1. Requirements Management and the Business Analyst
1. The Role of the Business Analyst
2. Key Requirements Tasks Performer by the Business Analyst
3. Key Deliverables of the Business Analyst for Requirements Management
1. The Role of the Business Analyst
What kind of impact is all of this having on the skills required of the business analyst? The business
analyst acts as a bridge between the business and IT, translating the business's requirements into a
form that can be understood by the system developers, as well as explaining to the business how it can
take advantage of the capabilities of IT.
The term 'business analyst' means different things in different organisations. To some, the business
analyst's job is specifically limited to defining information, usually in terms of IT system requirements.
For an increasing number of organisations, however, the business analyst has a wider role that
examines the environment in which the IT system operates, to ensure that the identified requirements
are justified. In the terms used in this article, the business process defines the context for the
requirements definition. I believe it is preferable to think in wider rather than narrower terms - it is
more and more difficult to separate the definition of the to-be process from the underlying IT support.
This approach is supported by the definition of the business analyst's role in the latest version of the
Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), which includes 'initiating and influencing enterprise-
wide business process analysis'.
The increased breadth of the business analyst's role also reflects the evolving nature of the projects
with which they are involved. There are very few projects involving IT alone. IT is now regarded as an
enabler of business change rather than a provider of business benefits directly. It is the business
change that is enabled by IT that results in the business benefits. As a consequence, the IT
development work is seen as part of a larger business change programme. The focus of the business
case shifts, therefore, from the IT development to the business change.
This greater responsibility now facing the business analyst implies an upgrading of their skills. At the
very least, business analysts will have to be proficient at producing process models. It is heartening
that the ISEB Business System Development Diploma scheme (3) has recently introduced a Modelling
Business Processes Certificate. These mechanical skills are, however, only the starting point. If
business-IT alignment is to really take place, the business analyst will need to act as a consultant,
advising the business on how they can improve their processes. Inevitably this will involve
measurement of a number of elements, including the existing processes, the expected performance of
new processes, a comparison of actual against planned, and benchmarking against external
organisations. That leads further into benefits management and realisation. The business analyst needs
a range of both business and technical competencies - communication skills, business knowledge and
political savvy as well as an appreciation of IT capabilities and the discipline necessary to carry through
change built around new technology.
2. Key Requirements Tasks Performer by the Business Analyst

2. As stated above, the business analyst will act as a condoit between IT and the business. What this
means is that the business analyst must successfully fully capture the requirements and make sure they
are translated to understandable documentation for the full project team. The life-cycle documentation
includes the following.
o 1. Assisting with the Business case
o 2. High level feasibility
o 3. Gathering of the requirements
o 4. Designing and/or reviewing test cases
o 5. Processing change requests
o 6. Tracing the requirements during implementation (traceability matrix)
o 7. Manage scope
o 8. Acceptance, Installation, deployment
Once the project is defined and feasibility established in sections 1 and 2, the business analyst ventures
into the requirements gathering and requirements management phase. To adequately cover all areas of
documentation could cover a full book, so the focus for this article will just be items 3 through 6 in the
documentation steps above.
3. Key Deliverables of the Business Analyst for Requirements Management
There is no one defined way to become a Business Analyst. Often the Business Analyst has a technical
background, whether having worked as a programmer or engineer, or completing a Computer Science
degree. Others may move into a BA role from a business role - their status as a Subject Matter Expert
and their analytical skills make them suitable for the role. Business analysts often grow further into
other roles as Project manager or consultant.
A Business Analyst does not always work in IT-related projects, as Business Analyst skills are often
required in marketing and financial roles as well.
Business Analyst's work in different industries such as Finance, Banking, Insurance, Telco, Utilities,
Entertainment, Internet and others. It is common that BAs switch between industries. The Business
Domain subject areas BAs may work in include workflow, billing, mediation, provisioning and customer
relationship management. The Telco industry has mapped these functional areas in their eTOM
(Telecommunications Operational Map) model.
4. Do you have the aptitude to be a successful business analyst?
Many people often look at the role of a business analyst as someone with strong interpersonal skills and
strong communication skills, or as a position where “soft” skills are more necessary than a technical
background. For the most part this is true. A good business analyst will spend a large part of their day
performing documentation tasks by documenting various system artifacts.
What most people don’t know, until they become a business analyst, is that the role is largely
procedural, task-oriented and mundane. Yes I said, it, go ahead and sue me for saying it. It’s definitely
a mundane position. If you get right down to it, the core mission of the business analyst is to translate
general or rough business ideas into detailed functional requirements that can be used by the
engineering team to execute on. As an analyst, you typically are managed by the project manager who
may bark orders at you to create lots of documentation, some unnecessary. Why does this happened?
CYA – Yes, to “cover thy ass” of the project manager to prove that all of the appropriate documentation
was available.
In one nightmare position working at the Capital Group, I found myself at many requirements meetings
where I’d be listening to the engineers and the product managers discuss what they thought the system

