Stages of Business Analysis Life Cycle

STAGE 1- REQUIREMENTS GATHERING This is the first stage where as I as a BA will be collecting the requirements from the SMEs and the stakeholders for collecting the requirements I will be using different types of elicitation Techniques 1.interviews 2.surveys 3.job shadowing 4.Document analysis 5. Interface analysis 6.Focus groups Their primary objective is to uncover the underlying needs of the business, which are often different from the surface-level "wants" expressed by stakeholders. The output of this phase is a raw collection of data that defines the problem the project is meant to solve. STAGE 2- REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS Once the data is gathered, I as a BA enter the Analysis phase. Here, I translate raw information into structured, actionable documentation. This is where the BA determines the feasibility and priority of each requirement. I will be creating critical documents such as: Business Requirements Document (BRD): The high-level "what" and "why." Functional Requirement Specifications (FRS): The detailed "how" the system should behave. Use Case Diagrams: Visual representations of how users interact with the system. During analysis, I will be identifying gaps in logic and conflicting requirements. For example, if a stakeholder asks for a feature that contradicts a legal regulation, it is the BA’s job to flag this early, saving the company from costly rework during development. STAGE 3- DESIGN In the Design stage, the project moves from "what" to "how." While architects and UI/UX designers lead this phase, I serve as a consultant and validator. They review wireframes and prototypes to ensure that the technical design remains strictly aligned with the business requirements established earlier. I ensure that the user journey is logical and that no requirement has been misinterpreted. If a designer proposes a beautiful interface that omits a critical data field needed for reporting, I provide the necessary correction. By acting as a "quality gate" for design, I ensure that the development team isn't building a solution that looks good but fails to meet the business objective. STAGE 4- DEVELOPMENT When the code starts being written, my role shifts to that of a Liaison. Developers often encounter ambiguities in documentation that require immediate clarification. The BA remains available to answer questions and provide context, ensuring that the "intent" of the requirement is maintained. In modern Agile environments, the BA often manages the Product Backlog. They refine user stories and ensure the development team is working on the most valuable features first. By staying involved during development, the BA prevents the "silo effect," where developers build in a vacuum and produce a result that doesn't actually help the end-user STAGE 5- TESTING The Testing phase is where the I will validate that the product actually works as intended. While the Quality Assurance (QA) team focuses on technical bugs the BA focuses on User Acceptance Testing (UAT). The BA (me)coordinates with real business users to test the software in real-world scenarios. They define the Acceptance Criteria—the specific conditions that must be met for a feature to be considered "done." If the software passes the technical tests but fails to solve the user's problem, the BA is responsible for identifying why and determining the priority of the necessary fixes before the product can be signed off. STAGE 6- DEPLOYMENT The final stage is Deployment, where the software is released to the live environment. The BA’s responsibility here is centered on Change Management and User Readiness. A project’s success isn't just about the software working; it’s about the people using it. The BA often: Creates user manuals and training materials. Conducts training sessions or "train-the-trainer" workshops. Supports the "Go-Live" transition to handle any immediate business-process issues. After deployment, the BA may conduct a Post-Implementation Review to measure if the project achieved its original KPIs and to gather feedback for future versions.