Business Analysis For Dummies, 2nd Edition
- Length: 416 pages
- Edition: 2
- Language: English
- Publisher: For Dummies
- Publication Date: 2023-02-07
- ISBN-10: 1119912482
- ISBN-13: 9781119912484
- Sales Rank: #0 (See Top 100 Books)
Build a successful career in business analysis
When it comes to doing good business, change is a very good thing. And effective business analysts are at the heart of identifying opportunities for growth and implementing the solutions that can transform an organization’s foundation―and ultimately increase its profitability. Whether you’re an aspiring business analysis professional or a seasoned analyst looking for the latest techniques and approaches, Business Analysis For Dummies helps you discover the newest tips and tricks for turning knowledge into the changes that have a real and meaningful impact on business and drive your organization towards value delivery.
- Identify areas for growth and create solutions
- Learn how to bring people together to collaborate effectively
- Discover ways to better understand and serve your customers
- See how business analysis works in the real world
- Learn the technology to make the job easier
- Find business solutions to improve your organization’s performance
- Understand how to dig deeply into your organization’s data, processes, and business rules
Dummies makes the path to business success clear. Start here to turn your love of business analysis into the catalyst that makes a difference.
Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Introduction About This Book Foolish Assumptions Icons Used in This Book Beyond the Book Where to Go from Here Part 1 Getting Started with Business Analysis Chapter 1 Business Analysis in a Nutshell Defining Business Analysis Knowing Your Role in the Basic Business Analysis Lifecycle Looking at the Value of Business Analysis Considering the Skills of a Successful BA Outstanding communication Detailed research, analysis, and recording Time management and information organization The ability to see the big picture Customer-focused and value-driven perspective A large BA toolkit Flexibility Business Analysis in an Agile Environment What does agile mean? An overview of business analysis from an agile perspective How is your role different in agile? Working at the strategic level Working at the team level Using agile frameworks to organize projects Scrum Lean Kanban Getting to Know the IIBA BABOK Pursuing Business Analysis Certification Chapter 2 Breaking Down Different Levels of Business Analysis Checking out an Overview of the Levels Going to the Top: The Enterprise Level Doing business analysis activities at the enterprise level Overcoming challenges at the enterprise level Moving to the Organizational Level Fulfilling duties at the organizational level Dealing with organizational-level obstacles Drilling Down to the Operational Level Knowing your tasks at the operational level Taking on operational-level challenges Getting a Handle on the Project Level Tackling activities at the project level Rising above project-level hurdles Chapter 3 Identifying and Working with Stakeholders Identifying the Participants Objective characteristics Reviewing a who’s who of potential project participants Starting at the top with management Seeking subject matter experts Adding project support personnel Turning to technical personnel Identifying the Stakeholders in Your Project Finding your stakeholders Using the RACI matrix Playing (and Communicating) Well with Others Targeting your communication to the various stakeholders Work with executive sponsors Deal with domain SMEs Confer with project support personnel Talk to technical personnel Using active listening to your advantage Overcoming common barriers to effective communications Dealing with communication in virtual or hybrid environments Understanding and responding to verbal and nonverbal messages Fostering Strong Relationships Building trust and respect Generating consensus/gaining buy-in Dealing with conflict Part 2 The BA Toolkit: Tools, Terms, and Techniques Chapter 4 Talking about Tools of the Trade Examining Communication Tools for Every Situation Talking about your options Choosing the right communication tool Trying Collaboration Tools Physical places Electronic places Investigating Innovation and Idea Capture Tools Looking at the technology spectrum Considering specific features Listening tools Tools that track and grow ideas Application lifecycle management tools Discovering Definition Tools Textual definition tools Modeling and diagramming tools Prototyping and simulation tools Reviewing Requirements Management Tools Low- and mid-tech options High-tech options Picking the Right Tools for the Situation Inventorying the situation you have now Determining what situation you need later Avoiding unnecessary tools and features Money, money, money: Facing budget challenges Preparing Team Members for Change Change management in a traditional environment Change management in an agile environment Chapter 5 Understanding What Requirements Truly Entail Defining Needs Business needs Stakeholder needs Defining Requirements Business requirements Stakeholder requirements Using stakeholder analysis to identify stakeholder requirements When requirements collide: Addressing conflict between stakeholder requirements Solution requirements Using a vision statement to define the solution Breaking your solution requirements into categories Transition requirements Technology requirements Technology (technical) requirements for the solution