1 WHAT IS BUSINESS ANALYSIS?

Debra Paul

INTRODUCTION

This is a book about business analysis, a relatively new discipline that promises
to offer great benefit to organisations by ensuring that business needs are
aligned with implemented business change solutions. Many of those solutions
will involve new or enhanced information systems, but others may have a
broader scope incorporating changes to areas such as business processes and job
roles. The reason for producing this book is to provide guidance about business
analysis that reflects the breadth of the role and the range of techniques used.
While most organisations use the term ‘business analysis’ and employ business
analysts, there continues to be a lack of clarity about what this really means
and this often creates more questions than answers. What do business analysts
do? What skills do they require? How do they add value to organisations? Also,
in the absence of a standard definition of business analysis and a standard
business analysis process model, problems have arisen:

Organisations have introduced business analysis so as to make sure that

business needs are paramount when new information technology (IT) systems
are introduced. However, recognising the importance of this in principle is
easier than considering how it might be achieved.
Some business analysts were experienced IT systems analysts and have
been less comfortable considering the business requirements and the range
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of potential solutions that would meet those requirements.

Many business analysts come from a business background and have a limited
understanding of IT and how computer systems are developed. While knowl-
edge of the business is invaluable for business analysts, problems can occur
where IT forms part of the solution and the analyst has insufficient under-
standing of IT. This can cause communication difficulties with the developers,
and may result in failure to ensure that there is an integrated view of the
business and the computer system.
Some business analysts, as they have gained in experience and knowledge, have
felt that they could offer beneficial advice to their organisations – but a lack of
understanding of their role has caused organisations to reject or ignore this advice.

This chapter examines the business analysis discipline and considers how we
might define the business analyst role. In Chapter 4 we describe a process
model for business analysis, where we provide an overview of two aspects:

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 BUSINESS ANALYSIS

how business analysis is undertaken and the key techniques to be used at each
stage. Much of this book provides guidance on how the various stages in this
process model may be carried out. Business analysis work is well defined where
there are standard techniques that have been used in projects for many years.
In fact, many of these techniques have been in use for far longer than the
business analyst role has been in existence. In this book we describe numerous
techniques that we feel should be within any business analyst’s toolkit, and
place them within the overall process model. Our aim is to help business
analysts carry out their work, to improve the quality of business analysis
within organisations and, as a result, to help organisations to adopt business
improvements that will ensure their success.

THE ORIGINS OF BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Developments in IT have enabled organisations to create information systems

that have improved business operations and management decision-making.
In the past this has been the focus of IT departments. However, as business
operations have changed, the emphasis has moved on to the development of new
services and products. The question we need to ask now is ‘What can IT do to
exploit business opportunities and enhance the portfolio of products and services?’

Technology has enabled new business models to be implemented through more

flexible communication mechanisms that enable organisations to reach out to
the customer, connect their systems with those of their suppliers and support
global operation. The use of IT has also created opportunities for organisations
to focus on their core processes and competencies without the distraction of the
peripheral areas of business. These days, the absence of good information
systems would prevent an organisation from developing significant competitive
advantage. Yet for many years there has been a growing dissatisfaction in
businesses with the support provided by IT. This has been accompanied by
recognition by senior management that IT investment often fails to deliver the
required business benefit. In short, the technology enables the development of
information systems, but these often fail to meet the requirements of the
business and deliver the service that will bring competitive advantage to the
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organisation. This situation applies to all sectors, including the public sector.
In July 2003 the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) (2003)
report on Government IT projects listed six UK government departments and
agencies where there had been recent high-profile IT difficulties. The chairman
of the Public Accounts Committee commented on ‘one of the worst IT projects
I have ever seen’. The perception that, all too frequently, information systems
do not deliver the predicted benefits continues to be well founded.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF BUSINESS ANALYSIS

The impact of outsourcing

In a drive to reduce costs, and sometimes in recognition of a lack of IT expertise at
senior management level, many organisations have outsourced their IT services
rather than employ their own internal IT staff. They have transferred much of their
IT work to specialist service providers. This approach has been based upon the belief
that specialist providers, often working in countries where costs are lower than
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 WHAT IS BUSINESS ANALYSIS?

