Behind the Scenes as a Business Analyst

A Business Analyst (BA) scrutinizes intrinsic details of an organization or business domain and documents its business, evaluating the business model or its amalgamation with technology.

A Business Analyst (BA), is basically a part of the business processes and works with Information Technology to improve the quality of the services being delivered, assisting in Integration and Testing of new solutions. BA also supports the creation of training material, contributes in implementation, and delivers post-implementation support. This may involve the development of project plans and often requires project management skills.

What does it take to be a Business Analyst:

The Business Analyst role is perceived as a communication link amid IT and the commercial stakeholders. Business Analysts should be great vocal and written communicators, insightful diplomats, problem solvers and analyzers - with the capability to engage with stakeholders to fathom and respond to their needs in the rapidly changing business environments. 

This involves frequently dealing with senior stakeholders and ensuring that the value for money is attained from IT developments.

In order to understand the benefits that Business Analysts bring to a project, it is essential to know the general criteria for a project to be successful. Following are the four key components which determine the project’s success:

• Completion of project within the specified Timeline
• Adherence to estimated Budget
• Determine the impact on everyday Business
• Adopting Solutions and determining usefulness 

Few Essential steps to be followed by a Business Analyst to Meet Project Deadlines and ensure successful completion of project:

1.Get required clarifications

To meet a project deadline, it is essential for the BA to know what the project requires. Building assumptions around what is expected can result in mismanagement of the project and waste time of the project team and as well as the client. It is equally important to get clarifications necessary to meet the client’s needs. Once an agreement is reached, it is essential to get it in writing, and have the client sign off on it to avoid any possible disputes.

2.Break it Down

Most projects are accomplished over a set period, and require few precise actions to be taken along the way. As the complication of the project increases it is important for the BA to ensure that all steps are completed. Identifying key checkpoints will help one track the project's development and stay on schedule.

3.Communication

Communication is vital to the success of any project. As a BA is a link between the client and the internal team, effective communication plays a significant role to align the various stakeholders to attain a common goal. While an email notification may be adequate for a small project, a multifaceted project usually requires face-to-face communication. Making departments and people responsible for carrying out definite steps will help to keep the project on schedule and reduce the likelihood of misunderstanding.

4.Time

The project team’s BA must elicit, analyze, and validate all project requirements frequently with the stakeholders. A project needs to be completed within a certain time frame. If the requirements are defined clearly then there will be less rework and will enable to complete the project in a cost effective manner and deliver it on time. 

  

Today’s business environment entails project driven transformation to be executed with more discipline and agility than ever before. The Business Analyst’s skilled interaction with stakeholders all the way through the organization will facilitate the acute need to bridge the gap between strategy and execution. It is essential to engage with technologies in order to deliver the final product within the specified time, budget and estimated effort.

Gurpreet kaur Gaga is a consultant in Systems Plus Pvt. Ltd. Within Systems Plus, She actively contributes to the areas of Technology and Information Security. She can be contacted at: gurpreetkaur.gaga@spluspl.com