The document discusses the transition from system analyst to business analyst roles, emphasizing the need for a broader understanding of business operations to ensure successful project outcomes. It highlights limitations faced by system analysts due to their narrow focus on technical requirements without considering the full context of business needs. The business analyst role is presented as essential for effectively communicating with stakeholders, eliciting genuine requirements, and providing solutions that align with organizational goals.

1. Shift from System Analyst
to Business Analyst
Asad Ur Rehman
Executive Director
Open Integrated Solution (Pvt) Ltd
Corporate Trainings

2. Why a Project is initiated ?
2

What a project does for the organization?

Project is initiated to . . .



Address Business need
Solve a problem
Fulfill an Opportunity
Need = Increase market share (12%) in next six months.
Problem = Production Planning is weak (sales)
Opportunity = If provides Branch-stock info, can increase sales 8-10 %

3. System Analyst role - Limitations
3

Suppose – We have a good SW-Dev-Team. Team can write
any difficult software, provided customer tell what exactly
they need

SW-Dev-Team work hard for few months and develop a
software that does not completely satisfy him/her

Customer says - “You did not understand my requirements.
This software does not fulfill my needs”

SW-Dev-Team put all their efforts but the output is not
acceptable to user. - What went wrong ?

4. System Analyst role - Limitation- #1
4

What if customer tell you to develop a Software with


His/her - limited Business knowledge
Has - poor Communication skills

You work hard in wrong direction and do lots of
repair work and re-work.

SW-Dev-Team efforts are completely dependent on
customer’s explanation of requirements.

5. System Analyst role - Limitation- #2
5

Requirements is - Multidimensional & Complex

Components of any automation Solution





Software (features / functions)
Process/Practices (need to be automated)
People (their experience, knowledge, and ability to adopt change)
Usability (Desktop, Internet, Smart-phone)
Environment (Temp, Dust-free etc)

6. System Analyst role - Limitation- #3
6

System Analyst is technology person. Computer Science
graduate.

System Analyst approach; give us the requirement (what
do you need) we will develop software based on your
requirements.

There are many project failures because of this approach.
A role is required where somebody focus on Solution that
meets the goal of a project.

7. 7
Project Successful / failed

8. Project # 1
8
Problem = Production Planning is weak

(Sales) - We do not get required finished goods on
time due to shortage of raw-material.

(Stores) - we purchase in advance according to
Production-Plan.

(Production) - We must have finished goods
requirements from sales department 40 days ahead
of production Plan.

9. Project # 1
9

Purchase a good tool for - Production Planning


Cost about Rs1,500,000 (SW only)
Spent 6 months to implement (additional cost of 24 man months)

. . but situation is still the same

There was business problem

Nobody has the expertise to investigate the root-cause of
the problem

10. Why Project failed ?
10

Sales sees the problem from their own perspective.
Somebody should analyze the problem from all
angels - i.e. Sales, production and stores.

Somebody should have that responsibility to
understand problem completely; not the symptoms.

Somebody does the root-cause of problem and than
convey that to relevant stakeholders. Proposed them
a solution that will solve their problem

11. Another Project failed . . .
11

Beverage Company in Saudi Arabia thinks their
wastage is high.

Company want to analyze wastage though Business
Intelligence (BI) tool on Stores (raw-material),
production and cost module of SAP.

BI is implemented with heavy cost and in 8-months,

BI report does not provide useful information that was
anticipated. What went wrong?

12. 12
Business Analyst role

13. Specialization is required
13

About 25-30 years ago
programmer used to do
everything
Taking requirements
 Designing of software
 Coding (development)
 De-bugging
 Implementation
 User Training


Specialized roles










Project Manager
Business Analyst
Architecture
Developers (Coders)
SQA Engineers
Test Engineers
Configuration Manager
Risk Managers
Information Security
IT Governance

14. Business Analyst role – Summary
14
Techniques & skills used
by System Analyst
Communication skill
People Handling Skill
Business Knowledge
Stakeholders’ knowledge

15. Requirements Classifications
15
Why a change is required?
Business
Requirements
User/stakeholder
Requirements
Solution
Requirements

16. Shortcoming in SA role
16

Customer/user cannot express their need

Business knowledge is mandatory

Requirements are multi-dimensions & Complex

Knowledge of Organization & people

Need perspective - Requirement or Solution

Project ends when deliverables are complete

17. Customer cannot express their need
17

Most of the time users know what their problem is,
but do not know what they need. They will give list
of desires, what they want.

BA is responsible for eliciting the actual needs of
stakeholders, not simply their expressed desires.

In many cases, the BA will also work to facilitate
communication between organizational units (dept).

18. Guess my requirements . . .
18
I need a
equipment

Is equipped with internal combustion
engine

Is available in yellow & black colour

It has three wheels

Has 3 speed forward and 3 speed reverse

Levels uneven surface nicely and quickly

19. Elicitation (knowledge area)
3.2 Conduct Elicitation Activity
19
(task)
Input
Business Need
Requirements
Management Plan
Solution Scope
Organizational
processes Assets
Scheduled
resources
Supporting
Materials
Output
Conduct
Elicitation
Elicitation
Results
Elements = Tracing requirements, requirement
attributes
Techniques = Interview, Observation
Stakeholders = Domain-SME, End-Users

20. Business Analysis Planning & Monitoring
2.4 Plan Business Communication
20

Set the ground rules of mutual communication
among the stakeholders.





