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Adrian M.

The business analyst cannot forget "The Why"!

There are many tools and techniques available to the business analyst for a variety of tasks. One of my favorite one is the short table-style template for documenting a "Problem/Opportunity Statement" as follows:

The problem of	<specify in one sentence the problem or opportunity being considered>
Affects	<specify who/what is affected by this problem>
The impact of which is	<specify the impact of the problem or the result of the missed opportunity>
A successful solution would	<specify what would be the benefits and positive outcomes of successfully implementing a solution>

One big issue I often encounter is that participants in many requirements workshops, JAD sessions, and other such endeavors focus only on what a successful solution would look like. These sessions become "fun" sessions where screens are designed and features are envisioned, forgetting the Why!

By the way: both business SMEs and business analysts are guilty of this!

We can't be forgetting the Why! That's not an option.

Before the business analyst engages in any solution discussions he/she must ensure they clearly understand the problem statement and who/what/how the problem impacts.

What do you think?

This entry was published on Jan 08, 2009 / Adrian M.. Posted in Enterprise Analysis (BABOK KA), Business Analysis. Bookmark the Permalink or E-mail it to a friend.

7 members liked this article

COMMENTS

Putcha posted on Monday, May 16, 2011 10:39 AM

The Problem / Opportunity Table is a good tool and with "Why" added to it, it becomes better. What is the source of this?

I have found it in the TQM literature Quality Methodologies and Tools of Juran and Deming but many authors do not acknowledge it.

I use them for defining Project and Scope and Hierarchy of Requirements for each Use Case of the System / Project.

e-mail [email protected] for evaluating the above and giving me feedback and or equivalent templates.

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