3. should do. The project manager, working at the time had the nerve to make gestures at the business
analyst with her fingers making a “scribbling” gesture in the air, basically telling them to write down
everything.
It’s really important to understand your personality to determine if you are “cut out” to be a business
analyst. If you are the creative type that likes to grow ideas, and may not be at good at digging into
details, the role of the business analyst is not for you. To be a great business analyst, you should focus
on NOT being creative, but to focus on as much detail as possible. Your role is to organize and
document. Do you still want to be a business analyst??
Skill Area 1 - SharePoint System Administrator
Perhaps one of the most misunderstood skills in SharePoint is that of the System
Administrator. Many people confuse the System Administrator with a concept referred to as a
SharePoint Administrator (we refer to this role as the Super User). Instead of explaining the
differences between the two roles I'll explain the function of the SharePoint System
Administrator in detail in this section and the Super User in detail further on in this
document.
The SharePoint System Administrator is concerned primarily with the back-end functions of
SharePoint focusing on how it integrates with other server applications.
Responsibilities
Selecting the correct version of SharePoint.
Specifying the most suitable set up for anticipated load.
Deploying SharePoint correctly.
Configuring email (incoming).
Configuring email (outgoing).
Ensuring Anti-virus is operable.
Configuring start-up security.
Configuring shared services.
Configuring search.
Backup.
Restore.
Disaster Recovery.
Other duties focusing on the Central Administration Page
Skills
Anybody carrying out this function should have a minimum of two years working as a system
administrator on Windows Server, SQL, and Exchange. They should be fully conversant with
Domain Name Systems (DNS) and Active Directory.
Training As a bolt-on to existing skills as listed above the System Administrator would
benefit from a 5 day SharePoint Administrators course. Make sure this is a System
Administrator course not a SharePoint Administrator course!

4. Work Load
It is anticipated that once the SharePoint system is in and robust the additional burden on the
administrator will be an additional 1% of their existing workload.
Skill Area 2 - Super User
This individual has the most important function within SharePoint, they are responsible for
configuring SharePoint to match 70% of the organizations bespoke needs. This is the role that
is sometimes referred to as SharePoint Administrator, as they administer the SharePoint
front-end environment. Once the System Administrator has installed SharePoint and
confirmed that it has been robustly installed the Super User takes over.
This role is non-technical (meaning no knowledge of code, or computer systems is required)
and we strongly recommended that this role is given to someone outside of IT. This is
because the focus of this role should be on the I (information) and not on the T (technology).
In our experience a member of the IT team will focus on the technology because this is what
they know. This role is suited to a Business Analyst, as they have the skills to analyse
problems and find solutions most suited to the current organizational strategy. The Super
User uses the out-of-the-box SharePoint features available to meet the requirements of the
business. They will focus on using the Site Actions button to deliver the needs of the
business.
Responsibilities
Managing site collections.
Configuring security at site level.
Creating and owning sub-sites.
Creating lists, blogs, wiki's etc.
Creating and configuring site features.
Mapping business issues to SharePoint functions.
All configurations under the site actions button.
Creating site level policies.
Skills
This individual must be a good communicator at all levels and have excellent presentation
skills. They need to be able to understand the business and analyse business problems. The
Super User must have a solid understanding of how SharePoint can be configured out-of-the -
box. The Super User must have excellent business analyst skills and needs to be able to map
business problems onto SharePoint functionality.
Training
This user will need 5 days Super User training course and a 3 day End User training course.
This will give them a full understanding of the out-of-the-box capabilities of SharePoint.
Work Load

