the BABOK® Guide. Chapters 2 through 7 define the tasks that a business analyst must be capable of performing. Chapter 8 describes the competencies that support the effective performance of business analysis, and Chapter 9 describes a number of generally accepted techniques that support the practice of business analysis. 1.2 What is Business Analysis? Business analysis is 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 to recommend solutions that enable the organization to achieve its goals. Business analysis involves understanding how organizations function to accomplish their purposes, and defining the capabilities an organization requires to provide products and services to external stakeholders. It includes the definition of organizational goals, how those goals connect to specific objectives, determining the courses of action that an organization has to undertake to achieve those goals and objectives, and defining how the various organizational units and stakeholders within and outside of that organization interact. Business analysis may be performed to understand the current state of an organization or to serve as a basis for the later identification of business needs. In most cases, however, business analysis is performed to define and validate solutions that meet business needs, goals, or objectives. Business analysts must analyze and synthesize information provided by a large number of people who interact with the business, such as customers, staff, IT professionals, and executives. The business analyst is responsible for eliciting the actual needs of stakeholders, not simply their expressed desires. In many cases, the business analyst BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 3 Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
10. Key Concepts Introduction will also work to facilitate communication between organizational units. In particular, business analysts often play a central role in aligning the needs of business units with the capabilities delivered by information technology, and may serve as a "translator" between those groups. A business analyst is any person who performs business analysis activities, no matter what their job title or organizational role may be. Business analysis practitioners include not only people with the job title of business analyst, but may also include business systems analysts, systems analysts, requirements engineers, process analysts, product managers, product owners, enterprise analysts, business architects, management consultants, or any other person who performs the tasks described in the BABOK® Guide, including those who also perform related disciplines such as project management, software development, quality assurance, and interaction design. 1.3 Key Concepts 1.3.1 Domains A domain is the area undergoing analysis. It may correspond to the boundaries of an organization or organizational unit, as well as key stakeholders outside those boundaries and interactions with those stakeholders. 1.3.2 Solutions A solution is a set of changes to the current state of an organization that are made in order to enable that organization to meet a business need, solve a problem, or take advantage of an opportunity. The scope of the solution is usually narrower than the scope of the domain within which it is implemented, and will serve as the basis for the scope of a project to implement that solution or its components. Most solutions are a system of interacting solution components, each of which are potentially solutions in their own right. Examples of solutions and solution components include software applications, web services, business processes, the business rules that govern that process, an information technology application, a revised organizational structure, outsourcing, insourcing, redefining job roles, or any other method of creating a capability needed by an organization. Business analysis helps organizations define the optimal solution for their needs, given the set of constraints (including time, budget, regulations, and others) under which that organization operates. 1.3.3 Requirements A requirement1 is: 1. A condition or capability needed by a stakeholder to solve a problem or achieve an objective. 2. A condition or capability that must be met or possessed by a solution or solution component to satisfy a contract, standard, specification, or other formally imposed documents. 1 Based on IEEE 610.12-1990: IEEE Standard Glossary of Software Engineering Terminology. 4 A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
11. Introduction Key Concepts 3. A documented representation of a condition or capability as in (1) or (2). As implied by this definition, a requirement may be unstated, implied by or derived from other requirements, or directly stated and managed. One of the key objectives of business analysis is to ensure that requirements are visible to and understood by all stakeholders. The term "requirement" is one that generates a lot of discussion within the business analysis community. Many of these debates focus on what should or should not be considered a requirement, and what are the necessary characteristics of a requirement. When reading the BABOK® Guide, however, it is vital that "requirement" be understood in the broadest possible sense. Requirements include, but are not limited to, past, present, and future conditions or capabilities in an enterprise and descriptions of organizational structures, roles, processes, policies, rules, and information systems. A requirement may describe the current or the future state of any aspect of the enterprise. Much of the existing literature on business analysis is written with the assumption that requirements only describe an information technology system that is being considered for implementation. Other definitions may include future state business functions as well, or restrict the meaning of the term to define the ends stakeholders are seeking to achieve and not the means by which those ends are achieved. While all of these different uses of the term are reasonable and defensible, and the BABOK® Guide's usage of the term includes those meanings, they are significantly narrower than the way the term is used here. Similarly, we do not assume that requirements are analyzed at any particular level of detail, other than to say that they should be assessed to whatever level of depth is necessary for understanding and action. In the context of a Business Process Management initiative, the requirements may be a description of the business processes currently in use in an organization. On other projects, the business analyst may choose to develop requirements to describe the current state of the enterprise (which is in itself a solution to existing or past business needs) before investigating changes to that solution needed to meet changing business conditions. .1 Requirements