LECTURE 1 What does a Business Analyst do? IFS 231 Business Analysis

MondayTuesdayWedThursFriday 1 TUT DL104 & 105 TUT G H3.3 & 3.5 SEM 1D TUT GH 1.2 & 3.8 CLASS 2 LFS AUD TUT N99 CLASS 2 SC 7 2 TUT DL 4 & 5 CLASS G1 S1 TUT T5C TUT DL 104, SEM 1B, MS1.4 3 TUT SEM 1C TUT GH 3.4 & 3.7 TUT SEM 1D 4 TUT GH 3.5 CLASS 1 S1 6 TUT OC CLASS G2 GH 2 TUT C6, GH3.13 TUT GH 3.2 CLASS 1 S 1 TUT DL 111 Part – Time CLASS SC 1 Time Table 2 Business Analysis

 What is a Business Analyst?  Difference between BA, SA, PM  The SDLC  Role/Responsibilities of BA during SDLC Contents 3 Business Analysis

According to the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA™) a Business Analyst:  Works as a liaison among stakeholders to gather, analyze, communicate and validate requirements for changes to business processes, policies, and information and information systems  Understands business problems and opportunities in the context of the requirements and recommends solutions that enable the organisation to achieve its goals What is a Business Analyst? 4 Business Analysis

 The BA identify business needs and determine solutions to business problems.  Solutions often include a systems development component, but may also consist of process improvement or organisational change.  The BA is responsible to understand the actual needs of stakeholders not simply their expressed desires  Bridge between business and IT Therefore…… 5 Business Analysis

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Business Analyst (BA): Business Analyst (BA): The main role is to:   understand the business processes and procedures (how the business works),   to identify areas of improvement (problem areas), and   to work with the business stakeholders to identify suitable solutions. If the solution involves the development or modification of information systems, the business analyst is also responsible to:   gather,   analyze, and   document the business requirements which must be fulfilled by the software. Difference between BA, SA, PM 8 Business Analysis

Systems Analyst (SA): The main role is to:   understand the business requirements (documented by the BA) and   design and document the functional and, often, technical implementation of the software/IT system. The systems analyst also helps solve problems and issues with existing systems through:   research of these systems,   code reviews,   data analysis/modelling Often has a strong technical and/or programming background. Systems Analyst 9 Business Analysis

Project Manager (PM): It is the person who is:   responsible for the successful planning and execution of a project   manages people, money and risk, and ensures that the team follows the project plan. Role includes some of the following: Planning and Defining Scope Activity Planning and Sequencing Resource Planning Developing Schedules Time and Cost Estimating Analysing and Managing Risks and Issues Monitoring and Reporting Progress Project Manager 10 Business Analysis

  The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a conceptual model used in project management that describes the stages involved in an information system development project, from an initial feasibility study through maintenance of the completed application. The SDLC 11 Business Analysis

The SDLC  No universal standardised version of SDLC:  SDLC can be a general conceptual framework for all the activities involved in systems development or acquisition  An SDLC can also be a very structured and formalised design and development process 12

What Is the SDLC? Feasibility study and project planning Requirements definition and systems analysis Systems and program design ImplementationUnit testing Integration and system testing Acceptance, installation, deployment Maintenance 13

 Waterfall  V Model  Prototyping Lifecycle  Incremental Model  Rapid Application Development (RAD)  Joint Application Development (JAD)  Rational Unified Process (RUP)  Spiral  Extreme Programming Some SDLC Models 14 Business Analysis

 Initiation and Establishment (Business Case)  Requirements Definition (Functional Spec)  Solution Specification (Technical Spec)  Construction and Testing (DB and User App)  Implementation/ Rollout and Training (User manual)   Common in all: Project Management and QA Typical Phases in a Lifecycle 15 Business Analysis

 Interacts with Business and Technical  Investigate and Analyse  Gather Requirements and Document  Find Solutions  Produce Specs (URS, BRS or FS)  User Acceptance Testing (UAT)  Assist with Implementation Typical Role/Responsibilities of BA during the SDLC 16 Business Analysis

 The focus tends to be on technology instead of the business  There is a rush to code/build  There is insufficient client involvement  Deficient requirements, processes, practices and tools  No measurement of business benefits Without clarity about the role of the BA 17 Business Analysis

It’s about the business   Knowledge of the future state of the business according to strategy   Indentify gaps in capabilities need to achieve the future state   Conduct feasibility analysis for the best solution to fill gaps   Build and continually validate the business case   Elicit, analyse, evolve, iterate, validate requirements/solution The ultimate goal 18 Business Analysis

 Realisation of the benefits  Avoidance of unnecessary costs  Identification of new opportunities  Understanding the required capability  Modeling this for the organisation How does BA add value 19 Business Analysis