A Comprehensive Guide About Agile Business Analysis
In a previous blog, I talked about what a business analyst is, the tasks they perform and the value they add to your project.
Click here to read more about - What Is A Business Analyst?
More and more companies are utilizing some form of the Agile Project Management Methodology. The BA needs to identify, collect, analyze, and share relevant information to the stakeholders so they can make strategic decisions. Towards this goal, there are many tools, tasks and techniques the BA can utilize within the Agile framework. In the Agile Business Analyst Techniques listed below and within each of the blogs referenced are many of these techniques are explored in more detail.
To gain a better understanding of Agile; what it is and how it works, some of these previous blogs discuss the characteristics of the Agile Framework:
What Is Agile, A Methodology - In this blog, we cover a brief description of the Agile Framework is discussed along with its guidelines and practices.
Myths About Agile Project Management - This blog discusses some of the myths and misconceptions about Agile.
Exploring How Agile Applies To Project Management - Here how Agile came about, the problems or issues with Waterfall and how the Agile values can be used to address those issues is explored.
Scrum Team Roles - Here the three main scrum team roles are described along with the purpose and function of each role.
Over the course of several blogs, I have explored the various techniques and tasks the BA can perform to aid in the project delivery when using Agile.
Agile Business Analyst Techniques:
An Introduction To Product Road Mapping - This explores what the product road map is, how to create one and how it can be used in project delivery.
Minimal Viable Product - Here the elements within and the steps to create a minimal viable product along with its strengths and limitations are examined.
Value Stream Mapping - Here how value stream mapping is used within each of the BA horizons, how to prepare and conduct value stream mapping sessions are examined.
Real Options - Here the elements within the real options technique is explored and how it aids in the decision making process.
Behaviour Driven Development - This blog explores how behaviour driven development can increase value, decrease waste, and increase communication between stakeholders and delivery teams.
Sprint Reviews - Here the importance of and how to conduct sprint reviews are explored.
Personas In Agile - In this blog, what personas are and how to create them are reviewed along with the strengths and limitations of having them completed for your project.
Job Stories In Agile - Here how job stories can provide more context than a user story and the typical syntax used in creating a job story are discussed.
Spikes - Read this blog to find out why you would use a spike, its goals and the different types of spikes that can be used.
Storyboarding - Here you can learn how to use storyboarding conjunction with use cases, user stories, and prototyping for your Agile project.
Story Mapping - Here you can learn how to create a story map, its benefits and how it assists in determining required product functionality.
Story Elaboration - Here story elaboration is described to show how it helps determine the critical development aspects in order to deliver a working solution.
Story Decomposition - Here several story decomposition methods are discussed along with its strengths and limitations.
Relative Estimation - Here how relative estimation is performed is discussed and how it uses past experience, knowledge, complexity, size and uncertainty to make future predictions.
What is a Product Vision Statement? - This blog describes what a product vision statement is, what it communicates and its traits.
In Summary
In today’s project management world, an agile BA needs to be versatile and can be responsible for a number of roles in an agile team. Agile BAs face numerous challenges in an agile environment with changing scopes and requirements. I hope you find some of these techniques useful in your project.