5. The Super User can expect to have 100% of their time dedicated to working with SharePoint
sites. There time will be split between developing new uses of SharePoint and monitoring and
maintain existing SharePoint sites.
Skill Area 3 - SharePoint Designer
A further 20% of the organizations bespoke needs can be customized by the SharePoint
Designer. The customisations performed by this individual are changes that cannot be done
through the SharePoint user interface i.e. the site actions button. Once the Super User has
exhausted all possibilities through the site actions button the SharePoint Designer comes in.
The three main areas SharePoint designer is used for is branding, creating workflows and
connecting to external data sources. This document will split the SharePoint Designer skill set
into these three different work streams, to clarify the different skills needed for each. This
does not mean that three different people have to commit to each area in fact one person
could manage all three strands.
SharePoint Designer (Banding)
This person will be responsible for managing the look and feel of the SharePoint site, this
will involve creating page layouts, making changes to the master pages, and responsibility for
the aesthetics of the site. This person should have knowledge of accessibility standards when
designing to ensure the design is as inclusive as possible as well as being pleasing to the eye.
Responsibilities
Creating page layouts.
Editing the master page.
Giving guidance on design best practice.
Skills
The person performing this function needs to have a thorough understanding of the web and
preferably come from a web design background. Knowledge of Cascading Style Sheets
(CSS) and HTML is very desirable. As mentioned above knowledge of accessibility
standards is also desirable.
Training
This user will need a 5 day SharePoint Designer course, preferably aimed at web and graphic
designers.
Work Load
The SharePoint Designer usually has a 100% time allocation at the beginning of a
deployment and thereafter a reducing amount of commitment. The work load typically
consists of smaller projects delegated to them by the strategy team.
SharePoint Designer (Workflow)

6. Workflow is an important part of any SharePoint deployment, SharePoint designer has
extremely powerful capabilities for developing bespoke workflow. The person responsible
for this will work with the Super User to examine business processes and translate them into
SharePoint designer workflows.
Responsibilities
Examining user requirements.
Designing workflows and building them.
Testing and evaluating existing workflow.
Skills
This person needs to have a broad understanding of current business processes and analytical
skills. Experience of previous work in business processing mapping is desirable.
Training
This person will need a 5 day SharePoint Designer course.
Workload
The SharePoint Designer usually has a 100% time allocation at the beginning of a
deployment and thereafter a reducing amount of commitment. The work load typically
consists of smaller projects delegated to them by the strategy team.
SharePoint Designer (Database Access)
Businesses will have information and data stored in multiple storage sites across multiple
locations. One good point about SharePoint is that you can access information held in other
locations through SharePoint. SharePoint designer can be used to create access to this
information so it can be used again and again.
Responsibilities
Creating data access modules. Ensuring data protection laws are upheld.
Skills
The person in this role will need to have an understanding of data and a technology named
ActiveX Data Objects (ADO). Previous experience of writing databases is an advantage.
Knowledge of the Data Protection Act is also desirable.
Training
This person will need a 5 day SharePoint designer course.
Workload

7. The SharePoint Designer usually has a 100% time allocation at the beginning of a
deployment and thereafter a reducing amount of commitment. The work load typically
consists of smaller projects delegated to them by the strategy team.
Skill Area 4 - Web (.NET) Developer
The remaining 10% of an organization's bespoke SharePoint needs can be achieved by calling
on the services of a Web (.NET) Developer. This person should be a last resort when it comes
to SharePoint development, SharePoint works best when the out-of-the-box features are
leveraged fully.
This individual will be able to carry out deep customization and provides the ability to
achieve very tight integration between SharePoint and legacy systems. Custom web parts and
complicated workflow processes can be designed b a Web (.NET) Developer. A Web
Developer would only be called when both the Super User and the SharePoint Designer have
exhausted all other options.
Responsibilities
Developing solutions / features within best practice guidelines.
Working with and leveraging the object model.
Working with and leveraging SharePoint web services.
Creating web parts.
Creating user controls.
Implementing events.
Developing complex asynchronous workflows.
Deploying solutions and features with best practice.
Working with enhanced security.
Creating code in keeping with best practice.
Skills
The Web (.NET) Developer will need to have a minimum of 3 years.NET development
experience. They must have experience of developing for the browser and have been working
with ASP.NET 2 for at least 12 months.
Their core skills will need to be:
Understanding the SharePoint object model, and
Working with workflows
Training
This user will need a 5 day SharePoint Developer course.
Work Load
The Web Developers work load will be very dependent upon the needs of the business and
specifically the level of integrating with legacy systems.

