Today it is hard to find the company which does not use software for its operations. Software solutions became a vital part of every niche. The demand for fast, secure, and full-functional software applications is growing each day. And the critical role in such software development is played by business analysts.
Even though a lot of companies believe that business analysis is not necessary for product development since they know what they want to get. The crucial role of business analysts is evident. They are aimed to ensure you will get what you need, and the end-product meets those needs. Moreover, all projects are unique. Companies have various specifications. As a result, different approaches should be followed. And an experienced business analyst will help you with that.
What do business analysis professionals do?
Several years ago, the business analyst’s primary responsibility was to gather requirements for the upcoming software development project. But now their responsibilities go beyond this traditional approach. So, here are the processes which are taken care of by business analysts:
Requirements specification
At the initial stage of project business analysts interview client’s representatives to find out the issues faced by the company to determine the solutions the newly developed software can provide. They are conducting extended interviews when they are asking questions, analyzing documentation, and try to find out what exactly software should do.
This process helps business analysts to learn more about the customer’s vision of software. Sometimes developers might not fully understand the customer’s needs, and business analyst helps to overcome this issue before the project started.
Needs identification
When a business analyst discovers what customers want, they narrow it down to what you need. Your vision becomes connected with a software solution that is possible to develop. As a result, you get an opportunity to start a project that is realistic and practical.
Since business analysts have experience in various software environments, they can advise handy features and highlight what is useless. As a result of these two steps, software requirements and specification document is written and approved by you and the development team.
Omitting the business analysis stage might result in the development of the solution, which is not effective and will not solve current business problems.
Translation
You have an idea or an issue in mind, but the software development company is a third party, they don’t understand your challenges. So, translation of your needs to IT company management and the developers is one of the primary duties of business analysts. They are aimed to make sure that everyone is on track, and there are no misunderstandings.
Business analysts translate your business requirements and specifications to the tasks which are followed by the developers.
Developers are used to jargon, which might cause misunderstanding between you and them. Additionally, they might not have a deep understanding of your business domain. As a result, they will not be able to interpret your needs in the right way. The primary goal of business analysis here is to make sure you receive exactly what you expect.
Communication
Today’s business analysts are also in charge of creating a communication bridge between you and your team. They are mediators of your project. They know both the weak and strong points of the team and your expectations and here to improve the communication flow.
Without communication, you do not know what is being built, and developers are not sure if they are doing what you expect. It might lead to frequent changes, rebuilding of some features, and loss of money. The business analyst must update you on every sage of software development and make sure that the product meets your needs.
Probably, if you worked with software developers in the past, you had an experience with project managers, and product owners who oversaw some tasks business analysts do right now. However, in the world of Agile, a lot of these tasks became a little bit troublesome for these professionals to handle, especially when bringing up a massive project to life. That’s why business analysts’ duties were expanded, making these professionals more notable for the software project.
And if you are looking for the professionals to build the next innovative product, don’t hesitate to contact Efisco, and we will build the right team for you.