IIBA ECBA - Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA)

In the context of business analysis, reviews are conducted to assess the content of a work product. The participants in these reviews typically include:

Author: The person who created the work product.

Reviewer: Individuals who evaluate the work product, looking for defects and areas of improvement.

Facilitator: The person who leads the review process, ensuring that the objectives are met and the process is efficient.

Scribe: The individual responsible for documenting the findings of the review.

These roles are essential to ensure that the work product is complete, valid, and meets the necessary quality standards.

The concept of opportunity cost is fundamental in economics and decision-making processes, which also applies to business analysis. Opportunity cost refers to the benefits that are foregone by choosing one alternative over another. In the context of business analysis, when resources are allocated to one design option, the opportunity cost is the value of the best alternative that is not chosen. This means that the opportunity cost is the cost of the next best alternative that could have been achieved with those resources.

Conflict and issue management is a critical element in the process of approving requirements because it helps to navigate through disagreements and align different stakeholder perspectives to reach a common understanding and agreement. This process involves identifying, analyzing, and resolving conflicts and issues that may arise among stakeholders’ needs and interests. By managing these conflicts and issues effectively, business analysts can facilitate a smoother approval process and ensure that the requirements reflect a consensus among all parties involved.

The input to the ‘prepare for elicitation’ task is ‘Needs’. This involves understanding the business needs which define the scope and purpose of the elicitation activities. It is crucial for the business analyst to comprehend these needs to ensure that the elicitation efforts are aligned with the business objectives and that the right stakeholders are engaged in the process.

Effective communication in business analysis is characterized by being bi-directional and iterative. This means that information flows both ways between stakeholders and the analyst, and this exchange is repeated as needed to refine understanding and ensure alignment. It involves active listening, clarification, and feedback to facilitate a shared understanding and to ensure that the requirements and solutions are aligned with the stakeholders’ needs. References: The characteristics of effective communication are supported by the BABOK Guide, which emphasizes the importance of verbal, non-verbal, written communication, and listening skills for business analysts12.

When selecting elicitation techniques, a business analyst should consider techniques that are commonly used in similar initiatives, as these techniques are proven to work in comparable contexts. According to BABOK® Guide v3, the appropriateness of a technique depends on the situation, stakeholders, and the type of information needed. Techniques that have been successful in similar initiatives are likely to produce reliable and familiar results, reduce stakeholder resistance, and improve efficiency.

Exact Extract from BABOK® Guide v3 – Section 4.2: Conduct Elicitation:

“The business analyst considers the characteristics of the source, the type of information to be elicited, the techniques commonly used in similar initiatives, and the time and resource constraints when selecting elicitation techniques.”

When undertaking requirements verification, the stakeholders who will be using the requirements are best positioned to determine if they are of good quality. These stakeholders have the practical experience and understanding of their needs and the context in which the requirements will be used. Their feedback ensures that the requirements are relevant, complete, and feasible. Involving stakeholders in the verification process helps in aligning the requirements with actual business needs and ensures that the final solution will be effective and satisfactory.

A solution is considered successful when it satisfies the business need it was intended to address. This means that the solution has effectively resolved the problem or fulfilled the requirement that prompted its development. While meeting stakeholders’ expectations, ensuring the organization is ready to accept the solution, and having a positive performance evaluation are all important, they are secondary to the primary goal of meeting the business need.

The experiment elicitation technique involves discovering information under controlled conditions or tests. This approach is valuable when theoretical or observed behavior needs to be validated through actual performance or test conditions, often used in prototyping and usability testing.

Exact Extract from BABOK® Guide v3 – Technique 10.16: Experiment:

“Experiments are used to identify information when it is not available from other sources or when it is desirable to confirm an assumption or hypothesis under controlled conditions.”

The sponsor is typically the stakeholder who has the authority and responsibility to review and approve requirements. While the business analyst facilitates the elicitation and documentation of requirements, it is ultimately the sponsor who ensures alignment with business needs and grants formal approval. This approval validates that the documented requirements are complete, aligned with the project’s objectives, and ready for implementation.

The sponsor’s responsibilities include:

Endorsing the project’s business case

Approving finalized requirements

Ensuring funding and organizational support

BABOK® Reference:

Under the Requirements Life Cycle Management knowledge area, particularly in the task “Approve Requirements,” the sponsor is identified as the stakeholder responsible for approving requirements.