Classification Scheme For the purposes of the BABOK® Guide, the following classification scheme is used to describe requirements: ▶▶ Business Requirements are higher-level statements of the goals, objectives, or needs of the enterprise. They describe the reasons why a project has been initiated, the objectives that the project will achieve, and the metrics that will be used to measure its success. Business requirements describe needs of the organization as a whole, and not groups or stakeholders within it. They are developed and defined through enterprise analysis. ▶▶ Stakeholder Requirements are statements of the needs of a particular stakeholder or class of stakeholders. They describe the needs that a given stakeholder has and how that stakeholder will interact with a solution. Stakeholder requirements serve as a bridge between business requirements and the various classes of solution requirements. They are developed and defined through requirements analysis. BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 5 Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
12. Knowledge Areas Introduction ▶▶ Solution Requirements describe the characteristics of a solution that meet business requirements and stakeholder requirements. They are developed and defined through requirements analysis. They are frequently divided into sub-categories, particularly when the requirements describe a software solution: ▷▷ Functional Requirements describe the behavior and information that the solution will manage. They describe capabilities the system will be able to perform in terms of behaviors or operations—specific information technology application actions or responses. ▷▷ Non-functional Requirements capture conditions that do not directly relate to the behavior or functionality of the solution, but rather describe environmental conditions under which the solution must remain effective or qualities that the systems must have. They are also known as quality or supplementary requirements. These can include requirements related to capacity, speed, security, availability and the information architecture and presentation of the user interface. ▶▶ Transition Requirements describe capabilities that the solution must have in order to facilitate transition from the current state of the enterprise to a desired future state, but that will not be needed once that transition is complete. They are differentiated from other requirements types because they are always temporary in nature and because they cannot be developed until both an existing and new solution are defined. They typically cover data conversion from existing systems, skill gaps that must be addressed, and other related changes to reach the desired future state. They are developed and defined through solution assessment and validation. 1.4 Knowledge Areas Knowledge areas define what a practitioner of business analysis needs to understand and the tasks a practitioner must be able to perform. Business analysts are likely to perform tasks from all knowledge areas in rapid succession, iteratively, or simultaneously. Tasks may be performed in any order as long as the required inputs are available. In principle, a business analysis effort may start with any task, although the most likely candidates are Define Business Need (5.1) or Evaluate Solution Performance (7.6). Knowledge areas are not intended to represent phases in a project. It is certainly possible and permissible to proceed from performing enterprise analysis activities, to requirements analysis activities, to solution assessment and validation activities, and treat each as a distinct phase in a project. However, the BABOK® Guide does not require that you do so, and it should not be construed as a methodology for the performance of business analysis. Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring (Chapter 2) is the knowledge area that covers how business analysts determine which activities are necessary in order to complete a business analysis effort. It covers identification of stakeholders, selection of business analysis techniques, the process that will be used to manage requirements, and how to assess the progress of the work. The tasks in this knowledge area govern the performance of all other business analysis tasks. 6 A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
13. Introduction Knowledge Areas Elicitation (Chapter 3) describes how business analysts work with stakeholders to identify and understand their needs and concerns, and understand the environment in which they work. The purpose of elicitation is to ensure that a stakeholder's actual underlying needs are understood, rather than their stated or superficial desires. Requirements Management and Communication (Chapter 4) describes how business analysts manage conflicts, issues and changes in order to ensure that stakeholders and the project team remain in agreement on the solution scope, how requirements are communicated to stakeholders, and how knowledge gained by the business analyst is maintained for future use. Enterprise Analysis (Chapter 5) describes how business analysts identify a business need, refine and clarify the definition of that need, and define a solution scope that can feasibly be implemented by the business. This knowledge area describes problem definition and analysis, business case development, feasibility studies, and the definition of solution scope. Requirements Analysis (Chapter 6) describes how business analysts prioritize and progressively elaborate stakeholder and solution requirements in order to enable the project team to implement a solution that will meet the needs of the sponsoring organization and stakeholders. It involves analyzing stakeholder needs to define solutions that meet those needs, assessing the current state of the business to identify and recommend improvements, and the verification and validation of the resulting requirements. Figure 1–1: Relationships Between Knowledge Areas Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring Solution Enterprise Assessment and Requirements Analysis Validation Management and Elicitation Communication Requirements Analysis Underlying Competencies BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 7 Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