Technology requirements for the business Making Your Requirements Excellent Complete Correct Unambiguous Verifiable Necessary Feasible Prioritized Focusing on the Four Core Components Data Entities Attributes Relationships Process (use cases) External agents and actors Business rules Facing the special challenges of discovering business rules Considering cardinality for business rules Chapter 6 Hunting for the Right Information, Part 1: The Process Elicit, Don’t Gather: Developing the Right Questions Identifying the type of question you want to ask “What” questions “Who” questions “Why” questions “Where” questions “When” questions “How” questions Identifying appropriate sources of information Choosing an Approach Using Clear, Consistent Language Choosing terms consistently Using language that’s consistent with the company’s language Framing questions that clearly reveal core needs Planning Your Elicitation Sessions Elicitation in an Agile Team Chapter 7 Hunting for the Right Information, Part 2: The Techniques Understanding Research-Based Techniques Starting with document analysis Understanding the benefits of document analysis Perusing examples of documents you can review Distributing surveys Dressing for the occasion: Types of surveys Maximizing the chances of getting a response Compiling and using the data Doing interface analysis Reverse engineering Choosing competitive analysis Mining for data Understanding Collaborative Techniques Conducting interviews Preparing for the interview Interviewing the stakeholder Documenting the interview Brainstorming techniques Crazy 8s Mind mapping Reverse brainstorming Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats Getting to know requirements workshops Identifying the participants Scheduling a workshop Managing the session Considering focus groups Using personas for empathy Walking through the customer journey Employing collaborative games Understanding Experimental Techniques Looking out for observation Knowing when to use observation Choosing your observation method and completing the process Prototyping Throwaway prototypes Evolutionary prototypes Simulation prototypes Chapter 8 Uncovering and Analyzing Needs Investigating the Needs Discovering a company’s specific business needs Breaking down obstacles Asking performance-related questions Searching out stakeholder needs Identifying what stakeholders need Understanding how stakeholders work together Uncovering the Root Cause Evaluating the Problem Choosing a good problem to solve Figuring out whether the problem matters Determining the impact of the problem Establishing the costs and benefits Creating the Problem Statement Creating the Solution Position Statement Knowing When You Have the Right Solution Validating the value of the solution Taking your audience into consideration Setting Your Solution Up For Success: Getting Clear Objectives Eliciting and articulating clear objectives Getting clear with SMART objectives Part 3 Selling the Plan and Keeping It on Track Chapter 9 Making the (Business) Case Before You Dive In: Breaking Down Business Case Basics Looking at the benefits of writing a business case Playing to the crowd: Knowing your audience Following basic business case structure Defining and Presenting the Opportunity Executive summary Mission statement Setting SMART objectives Using key performance indicators Description of the approach used Justifying the Recommendation Identifying and prioritizing alternative solutions Including a cost/benefit analysis Understanding financial terminology and metrics Estimating techniques Quantifying ongoing/operating costs and benefits Quantifying implementation costs The Devil Is in the Details: Providing Supporting Materials Addressing supporting documentation Noting your assumptions Documenting risk Presenting the Business Case Chapter 10 Creating and Maintaining Scope Making Sure You’re Scoping the Right Solution Recognizing Relevant Stakeholders Uncovering stakeholders by asking project-specific questions Discovering key stakeholders in different parts of the organization Ensuring that the Scope Aligns with Key Business Drivers Identifying Interfaces that Are Part of the Project User interfaces System interfaces Hardware interfaces Defining Scope with a Data Flow Diagram Identifying parties and systems that will be impacted by the project Identifying information (data) flows among the parties or systems Gaining consensus on the scope for the project Giving the project a descriptive name Finalizing the scope diagram Using Project Initiation Documentation to Clarify Scope Stating the purpose of the project Describing the project approach or methodology Listing project objectives Articulating problems and opportunities Outlining risks Risk responses Risk factors Consider all the risk information together Specifying project assumptions and constraints Documenting high-level processes Identifying who’s responsible for each deliverable Indicating What Isn’t Covered: Items Not in Scope Getting Agreement on the Scope Avoiding Scope Creep Spotting scope creep Formulating a change control process Chapter 11 Creating Your Work Plan Hashing Out Work Plan Basics Considering the key components of a business analysis work plan Using a framework to create your plan Planning in a traditional versus agile environment Perusing the Project Characteristics Identifying project type Software enhancement or maintenance projects COTS projects Outsourced or offshore development projects Business data analytics projects Data warehouse projects