Many business analysts and business users get frustrated at the perceived lack of information in a use case diagram. “It’s all very well drawing a picture” they say but what about the details – what’s actually going on? When producing project documentation, use case diagrams are rarely used on their own. They will generally be accompanied by a textual use case and if they’re complex, may also have a supporting activity diagram to show what’s going on “inside” the use…
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Stakeholder Communications – Pictures not Words
25/07/2007 |
By IRM Training
Many people on our Business Analysis workshop ask why we use dataflow diagrams (DFDs). Why not Use Case…or even BPMN? After all DFDs have been around for 20 years, surely the world has moved on? Well, has it? The primary purpose of a business analyst is to communicate – to stakeholders and to solution providers – and when it comes to communication we all know that pictures (diagrams) are much more effective and less ambiguous than words. Remember the phrase “A…
Continue ReadingCreative Thinking Techniques
11/05/2007 |
By IRM Training
This extract from IRM’s training material looks at how systematic, creative thinking techniques can be used to design practical solutions to business problems. Successful designs don’t just happen. Whilst we can sometimes get ‘flashes of brilliance’, successful designs are more likely to occur as part of a systematic process. Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) Read full paper: Creative Thinking Techniques If you liked…
Continue ReadingProblem Analysis Techniques
05/03/2007 |
By IRM Training
This extract from IRM’s training material looks at how a structured approach to defining and analysing problems can be used as the basis for designing better solutions. Part 1 of this paper looks at problem definition. Part 2 introduces the reader to analytical techniques for determining the root cause of a problem. Read the full paper here: Problem Analysis Techniques (PDF Download)
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Learn MoreBusiness Analyst Skills
03/12/2006 |
By IRM Training
With plenty of talk in the industry about the growing importance of the business analyst, it’s worth taking a step back and understanding exactly what the analyst does. Most employers hire a BA to do three things: Engage with clients, stakeholders, project sponsors Analyse problems and create solutions Document solutions as a specification Let’s have a look at what’s involved in each step and what business analyst skills are required… 1. Engage with Clients Before a client bares their soul…
Continue ReadingA Manager’s Guide to User Acceptance Testing
20/06/2005 |
By IRM Training
For most businesses and organisations, if IT stops, the business stops. Whenever a company turns on a new production line, opens a new retail store, launches a new product or provides a new service, there is invariably a new or modified IT system behind it. Going live is the culmination of time, effort, resources and finance. A problem-free IT system is the “acid test” of significant, often crucial investment. Whilst the technical testing of IT systems is a highly professional…
Continue ReadingSeparating Analysis from Design
12/04/2004 |
By IRM Training
Looking at what business objectives you are trying to satisfy before leaping into the technology enables you to use the technology wisely, manage scope and cut costs, producing systems which work for your clients. It’s easy to concentrate on the technical features of any project and lose sight of the reason for its existence. Every project exists to solve a problem. Either what you have doesn’t work well enough and needs improving, or you need to invent something totally new….
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