in the UK, will be able to deliver higher quality at lower cost. So, in organisations
that have outsourced their IT functions, the IT systems are designed and
constructed using staff employed by an external supplier. This undoubtedly has
advantages both for the organisation purchasing the services and for the specialist
supplier. The latter gains an additional customer and the opportunity to increase
turnover and make profit from the contractual arrangement; the customer organisa-
tion is no longer concerned with all staffing, infrastructure and support issues and
instead pays a specialist provider for delivery of the required service. In theory this
approach has much to recommend it, but, as is usually the case, the flaws begin to
emerge once the arrangement has been implemented, particularly in the areas of
supplier management and communication of requirements. The issues relating to
supplier management are not the subject of this book, and would require a book in
their own right. However, we are concerned with the issue of communication
between the business and the outsourced development team. The communication
and clarification of requirements is key to ensuring the success of any IT system
development, but an outsourcing arrangement often complicates the communication
process, particularly where there is geographical distance between the developers
and the business. We need to ask ourselves ‘How well do the business and technical
groups understand each other?’ and ‘Is the communication sufficiently frequent
and open?’ Communication failures will usually result in the delivered IT systems
failing to provide the required level of support for the business.

Investigation of the outsourcing business model has identified that, in order to

make such arrangements work, new roles are required within the organisation.
A study by Feeny and Willcocks (1998) listed a number of key skills required
within organisations that have outsourced IT. This report specifically identified
business systems thinking, a core element of the business analyst role, as a key
skill that needs to be retained within organisations operating an outsourcing
arrangement. The outsourcing business model has undoubtedly been a catalyst
for the development of the business analysis function as more and more
organisations recognise the importance of business representation during the
development and implementation of IT systems.

Competitive advantage of using IT

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A parallel development that has helped to increase the profile of business

analysis and define the business analyst role has been the growing recognition
that three factors need to be present in order for IT systems to deliver competitive
advantage. First, the needs of the business must drive the development of the
IT systems; second, the implementation of an IT system must be accompanied by
the necessary business changes; and third, the requirements for IT systems must
be defined with rigour and accuracy. The traditional systems analyst role
operated primarily in the last area, but today’s business challenges require all
three areas to be addressed.

Successful business change

During the last few years organisations have broadened their view from IT
projects to business change programmes. Within these programmes, there has
been recognition of the need for roles and skill sets that will enable the successful
delivery of business change initiatives. The roles of the programme manager and
change manager have been well defined, with a clear statement of their scope and
focus within the business change lifecycle. Figure 1.1 shows a typical lifecycle.
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 BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Figure 1.1 Business change lifecycle

Business
environment
Enterprise Business
architecture strategy

Alignment

Realisation
Definition

Business
case

Implementation
Design

The early part of the business change lifecycle is concerned with the analysis of
the organisation and its business needs and requirements, in order to determine
new ways of working that will improve the organisation’s efficiency and effective-
ness. Later business change activities are concerned with change design and
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development, business acceptance testing and, after implementation, benefits

review and realisation. Clearly, extensive analysis is required here and the
nature of this work falls within the remit of business analysis. However, in many
organisations a coherent approach to business change, which includes business
analysts in the business change lifecycle, is still awaited.

The importance of the business analyst

The delivery of predicted business benefits, promised from the implementation
of IT, has proved to be extremely difficult, with the outsourcing of IT services
serving to add complication to already complex situations. The potential exists for
organisations to implement information systems that yield competitive advantage,
and yet this often appears to be just out of reach. Organisations also want help in
finding potential solutions to business issues and opportunities, sometimes where
IT may not prove to be the answer, but it has become apparent that this requires a
new set of skills to support business managers in achieving it. These factors have
led directly to the development of the business analyst role. Having identified the

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 WHAT IS BUSINESS ANALYSIS?

business analyst role, we now need to recognise the potential this can offer,
particularly in a global economic environment where budgets are limited and
waste of financial resources is unacceptable. The importance of delivering the
business benefits predicted for business change initiatives has becoming
increasingly necessary to the survival of organisations.