14. Tasks Introduction Solution Assessment and Validation (Chapter 7) describes how business analysts assess proposed solutions to determine which solution best fits the business need, identify gaps and shortcomings in solutions, and determine necessary workarounds or changes to the solution. It also describes how business analysts assess deployed solutions to see how well they met the original need so that the sponsoring organization can assess the performance and effectiveness of the solution. Underlying Competencies (Chapter 8) describes the behaviors, knowledge, and other characteristics that support the effective performance of business analysis. 1.5 Tasks Each knowledge area describes the tasks performed by business analysts to accomplish the purpose of that knowledge area. Each task in the BABOK® Guide is presented in the following format: 1.5.1 Purpose Each task has a purpose. The purpose is a short description of the reason for a business analyst to perform the task and the value created through performing the task. 1.5.2 Description A task is an essential piece of work that must be performed as part of business analysis. Each task should be performed at least once during the vast majority of business analysis initiatives, but there is no upper limit to the number of times any task may be performed. Tasks may be performed at any scale. Each task may be performed over periods ranging from several months in time to a few minutes. For example, a business case may be a document several hundred pages long, justifying a multi-billion dollar investment, or a single sentence explaining the benefit that a change will produce for a single individual. A task has the following characteristics: ▶▶ A task accomplishes a result in an output that creates value to the sponsoring organization—that is, if a task is performed it should produce some demonstrable positive outcome which is useful, specific, visible and measurable. ▶▶ A task is complete—in principle, successor tasks that make use of outputs should be able to be performed by a different person or group. ▶▶ A task is a necessary part of the purpose of the Knowledge Area with which it is associated. The BABOK® Guide does not prescribe a process or an order in which tasks are performed. Some ordering of tasks is inevitable, as certain tasks produce outputs that are required inputs for other tasks. However, it is important to keep in mind that the BABOK® Guide only prescribes that the input must exist. The input may be incomplete or subject to change and revision, which may cause the task to be performed multiple times. Iterative or agile lifecycles may require that tasks in all knowledge areas be performed in parallel, and lifecycles with clearly defined phases will still require tasks from multiple knowledge areas to be performed in every phase. Tasks may be performed in any order, as long as 8 A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
15. Introduction Tasks the necessary inputs to a task are present. The description of a task explains in greater detail why the task is performed, what the task is, and the results the task should accomplish. 1.5.3 Input An input represents the information and preconditions necessary for a task to begin. Inputs may be: ▶▶ Explicitly generated outside the scope of business analysis (e.g., construction of a software application). ▶▶ Generated by a business analysis task. There is no assumption that the presence of an input or an output means that the associated deliverable is complete or in its final state. The input only needs to be sufficiently complete to allow successive work to begin. Any number of instances of an input may exist during the lifecycle of an initiative. Figure 1–2: Task Input/Output Diagrams Input/Output X.Y * Externally Produced by a Produced by Produced Task (see task #) Multiple Tasks Association Tasks and Knowledge Areas X.Y Task Knowledge Area External (with Section #) + + .1 Requirements Requirements are a special case as an input or output, which should not be surprising given their importance to business analysis. They are the only input or output that is not produced by a single task. Requirements can be classified in a number of different ways and exist in any of a number of different states. When listed as an input or output in this section of the task, the following format will be used to indicate the classification and state of a requirement or set of requirements: Classification Requirements [State or States]. If no classification or states are listed, any or all requirements may be used as an input or output. For example, Requirements [Stated] means that the requirement may have any classification, whereas Business BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 9 Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
16. Tasks Introduction Requirements would mean that the business requirements may be in any possible state (e.g. verified, prioritized, stated, or combinations thereof). States may also be combined in some cases. For example, Requirements [Prioritized and Verified] should be read to indicate that the requirements have been both prioritized and verified. Requirements [Prioritized or Verified] means that the requirements may be prioritized, verified, or both. In general text, the state will be written first, followed by the classification (e.g. stated requirements, verified business requirements, etc.) Again, if no state or classification is indicated, it means that the requirement is not restricted to any particular state or classification. 1.5.4 Elements The format and structure of this section is unique to each task. The elements section describes key concepts that are needed to understand how to perform the task. 1.5.5 Techniques Each task contains a listing of relevant techniques. Some techniques are specific to the performance of a single task, while others are relevant to the performance of a large number of tasks (and are listed in Chapter 9: Techniques). If a particular task can use both kinds of techniques, the ones found in Chapter 9 will be listed under a "General Techniques" subsection. If there are no subsections, then all techniques may be found in Chapter 9. For additional information, see Techniques (1.6). 1.5.6 Stakeholders Each task includes a listing of generic stakeholders who are likely to participate in the execution of that task or who will be affected by it. A generic stakeholder represents a class of people that the business analyst is likely to interact with in a specific way. The BABOK® Guide does not mandate that these roles be filled for any given initiative. Any stakeholder can be a source of requirements, assumptions, or constraints. This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible stakeholder classifications, as it would simply not be possible to compile such a listing. Some additional examples of people who fit into each of these generic roles are provided in Figure 1–3. In most cases, there will be multiple stakeholder roles found within each category. Similarly, a single individual may fill more than one role. .1 Business Analyst By definition, the business analyst is a stakeholder in all business analysis activities. The BABOK® Guide is written with the presumption that the business analysis is responsible and accountable for the execution of these activities. In some cases, the business analyst may also be responsible for the performance of activities that fall under another stakeholder role. The most common roles to be assigned to business analysts, in addition to the business analysis role, are the Domain Subject Matter Expert, Implementation Subject Matter Expert, Project Manager, and Tester. Guidance on performing these additional roles falls outside the scope of the BABOK® Guide, as these roles are not part of the discipline of business analysis. 10 A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
