Business Analysis Key Concepts

Question 1

Business Analysis Core Concept Model (BACCM)

Answer 1

• conceptual framework for business analysis
• encompasses what business analysis is and what it means to those performing business analysis tasks regardless of perspective, industry, methodology, or level in the organization

The BACCM can be used to:
• describe the profession and domain of business analysis,
• communicate about business analysis with a common terminology,
• evaluate the relationships of key concepts in business analysis,
• perform better business analysis by holistically evaluating the relationships
among these six concepts, and
• evaluate the impact of these concepts and relationships at any point during
a work effort in order to establish both a foundation and a path forward.

Question 2

What are the core concepts of BACCM?

Answer 2

• Change: The act of transformation in response to a need
• Need: A problem or opportunity to be addressed.
• Solution: A specific way of satisfying one or more needs in a context.
• Stakeholder: A group or individual with a relationship to the change, the need, or the solution.
• Value: The worth, importance, or usefulness of something to a stakeholder within a context.
• Context: The circumstances that influence, are influenced by, and provide understanding of the change.

Question 3

Key Terms: Business Analysis

Answer 3

The BABOK Guide describes and defines business analysis as the practice of enabling change in an enterprise by defining needs and recommending solutions that deliver value to stakeholders

Question 4

Key Terms: Business Analysis Information

Answer 4

Business analysis information refers to the broad and diverse sets of information
that business analysts analyze, transform, and report.

It is information of any kind—at any level of detail—that is used as an input to, or is an output of, business analysis work

Question 5

Key Terms: Design

Answer 5

A design is a usable representation of a solution.

Design focuses on understanding how value might be realized by a solution if it is built

Question 6

Key Terms: Enterprise

Answer 6

An enterprise is a system of one or more organizations and the solutions they use to pursue a shared set of common goals

Question 7

Key Terms: Organization

Answer 7

An autonomous group of people under the management of a single individual or board, that works towards common goals and objectives.

Organizations often have a clearly defined boundary and operate on a continuous basis, as opposed to an initiative or project team, which may be disbanded once its objectives are
achieved.

Question 8

Key Terms: Plan

Answer 8

A plan is a proposal for doing or achieving something

Question 9

Key Terms: Requirement

Answer 9

A requirement is a usable representation of a need.

Requirements focus on understanding what kind of value could be delivered if a requirement is fulfilled.

Question 10

Key Terms: Risk

Answer 10

Risk is the effect of uncertainty on the value of a change, a solution, or the enterprise.

Question 11

Types of requirements

Answer 11

1. Business requirements
2. Stakeholder requirements
3. Solution requirements [Functional and Non-Functional]
4. Transition requirements

Question 12

Business requirements

Answer 12

• Statements of goals, objectives, and outcomes that describe why a change has been initiated
• They can apply to the whole of an enterprise, a business area, or a specific initiative

Question 13

Stakeholder requirements

Answer 13

• Describe the needs of stakeholders that must be met in order to achieve the business requirements
• They may serve as a bridge between business and solution requirements.

Question 14

Solution requirements

Answer 14

• Describe the capabilities and qualities of a solution that meets the stakeholder requirements.
• They provide the appropriate level of detail to allow for the development and implementation of the solution

Functional requirements: Describe the capabilities that a solution must have in terms of the behaviour and information that the solution will manage

Non-functional requirements or quality of service requirements: Do not relate directly to the behaviour of functionality of the solution, but rather describe conditions under which a solution must remain
effective or qualities that a solution must have

Question 15

Transition requirements

Answer 15

Describe the capabilities that the solution must have and the conditions the solution must meet to facilitate transition from the current state to the future state, but which are not needed once the change is complete.

Question 16

Stakeholder: Business Analyst

Answer 16

The business analyst is inherently a stakeholder in all business analysis activities.

The BABOK® Guide presumes that the business analyst is responsible and accountable for the execution of these activities

Question 17

Stakeholder: Customer

Answer 17

A customer uses or may use products or services produced by the enterprise and may have contractual or moral rights that the enterprise is obliged to meet.

Question 18

Stakeholder: Domain Subject Matter Expert

Answer 18

A domain subject matter expert is any individual with in-depth knowledge of a topic relevant to the business need or solution scope.

This role is often filled by people who may be end users or people who have in-depth knowledge of the solution such as managers, process owners, legal staff, consultants, and others

Question 19

Stakeholder: End User

Answer 19

End users are stakeholders who directly interact with the solution.
End users can include all participants in a business process, or who use the product or solution.

Question 20

Stakeholder: Implementation Subject Matter Expert

Answer 20

An implementation subject matter expert is any stakeholder who has specialized knowledge regarding the implementation of one or more solution components.

Question 21

Stakeholder: Operational Support

Answer 21

Operational support is responsible for the day-to-day management and maintenance of a system or product.

Question 22

Stakeholder: Project Manager

Answer 22

Project managers are responsible for managing the work required to deliver a solution that meets a business need, and for ensuring that the project’s objectives are met while balancing the project factors including scope, budget, schedule, resources, quality, and risk.

Question 23

Stakeholder: Regulator

Answer 23

Regulators are responsible for the definition and enforcement of standards.

Standards can be imposed on the solution by regulators through legislation, corporate governance standards, audit standards, or standards defined by organizational centers of competency.

Question 24

Stakeholder: Sponsor

Answer 24

Sponsors are responsible for initiating the effort to define a business need and develop a solution that meets that need.
They authorize the work to be performed, and control the budget and scope for the initiative.

Question 25

Stakeholder: Supplier

Answer 25

A supplier is a stakeholder outside the boundary of a given organization or organizational unit.
Suppliers provide products or services to the organization and may have contractual or moral rights and obligations that must be considered.

Question 26

Stakeholder: Tester

Answer 26

Testers are responsible for determining how to verify that the solution meets the requirements defined by the business analyst, as well as conducting the verification process.

Testers also seek to ensure that the solution meets applicable quality standards, and that the risk of defects or failures is understood and minimized.