The use of consultants

Many organisations use external consultants to provide expert advice throughout
the business change lifecycle. The reasons are clear: they can be employed to deal
with a specific issue on an ‘as-needed’ basis, and they bring a broader business
perspective and thus can provide a dispassionate, objective view of the company.
On the other hand, the use of external consultants is often criticised, particularly
in public-sector organisations, because of the lack of accountability and the
absence of any transfer of skills from the external consultants to internal staff.
Cost is also a key issue. Consultancy firms often charge daily fee rates that are
considerably higher than the employment cost for an internal analyst and, whilst
the firms may provide consultants who have a broad range of expertise, this is
not always guaranteed. The experiences gained from using external consultants
have also played a part in the development of the internal business analysis role.
Many business analysts have argued that they can provide the same services as
external consultants and can, in effect, operate as internal consultants. Reasons
for using internal business analysts as consultants, apart from lower costs,
include speed (internal consultants do not have to spend time learning about the
organisation) and the retention of knowledge within the organisation. These
factors have been recognised as particularly important for projects where the
objectives concern the achievement of business benefit through the use of IT,
and where IT is a prime enabler of business change. As a result, although
external consultants are used for many business purposes, the majority of
business analysts are employed by their organisations. These analysts may lack
an external viewpoint but they are knowledgeable about the business domain
and, crucially, will have to live with the impact of the actions they recommend.
Consequently, there have been increasing numbers of business analysts working
as internal consultants over the last decade.
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THE SCOPE OF BUSINESS ANALYSIS WORK

A major issue for business analysts, based on feedback from a wide range of
organisations, is the definition of the business analyst role. Discussions with
several hundred business analysts across a range of business forums have
highlighted that business analysis job descriptions are unclear and do not
always describe their responsibilities accurately. A quick survey of the job
advertisements for business analysts also reflects a range of possibilities. For
example, in some cases the job description of a business analyst seems, on close
inspection, to be similar to that of an analyst/programmer, e.g. ‘Candidates
must have experience of SQL.’ In other organisations the business analysts are
required to work with senior stakeholders and need to have detailed business
domain knowledge. Even though the role of the business analyst emerged
almost 20 years ago, a formal definition of the role is still debated hotly
whenever there is a group of business analysts.

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 BUSINESS ANALYSIS

The range of analysis activities

One way in which we can consider the business analyst role is to examine the
possible range of analysis activities. Figure 1.2 shows three areas that we might
consider to be within the province of the business analyst. Consultants, both
internal and external, who specialise in strategic analysis often have to get
involved in business process redesign to make a reality of their strategies, and
good systems analysts have always needed to understand the overall business
context of the systems they are developing. However, it is useful to examine them
separately in order to consider their relevance to the business analyst role.

Figure 1.2 Potential range of the business analyst role

Strategic analysis and definition

Business analysis

IT systems analysis

Strategic analysis and definition

Strategic analysis and definition is typically the work of senior management, often
supported by strategy consultants. Some business analysts, albeit a minority, may
be required to undertake strategic analysis and identify business transformation
actions, but most will probably have a role to play in supporting this activity.
In the main, we believe that strategic analysis is mostly outside the remit of
business analysis. We would, however, expect business analysts to have access to
information about their organisation’s business strategy and be able to understand
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it, as their work will need to support the achievement of this strategy. Given that
business analysts often have to recommend process and IT system solutions,
it could be argued that they define the tactics that will deliver the business
objectives and strategy. Hence, it is vital that they are able to work within the
strategic business context. It may also be the case that some business analyst roles
will require strategic-level thinking. The use of IT to enable business improve-
ments and the opportunities presented by technology will need to be considered
during any strategy analysis. The business analysts are the specialist team within
organisations that should be able to advise on the use of technology to drive
business change. Given these issues, we feel that although strategic analysis work
is not core to business analysis, business analysts will need a good understanding
of strategy development processes. Chapter 3 explores a range of strategic analysis
techniques and provides an overview of the strategic planning process.

IT systems analysis
At the other end of our model, there is the IT discipline called systems analysis.
The systems analyst role has been in existence for over 40 years and can be
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 WHAT IS BUSINESS ANALYSIS?

defined clearly. Systems analysts are responsible for analysing and specifying
the IT system requirements in sufficient detail to provide a basis for the evalua-
tion of software packages or the development of a bespoke IT system. Typically,
systems analysis work involves the use of techniques such as data modelling and
process or function modelling. This work is very specific to describing the
computer system requirements, and so the products of systems analysis define
exactly what data the computer system will record, what processing will be
applied to that data and how the user interface will operate.

Some organisations consider this work to be of such a technical nature that they
perceive it to be completely outside the province of the business analyst. They
have decided that modelling process and data requirements for the IT system is
not part of the role of the business analyst, and have separated the business
analysis and IT teams into different departments. The expectation here is that
the IT department will carry out the detailed IT systems modelling and specifica-
tion. The job role ‘systems analyst’ tends to be used rarely these days, and the
detailed specification of the requirements is often undertaken by systems
designers or developers.