17. Introduction Tasks Figure 1–3: Examples of Generic Stakeholders Generic Stakeholder Examples and Alternate Roles Business Analyst Business Systems Analyst, Systems Analyst, Process Analyst, Consultant, Product Owner, etc. Customer Segmented by market, geography, industry, etc. Domain SME Broken out by organizational unit, job role, etc. End User Broken out by organizational unit, job role, etc. Implementation SME Project Librarian, Change Manager, Configuration Manager, Solution Architect, Developer, DBA, Information Architect, Usability Analyst, Trainer, Organizational Change Consul- tant, etc. Operational Support Help Desk, Network Technicians, Release Manager Project Manager Scrum Master, Team Leader Supplier Providers, Consultants, etc. Tester Quality Assurance Analyst Regulator Government, Regulatory Bodies, Auditors Sponsor Managers, Executives, Product Managers, Process Owners .2 Customer A customer is a stakeholder outside the boundary of a given organization or organizational unit. Customers make use of products or services produced by the organization and may have contractual or moral rights that the organization is obliged to meet. .3 Domain Subject Matter Expert (SME) A domain subject matter expert is any individual with in-depth knowledge of a topic relevant to the business need or solution scope. This role is often filled by people who will also be end users or people who will be indirect users of the solution, such as managers, process owners, legal staff (who may act as proxies for Regulators), consultants, and others. .4 End User End users are stakeholders who will directly interact with the solution. The term is most frequently used in a software development context, where end users are those who will actually use the software application that is being developed, but in the broader context of a solution they can include all participants in a business process. .5 Implementation Subject Matter Expert (SME) Implementation subject matter experts are responsible for designing and implementing potential solutions. The implementation subject matter experts will provide specialist expertise on the design and construction of the solution components that fall outside the scope of business analysis. While it is not possible to define a listing of implementation subject matter expert roles that is appropriate for all initiatives, some of the most common roles are: Developers/Software Engineers Developers are responsible for the construction of software applications. Areas of BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 11 Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
18. Tasks Introduction expertise among developers or software engineers include particular languages or application components. Good software development practices will significantly reduce the cost to build an application, the predictability of the development process, and the ability to implement changes in the functionality supported by an application. Organizational Change Management Professionals Organizational change management professionals are responsible for facilitating acceptance and adoption of new solutions and overcoming resistance to change. Areas of expertise among change management professionals include industry and cultural expertise. Good change management can help to create advocates for change within an organization. System Architects System architects are responsible for dividing a software application into components and defining the interactions between them. Areas of expertise among system architects include understanding of methodologies and of solutions offered by specific vendors. Good system architecture will facilitate rapid development of solutions and reuse of components in other solutions. Trainers Trainers are responsible for ensuring that the end users of a solution understand how it is supposed to work and are able to use it effectively. Areas of expertise among trainers may include classroom-based or online education. Effective training will facilitate acceptance and adoption of a solution. Usability Professionals Usability professionals are responsible for the external interaction design of technology solutions and for making those solutions as simple to use as is feasible. Areas of expertise among usability professionals include user interface designers and information architects. Good usability will increase productivity, customer satisfaction, and reduce cost in solution maintenance and training. .6 Project Manager Project managers are responsible for managing the work required to deliver a solution that meets a business need, and for ensuring that the project's objectives are met while balancing the project constraints, including scope, budget, schedule, resources, quality, risk, and others. .7 Tester Testers are responsible for determining how to verify that the solution meets the solution requirements defined by the business analyst, as well as conducting the verification process. Testers also seek to ensure that the solution meets applicable quality standards and that the risk of defects of failures is understood and minimized. .8 Regulator Regulators are responsible for the definition and enforcement of standards. Standards may be those that the team developing the solution is required to follow, standards the solution must meet, or both. Regulators may enforce legislation, corporate governance standards, audit standards, or standards defined by organizational centers of 12 A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
