Do Agile Business Analysts REALLY Exist?

What does the agile business analyst (BA) do?

The business analyst is part of the POBAFATA and is the key interface between the end user and the product owner.

Agile BAs engage with consumers and key users to understand their:

• working processes
• needs
• problems
• plans for growth
• technical systems
• user insights
• user models

Ground rules at Backlog Creation Workshop sessions can include the following:

• Respect everyone’s opinion
• Be neutral
• Don’t make assumptions about requirements
• Everyone is expected to contribute
• Unimportant discussions should be limited
• Discuss the issues, not the people
• Side discussions during the session should be avoided
• Be on time and have good time management
• Write everything and ask for documentation that supports the requirements
• Have the right key-users
• Practice active listening
• Conduct the analysis session

After having identified the key participants and the analysis session scheduled, it is time to structure the workshop:

Before the session:

1. Prepare the features and write down the identified key participants
2. Define the purpose and desired outcomes at each feature
3. Write down all questions and doubts to be answered
4. If you need specific data or documents, add them to the agenda and send them to the key users to have them prepared for the session.

During the session:

1. Follow the agenda
2. Respect the ground rules
3. Identify requirements at each macro feature
4. Identify the personas involved
5. Identify the processes and flows at each macro feature
6. Write down all answers to your questions and doubts
7. Ask everything and go deeper to understand the requirement better

After the session:

• Please list all the macro features and their requirements
• Identify the personas at each feature
• Gather all the given information by macro feature and its requirements
• Draw the flow on paper if it is easier for you, and after, do it on Visio (or other) to attach the Functional Requirements Document
• Start to write the Functional Requirements Document with user stories and send the first draft to the client to approve, and show that you are aligned with them
• Document everything
• Focus on business requirements, not tools

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