Knowledge areas of Business Analysis

Knowledge areas define what business analysts need to understand and the tasks they should perform.

They do not represent project phases, and their activities are not intended to be performed in a linear fashion.

Tasks from one or more knowledge areas may be performed in any order (such as in succession, simultaneously, or iteratively), provided that the necessary inputs to each task are available.

Six knowledge areas are listed as follows : 

1) Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring

It is where the business analyst plans how to approach the business analysis effort. The business analyst’s task list for this particular knowledge area consists of:

1. Determining the business analysis approach for the project
   
   The business analysis team typically determines both the business analysis approach and the requirements management process for their project.
   
   The business analysis approach defines the methodology used for business analysis work on the overall project and each of its phases.
   
   It includes team roles, deliverable to be produced, how and when tasks are performed, techniques to be used, and other aspects of the high – level business analysis process.
   
   
2. Performing stakeholder identification, analysis, and categorization.
3. Defining the business analysis activities to be performed.
4. Addressing business analysis communication requirements.
5. Planning the requirements development and management process.
   
6. Managing and reporting on the business analysis effort.

2) Elicitation

Elicitation defines how business analysts work with stakeholders to identify and gather requirements and understand their needs and concerns. The business analyst’s task list for this knowledge area consists of:

1. Building a detailed elicitation schedule for a specific activity.
2. Meeting with stakeholders to conduct the elicitation activity.
3. Documenting and recording the elicitation results.
4. Confirming elicitation results with key stakeholders

3) Requirements Management and Communication

Requirements Management and Communication defines how the business analyst approaches communicating requirements to stakeholders.

Tasks and techniques for managing changes, conflicts, and issues related to requirements are also described.

Business analysts perform requirements communication activities as part of requirements development work by:

1. Managing the solution scope and requirements.
2. Managing requirements traceability
3. Maintaining requirements for reuse
4. Preparing requirements packages
5. Communicating requirements
   
   

4) Enterprise Analysis

Enterprise Analysis focuses on how the business analyst identifies the business needs driving a project by performing problem definition and analysis.

In addition to defining and refining these driving needs, the business analyst is responsible for defining a feasible solution scope that can be implemented by the business.

This work may also include developing a business case or feasibility study for a proposed project. Typically, the tasks in this knowledge area occur prior to or early in the project life cycle.

The business analyst’s task list for this knowledge area includes translating business strategy into proposed new business solutions by:

1. Defining and understanding the business problem or opportunity.
2. Assessing capability gaps in the organization.
3. Determining the most feasible business solution approach.
4. Describing the resulting solution scope.
5. Developing a business case for the proposed solution.

5) Requirements Analysis

It describes how the business analyst progressively elaborates and prioritizes stakeholder and solution requirements.

In essence, the business analyst takes the elicited information and makes sense of it to derive the real requirements for the project.

This knowledge area also focuses on graphically modeling the requirements as well as documenting them.

When performing these tasks, the business analyst should ensure the feasibility of the requirements while defining, describing, and refining the characteristics of an acceptable solution.

The business analyst’s task list for this knowledge area consists of:

1. Prioritizing the relative importance of the requirements.
2. Organizing requirements.
3. Specifying and modeling requirements.
4. Defining assumptions and constraints.
5. Verifying requirements.
6. Validating requirements.
   
   

6) Solution Assessment and Validation

Solution Assessment and Validation focuses on assessing and validating proposed, in progress, and implemented solutions before, during, and after the project life cycle.

While many tasks in this knowledge area take place later in the project life cycle, some solution – focused activities may occur quite early.

The business analyst’s task list for this knowledge area consists of:

1. Assessing the proposed solution.
2. Allocating stakeholder and solution requirements.
3. Assessing organizational readiness.
4. Defining transition requirements.
5. Validating the solution.
6. Evaluating solution performance