8. Once again, in the initially stages of deployment the Web Developer will be heavily utilized
and after a period will have less demands made on their time. Web Developers will be called
on an ad-hoc basis to complete project
Skill Area 5 - End User
Last but not least, the End User will also need some SharePoint skills. Although the skills
required are minimal, End Users will still require training to build their confidence and
acceptance of the site. When End Users are given proper training and told explicitly what is
expected of them when using the site the more likely it is to be a success. The general rule for
training End User with SharePoint is to focus on small skills based learning packages and
make sure users are comfortable with them. It is always best to train in fewer areas well than
cover lots of topics without users really understanding.
Responsibilities
Navigate through the site and find content.
Organise themselves with alerts and RSS feeds to keep updated.
File documents in the appropriate place.
File documents with the appropriate metadata for searching.
Skills
End Users do not need any specific skills and providing that they have had some exposure to
the internet they will be capable of working with SharePoint.
The training provision is mainly to build confidence initially and acceptance of the site.
Training
End Users require a 1 day session as close to go-live as is possible. This session should focus
on the tasks they are going to complete on a day to day basis.
Work Load
The End User can expect to interact with the SharePoint site 100% of the time on an ongoing
basis. This of course will very much depend on the tasks required to be performed by the End
User can the function of the site. End Users make up the majority of SharePoint users.
About this Author
Emma Catignani is the Communications Director of Solutions Developed. Having worked
with SharePoint since 2002 Solutions Developed has a number of prestigious roll-outs under
their belt.
Solutions Developed now specialises in SharePoint and other associated technologies.
Their business philosophy can be summed up by their policy statement:

9. "Success is not when clients tell us they like what we are doing. Success is when clients tell
us they love what we have done.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4672312
Super User Role Is Key To Post Implementation — Document Transcript
1. Research Publication Date: 4 April 2006 ID Number: G00138658 Super User Role Is Key to Post-
Implementation Support of ERP Systems Pat Phelan Super users are key components of the ERP
support infrastructure. In addition to being on the front line with end users, they also serve as
liaisons between business and IT organizations, enabling IT organizations to focus on more-technical
aspects of system support. © 2006 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction of this publication in any form without prior written permission is forbidden. The
information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Gartner
disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. Although
Gartner's research may discuss legal issues related to the information technology business, Gartner
does not provide legal advice or services and its research should not be construed or used as such.
Gartner shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained
herein or for interpretations thereof. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without
notice.
2. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW The role of super user is important in providing high-quality ERP
support. Defining the job responsibilities, staffing the role with the right type of and skilled
personnel, and clearly communicating the role to business units and the IT organization are required
to enhance the overall perception of ERP success. ANALYSIS An ERP implementation is a major
investment. Often, it is executed by a project team that combines IT and business representatives,
and is augmented with external experts from vendors and systems integrators (SIs). However, once
the ERP applications are in place, the project team is dissolved, and the business users go back to
their regular jobs. As a result, there is little business involvement in the ongoing management of ERP
applications. Without this involvement, there is a risk that the ERP applications stay "static" and do
not evolve to meet the needs of the business, so all that huge effort might be wasted or
suboptimized. The most common alternative for ongoing ERP success is using "super users" —
people who bridge the IT/business divide to ensure that the ERP applications evolve to meet the
needs of the business and maximize the return on investment. Being on the front line, a super user's
role is more important than just assisting end users with basic navigation questions, and quickly
addressing process and system use problems. Super users, or power users in some organizations, are
the most common conduit between business and IT organizations. They provide feedback on such
things as how the system is being used, what the issues are and what the training will be for new
users. The result is greater end-user acceptance and satisfaction, and IT organizations are able to

10. focus on more-technical aspects of system support. Role of Super Users Super users know the
business and are the "go to" people to answer system functionality and business process questions.
They understand the process areas and how their assigned departments function. They further
understand how the system has been implemented to support the business. Super users can provide
immediate responses to end-user requests for business process help, basic system navigation
questions, and other "how to" or "I can't get it to work" issues. They may assist with training end
users on business processes and system use. Super users also troubleshoot ERP-related problems.
They work with the IT organization by filtering end-user requests and passing along to the ERP help
desk only those issues that the IT organization should be aware of as it tunes or enhances the
system, as well as true problems that need some type of fix or resolution from a system perspective.
When errors arise or a system issue occurs, super users are typically in the best position to translate
functional business requirements into technical requirements and specifications. Having an
understanding of the business needs, how systems have been configured, what the applications'
limitations are and how applications may be changed is a tremendous help when assessing the
issues and defining solutions for them. Super users must stay abreast of vendor product strategies
and help plan the company's upgrade strategies by identifying the business benefits available in new
software releases. (IT organizations will focus on the technology side of things.) This is crucial to
move the ERP applications forward. Super users also identify changes in the business environment
that may affect the ERP applications and work with the IT organization to plan the changes. An
example of Publication Date: 4 April 2006/ID Number: G00138658 Page 2 of 5 © 2006 Gartner, Inc.
and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
3. this is if the company moves into a new market or considers an acquisition. The super user would
assist in assessing how the change would affect the company's use of the ERP applications. By
working closely with end users, super users can spot trends in terms of need for additional training
or changes that would improve the end-user training curriculum. They are also well- positioned to
identify process changes or configuration changes that could improve how the system supports the
business. This is especially important in light of the service-oriented architecture (SOA) changes that
are coming to ERP applications. Superior knowledge of the business will position super users to add
tremendous value to business process assessment and design of SOA initiatives. Super users belong
to the business area and physically reside with the end users being supported, with a dotted-line
relationship to the ERP competency center (IT support group). To be most effective, super users
should be immediately accessible by the end users and valued members of competency center
decisions and tasks. Furthermore, super users must have credibility with end users and the IT
organization. Credibility can most effectively be earned by working with the competency center on
planning and executing system changes and upgrades, as well as assisting with troubleshooting
problems. An organization may have several super users. Factors that influence the number of super
users include geographical representation (often at least one super user from each major region),
business unit representation (representing the different parts of the business in a diversified
environment) and process area coverage (for example, HR, finance and manufacturing). Preparing
Super Users for Success When ERP is first deployed, super users should prepare for their new role by
participating in the implementation. Having input into system design and hands-on knowledge of the
system will build credibility with the end users. Participating in unit and integration tests will provide
an intimate knowledge of the strengths, limitations and work-arounds that are a part of the new
system. As upgrades are deployed, super users will: • Leverage their experience by assisting end

