What is....

Business Analysis? Business analysis is a

research discipline
of identifying business needs and
determining solutions
to business problems.
Solutions often include a systems
development component, but may
also consist of process improvement,
organisational change or strategic
planning and policy development.

Wikipedia

8.
 What is the role of a....
Business Analyst? A consultancy role
that has responsibility for
investigating business systems,
identifying options for improving
business systems and bridging
the needs of the business
with the use of IT.

British Computer Society,

The Chartered Institute for IT

10.
 What is Strategy is the

strategy? direction and scope

of an organisation
over the long-term:
which achieves advantage for
the organisation through its
configuration of resources within a
challenging environment, to meet
the needs of markets and to fulfil
stakeholder expectations.

Johnson & Scholes

1. Setting the scene

14.
 In other
words… RESOURCES What resources
(skills, assets, finance,
relationships, technical
competence, facilities)
DIRECTION Where is the business trying are required in order to
to get to in the long-term? be able to compete?

MARKET Which markets should a ENVIRONMENT What external,

SCOPE business compete in and environmental factors
what kind of activities are affect the business’
involved in such markets? ability to compete?

ADVANTAGE How can the business STAKEHOLDERS What are the values and
perform better than the expectations of those in
competition in those markets? power in and around the

1. Setting the scene

business?

16.
 Where to
start?
Before embarking on any project, There are various strategic planning tools
you will need to understand the that you can use to analyse these factors.
internal and external factors that
can affect your proposed strategy. Some of the most widely used tools include:

»» SWOT Analysis
»» PEST Analysis
»» Porter’s 5 Forces
»» McKinsey’s 7S Model

1. Setting the scene

18.
 SWOT
Analysis S TRENGTHS
The advantages over the competition
concerning this project.
Use a S W O T Analysis
W EAKNESSES
to analyse the…
The disadvantages you have internally
compared with the competition.

O PPORTUNITIES
Current external trends which are
waiting to be taken advantage of.

T HREATS
External movements which may cause a
problem and have a negative impact on

1. Setting the scene

your business.

20.
 PEST Analysis
P OLITICAL
Global issues, legislation or regulations
Use a P E S T Analysis to which may impact now or in the future.
examine important external factors
that may impact your project. E CONOMICAL
Interest rates, inflation and consumer
confidence should all be taken into account.

S OCIAL
Media, major events or advertising and
publicity factors can all make an impact.

T ECHNOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT
Technological advancements, innovations
as well as global communications should

1. Setting the scene

be considered.

22.
 Porter’s 5 Porter identified five factors that act together

Forces to determine the nature of competition within

an industry:

Use Porter’s 5 Forces to analyse

BARGAINING
SUPPLIERS
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in which you operate, and the
‘attractiveness’ of the market. DE G
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1. Setting the scene

24.
 McKinsey’s 7S
Framework STRUCTURE

McKinsey’s 7S Framework model

STRATEGY SYSTEMS
is based on the theory that, for an
organisation to perform well, these
7 elements need to be aligned and SHARED
VALUES
mutually reinforcing.

SKILLS STYLE

STAFF

1. Setting the scene

26.
 Selecting
the right tool
for the job Porter’s 5 Forces
Used for analysing the attractiveness
and likely profitability of an industry.
S W O T Analysis
Great for reviewing the internal elements of
the business, for example, understanding McKinsey’s 7S Framework
the weaknesses of your business could Use this model to help identify what needs
help you to manage and eliminate threats, to be realigned to improve performance,
which may otherwise catch you unaware. or to maintain alignment during change.

Whatever the change, the model can be

P E S T Analysis used to understand how the elements are

1. Setting the scene

A great tool to ensure you give adequate interrelated, and so ensure that the wider
consideration to the external factors that impact of changes made in one area is
could impact your business or project. taken into consideration in other areas.

28.
 Getting to
a version
of the truth
2

30.
 The truth is
out there…
Getting to a version of the
truth requires interaction with
key stakeholders through a well
balanced mix of elicitation techniques.

business needs and

Your project’s
the stakeholder mix will determine
which elicitation methods you should use.

2. Getting to a version of the truth

Let us help you select the best
elicitation techniques
for you…

32.
 Elicitation
techniques:
Interviews l Pros
Allows in depth discussion to enable
you to extract detailed information from
individuals. Can often lead to an accurate
The most commonly used technique understanding of the process.
used for requirements gathering.

When to use LCons

When you need depth of understanding Large amounts of qualitative data can be

2. Getting to a version of the truth

over breadth. hard to analyse. Interviews can also be a
time consuming exercise if your stakeholder
group is large.

34.
 Elicitation
techniques:
Workshops l Pros
One of the most powerful techniques in
gaining consensus on requirements. Can
forge an agreement between stakeholders
Stakeholders brought together and team.
for a short intensive workshop.

When to use LCons

When knowledge is dispersed among Requires good facilitation skills.

2. Getting to a version of the truth

stakeholders.

36.
 Elicitation
techniques:
Document
Review l Pros
Enables you to understand the process
Elicit requirements by studying and not the biased opinion of individuals!
available documentation. A good Has little or no impact on stakeholders time.
starting point before involving others.

When to use LCons

2. Getting to a version of the truth

When there are complex departmental Documents can be difficult to interpret
systems and no single user knows the correctly without input from individuals.
full process.

38.
 Elicitation
techniques:
Surveys l Pros
Useful for quickly gathering data from a
large group of participants, particularly when
Information is elicited via questions stakeholders are geographically dispersed.
to sample groups, sometimes Results can be statistically analysed.
anonymously, in a short space of time.

When to use LCons

When your stakeholder list involves high Surveys can take a long time to develop

2. Getting to a version of the truth

numbers. With free online survey software and response rates cannot be guaranteed.
readily available, surveys are also an Not well suited for collecting behavioural
inexpensive way to gather information. information.

40.
 Drawing
conclusions… Once your elicitation methods
have been employed, be
sure to document the
elicitation quickly , while it
is still fresh in your mind.

Share the results with

project drivers and appropriate

2. Getting to a version of the truth

stakeholders to confirm their
agreement with the findings.

42.
 Be prepared
for... NineFeetTall’s recent ‘Truth or Dare’ survey
revealed…

»» Conflicting requirements from different

stakeholders

»» Unspoken or assumed requirements

»» Difficulty gaining access to the right
stakeholders

»» The stakeholders’ unwillingness to

2. Getting to a version of the truth

change or help design a new product

»» Not enough time allocated to meet

with all the important stakeholders

44.
 What makes a good business analyst
listen
a good has the ability to
to what is being said

Business and hear what is not.

Analyst? www.modernanalyst.com

2. Getting to a version of the truth

46.