More and more organizations are implementing agile methodologies to deliver products and projects more efficiently and quickly. How do we practice Agile business analysis? In this article, we will also provide a quick overview of the key principles of agile as per Agile extension guide v2 to BABOK.
Business Analysis in the Agile context and initiatives has gained significance in the last decade as more than 90% of the change initiatives are adopting Agile approaches. Agile project management is called an iterative approach in the project management domain as it allows the project teams to break down the project into small iterations or small manageable tasks, so it becomes easy for the project team to complete the taste faster, adapt to the changing requirements of the clients, and ultimately optimize the workflow. The agile approach was originally created for software development, but it is now being implemented to more than just in the IT industry.
12 Principles of Agile Business Analysis
- See the whole
- Think as a customer
- Analyze to determine what is valuable
- Get real using examples
- Understand what is doable
- Stimulate collaboration and continuous improvement
- Avoid waste
- Deliver on time
- Accommodate changing requirements during the development process
- Support and motivate the team
- Simplicity
- Regular reflection on how to become more effective
The info-graphic below describes each of the principles of agile business analysis in detail.
An agile mindset is a foundation for Agile Analysis certification Training. It is based on a common core of human values that also include respect, courage, collaboration, continuous learning, customer focus, and value maximization.
Everything starts with an agile mindset. For instance, It means readiness for new ideas to be adapted. Being an Agile Business Analyst prepares us for any kind of change. There can be multiple factors that change the context under focus i.e., changing the needs of the customer, changing the organization structure, changing decisions due to new process introduction, or change in the external systems, and so on. To embrace these changes respond to them and see how to provide maximum value to the business is the benefit of an Agile mindset.
Agile Business Analysis principles are applied by the business analysis practitioners in order to find opportunities to get maximum values for the need. These principles can be applied at all three planning horizons.
You may also like our latest blog related to “Role of an Agile Business Analyst“, click on the link, and explore other areas of Business Analyst.
https://businessanalyst.techcanvass.com/
Let us go into little further details:
See the Whole
This principle helps to see the entire system. It helps in analyzing the need in the context of the big picture. The focus is on understanding the business context and why a change is necessary. The principle inspires us to analyze systems thinking.
Think As a Customer
The more you understand the customer the more you can empathize with the customer. When the analysis of the problem is done keeping yourself in their shoes, there are more chances to understand the need/problem and then reach solutions and alternatives.
Analyse To Determine What Is Valuable
When you understand the degree of the values provided by the sub-needs, it will help you prioritize them better. This principle clears the doubt on ‘size vs value’ on the features when it comes to prioritization on similar user stories. Business Analysis practitioners continuously assess and prioritize work to be done. This allows them to maximize the value being delivered at any point in time.
Get Real Using Examples
Agile believes in living examples over theorizing stuff. This principle also guides in building a shared understanding of the need and how the solution will satisfy that need. Business Analysis practitioners use this principle to engage the stakeholders regularly by creating different models to elaborate on these models (for example personas, user actions, data, etc.)
Understand What Is Doable
This principle guides us to understand how to deliver a solution within given constraints. Constraints can also be derived from factors like technology, time, or resources.
For example, a new requirement on an ongoing application development may not be feasible by the current technology platform in use. Or it may be dependent on certain key resources availability.
Stimulate Collaboration and Continuous Improvement
Collaboration is one of the building blocks when we come to a continuously changing agile environment. This is very important as it also keeps everyone aligned with the current context and relevant information. For instance, This principle guides business analysis practitioners in creating and contributing to an environment where all stakeholders contribute value on an ongoing basis.
Avoid Waste
The agile mindset agrees with lean concepts. As a result, This principle guides Business Analysis practitioners to avoid waste wherever possible. All activities that fall into the below categories are considered waste:
- those that have value but do not directly contribute to satisfying the need
- those activities that do not add value at all.
Deliver On Time
Merely meeting the project goals and not delivering the project on time can impact the desirable outcomes for a business with respect to market opportunities or legal deadlines. Therefore, delivering the projects on time is one of the key principles of agile that must be kept in mind.
Accommodate Changing Requirements during the Development Process
Another key principle of agile is the ability to accommodate the changing requirements of clients during the development process of a project.
Support and Motivate the Team
One of the most essential agile principles is supporting and motivating the team members so that they can work efficiently and deliver better results.
Simplicity
Another agile principle is to focus on simplicity by developing just enough tasks that match the working capacity of the team members. It helps in achieving good results as the focus is on specific tasks and the team members are not overloaded with work.
Regular Reflection on How to Become More Effective
It is important for the agile team to self-reflect upon their work processes while focusing on self-improvement through continuous improvements in their skills and techniques helps in increasing the work productivity.
Conclusion
The above-mentioned key principles of agile business analysis are crucial for successfully leading the agile team and completing the projects smoothly. Keeping the key principles of agile business analysis in mind can help you successfully achieve the goals and objectives of an agile project as these principles act as a guide for the teams to perform more efficiently and sustainably.
You can view our online webinar, Who is an Agile Business Analyst? and What are the role’s responsibilities, context, and differences from other BA roles?, which was hosted by Techcanvass on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tui_knJQ4eE
Techcanvass allows you to learn more about the agile principles in its depth. We offer two certification courses to help you get certified as an Agile Business Analyst. Agile analysis certification (AAC) is an IIBA certification for Agile business analysts. Techcanvass conducts the preparation training for this certification.
FAQ
Business analysis is performed to identify the need for changes in the business processes of an organization to maximize the business outcomes and the values that an organization delivers to its stakeholders.
The 3 most important skills of an agile business analyst are as follows:
1. Communication and collaboration
2. Flexibility and adaptability
3. Business knowledge and value recognition
The three main techniques of business analysis planning are as follows:
1. Work breakdown structure (WBS)
2. Network diagram
3. Gantt charts
In software engineering, constant attention to technical details and design helps in enhancing agility.
The agile manifesto is a document laying down the key values and principles that are to be followed by the software developers as a guide to working more efficiently.
