The participants learned how using Business Analysis methods before starting a project can contribute to project success, customer satis- faction, reduce costs and increase benefits. At the moment there is a perception that Business Analysis is only for IT projects, but it can add value to any kind of project.
According to the definition: “Business Analysis is the discipline of identifying business needs and determining solutions to business problems.” This, more general definition, allows us to use BA methods in any situation where a customer has a need and the vendor is some kind of solution provider. Especially where the solution has to fit to the unique needs of the customer very closely.
In the last half of seminar, the participants were able to apply the learning points to a case study and practice their new skills. Participants came from different industries and they participated in the 6-hour seminar very actively and with enthusiasm. They all agreed that Business Analysis skills are becoming critical to success for their companies.
Voice of participants (questionnaire)
- Chance of speaking and volume of listening is better than any other seminar
- Power Point slides were very easy to understand and well organized
- There are some good examples and I can use them for my job.
Content of seminar score 4.7/5.0 Instructor score 5.0/5.0 Summary score 4.8/5.0
BA’s have the specialized knowledge to act as a guide: to lead the business from its current state to its desired state. The value of business analysis is in realization of benefits, avoidance of risk and cost, identification of new oppor- tunities, understanding of required capabilities and modeling the future state of the organization. It is the role of the BA to ensure an organization realizes these benefits, ultimately improving the way they do business.
What is the Value of Business Analysis?
Business analysis is the discipline of discovering business needs and proposing solutions to business problems. These solutions may often include an ICT systems compo- nent, but may also consist of process improvement, organizational change or strategic planning and policy development. The person who carries out this task is called a business analyst or BA.
Business Analysis is the practice of enabling change in an organizational context, by defining needs and recommending solutions that deliver value to stakeholders and then tracking the development and delivery of these solutions throughout the project (and prod- uct) lifecycle to ensure that that value is indeed realized.
Job titles for business analysis practitioners include not only business analyst, but also systems analyst, requirements engineer, process analyst, product manager, product owner, enterprise analyst, business architect, management consultant, business intelligence analyst, etc.
The Business Analyst is a change agent. Business Analysis is a disciplined approach for introducing and managing changes to orga- nizations. Business analysis is used to identify and communicate the need for change in how organizations work, and to facilitate the delivery of that change.
Business analysts work across all levels of an organization and may be involved in everything from defining strategy, to creating enterprise architecture, to taking a leadership role by defining the goals and requirements for programs and projects or supporting continuous improvement in an organization’s technology and processes.
Mark Beresford