However, in some organisations the term ‘IT business analyst’ has been adopted
to identify a business analyst working in the area traditionally known as systems
analysis. The essential difference here is that a business analyst is responsible for
considering a range of business options to address a particular problem or oppor-
tunity; on the other hand an IT business analyst, or systems analyst, works
within a defined scope and considers options for the IT solution.

In some organisations there is little divide between the business analysts and the
IT team. In these cases the business analysts work closely with the IT developers
and include the specification of IT system requirements as a key part of their role.
In order to do this, the business analysts need a more detailed understanding of
IT systems and how they operate, and need to be apply to use the approaches and
modelling techniques that fell historically within the remit of the system analyst
job role.
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Business analysis
If the two analysis disciplines described above define the limits of analysis work,
the gap in the middle is straddled by business analysis. Hence Figure 1.2
highlights the possible extent of business analysis work. Business analysts will
usually be required to investigate a business system where improvements are
required, but the range and focus of those improvements can vary considerably.

It may be that the analysts are asked to resolve a localised business issue. They
would need to recommend actions that would overcome a problem or achieve busi-
ness benefits. However, it is more likely that the study is broader than this and
requires investigation into several issues, or perhaps ideas, regarding increased
efficiency or effectiveness. This work would necessitate extensive and detailed
analysis. The analysts would need to make recommendations for business changes
and these would need to be supported by a rigorous business case.

Another possibility is that the business analyst is asked to focus specifically on

enhancing or replacing an existing IT system in line with business requirements.
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 BUSINESS ANALYSIS

In this case the analyst would deliver a requirements document defining what
the business requires the IT system to provide.

Whichever situation applies, the study usually begins with the analyst gaining
an understanding of the business situation in hand. A problem may have been
defined in very specific terms, and a possible solution identified, but in practice
it is rare that this turns out to be the entire problem and it is even rarer that any
proposed solution addresses all of the issues. More commonly, there may be a
more general set of problems that require a broad focus to the study. For any
changes to succeed, the business analyst needs to consider all aspects, for
example the processes, IT systems and resources that will be needed in order to
improve the situation successfully. In such cases, techniques such as stakeholder
analysis, business process modelling and requirements engineering may all be
required in order to identify the actions necessary to improve the business
system. These three topics are the subjects of later chapters in this book.

Realising business benefits

Analysing business situations and identifying areas for business improvement
is only one part of the process. The analyst may also be required to develop a
business case in order to justify the required level of investment and ensure any
risks are considered. One of the key elements of the business case will be the
identification and, where relevant, the quantification of the business benefits.
Organisations are placing increased emphasis upon ensuring that there is a
rigorous business case to justify the expenditure on business improvement proj-
ects. However, defining the business case is only part of the picture; the delivery
or ‘realisation’ of these business benefits once the solution has been delivered is
also gaining increasing focus. This is largely because there has been a long
history of failure to assess whether or not the business benefits have been
realised. The business analyst will not be the only person involved in this work,
but supporting the organisation in assessing whether predicted business benefits
have been delivered is a key element of the role.

Taking a holistic approach

There appears to be universal agreement that business analysis requires the
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application of an holistic approach. Although the business analyst performs a key

role in supporting management to exploit IT in order to obtain business benefit,
this has to be within the context of the entire business system. Hence, all aspects of
the operational business system need to be analysed if all of the opportunities for
business improvement are to be uncovered. Figure 1.3 represents the four views
that it is useful to consider when identifying areas for improving a business system.

This model shows us that business analysts need to consider these four aspects
when analysing a business system. For each area, we might consider the following:

The processes: are they well defined and communicated? Is there good
IT support, or are several ‘workarounds’ in existence? Does the process
require documents to be passed around the organisation unnecessarily?
The people: do they have the required skills for the job? How motivated
are they? Do they understand the business objectives that they need to
support?

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 WHAT IS BUSINESS ANALYSIS?

The organisational context: is there a supportive management

approach? Are jobs and responsibilities well defined? Is there effective
cross-functional working?
The technology: do the systems support the business as required? Do they
provide the information needed to run the organisation?