19. Introduction Techniques competency. .9 Sponsor Sponsors are responsible for initiating the effort to define a business need and develop a solution that meets that need. They authorize work to be performed and control the budget for the initiative. .10 Supplier A supplier is a stakeholder outside the boundary of a given organization or organizational unit. Suppliers provide products or services to the organization and may have contractual or moral rights and obligations that must be considered. 1.5.7 Output An output is a necessary result of the work described in the task. Outputs are created, transformed or change state as a result of the successful completion of a task. Although a particular output is created and maintained by a single task, a task can have multiple outputs. An output may be a deliverable or be a part of a larger deliverable. The form of an output is dependent on the type of initiative underway, standards adopted by the organization, and best judgment of the business analyst as to an appropriate way to address the information needs of key stakeholders. As with inputs, an instance of a task may be completed without an output being in its final state. The input or output only needs to be sufficiently complete to allow successive work to begin. Similarly, there may be one or many instances of an output created as part of any given initiative. Finally, the creation of an output does not necessarily require that subsequent tasks which use that work product as an input must begin. 1.6 Techniques Techniques provide additional information on different ways that a task may be performed or different forms the output of the task may take. A task may have none, one, or more related techniques. A technique must be related to at least one task. The BABOK® Guide does not prescribe a set of analysis techniques that must be used. The techniques described in this document are those that have been demonstrated to be of value and in use by a majority of the business analysis community. Business analysts who are familiar with these techniques are therefore likely to be able to perform effectively under most circumstances that they are likely to encounter. However, these techniques are not necessarily the best possible ones to use in any given situation, nor are they necessarily able to address every situation effectively. Similarly, it is unlikely that a business analyst will be called on to demonstrate expertise with every technique defined in the BABOK® Guide. A subset of the techniques in the BABOK® Guide can be described as being in widespread use. These techniques are in regular use by a majority of business analysts and see occasional use by the vast majority of practitioners, and it is likely that many if not most organizations will expect business analysts to have a working knowledge of these techniques. The techniques that fall into this category are: BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 13 Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
20. Techniques Introduction ▶▶ Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria Definition (9.1) ▶▶ Brainstorming (9.3) ▶▶ Business Rules Analysis (9.4) ▶▶ Data Dictionary and Glossary (9.5) ▶▶ Data Flow Diagrams (9.6) ▶▶ Data Modeling (9.7) ▶▶ Decision Analysis (9.8) ▶▶ Document Analysis (9.9) ▶▶ Interviews (9.14) ▶▶ Metrics and Key Performance Indicators (9.16) ▶▶ Non-functional Requirements Analysis (9.17) ▶▶ Organization Modeling (9.19) ▶▶ Problem Tracking (9.20) ▶▶ Process Modeling (9.21) ▶▶ Requirements Workshops (9.23) ▶▶ Scenarios and Use Cases (9.26) The BABOK® Guide may in some cases group similar techniques, or techniques that share a single purpose, under a single heading. For example, the Data Modeling (9.7) technique covers class models and entity-relationship diagrams and could in principle cover concept maps, term and fact models, object role models, and other less widely-adopted analysis techniques. Each technique in the BABOK® Guide is presented in the following format: 1.6.1 Purpose Defines what the technique is used for, and the circumstances under which it is most likely to be applicable. 1.6.2 Description Describes what the technique is and how it is used. 1.6.3 Elements The format and structure of this section is unique to each technique. The elements section describes key concepts that are needed to understand how to use the technique. 14 A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
21. Introduction Underlying Competencies 1.6.4 Usage Considerations Describes conditions under which the technique may be more or less effective. 1.7 Underlying Competencies The underlying competencies are skills, knowledge and personal characteristics that support the effective performance of business analysis. The underlying competency areas relevant to business analysis include: Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving supports effective identification of business problems, assessment of proposed solutions to those problems, and understanding of the needs of stakeholders. Analytical thinking and problem solving involves assessing a situation, understanding it as fully as possible, and making judgments about possible solutions to a problem. Behavioral Characteristics support the development of effective working relationships with stakeholders and include qualities such as ethics, trustworthiness, and personal organization. Business Knowledge supports understanding of the environment in which business analysis is performed and knowledge of general business principles and available solutions. Communication Skills support business analysts in eliciting and communicating requirements among stakeholders. Communication skills address the need to listen to and understand the audience, understanding how an audience perceives the business analyst, understanding of the communications objective(s), the message itself, and the most appropriate media and format for communication. Interaction Skills support the business analyst when working with large numbers of stakeholders, and involve both the ability to work as part of a larger team and to help that team reach decisions. While most of the work of business analysis involves identifying and describing a desired future state, the business analyst must also be able to help the organization reach agreement that the future state in question is desired through a combination of leadership and facilitation. Software Applications are used to facilitate the collaborative development, recording and distribution of requirements to stakeholders. Business analysts should be skilled users of the tools used in their organization and must understand the strengths and weaknesses of each. 1.8 Other Sources of Business Analysis Information The BABOK® Guide is a synthesis of information on the business analysis role drawn from a wide variety of approaches to business improvement and change. A complete listing of works referenced in the development of the BABOK® Guide can be found in Appendix B: Bibliography. Business analysts looking to expand on their understanding of business analysis may wish to consult works in these other fields, obtain training from specialists in these areas, or pursue other opportunities for education and professional development. BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 15 Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
