Articles for Business Analysts

Process Modelling 101

05/02/2016 | By IRM Training

Not wishing to piggy back too much on My Kitchen Rules (currently screening on Australian television) but for business analysts who like cooking – and even those who don’t – here’s a fun exercise to practice your process modelling skills. If you like spending time in the kitchen, test your skills by translating something you’re familiar with into a process model. You’ll need to be objective and not rely on inside knowledge – just follow the instructions even if…

How to a Draw Data Flow Diagram

05/02/2016 | By IRM Training

A data flow diagram (DFD) shows how the functions, or processes, of a system relate to each other via the data that flows between them. They are most valuable in showing ‘what’, (the logical view) but can also be used to show the ‘how’ (the physical view). Data Flow Diagram – a process modelling tool Data flow diagrams (DFD) show how the functions, or processes, of a system relate to each other via the data that flows between them. They are…

How To Run A Walkthrough Meeting

16/09/2015 | By IRM Training

Walkthrough meetings are one of the common business analysis techniques identified in the BABOK. They’re used to identify (but not necessarily correct) errors or inconsistencies in work products – for example a walkthrough of a requirements document might be used to verify the completeness of requirements. If you’re running a walkthrough meeting it can be a bit daunting. It’s all too easy to get off track or try to fix (rather than just identify) problems. Here’s a guide to help…

Who Reads Your Stuff Anyway?

09/09/2015 | By IRM Training

If you’re a business analyst then producing written communications goes with the territory. It might be workshop notes to team members – or a report that lands on the desk of the CEO. Whoever you’re writing for, they’ll only read it if there’s something they want or need to know. So as writers we need to put ourselves in the reader’s shoes if we want our written communications to be effective. Fortunately, writing skills are like any other job skills,…

12 Positives To Being a Business Analyst

24/08/2015 | By IRM Training

Finding solutions can be hugely satisfying in any job but in the business analyst job, you are by definition a problem solver, so it’s very easy to become “problem-centric”. Sometimes our job can just become one problem after another. We’ve got to be careful not to get depressed by all the challenges we face! So rather than just asking analysts what problems they have, what issues they need to tackle, we’ve also been asking them what problems give them the…

How Can I Add Business Value?

05/08/2015 | By IRM Training

To answer this question we need to understand what business value actually is. As an employee, adding value can translate into improving processes, providing better customer service, reducing time to market, delivering better products/services. However to a shareholder or company owner there’s only one value metric – increased profits. This is achieved by selling more or spending less. It’s not for nothing that most CEOs have a sales or accounting background. That’s not to say that business analysts need sales…

Hints & Tips for BA Job Seekers

22/06/2015 | By IRM Training

As a training company we don’t want our clients thinking we’re poaching their best staff – that’s why we don’t get involved in recruitment. But in any given year we typically deal with over 100 organisations. We get a great insight into the issues facing business analysts and their managers. So to help those business analysts looking for a new job – and those analysts looking to progress their career – we’ve compiled a list of hints and tips on…

What Happens After User Stories?

08/05/2015 | By IRM Training

OK, so you’ve had some great sessions with users and stakeholders. What they want the system to do is neatly captured in a number of user stories. Now what? While user stories do a great job of expressing functional (and often non-functional) requirements in words that business users can understand, that’s not the case for developers. Remember that a business analyst is the communicator between the business AND the developer. There just isn’t enough information in a user story for…

User Stories & The Jungle Book

24/04/2015 | By IRM Training

Back in 1902, a collection of stories and poems for children – the Just So Stories written by Rudyard Kipling – was published. For those of you struggling to place Rudyard Kipling, he was the author of The Jungle Book. Check out the Disney movie of the same name if you’re still not sure – or ask your children! Kipling knew a thing or two about the written language. Tucked away in one of the Just So Stories were a group of words which have…

Six Business Skills Every BA Needs

25/03/2015 | By IRM Training

Back in 2003 one of our most popular papers, What is a Business Analyst (72,000+ downloads to date), made a simple but very powerful statement – “the most successful and valuable analysts are those who understand the business rather than those who understand IT”. Fast forward to the present and you’ll see everyone from the International Institute of Business Analysis to the Project Management Institute emphasising the importance of business skills. A recent article by Jas Phul posted…