In this article I will go over Agile and Business Analysis.
What is Agile?
Agile is the ability to create and respond to change. It is a way of dealing with, and ultimately succeeding in, an uncertain and turbulent environment.
The authors of the Agile Manifesto chose “Agile” as the label for this whole idea because that word represented the adaptiveness and response to change which was so important to their approach.
It’s really about thinking through how you can understand what’s going on in the environment that you’re in today, identify what uncertainty you’re facing, and figure out how you can adapt to that as you go along.
What is Agile Methodology and How does it Work?
Agile follows an agile manifesto:
Individuals and Interactions OVER Process and Tools
Working Products OVER Comprehensive Documentation
Customer Collaboration OVER Contract Negotiation
Responding to Changes OVER Following a Plan
Next up, let’s take a look at some Agile principles.
What are some of the Advantages of Agile?
- Agile enables a large amount of collaboration and interaction between the client and the project team.
- Thanks to this, clients have improved transparency, and therefore a clearer understanding of the phases of the project is present.
- The product is delivered predictably, or sometimes earlier than expected.
- The cost of the project is predictable and follows a rigid schedule.
- Changes can refine and re-prioritize the product backlog.
- Enables the client to prioritize different features, allowing the team to ensure maximum project value.
- The project is broken down into smaller units, providing high-quality development, testing, and collaboration.
The diagram below provides an overview of the how the agile framework works.
There are numerous scrum methodologies but two most common are Scrum and Kanban. Here are the differences between the two.
Differences between Agile and Waterfall?
This article goes over the differences between agile and waterfall: https://project-management.com/agile-vs-waterfall/
Where does a Business Analyst Fit in Agile?
The initial agile framework did not include a role for the Business Analyst. However the industry has been seeing an increase in the skillset of a Business Analyst.
Why do we need BA’s in Agile?
Here are a couple of points to illustrate the need for a Business Analyst in Agile.
- To elicit complex requirements and analyze the work
- Requirements are the backbone of any project
- Solution Evaluation – ensure stories meet the definition of done
- Conduit Between Business, Dev and Testers (Translator)
- Partner with the Product Owner
- Work through refinement of the requirements through sprints
- Negotiate scope
- Gather/ Analyze requirements
- Assist in clarifications
- Some instances test and validate
- Some instances prioritize requirements
Understand the role of a BA through a Case Study
The marketing department has asked for a leads report to be generated that will provide an understanding of the percentage of lead conversions. They send a request to the delivery team of which you are the Business Analyst. The Product Owner receives the request and engages you as the BA:
- You understand the Business Value, who the stakeholders are and establish a high level scope
- You contact and communicate with the stakeholders to talk through their request and determine the high level scope
- You do some Document Analysis and create a Context Diagram
- You create a user story map and establish the process
- You assist the scrum master and chunk the work out
- You establish the user stories for the backlog with the help of the team
- You Refine the requirements (Just in Time)
In Conclusion:
I went over what agile is, the manifesto, the common methodologies used in agile and the role of the Business Analyst in Agile.
What role do you play in agile?
