Are users always right? In discussions with business analysts all over the world, the continuing refrain I hear is that the business analyst makes sure the users get what they want or need. Sometimes this is phrased as the business rather than the user. In any case, I wonder about the absolute power of the user or the business. The implication that the business and/or user always knows exactly what to do and what they want is somewhat spurious to me, and diminishes the value of the business analyst.

There is also the issue when one user demands a specific interface to make the job easier, and another user demands an equally good but different interface. Certainly code could be written to accommodate all users’ peccadilloes. Where then is the line between the extra code written and subsequent cost of maintenance to accommodate all the users? Does one user get preference over others? Majority wins? All users are created equal, just some users are more equal?  ¶ 6:08 PM 0 comments

  The Business Analyst as Doctor You go to the doctor. You complain about a problem. She asks you questions and performs tests to gather information. She observes your behavior under certain circumstances. She checks the records to see what your normal state of health is and where there are differences so she can track the conditions that cause the complaint. She creates diagrams, some from automated means, to assist her with her analysis. Then she proclaims the problem, or diagnoses it, and comes up with a treatment plan or cure. She then may turn you over to a specialist for treatment or send you to a pharmacy for pills.
Similarly a business analyst can assume the role of physician. The business analyst hears the complaints about business problems just as a doctor hears complaints about physical problems. The business analyst asks questions, conducts tests, and takes measurements to determine the real problem confronting the business and the best solution to that problem. The business analyst turns the implementation of the solution over to the specialists, the development team, to complete the cure. And like the doctor, the business analyst documents the findings, the problem and the cure  ¶ 3:09 PM 0 comments

  Transferring to business analysis When you are a business analyst from the technology side of the enterprise, it is important to remember that your first name is now "business" and not "system". Your focus is on what the business as a whole does and needs, rather than what systems can be created to solve problems. Allegiance goes from technology to the organization. It is the same with business analysts from the business side. They are no longer aligned with accounts receivable, annuities, sales, manufacturing. Their loyalty now is to the entire organization, the "business". This is a shift that some business analysts simply cannot make. The former technologist continues to look for technical solutions to all business problems regardless of the applicability and fails to address process improvements that might increase the value of the organization which require no technological functions. The business side business analyst tends to see all problems anywhere in the organization as variations of the same familiar processes from whence he came. Moving into business analysis means learning a new game with new rules and primarily expanding your scope outside of your comfort zone.  ¶ 2:11 PM 0 comments

  Perhaps the most important contribution a business analyst can make to the success of an IT project is to define the problem to be solved and determine what constitutes a successful solution to the problem. A simple question of the sponsor or customer or even users should accomplish the task. "What will you need to see or what will you need us to do to prove that we have solved your problem?" If they don't have an answer to that question, perhaps they don't really know what the problem is, or maybe they don't really have a problem, or at least one that you can solve. When we do get the answer to that question, we have the basic "why" of the project, and what our ultimate target is.  ¶ 4:00 PM 1 comments