22. Other Sources of Business Analysis Information Introduction In particular, we have drawn on information from the following application areas for business analysis and related professional bodies of knowledge: ▶▶ Agile Development ▶▶ Business Intelligence ▶▶ Business Process Management ▶▶ Business Rules ▶▶ Decision Analysis and Game Theory ▶▶ Enterprise Architecture (including the Zachman Framework for Enterprise Architecture™ and TOGAF™) ▶▶ Governance and Compliance Frameworks, including Sarbanes-Oxley, Basel II, and others ▶▶ IT Service Management (including ITIL®) ▶▶ Lean and Six Sigma ▶▶ Organizational Change Management ▶▶ Project Management ▶▶ Quality Management ▶▶ Service Oriented Architecture ▶▶ Software Engineering (particularly Requirements Engineering) ▶▶ Software Process Improvement (including CMMI®) ▶▶ Software Quality Assurance ▶▶ Strategic Planning ▶▶ Usability and User Experience Design The BABOK® Guide focuses on defining the business analysis role across a broad range of business analysis approaches and so only touches briefly on much of the information developed by practitioners working in these fields. Business analysts will find that a study of any of those areas will be rewarded with a greater understanding of the business analysis profession, ability to collaborate with other professionals, and an understanding of a number of different ways that business analysts can benefit the organizations that employ them. 16 A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
23. Business Analysis Planning Monitoring chapter TWO The Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring Knowledge Area defines the tasks associated with the planning and monitoring of business analysis activities, including: ▶▶ identifying stakeholders ▶▶ defining roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in the business analysis effort ▶▶ developing estimates for business analysis tasks ▶▶ planning how the business analyst will communicate with stakeholders ▶▶ planning how requirements will be approached, traced, and prioritized ▶▶ determining the deliverables that the business analyst will produce ▶▶ defining and determining business analysis processes ▶▶ determining the metrics that will be used for monitoring business analysis work In addition, this knowledge area describes the work involved in monitoring and reporting on work performed to ensure that the business analysis effort produces the expected outcomes. If these outcomes do not occur, the business analyst must take corrective action to meet stakeholder expectations. Figure 2–1: Business Analysis Planning Monitoring Input/Output Diagram Inputs Outputs * 5.1 Tasks 2.1 2.4 2.6 Business Business Need Business BA BA Performance 2.1 2.2 Analysis Analysis Communication Assessment Plan Business Conduct Performance Approach Plan Analysis Approach Stakeholder Analysis Metrics 2.3 2.6 2.5 2.3 2.4 Plan BA Activities Plan BA Communication Business BA Process Requirements Enterprise Expert Analysis Plan(s) Assets Management Architecture Judgment Plan 2.5 2.6 Plan Req'ts Mgt. Manage BA 2.2 Process Performance Stakeholder Organizational List, Roles, and Process Assets Responsibilities 2.1 Plan Business Analysis Approach 2.1.1 Purpose This task describes how to select an approach to performing business analysis, which stakeholders need to be involved in the decision, who will be consulted regarding and informed of the approach, and the rationale for using it. BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 17 Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
24. Plan Business Analysis Approach Business Analysis Planning Monitoring 2.1.2 Description Business analysis approaches describe the overall process that will be followed to perform business analysis work on a given initiative, how and when tasks will be performed, the techniques that will be used, and the deliverables that should be produced. There are multiple established ways to approach business analysis work. In software development, they range from those dictated by the waterfall approach to the use of agile techniques. Similarly, there are a number of well-known business process improvement methodologies, including Lean and Six Sigma, as well as many proprietary and in- house methodologies, customs, and practices. Elements from different approaches may be combined; however only a subset of all possible combinations will be viable for the particular organizational environment in which an initiative is being performed. In order to plan the business analysis approach, the business analyst must understand the organizational process needs and objectives that apply to the initiative. These needs and objectives may include compatibility with other organizational processes, constraints on time-to-market, compliance with regulatory and governance frameworks, the desire to evaluate new approaches to solution development, or other business objectives. If the objectives are not known, the business analyst may be required to define the requirements that the process must meet. In many cases, organizations will have formal or informal standards in place regarding how business analysis is done and how it fits into project and other activities. If this is the case, the business analyst reviews any existing organizational standards, including standards, guidelines, and processes relating to the current initiative. These may suggest or dictate which approach to use. Even where a standard approach exists, it must be tailored to the needs of a specific initiative. Tailoring may be governed by organizational standards that define which approaches are permitted, which elements of those processes may be tailored, general guidelines for selecting a process, and so forth. If no standards exist, the business analyst works with the appropriate stakeholders to determine how the work will be completed. The business analyst should be capable of selecting or creating an approach and working with key stakeholders, particularly the project manager and project team, to ensure that it is suitable. The business analysis approach is often based on or related to the project approach, but in some cases they may be independently determined (for example, an organization may use a plan-driven approach to define its business processes and then use a change-driven approach to build the supporting software applications). 2.1.3 Inputs Business Need: The business analysis approach will be shaped by the problem or opportunity faced by the organization. It is generally necessary to consider the risks associated with it, the timeframe in which the need must be addressed, and how well the need is understood. This will help determine whether a plan-driven or change-driven approach is appropriate. Expert Judgment: Used to determine the optimal business analysis approach. Expertise may be provided from a wide range of sources including stakeholders in the initiative, organizational Centers of Competency, consultants, or associations and industry groups. 18 A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
