Resources

Useful Contacts For Business Analysts
Articles for Business Analysts (pdf documents)
Example Business Analysis Documentation (pdf documents)
blog by smart-BA owner

Useful contacts for Business Analysts

Business Analyst Solutions Ltd

smart-BA mentors are proud to be tutors on courses run by Business Analyst Solutions Ltd which is the UK's leading specialist Business Analysis training provider. They offer an unrivalled practical and real world approach to Business Analysis classroom based training.

ModernAnalyst.com

smart-BA is proud to be a core member of Modern Analyst community and resource portal - The one-stop-shop for the Business Systems Analyst!
Want to shine as a Business Analyst or Systems Analyst? Join the community that will make you succeed (it's free)!

Requirements Networking Group: similar to ModerAnalyst.com with a focus of requirements issues.

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Articles for Business Analysts

Non-functional requirements.

First published on requirements.com, this article outlines what functional requirements are - pretty difficult when you consider that the name of these things (non-functional requirements) only tells you what they are not! It gives practical advice on how to identify and document them and gives some examples.
Download article (PDF)

ISEB Diploma in Business Analysis and analysis certification.

First published on ModernAnalyst.com, this article outlines the ISEB Diploma in Business Analysis in terms of what it is and how to get it. However, is the ISEB Diploma the best certification for a business analyst to get? The article goes on to discuss how to answer this question and concludes with some thoughts on certification in principle.
Download article (PDF)

Questions that Business Analysts need to answer and the analysis deliverables to document the answer in.

Any specification of requirements will need to answer a specified set of questions about the characteristics of that solution. This spreadsheet lists those questions and the analysis deliverables that are used to document them.
Download “analysis questions and answers” (Excel)

Business Process Modelling - Why do it & How to do it

This article was written for Modern Analyst and discusses the pivotal role of process modelling, outlines the fundamentals of process modelling using Business Process Modelling Notation (BMPN) and invites you to have a go and get your model published on this site!
Download “Business Process Modelling - Why & How” PDF

The value of Business Analysis

This article was written for Modern Analyst and looks at the top 6 reasons for project failure and considers whether Business Analysis helps avoid them.
Download “Benefits of Business Analysis” PDF

So You Want To Be A Business Analyst…

This article was also written for Modern Analyst and is for those just thinking about whether a career in Business Analysis is right for them.
Download “Starting Out As A Business Analyst…” PDF

The Fundamentals of Business Analysis

This article was written for Project Manager Today and covers the fundamental issues facing business analysis: it considers where Business Analysis came from, where it currently is and projections for where it will go - and the issues it will face.
Download “The Fundamentals of Business Analysis” PDF

Business Analysis Methods, Fads and Fashions

This talk was given at the the Project Challenge Show in Olympia and aims to debunk the subject area and expose what is - in essence - the simple (if hard) process of business analysis. It uncovers the framework that is behind every method and make the case for a pragmatic and practical use of that framework in the analysis of business changes.
Download “Business Analysis Framework Presentation ” PDF

Scope of Business Analysis and an Outline Cost Justification

Putting someone in to a role called Business Analyst does not make them one. This short presentation introduces you to the ‘what’, ‘when’ and ‘why’ of Business Analysis and outline the value of Business Analysis as an activity.
Download “The Case For Business Analysis” PDF

Business Analysis Chain of Reasoning

There is a chain of reasoning that leads from a statement of a problem to the definition of a solution. If any part of that chain is missing, a poor quality (at best) or wrong (at worst) solution will be delivered. This paper presents a high-level overview of the logical steps involved in moving from problem to solution.
Download “Business Analysis Chain of Reasoning” PDF

Two Perspectives: Sponsors Vs Business Analysts

This article for the International Institute of Business Analysts proposes that Sponsors have different expectations of what role and function Business Analysts play in a change project compared to the role and function that Business Analysts need to perform. This mismatch of expectations results in Sponsor and Business Analyst frustrations. The solution that is proposed is that Business Analysts need to demonstrate through performance of their activities that their role and function is a logical consequence of change project life-cycles – that there is no rational alternative for successful projects.
Download “Two Perspectives: Sponsors Vs Business Analysts” PDF

Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) Tools - Why Aren't They Used More?

This is the presentation that Business Analyst Solutions gave to the ProVision user conference - it enquires in to the reasons for the poor take-up of CASE tools commercially covering the scope of Business Analysis, Business Models and alignment with strategy.
Download “The Business Analyst The Business Model and the Strategy” PDF

Business Analysis - it ain’t rocket science!

This is the presentation that Business Analyst Solutions gave to Project Challenge conference - Projects can fail: the presentation analyses some real-life examples of what goes wrong, why and what Business Analysts should be doing to mitigate the risk of failure. It challenges the idea that Business Analysis is hard or that it is an art: it is more closely aligned with a science which follows a chain of reasoning leading from the precise definition of a problem/opportunity to a set of solutions, proving every step of the way that each subsequent step is aimed at resolving the problem/exploiting the opportunity.
Download “Business Analysis - it ain’t rocket science!” PDF

The Importance of the Business Analyst Role

This article for the International Institute of Business Analysts proposes argues that as a programme cannot proceed in a rational fashion without the activities that the business analyst performs, BAs must be considered fundamentally important.
Download “Why BAs are important for Enterprise Programmes” PDF

Example Business Analysis Documentation

Have a look at the following deliverables. This is the level of quality of documentation you should be producing after completing this programme. You may use different styles, approaches, methods and notation, but the quality and provability of the analysis should be comparable.