Figure 1.3 The four views of a business system

Organisation

Technology

People Processes

We need to examine and understand these four areas if the business system is to
be effective. It is often the case that the focus of a business analysis or business
change study is on the processes and the IT support. However, even if we have
the most efficient processes with high standards of IT support, the system will
have problems if the staff members do not have the right skills to carry out their
work or the organisation structure is unclear.

It is vital that the business analyst is aware of the broader aspects relating to
business situations such as the culture of the organisation and its impact on the
people and the working practices. The adoption of an holistic approach will help
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ensure that these aspects are included in the analysis of the situation.

Business analysis places an emphasis on improving the operation of the entire

business system. This means that, although technology is viewed as a factor that
could enable improvements to the business operations, there are other possibili-
ties. The focus on business improvement rather than on the use of automation per
se results in recommendations that typically, but not necessarily, include the use of
IT. There may be situations where a short-term non-IT solution is both helpful and
cost-effective. For example, a problem may be overcome by developing internal
standards or training members of staff. These solutions may be superseded later
by longer-term, possibly more costly, solutions but the focus on the business has
ensured that the immediate needs have been met. Once urgent issues have been
handled, the longer-term solutions can be considered more thoroughly. It is
important that our focus as business analysts is on identifying opportunities for
improvement with regard to the needs of the particular situation. If we do this, we
can recommend changes that will help deliver real business improvements.

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 BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Supporting business change

It is often observed that even when the business analysts have defined excellent
solutions that have been well designed and developed, business improvement
initiatives can fail during implementation. The business analyst may be required
to support the implementation of the business changes, and Figure 1.3 offers an
effective structure for identifying the range of areas to be considered. One aspect
may be the business acceptance testing – a vital element if business changes are
to be implemented smoothly. The business analyst’s involvement in business
acceptance testing can include work such as developing test scenarios and
working with users as they apply the scenarios to their new processes and
systems. The implementation of business change may require extensive support
from business analysts, including tasks such as:

writing procedure manuals and user guides;

training business staff in the use of new processes and IT systems;
defining job roles and writing job role descriptions;
providing ongoing support as the business staff begin to adopt the new,
unfamiliar approaches.

Chapter 14 explores further the implementation of business change and the key
elements to be considered.

THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A BUSINESS ANALYST

So where does this leave us in defining the role and responsibilities of a business
analyst? Although there are different role definitions, depending upon the
organisation, there does seem to be an area of common ground where most
business analysts work. The responsibilities appear to be:

To investigate business systems, taking an holistic view of the situation.

This may include examining elements of the organisation structures and
staff development issues as well as current processes and IT systems.
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To evaluate actions to improve the operation of a business system. Again,

this may require an examination of organisational structure and staff
development needs, to ensure that they are in line with any proposed
process redesign and IT system development.
To document the business requirements for the IT system support using
appropriate documentation standards.

In line with this, we believe the core business analyst role should be defined as:

An internal consultancy role that has the responsibility for investigating business
situations, identifying and evaluating options for improving business systems,
defining requirements and ensuring the effective use of information systems in
meeting the needs of the business.

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 WHAT IS BUSINESS ANALYSIS?

However, this definition is expanded by considering the guiding principles that

underpin business analysis. These principles explain why business analysis is so
important for organisations in today’s business world and impose responsibilities
that business analysts must recognise and accept.

The guiding principles for business analysis are:

Root causes, not symptoms: to distinguish between the symptoms of

business problems and their root causes, and to investigate and address the
root causes.
Business improvement, not IT change: to recognise that IT systems
should enable business opportunity, to analyse opportunities for business
improvement and to enable business agility.
Options, not solutions: to challenge predetermined solutions, and identify
and evaluate options for meeting business needs.
Feasible, contributing requirements, not all requests: to be aware of
financial and timescale constraints, to identify requirements that are not
feasible and do not contribute to business objectives, and to evaluate stated
requirements against business needs and constraints.
The entire business change lifecycle, not just requirements definition:
to analyse business situations and support the effective development, testing,
deployment and post- implementation review of solutions.
Negotiation, not avoidance: to recognise conflicting stakeholder views and
requirements, and negotiate conflicts between stakeholders.
Business agility, not business perfection: to enable organisations to be
responsive to external pressures and to recognise the importance of timely,
relevant solutions.