25. Business Analysis Planning Monitoring Plan Business Analysis Approach Prior experiences of the business analyst and other stakeholders should be considered when selecting or modifying an approach. Organizational Process Assets: Include the elements of existing business analysis approaches in use by the organization. Organizational process assets that may be useful in defining the business analysis approach include methodologies for process change or software development, tools or techniques that are in use or understood by stakeholders, corporate governance standards (such as COBIT™, Sarbanes-Oxley, and Basel II), and templates for deliverables. In addition to these general standards, the organization may have guidelines in place for tailoring the process to fit a specific initiative. Figure 2–2: Plan Business Analysis Approach Input/Output Diagram Inputs 5.1 Business Need Expert Organizational Judgment Process Assets 2.1 Plan Business Analysis Approach 2.1 Business Analysis Approach Tasks Using This Output 2.3 2.5 Plan BA Activities Plan Requirements Mgt. Process 2.1.4 Elements Almost all methodologies fit somewhere along a spectrum between plan-driven and change-driven approaches. Plan-driven approaches focus on minimizing up-front uncertainty and ensuring that the solution is fully defined before implementation begins in order to maximize control and minimize risk. These approaches tend to be preferred in situations where requirements can effectively be defined in advance of implementation, the risk of an incorrect BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 19 Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
26. Plan Business Analysis Approach Business Analysis Planning Monitoring implementation is unacceptably high, or when managing stakeholder interactions presents significant challenges. The authority to approve requirements typically rests with selected stakeholders and the project sponsor. The project sponsor will have the final authority to approve solution requirements, but it is common for sponsors to insist that other stakeholders grant their approval before the sponsor will. Waterfall methods of software development and business process re-engineering initiatives are typical examples of plan-driven approaches. Change-driven approaches focus on rapid delivery of business value in short iterations in return for acceptance of a higher degree of uncertainty regarding the overall delivery of the solution. These approaches tend to be preferred when taking an exploratory approach to finding the best solution or for incremental improvement of an existing solution. The authority to approve requirements usually rests with a single individual, who is an active participant in the team's daily activities—others may advise or be informed but may not withhold consent, and the approval process must be completed within a strict time limit. Agile methods of software development, as well as continuous improvement projects, are typical examples of change-driven approaches. The performance of this task is dependent on where the selected approach falls on this spectrum. The descriptions below touch on the ends of the spectrum, and hybrid approaches may combine aspects of both. Similar considerations must be taken into account whether the business analyst is selecting or tailoring the approach. .1 Timing of Business Analysis Work Determine when the business analysis efforts should occur, when tasks need to be performed, and if the level of business analysis effort will need to vary over time. This includes determining whether enterprise analysis, requirements analysis, and solution assessment and validation activities will be performed primarily in specific project phases or iteratively over the course of the initiative. Plan-driven approaches have most business analysis work occur at the beginning of the project or during one specific project phase. The exact name of the phase varies by the specific methodology, but the main focus of the phase includes such activities as eliciting, analyzing, documenting, verifying and communicating the requirements, as well as reporting on the status of the business analysis activities work for the project. Change-driven approaches may have a business analysis effort conducted early to produce an initial list of high-level requirements (also referred to as requirements envisioning). This product backlog is then updated throughout the project as new requirements emerge. Throughout the project, these requirements will be prioritized and reprioritized based on the business need. The highest-priority requirements will be taken from the backlog for detailed requirements analysis as resources become available for implementation, and implementation will begin as soon as analysis is complete. .2 Formality And Level Of Detail Of Business Analysis Deliverables Determine whether requirements will be delivered as formal documentation or through informal communication with stakeholders, and the appropriate level of detail that should be contained in those documents. The expected deliverables must be defined as part of the approach. See Chapter 4: Requirements Management and Communication for examples of business analysis deliverables. 20 A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
27. Business Analysis Planning Monitoring Plan Business Analysis Approach Plan-driven approaches typically call for a significant amount of formality and detail. Requirements are captured in a formal document or set of documents which follow standardized templates. This may be preceded by a number of requirements related documents, built with increasing levels of detail, including a high level vision and scope document that focuses on business requirements, and documents describing the requirements from the point of view of specific stakeholder groups. Relevant stakeholders must generally formally approve each of these documents before work begins on requirements at a lower level of detail. The specific content and format of the requirements documents can vary, depending on the organizational methodologies, processes, and templates. Change-driven approaches favor defining requirements through team interaction and through gathering feedback on a working solution. Mandatory requirements documentation is often limited to a prioritized requirements list. Additional documentation may be created at the discretion of the team and generally consists of models developed to enhance the team's understanding of a specific problem. An alternative approach is to document the requirements in the form of acceptance criteria accompanied by tests. Formal documentation is often produced after the solution is implemented to facilitate knowledge transfer. .3 Requirements Prioritization Determine how requirements will be prioritized and how those priorities will be used to define the solution scope. Methods of prioritizing requirements are discussed in Prioritize Requirements (6.1). Also see Chapter 5: Enterprise Analysis for information on defining the solution scope and Chapter 4: Requirements Management and Communication for information on managing the solution