What should be communicated and to whom ?
What is the appropriate delivery method
Communication Channel / point of contact
Frequency / medium / escalation etc
Agreed response Time
Eliminate Assumptions

21. Business Analysis Planning & Monitoring
2.4 Plan Business Communication
21
Example:
 It is agreed that only PM will communicate with
Steering Committee.
 Analyst will communicate through Project
Coordinator.






After every meeting, minutes will be published
within 48 hours through emails.
Minutes will be published in DOC format.
In case of any issue/shortcomings in MoM, it
should be reported within 2-working days.
Detailed document will be sent to domain-SME
only.
Final version of document would be published in
PDF.
Weekly summary of the progress will be sent to
steering Committee.
Steering
Committee
Project
Coordinator
SME-1
Project
Manager
BA
Team
SME-2
Development
Team
Key-user
Key-user

22. Requirement Management & Communication
4.5 Communicate Requirements
22

Communicating requirements is essential for bringing
stakeholders to a common understanding of
requirements.

Communicating requirements includes conversations,
notes, documents, presentations, and discussions.

Concise, appropriate, effective communication
requires that the business analyst possess a significant
set of skills, both soft-skills and technical-skills.

23. 23
Business knowledge is mandatory

24. Business knowledge is mandatory
24

Software industry has realized, anybody who is
collecting business requirements needs to understand
business domain well.

BA must be knowledgeable in that domain, he/she
can interact with users in their terminology.

BA provide ideas and alternatives both for
requirements and for implementation of the product.

25. Expertise of business is mandatory
Definition of Business Analyst
25

Business Analysis is the set of tasks and techniques used to work as a liaison
among various stakeholders - -  in order to understand the structure, policies, and operations of an
organization.
 to recommend solutions that enable the organization to achieve its
goals.

BA may be performed to understand the current state of an organization
(enterprise analysis) or to serve as a basis; for the later identification of
business needs.

Business Analysis involves understanding how organizations function to
accomplish their purposes, and defining the capabilities an organization
requires to provide products and services to external stakeholders.

26. Expertise of business is mandatory
Definition of Business Analysis
26
Knowledge of
organization’s
policies and
operation
Identifies
- Business problems
- Business needs
Knowledge of
BA Techniques
2
My Problem
My requirement wish list
1
3
Business Analyst
Stakeholders
determines
solutions

27. 27
Need perspective

28. Need perspective - Requirement or Solution
28



It is very important to have right solution scope
against a need.
Somebody need to focus on Business Need and
through facilitation and negotiation develop a
solution scope which give value to organization.
SW-Dev-Team focus on giving a technology based
solution. SW team is not a Problem Solver.

29. Need perspective - Requirement or Solution
29
Requirements Perspective

Mother ask a SA to develop a
table for the kids-study.

Mother gave the size, design,
color and material (all
required details).

SA with his development
team will develop a table.
Solution Perspective





BA will ask why do you need
table?
BA will related need with
value to business?
BA will provide solution that
will value to business
How many tables do you
have? 3 said mother.
Do not use dinning table from
6-8pm and let kids use that.

30. Give business value - not excellence
30




Changing from Information technology to Business
enabler.
We must have Biz-case, we cannot have ERP because of
fashion (everybody is buying it).
If currently FoxPro is severing our purpose (we are OK) we
do not need state of the art excellent system.
Business and technical information align with each other
(IT Governance/COBIT).

31. Enterprise Analysis
5.1 Define Business Need
31
Identify why a change to organisation systems or capabilities
is required?

Business need defines the problem that the BA is trying to
find a solution for.



Determines which solutions will be considered.
Which stakeholders consulted.
Which solution approaches will be evaluated.
It is common practice for organizations to act to resolve the issue without
investigating the underlying business need.

32. 32
Requirements are Multi-dimension

33. Requirements are multi-dimensions
33

System Analyst ask question related to
featured or functionality, requirements are
not simple anymore.

You have to ask question to cover all aspects,
from all angles. Not all the possible scenario.
 Usability (Interface)
 Security (ISO-27001)
 Environment (Temp, dust-free)

34. Requirements are multi-dimensions
34
Environment: Automating whole factory. You want to put a
thumb-scanner/smart-card at the gate for attendance system.



Without realizing the temperature at that place, the dust goes
into the PC on daily basis. Soon the PC will be DOWN and no
information about the staff attendance.
You need to look into the environment at factory in that industrial
area.
Providing a dust free and 22-degree temperature is that a
requirement? Not explained by customer.

35. Requirement Analysis – BABOK
35
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6
Prioritize Requirements
Organize Requirements
Specify & Model Requirements (clarify)
Define Assumptions & Constraints
Verify Requirements
Validate Requirements

36. That is all