Process improvement projects Infrastructure projects Web development projects Identifying project size Handling small projects Tackling large projects Other things Taking It to the People: The Stakeholder Communication Plan Identifying the people Getting to know the stakeholders Subjective characteristics Getting stakeholders involved Putting together the stakeholder communication plan The Process: Figuring Out How Things Are Done Waterfall approach Agile development approach Compiling Your Work Plan Part 4 Achieving Goals with Business Analysis Chapter 12 Defining Solutions, Part 1: Taking a Closer Look at Your Requirements Categorizing Your Requirements Getting the process started Choosing the right category Documenting Your Requirements Documenting business and stakeholder requirements Documenting solution requirements, functional and nonfunctional Functional requirements Nonfunctional requirements Documenting transition requirements Documenting technical requirements Ensuring Your Requirements Have Traceability Making Your Requirements Agile Just enough – just in time Storing requirements for an agile team Chapter 13 Defining Solutions, Part 2: Choosing the Right Analysis Technique Dealing with Data Flow Diagrams and External Interaction Textual Templates Getting a handle on data flow diagrams Examining the external interaction textual template ERD Is the Word: Using Entity Relationship Diagrams Getting familiar with the ERD Presenting the data with entity relationship text templates Rounding out the data: Entity text templates Using Data Mapping for System Interfaces Drilling Down a Process Decomposition Diagram Step 1: Creating the process decomposition diagram Step 2: Documenting the processes Telling a Good Story with a Story Map Understanding the levels of user stories Building the story map based on iterations or releases How far out do you map? Developing Acceptance Criteria Initial acceptance criteria Detailed acceptance criteria Deciding on Decision Tables Working with Workflow Diagrams Decoding diagram symbols Creating a workflow diagram Seeing a diagram in action: An example Making a Use Case Model The graphic: Use case diagram The text: Use case description Prototyping Familiarizing yourself with mockup basics Creating mockups Mocking up reports and graphs for excellent data storytelling Keeping It Brief with User Stories Creating user stories Confirming user stories Chapter 14 Verifying and Validating Solutions Getting a Handle on Testing Basics Differentiating between verification and validation Making testing an ongoing activity Driving toward acceptance test driven development Testing in an agile environment Verification Testing: Confirming You Built the System Right Smoke test Unit test Integration test System test Requirements validation test Regression test Dynamic test Security test Installation test Configuration test Usability test Validation Testing: Making Sure You Built the Right System Utilizing a usability test Getting users involved with a user acceptance test Receiving feedback with a post- implementation user assessment Preparing for the Test Creating test cases Putting together the verification and validation plan Introduction Test items Features to be tested Features not to be tested Test data necessary Approach Item pass/fail criteria Suspension and resumption criteria Testing tasks Environmental needs Responsibilities Staffing and training needs Schedule Risks and contingencies Approvals Conducting a Requirements Review Conducting a step-by-step review of the artifact Recruiting participants Informal reviews Formal reviews Chapter 15 Transition: Moving from Planning to Implementing Preparing for the Transition Understanding transition requirements: The basics Reviewing the requirement components Assessing organization readiness Fostering stakeholders’ motivation and competence Motivation Competence Transition planning on an agile team Rolling Out Your Strategy with the Right Approach Trying parallel processing Picking piloting Selecting single cutover Examining the Components of Your Rollout Plan Turning Your Solution Over to Operations Part 5 The Part of Tens Chapter 16 Ten Ways to Keep Your Business Analysis Skills Sharp Participate in Social Media Network with Peers Get/Be a Mentor Leverage Peer Reviews Attend Formal Training Present on Business Analysis Topics Read Books (Like This One!) Have Lunch with Business Partners Rotate to Multiple Business Domains or Applications Use Business Analysis Techniques at Home Chapter 17 Ten Ways to Prepare Yourself for a New Project Hit the Ground Running and Get Up to Speed Clear Your Calendar and Your To-Do List Take a Vacation! Get Organized Identify What’s Been Done So Far Color in the Solution Define Everyone’s Roles, Responsibilities, and Deadlines Get to Know the Core Team Extend a Hand to the Extended Team Collaborate Chapter 18 Ten Experts Chime In The Three Pains Approach to Better Elicitation (Hans Eckman) Context Diagram (Ali Cox) Behavior-Driven Development – Build for Your Users! (Ali Cox) Affinity Diagram (Jonathan Babcock) Process One Pager (Robin Grace) Data Modeling (David Morris) Facilitated Session (Shelley Ruth) Root Cause Analysis (Kathy Claycomb) Requirements Traceability (Russ Pena) Functional Decomposition Diagram (Greg Busby) It’s All About the Communication! (Kupe Kupersmith) Index EULA
Donate to keep this site alive
1. Disable the AdBlock plugin. Otherwise, you may not get any links.
2. Solve the CAPTCHA.
3. Click download link.
4. Lead to download server to download.