scope. Prioritization methods will also be used when performing Allocate Requirements (7.2). Change-driven approaches tend to place a great deal of emphasis on effective requirements prioritization methods, due to the small scope of each iteration or release. .4 Change Management Changes to requirements may occur at any time. Consider the expected likelihood and frequency of change and ensure that the change management process is effective for those levels of change. Effective business analysis practices can significantly reduce the amount of change required in a stable business environment but cannot eliminate it entirely. Plan-driven approaches seek to ensure that changes only occur when they are genuinely necessary and can be clearly justified. Each change is often handled as a "mini project," complete with requirements elicitation, estimates, design, etc. Changed requirements impact both the solution scope and the project scope and the change management process will be incorporated into the overall project management process. Many organizations have a formal process which includes a request for change, a change log that tracks the changes that have been received, and an analysis of the impact of the change not only to the project, but also to other business and automated systems. In practice, the number and impact of change requests often increases towards the end of the project. This can be due to any combination of factors, including loosely scoped projects, lack of requirements ownership by project stakeholders, poorly performed business analysis, changing management priorities, business reorganization, regulatory BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 21 Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
28. Plan Business Analysis Approach Business Analysis Planning Monitoring change or changing business requirements. Change-driven approaches presume that it is difficult to identify all requirements in advance of their implementation. There is generally no separate change management process distinct from the selection of requirements for a given iteration. Changes to existing solution capabilities are simply prioritized and selected for an iteration using the same criteria as new features and capabilities. .5 Business Analysis Planning Process The business analyst must determine the process that will be followed to plan the execution of businesses analysis activities. In most cases, this process will be integrated into a larger project plan. .6 Communication With Stakeholders Communications may be written or verbal, formal or informal. Decisions must be made at the outset of the project as to the applicability of such communications technologies such as email with regards to project decision-making and approval of deliverables. Plan-driven approaches tend to rely on formal communication methods. Much of the communication of the actual requirements is in writing, and often uses pre-defined forms requiring signatory approvals. All project documentation is normally archived as part of the project history. Change-driven approaches focus more on frequency of communication than on formal documentation. Official documentation is often in writing, but informal communication takes precedence over more formal written communication. Documentation frequently occurs following implementation. .7 Requirements Analysis and Management Tools The business analyst must identify any requirements analysis or management tools that will be used. These tools may shape the selection of business analysis techniques, notations to be used, and the way that requirements will be packaged. .8 Project Complexity The complexity of the project, the nature of the deliverables, and the overall risk to the business needs to be taken into consideration. The factors listed below, among others, increase the complexity of business analysis efforts as they increase: ▶▶ number of stakeholders ▶▶ number of business areas affected ▶▶ number of business systems affected ▶▶ amount and nature of risk ▶▶ uniqueness of requirements ▶▶ number of technical resources required The level of requirements uncertainty is partly dependent on the domain of the project. 22 A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.
29. Business Analysis Planning Monitoring Plan Business Analysis Approach For example, new venture, marketing and research projects tend to have a higher requirements uncertainty, while accounting and finance projects tend to have a relatively lower level of requirements uncertainty. Many organizations have a need for knowledge regarding a solution to be maintained over the long term, because responsibility for the solution may be outsourced, because of turnover within the project team, geographical distribution of participants, or because key personnel are on contract and will not remain available to the organization following implementation. Formal documentation may be required to address these risks. 2.1.5 Techniques Decision Analysis (9.8): May be used to rate available methodologies against the organizational needs and objectives. Process Modeling (9.21): Process Models can be used to define and document the business analysis approach. Structured Walkthrough (9.30): This can be used as a means of validating a created, selected, or tailored business analysis approach. 2.1.6 Stakeholders Customer, Domain SME, End User or Supplier: The approach taken may depend on their availability and involvement with the initiative. Implementation SME: The business analysis approach taken should be compatible with the implementation lifecycle used by the implementation team. Project Manager: The project manager must ensure that the business analysis approach is compatible with other project activities. Tester: The business analysis approach must facilitate appropriate testing activities. Regulator: Aspects of the approach or decisions made in the tailoring process may require approval. Sponsor: The approach taken may depend on their availability and involvement with the initiative. The sponsor may also have needs and objectives that apply to the approach itself. 2.1.7 Output Business Analysis Approach: This is a definition of the approach that will be taken for business analysis in a given initiative. A business analysis approach may specify team roles, deliverables, analysis techniques, the timing and frequency of stakeholder interactions, and other elements of the business analysis process. A methodology is a formalized and repeatable business analysis approach. It includes a decision about which organizational process assets will be applied and any decisions made regarding tailoring of the process for a specific situation. Documentation regarding the approach may eventually be added to the organization's repository of process assets. BABOK® Guide, Version 2.0 23 Complimentary IIBA® Member Copy. Not for Redistribution or Resale.