11. users in understanding the options and alternatives that are available as a result of the new software
release. • Translate the options and alternatives into IT terms. • Assist with implementing the
upgrade and presenting it to the user community. • Contribute to ongoing business process
development. • Work closely with the IT organization to determine what system configuration is
needed to support the new or changed process. For new ERP implementations, prior to going live,
organizations should formalize the position and train a force of super users, which can be difficult to
achieve. To aid in this process, organizations need to: • Understand that the super user role is
important. • Secure funding for the position. • Include a role description, initial and ongoing training
requirements, reporting lines and retention incentives, which will provide the staffing guidelines and
improve the likelihood of assigning appropriate personnel. Publication Date: 4 April 2006/ID
Number: G00138658 Page 3 of 5 © 2006 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
4. • Staff the position with highly capable resources. • Include the super user in ERP competence
center activities, such as system change planning, testing and problem resolution. What Can Go
Wrong? Although super users deserve praise for the key roles they play on the front line with end
users and as liaisons/translators to IT organizations, things can go horribly wrong. When super users
are inadequately trained on the ERP system or have insufficient knowledge of the business and its
processes, they will not be able to provide top-quality service and will not earn the credibility that is
key to success with end users and IT organizations. A super user who is unwilling to cooperate and
communicate with IT, or one who fails to participate in competence center tasks, will undermine the
success of the ERP system. When a competitive or confrontational relationship forms between
business units and the IT organization, and the super user is not a leader in minimizing the conflict,
or worse yet, is a cause of the conflict, overall end-user acceptance and perceived success of the
system can drop dramatically. Frequent super user turnover also can have a negative impact
because a drop in service occurs while the new super user learns the job. When super user turnover
occurs and the new super user does not have the benefit of participating in the ERP implementation,
there is risk that the high quality of support enjoyed by end users and the knowledge-based
relationship that the super user enjoyed with the IT organization will cease. Without the
understanding that comes from being an intimate part of the implementation, the super user will
merely function as a funneling mechanism for the ERP help desk and could end up being a
bottleneck in terms of system support. To provide a new super user with a solid starting point as he
or she gets immersed in the new role, there needs to be good system and process documentation
and a well-defined training process for preparing the super user to support the ERP system users.
Having another person in the departments supported by each super user trained as a backup will
also help to minimize the risk of knowledge loss and offer coverage when the super user is ill or out
of the office. Mitigation strategies for super user risks should be thought out prior to system
implementation. These may include tactics such as: • Certification of new super users via training
and testing • Rotation of super users through the ERP competence center as part of team-building
exercises and ERP governance mechanisms to ensure super user participation and cooperation in IT
activities, and help maintain credibility • Incentives to retain super users in their roles • Selection of
appropriate personnel for the super user role • Informed selection process based on competencies
desired and traits that will make the super user successful, rather than just randomly picking
someone from the department Key Facts Super users serve a critical role in providing high-quality
ERP support. It can be difficult to identify and prepare super users for the role. The role must be

12. formally planned for and arranged prior to the ERP system going live. The plans should include steps
for rotating the super user into the role Publication Date: 4 April 2006/ID Number: G00138658 Page
4 of 5 © 2006 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
5. and then back into the organization after a prescribed time so they can leverage their ERP
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