Business Analysts (BAs) - ANSWER The fix-it people of the business world. Typically, they
are members of a project management team and play a significant role in the project lifecy-
cle. Their job is to help enable change in an enterprise. This involves eliciting, analyzing, and
documenting information and employing communication strategies to ensure maximum col-
laboration among the project team.
Information Discovery - ANSWER To make informed decisions and recommendations,
business analysts need to gather information, lots of information, from all levels. This is one
of the most important steps in the business analyst process.
Analysis and Synthesis - ANSWER Business analysts spend significant effort looking
through the information that they've gathered. They look at both the details and the high-
level information to chart needs and to develop plans and schedules. They also look at the
skills and experience of the people involved to determine how the team can best work to-
gether to achieve a successful outcome.
Communication, Collaboration, and Documentation - ANSWER Business analysts must
communicate clearly and efficiently to everyone involved. They need to document and share
information so that stakeholders and other involved parties have a clear understanding of
the project, the goals, and the proposed solution. BAs help improve overall productivity by
breaking down the barriers to communication.
Who? - ANSWER Who are the stakeholders? Who is involved? Who follows the process?
Who hands things off?
What? - ANSWER What is done first? What is done next? What is the problem that we
are trying to solve?
1
,Where? - ANSWER Where is the information input? Where does the information go after
it is input? Where would a person be when doing this?
Why? - ANSWER Why are we doing this? Why is this important?
When? - ANSWER When does this happen? (Once a week? Every first day of the month?)
When do we need a solution?
How? - ANSWER How does this work now? How should this work?
Project information - ANSWER The agent of change. It's what drives the solution and ulti-
mately the change in the business. But before it can be the change agent, it must be found.
Information comes in all shapes and sizes and from countless sources, including project in-
formation, requirements, analyses, and processes. It also originates from a variety of people,
including subject matter experts and stakeholders.
Enterprise Analysis - ANSWER Need to learn and understand an organization's structure,
including who reports to whom, and the functions and interactions of departments within
the organization. The information you gain here helps your team successfully collaborate
and communicate
Strategy Analysis - ANSWER Identify the need of strategic or tactical importance—the
business need. Then, you observe the current state and define the future and transition
states that will address the business need. This is a gap analysis—identifying what is differ-
ent between the current and desired state. Now, assess options for achieving the desired
state, including the work or scope required, and recommend the highest value approach for
reaching that state. Also assess the risks associated with the identified change solution and
what effect those uncertainties might have on the project lifecycle or end goal. Develop a
plan of action to address the potential risks.
Stakeholder Analysis - ANSWER Stakeholders are the individuals or groups (internal or ex-
ternal to the immediate organization) who make decisions and who have an important role
in determining the priorities and requirements for your project. To identify your
2
,stakeholders, start with this measurement: anyone who has an interest in, or may be af-
fected by, the issue under consideration.
Elicitation - ANSWER Information discovery. To draw forth or bring out. It is one of the
most important phases for a BA. BABOK - "is the drawing forth or receiving of information
from stakeholders or other sources. It is the main path to discovering requirements and de-
sign information, and might involve talking with stakeholders directly, researching topics, ex-
perimenting, or simply being handed information."
Elicitation Techniques - ANSWER Brainstorming
Document analysis
Focus groups
Interface analysis
Interviews
Observation
Process modeling
Prototyping
Requirements workshops
Surveys/questionnaires
Elicitation Stages - ANSWER Prepare for elicitation - gather a comprehensive and accurate
understanding of the project's business need.
Conduct elicitation - meet with stakeholders to elicit information regarding their needs and
the needs of the business.
Confirm elicitation results - validate that the stated requirements match the problem and
needs and ensure that the understanding conforms to the actual desires or intentions of the
stakeholders.
True or false: Business analysts perform elicitation during any task that includes interaction
with stakeholders and during their independent analytical work. - ANSWER True
3
, Communication Goals - ANSWER Communicate the stakeholder's needs to the project
team.
Ensure that, at the conclusion of the project, those needs have been met.
Break down the barriers to communication—such as time, attention, expectation, or lan-
guage—that can occur between stakeholders and developers.
Enterprise Analysis - ANSWER The analysis that uncovers who reports to whom, and the
functions and interactions of departments within an organization is called what?
In a project lifecycle, when is the best time to use your communication skills? - ANSWER
At every juncture of the project.
Which of these is a nonverbal communication skill? - ANSWER Eye contact and Openness
of body
Glossary of terms - ANSWER This is a list of key terms and definitions that boosts under-
standing across teams involved in the project.
RACI chart - ANSWER RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed.
It's a matrix that delineates who is responsible for what in the context of the business analy-
sis effort.
Responsible: A person who performs an activity or does the work.
Accountable: A person who is ultimately accountable for the outcome
Consulted: A person who needs to provide feedback or contribute to the activity.
Informed: A person who needs to know of a decision or action.
Interview and elicitation records - ANSWER These documents capture important infor-
mation from stakeholders.