Further to the definition and guiding principles, in some organisations there are
business analysis roles that apply to the strategic analysis or systems analysis
activities described above. This is typically where business analysts are in a more
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senior role or choose to specialise. These aspects are:

Strategy implementation: here, the business analysts work closely with

senior management to help define the most effective business system to
implement elements of the business strategy.
Business case production: more senior business analysts usually do this,
typically with assistance from finance specialists.
Benefits realisation: the business analysts carry out post-implementation
reviews, examine the benefits defined in the business case and evaluate
whether or not the benefits have been achieved. Actions to achieve the
business benefits are also identified and sometimes carried out by the
business analysts.
Specification of IT requirements, typically using standard modelling
techniques such as data modelling or use case modelling.

11

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 BUSINESS ANALYSIS

THE BUSINESS ANALYSIS MATURITY MODEL

As the business analysis function has developed within organisations,

a progression has emerged reflecting this development process. The business
analysis maturity model (BAMM) shown in Figure 1.4 was developed by Assist
Knowledge Development Ltd., in conjunction with Matchett Ltd., to represent
the development and maturity of business analysis.

Figure 1.4 The business analysis maturity model

BUSINESS
IMPROVEMENT
SCOPE

PROCESS
IMPROVEMENT

SYSTEM
IMPROVEMENT

AUTHORITY

This model reflects discussions with hundreds of business analysts (BAs)

working for numerous organisations across the UK and in Australia. These
BAs have come from different backgrounds – some from IT, and many from
business areas – and have brought different skills and knowledge to their
business analysis teams. The model uses two axes: the scope of the work
allocated to the BA and the BA’s authority level. The scope may be very
specific, where an initial study has identified the required course of action
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and the analyst now needs to explore and define the solution in greater detail.
Alternatively, the scope may only have been defined at an overview level, with
the BA having to carry out detailed investigation to uncover the issues before
the options can be explored. The authority of the BA can also vary consider-
ably, ranging from a very limited level to the ability to influence and guide at
senior management level.

The business analysis maturity model shows three levels of maturity found
when business analysis is developing. The first of these is where the business
analysis work is concerned with defining the requirements for an IT system
improvement. At this level, the scope is likely to be well defined and the level
of authority to be limited to the project on which the business analyst works.
The next level is where the business analysis work has moved beyond a
specific area or project, so that the analysts work cross functionally on the busi-
ness processes that give rise to the requirements. The third level is where the
scope and authority of the analysts are at their greatest. Here, the business

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 WHAT IS BUSINESS ANALYSIS?

analysis work is concerned with improving the business and working with
senior management to do this.

These levels of maturity apply to three perspectives on business analysis: the

individual analysts, the business analysis teams within an organisation, and the
business analysis profession as a whole. At each level, the application of tech-
niques and skills, the use of standards and the evaluation of the work through
measures can vary considerably. One of the points often raised about the BAMM
is its link to the capability maturity model integration (CMMI) represented in
Figure 1.5. The CMMI was developed by the Software Engineering Institute
(SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University and is an approach used for process
improvement in organisations. If we consider the BAMM in the light of the
CMMI, we can see that the five levels of the CMMI apply at each level of it.

Figure 1.5 The capability maturity model integration

Continuously
Optimizing improving
process

Performance
Qualitatively
managed
Managed
process

Standard
Defined consistent
process

Planned
Managed
process

Ad hoc
Initial
process
Copyright © 2010. British Informatics Society Limited. All rights reserved.

An organisation working to develop its business analysis function may begin by

aiming the BAs at requirements definition work. In doing this, the BAs may
initially have to develop their own process and standards. Therefore they would
be at the System Improvement level of the BAMM and the Initial level of the
CMMI. By contrast, an organisation that has employed business analysts for
some time may have analysts that can work at all three levels of the BAMM. The
analysts working at the Business Improvement level may have a defined process,
standards and measures that are managed for each assignment. These BAs are
working at the Managed level of the CMMI.

The business analysis profession could also be examined in the light of the
BAMM and the CMMI. A panel discussion at the 2009 Business Analysis
Conference, organised by the International Institute of Business Analysis,
considered whether or not Business Analysis should be deemed to be a profession.

