Interview Questions for Business Analysts and Systems Analysts


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INTERVIEW QUESTION:

What is Value Stream Mapping?

Posted by Adrian M.

Article Rating // 133 Views // 0 Additional Answers & Comments

Categories: General, Enterprise Analysis (BABOK KA)

ANSWER

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a Lean-origin technique that visually documents every step—people, processes, information flows, and wait times—required to deliver a product or service, from initial request to value in the customer’s hands. By showing both the current state and a desired future state, it highlights waste (non-value-adding activities) and improvement opportunities.

Key Elements Shown on a VSM

  • Process boxes – discrete activities with cycle time, change-over time, % complete & accurate.
  • Material or information flows – arrows indicating physical product movement or data transfer.
  • Queues & delays – inventory, backlogs, hand-offs, wait times.
  • Metrics bar – overall lead time, value-added time, first-pass yield, takt time.

Typical Mapping Steps (for a Business Analyst)

  • Define scope & customer value – choose an end-to-end slice (e.g., “loan origination” from application to funding).
  • Walk the Gemba – interview SMEs, observe real work to capture facts, not assumptions.
  • Draw the current-state map – use standard Lean symbols on paper or digital whiteboard.
  • Calculate totals – lead time vs. value-added time, identify bottlenecks.
  • Envision the future state – remove or streamline steps; realign flow to customer pull.
  • Create an action plan – prioritize improvements, assign owners, set measurable targets.

Why It Matters in Business Analysis

  • Clarifies end-to-end flow across silos, making hidden hand-offs visible.
  • Quantifies waste so business cases for change are evidence-based.
  • Aligns stakeholders on a shared visual artifact that transcends jargon.
  • Feeds requirements: future-state map becomes a source of epics, user stories, or feature backlog items.

VSM is not just a diagram; it’s a data-driven conversation starter that helps a BA turn qualitative pain points into quantified, prioritized improvements, accelerating delivery of customer value.

Example (Software Context)
In a mortgage software shop, mapping “borrower document upload to clear-to-close” might reveal 15 hand-offs, 3 manual re-key steps, and only 12 minutes of true value in a 4-day cycle. Consolidating document validation services and auto-notifications could cut lead time to <1 day and boost first-pass yield to 98%.

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Do your homework prior to the business analysis interview!

Having an idea of the type of questions you might be asked during a business analyst interview will not only give you confidence but it will also help you to formulate your thoughts and to be better prepared to answer the interview questions you might get during the interview for a business analyst position.  Of course, just memorizing a list of business analyst interview questions will not make you a great business analyst but it might just help you get that next job.

 



 




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