The process that we follow for Business Analysis at GrapeSoft

• Understanding the business
  
  

  • In achieving success in software consulting and application development the first step would be to understand the Business. Business analysts have a major stake in this area and they gain a transparent and core understanding of the business, its outcome, the processes and the people behind it during this stage of the business analysis process. They examine and evaluate the legitimacy of the business model and its underlying inference along with the marketing plan and performance of the business.
• Analyzing Competition
  
  

  • The better the understanding of one's competitor the best goes a long way in improving the business performance of a project. Since business analysis is focused on optimization of business processes, studying and understanding the competitor’s behavior will be a very valuable input to process of business analysis. Based on the inputs provided by business analysts, the top management can formulate strategies to counter the competitor products and offers and try to achieve greater market share.
• Analyzing the Market
  
  

  • When it comes to Market Analysis there come many questions like ‘Who is your target market? What is your market share? Have you maintained a steady growth rate in the market? Who is your closest competitor?’
    
    

    Analyzing the market can give the answers to many of these critical questions. Keeping a pulse on the market is a reliable way of ensuring that the business stays in progress and competitive. Market analysis identifies the target audience for the products and services, evaluates the actual and potential size of your target market and the positioning strategy in the market.
    
    

    Often the performance in the market may indicate whether you need to take a decision towards BPI (Business Process Improvement) or re-engineering. A study of the market also helps in identify new products or services that can be brought out.
• Gathering Requirements
  
  

  • This is one of the most important phases of the business analysis process. It is absolutely critical that the business analyst gathers the business requirements accurately before defining a software solution.

    To effectively gather requirements, the business analyst must assess the type of the project, the people involved and the volume of information required.

    Some of the techniques that he can use are:

      Interviews with stakeholders
      Facilitated information gathering sessions
      Surveys and questionnaires
      Observation of stakeholders performing their tasks
      Study of existing systems and documentation

    Gathering requirements is an iterative process. In addition to identifying the requirements, the business analyst also needs to prioritize them to ensure that the most critical issues are addressed first.
• Analyzing and Documenting Requirements
  
  

  • After requirements are gathered, they are analyzed and documented using an iterative approach. As each requirement is analyzed, it generally leads to further questions. This requires the analyst to probe further till all relevant issues are cleared. The business analyst must ensure the requirements are documented in a standard and consistent manner that is easily and clearly understood by all members of the solutions team. To do this, the analyst may have to use text, diagrams or a combination of both.
• Communicating Requirements
  
  

  • Once the requirements are clearly documented, they need to be communicated effectively to the solutions team. The business analyst acts as the main liaison between the business users and the technical team. He needs to work closely with the Project Manager to ensure that the project plan is adhered to and scope changes are properly agreed upon, approved and documented.

    The business analyst needs to conduct formal and informal group meetings that include all the relevant team members when communicating requirements to ensure that everyone understands the issues involved in the same way. He needs to clarify any misunderstandings and unclear requirements. It is important that the information is presented to the business and technical audiences in a manner that is most appropriate for their understanding.
• Verifying that the solution meets the requirements
  
  

  • Even after the technical team takes over the project, the business analyst continues to remain involved in order to ensure that:

    1.The technical design meets business requirements and usability standards
    2.The developed software meets the project goals
    3.The final product passes quality assurance tests and user acceptance

       It is evident from the above that business analysis plays a vital role in the success of a software project from the beginning to the end. The

       business analyst plays an important role in every phase of the software development life cycle and in ensuring that the solution that emerges

       out of the whole process meets the business goals of all the stakeholders involved.