4
are members of a project management team and play a significant role in the project lifecy-
cle. Their job is to help enable change in an enterprise. This involves eliciting, analyzing, and
documenting information and employing communication strategies to ensure maximum col-
laboration among the project team.
Information Discovery - ANSWER To make informed decisions and recommendations,
business analysts need to gather information, lots of information, from all levels. This is one
of the most important steps in the business analyst process.
Analysis and Synthesis - ANSWER Business analysts spend significant effort looking
through the information that they've gathered. They look at both the details and the high-
level information to chart needs and to develop plans and schedules. They also look at the
skills and experience of the people involved to determine how the team can best work to-
gether to achieve a successful outcome.
Communication, Collaboration, and Documentation - ANSWER Business analysts must
communicate clearly and efficiently to everyone involved. They need to document and share
information so that stakeholders and other involved parties have a clear understanding of
the project, the goals, and the proposed solution. BAs help improve overall productivity by
breaking down the barriers to communication.
Who? - ANSWER Who are the stakeholders? Who is involved? Who follows the process?
Who hands things off?
What? - ANSWER What is done first? What is done next? What is the problem that we
are trying to solve?
1
,Where? - ANSWER Where is the information input? Where does the information go after
it is input? Where would a person be when doing this?
Why? - ANSWER Why are we doing this? Why is this important?
When? - ANSWER When does this happen? (Once a week? Every first day of the month?)
When do we need a solution?
How? - ANSWER How does this work now? How should this work?
Project information - ANSWER The agent of change. It's what drives the solution and ulti-
mately the change in the business. But before it can be the change agent, it must be found.
Information comes in all shapes and sizes and from countless sources, including project in-
formation, requirements, analyses, and processes. It also originates from a variety of people,
including subject matter experts and stakeholders.
Enterprise Analysis - ANSWER Need to learn and understand an organization's structure,
including who reports to whom, and the functions and interactions of departments within
the organization. The information you gain here helps your team successfully collaborate
and communicate
Strategy Analysis - ANSWER Identify the need of strategic or tactical importance—the
business need. Then, you observe the current state and define the future and transition
states that will address the business need. This is a gap analysis—identifying what is differ-
ent between the current and desired state. Now, assess options for achieving the desired
state, including the work or scope required, and recommend the highest value approach for
reaching that state. Also assess the risks associated with the identified change solution and
what effect those uncertainties might have on the project lifecycle or end goal. Develop a
plan of action to address the potential risks.
Stakeholder Analysis - ANSWER Stakeholders are the individuals or groups (internal or ex-
ternal to the immediate organization) who make decisions and who have an important role
in determining the priorities and requirements for your project. To identify your
2
,stakeholders, start with this measurement: anyone who has an interest in, or may be af-
fected by, the issue under consideration.
Elicitation - ANSWER Information discovery. To draw forth or bring out. It is one of the
most important phases for a BA. BABOK - "is the drawing forth or receiving of information
from stakeholders or other sources. It is the main path to discovering requirements and de-
sign information, and might involve talking with stakeholders directly, researching topics, ex-
perimenting, or simply being handed information."
Elicitation Techniques - ANSWER Brainstorming
Document analysis
Focus groups
Interface analysis
Interviews
Observation
Process modeling
Prototyping
Requirements workshops
Surveys/questionnaires
Elicitation Stages - ANSWER Prepare for elicitation - gather a comprehensive and accurate
understanding of the project's business need.
Conduct elicitation - meet with stakeholders to elicit information regarding their needs and
the needs of the business.
Confirm elicitation results - validate that the stated requirements match the problem and
needs and ensure that the understanding conforms to the actual desires or intentions of the
stakeholders.
True or false: Business analysts perform elicitation during any task that includes interaction
with stakeholders and during their independent analytical work. - ANSWER True
3
, Communication Goals - ANSWER Communicate the stakeholder's needs to the project
team.
Ensure that, at the conclusion of the project, those needs have been met.
Break down the barriers to communication—such as time, attention, expectation, or lan-
guage—that can occur between stakeholders and developers.
Enterprise Analysis - ANSWER The analysis that uncovers who reports to whom, and the
functions and interactions of departments within an organization is called what?
In a project lifecycle, when is the best time to use your communication skills? - ANSWER
At every juncture of the project.
Which of these is a nonverbal communication skill? - ANSWER Eye contact and Openness
of body
Glossary of terms - ANSWER This is a list of key terms and definitions that boosts under-
standing across teams involved in the project.
RACI chart - ANSWER RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed.
It's a matrix that delineates who is responsible for what in the context of the business analy-
sis effort.
Responsible: A person who performs an activity or does the work.
Accountable: A person who is ultimately accountable for the outcome
Consulted: A person who needs to provide feedback or contribute to the activity.
Informed: A person who needs to know of a decision or action.
Interview and elicitation records - ANSWER These documents capture important infor-
mation from stakeholders.
4
