Why Planning Matters for a Business Analyst

Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring is one of the important field that helped me understand that the role of a Business Analyst is not restricted only in collecting requirements. There must be correct methodology in deciding what to be analyses, who would needs to be involved and how the analysis activities should be followed in the entire life cycle of the project. For all business project, the primary thing one must understand is the reason behind the project. What is the current business problem? What will be the expected outcome? Who will be facing the problem? Who will be affected by the proposed change? It’s always better to clear up the basics before diving deep into requirements. Doing so saves everyone time and avoids confusion later. Planning the business analysis work also a job of identifying the stakeholders. In a banking-related process, for example, the person actually performing the daily operation may explain the problem differently from a manager who is looking at the process from a business or control point of view. A technical team may have a different view because they have to understand the impact on existing applications and integrations. The business analysis that’s needs to identify the right people and plan when their involvement will be required. Next goal should how the requirements will be gathered. There is no such need to use the duplicated methodology for every situation. Depending on what’s needed, a BA might sit down for interviews, run group discussions, watch how current processes work, or go through existing documents to piece things together. Still it is important that the selected technique should help the BA have clear view of the actual business requirements instead of just collecting a list of requested updates. Once the requirements are nailed down, they should be written up and shared with the right people. The write up has to be simple and clear so nobody is left guessing. Reviews and validations are important because assumptions are made during an initial discussion could not always be correct. Confirming to validation at the right stage reduces the possibility of going to wrong path after the project starts. Requirement changes also need attention. In real time project, requirements can change when users understand the proposed solution or a new business situation arises. A Business Analyst would not consider every change to be a problem. The change should be understood, its impact considered and the relevant stakeholders conveyed before it is incorporated into the project. This is where the monitoring part becomes must relevant. Planning provides the approach, but monitoring inform us whether the planned activities are really progressing. Requirements could be waiting for clarification and stakeholders may not have provided an approval, or there could be an issue affecting the next activity. The business analysis needs to work on such situations and follow up with the right stakeholders. I understand this best when I think about banking reconciliation. In that setting, users deal with transaction data, chase down mismatches, and fix them. If a new feature is meant to cut down manual effort, it should directly ease that daily effort, the Business Analyst must first understand the existing process and the challenges users face. The Business Analyst should then identify the relevant stakeholders, organize discussions, understand the requirements, document them, and obtain the necessary confirmation. During the project, the business analyst would also monitor pending clarifications, approvals and requirement changes. A plan shouldn’t be so rigid that it stops a BA from digging deeper or exploring new information as it comes up. Business requirements can change, and the analysis approach may also need to be change. What important is that the change is understood and communicated affectively and that the analysis remains in line with the business objective. For me, planning and monitoring are what give structure to change. They make sure analysis work isn’t just busywork but actually moves the project forward. It helps the Business Analyst organize stakeholder involvement, to select suitable requirement techniques, manage requirements and monitor progress. Also, it keeps highlighting on understanding the business issues and not just simply producing documentation. A well-planned analysis activity may not guarantee that a project will have no challenges. But it gives the business analyst and stakeholders a clearer way to identify those challenges, discuss and take appropriate action. That is why Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring is an important foundation for effective Business Analysis.