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Cadle, James, et al. Business Analysis, edited by Debra Paul, et al., British Informatics Society Limited, 2010. ProQuest Ebook Central,
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 BUSINESS ANALYSIS

The discussion looked at various aspects of what makes a profession. The factors
identified were:

Qualifications: that determine the standard of skills and abilities of the

individual professional and that are recognised by employing organisations.
Standards: techniques and documentation standards that are applied in
order to carry out the work of the profession.
Continuing professional development: a requirement for the continuing
development of skills and knowledge in order to retain the professional
status.
Code of conduct: a definition of the personal behaviours and standards
required from a member of the profession.
Professional body: a body with responsibility for defining technical standards
and the code of conduct, promoting the profession and carrying out disciplinary
action where necessary. This might require the removal of members where they
do not reach the standard required by the code of conduct.

The conference considered the issue of professionalism, and the consensus was
that, while business analysis had certainly increased in professionalism, there was
still some way to go before it could be called a profession. While the Information
Systems Examinations Board (ISEB) Diploma in Business Analysis has become a
widely accepted qualification, it is still possible to practise as a business analyst
without qualifications, although this is increasingly rare. There are some recog-
nised business analysis standards and techniques, and some benchmarks, such
as this book, have appeared in the last few years. Continuing professional
development is not a requirement for the majority of business analysts. Many
business analysts are members of BCS – the Chartered Institute for IT – and this
professional body has a defined code of conduct for its members and provides
standards and promotion for the profession. Gradually the picture is becoming
clear, and a business analysis profession is developing.
Copyright © 2010. British Informatics Society Limited. All rights reserved.

THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Business analysis has developed into a specialist discipline that can really offer
value to organisations. The place of business analysis within the business change
lifecycle is critical if organisations are to benefit from those changes. Business
analysis offers an opportunity for organisations to ensure that technology is
deployed effectively to support their work, and also to identify relevant options
for business change that take account of budgetary and timescale pressures.
Business analysts can also offer objective views that can challenge the received
wisdom and identify where real business benefits can accrue. Over the last
few years, business analysts have continued to develop their skills such that
the breadth of work they can engage in has become extensive. As internal
consultants, experienced business analysts are not just able to bridge IT and ‘the
business’; they can also improve areas where success has traditionally been a
struggle, such as the achievement of predicted business benefits. Further, where
outsourcing initiatives operate across departmental boundaries and sometimes

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Cadle, James, et al. Business Analysis, edited by Debra Paul, et al., British Informatics Society Limited, 2010. ProQuest Ebook Central,
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 WHAT IS BUSINESS ANALYSIS?

have impacts upon the entire organisation, the work carried out by business
analysts is vital if the new partly in-house, partly outsourced processes and
technology are going to deliver effectively. The challenge for the analysts is to
ensure that they develop the extensive toolkit of skills, both behavioural and
technical, that will enable them to engage with the problems and issues facing
their organisations, and assist in their resolution. The challenge for organisations
is to support the analysts in their personal development, ensure they have the
authority to carry out business analysis to the extent required by the situations
they face, and listen to their advice. This book has been developed primarily
for the business analysis community but also to help professionals face the
challenges of today’s business environment; we hope all business managers, staff
and analysts will find it useful.

REFERENCES

Feeny, D. and Willcocks, L. (1998) Core IS Capabilities for exploiting information

technology. Sloan Management Review, 39, 9–21.

Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) (2003) Report on

Government IT projects.

FURTHER READING

Cadle, J., Paul, D. and Turner, P. (2010) Business Analysis Techniques. BCS,
Swindon.

Harmon, P. (2007) Business Process Change, 2nd edn. Morgan Kaufmann,

Boston, MA.

Johnson, G., Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. (2008) Exploring Corporate Strategy,

8th edn. FT Prentice Hall, Harlow.

Porter, M.E. (1980) Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analysing Industries

Copyright © 2010. British Informatics Society Limited. All rights reserved.

and Competitors, Free Press, New York.

Senge, P.M. (2006) The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning
Organization, revised edn. Broadway Business, New York.

Skidmore, S. and Eva, M. (2004) Introducing Systems Development. Palgrave

Macmillan, Basingstoke.

Yeates, D. and Wakefield, T. (2004) Systems Analysis and Design. FT Prentice

Hall, Harlow.

USEFUL WEBSITES

International Institute of Business Analysis IIBA BA Body of Knowledge

at www.theiiba.org

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Cadle, James, et al. Business Analysis, edited by Debra Paul, et al., British Informatics Society Limited, 2010. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uql/detail.action?docID=570082.
Created from uql on 2024-01-03 09:29:10.