We conducted a survey of over 1,100 business analysts (68% with over 5 years experience) which gave some interesting results as to what business analysis techniques are the most popular.

Methodologies

When it comes to software development methodologies, 68% said they had experience with waterfall development, 46% said iterative whilst object-oriented (44%) and agile (34%) also rated highly.

Assuming that many of these analysts would be working for large organisations – with mainframe systems – it’s not surprising to see waterfall so widely represented. We can also conclude that analysts need to work on a variety of different applications – iterative, OO and agile being very common on web services and client/server projects.

Interestingly, disciplines like ITIL and Six Sigma, which have received lots of press recently, only rated 20% and 17% respectively.

Modelling

Whilst the most regularly used diagramming technique was flowcharting (63%), when it comes to formal diagramming techniques, use case led the way (55%) followed by data flow diagrams (42%), activity diagrams (38%) and context diagrams (34%). Entity relationship diagrams were still widely used (30%) and “new kid on the block” BPMN came in at 13%.

Note that Business Process Management (BPM) scored highly in the methodologies section (52%) but didn’t show a correspondingly high result for BPMN usage. Perhaps this indicated that BPM was interpreted as a generic term covering methodology, software products and general process improvement?

Elicitation

For requirements gathering, 67% said interviewing was the most frequently used method. Requirements workshops came in at 45% and JAD sessions 34%.

The survey showed there were a bewildering range of tools, techniques and methodologies in widespread use. Probably too many for the poor analyst to master. As always, it comes down to the old saying – it’s not what you know it’s how you use it!

Download our free Requirements Specification Template

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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 you can see better ways of doing things. That comes later.

If you don’t cook then completing the exercise will  demonstrate that even without being a subject matter expert you can use a methodology to accurately document a process. Again, your first job is to accurately interpret the process description.

You’ll be using data flow diagrams (DFDs),  the simplest of all diagramming languages. If you’re unfamiliar with DFDs, check out How To Draw Data Flow Diagrams. For those of you already comfortable with this modelling notation, parts B and C of the exercise test your skills in showing/hiding complexity through levelling. We’ve included example answers for all 3 parts if you get stuck. Bon appetit!

Click here to go to the exercise.

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How To Draw Data Flow Diagrams

The post Process Modelling 101 appeared first on IRM Training.

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 most valuable in showing ‘what’, (the logical view) but can also be used to show the ‘how’ (the physical view).
• Data flow diagrams can be used to model the processes in a current system and, separately, a proposed new system. In addition they can show either physical or logical views.
• Data flow diagrams are not concerned with control or sequence. As a tool they are of limited use to designers, but are of greater use to analysts in communicating to the client and to the designers.
• DFDs are levelled so as to reduce the complexity at any one level.

Rules for Drawing a Data Flow Diagram

The four elements used in data flow diagrams are:

Data Flow

• Show the movement of data between processes, into and out of data stores and to and from terminators
• An arrow head indicates the direction of the data flow
• The data must have a meaningful name
• They do not show control

Process

• Indicates a function, this should be a transformation of data
• A functional primitive is the lowest process level

Data Store

• Shows data at rest
• May be manual or automatic accumulation of data

Terminator

• Shows the originator and/or receiver of the overall system data
• Represents people, organisations and systems just beyond the scope of the system under study
• Marks the boundary of the model
• Only appear in the highest level DFD – usually the context diagram

Download the PDF version of this guide to DFDs: How To Draw Data Flow Diagrams

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