Business Analysis Articles & Systems Analysis Articles

Systems and processes are integral to business today but are still difficult to implement successfully. Successful processes and systems are those that meet the business requirements. Businesses utilise these technological and intellectual assets to create value for themselves.

Performing analysis upfront ensures the business requirements are met and ensures the success of a project/integration, while also saving costs over the lifespan of the system.

Although analysis is intuitively necessary, it can still be difficult to justify because it is a means to an end rather than an end in itself. Stakeholders are hesitant to invest in analysis as there is a risk that the project will be terminated after the analysis phase.

This could be due to a variety of possible reasons and lead to the perception that the effort and cost was wasted. Such an early termination is precisely why analysis should be carried out - to prevent spending much more on a poor quality solution that will not be used effectively. This is the case for analysis of the business needs and proof that it will reduce the risk of failure and the total cost of the solution.

The objective of good business analysis is to ensure that businesses realise the full potential of their project initiatives. When optimising processes or implementing systems, the associated business cases will set out the cost versus benefit analysis with the benefit being that which the business is trying to maximise. The obvious issue that arises is whether, by investing in analysis, the business is raising the costs in greater proportion than it is raising the benefits.

Ian Munro, BSG, Head of Business Solutions, JHB, says that while you may potentially be raising the costs in the short-term, or for the duration of the project, you are, in effect, raising the benefits over the longer-term of the business so that the benefits will outweigh the costs. Munro says the benefits of a system which is fit for purpose and thus supports the fundamental drivers of efficiency, improved customer service, cost containment, etc, are tangible, while maintaining a system which has bugs or which is not fit for purpose has a significantly higher cost

Author: BSG

How do the professions of project management and business analysis create their work synergies? It’s all about process. The process of successful project execution is reliant upon the business analyst providing the correct inputs to the project that the project manager uses to manage the entire delivery of the project. In short, the business analyst (BA) provides the input (via requirements) for which the project manager (PM) uses to manages the “triple constraint” of a project. Together, along with other project team functions, they are able to deliver the solution that makes sense and meets the goals of the organization.

Author: Nancy Nee, PMP

The short answer: "Because it requires work."

The long answer: People tend to resist gazing into the crystal ball and prefer to react to life as it passes them by. Some people believe planning in today's ever changing world is a waste of time, that you must be more "agile" and accommodate changes as they occur. As anyone who has designed and built anything of substance knows, this is utterly ridiculous. We would not have the many great skyscrapers, bridges, dams, highways, ships, planes, and other sophisticated equipment without the efforts of architects and engineers. Without such planning, our country would look essentially no different than how the pioneers first discovered the continent. Although we must certainly be flexible in our plans, and we will inevitably make some mistakes along the way, little progress would be made if we did not try to plan a course of action and control our destiny.

People often take planning for granted, that someone else will be making plans for us, such as government officials, our corporate management, or even the elders of our families. Consequently we become rather lax about looking into the future. Nor is there any encouragement by anyone to plan our affairs, such as a tax break. Whereas other countries offer incentives to save money for the future, such as Japan, America does not. Therefore, planning is a rather personal activity; we either see the virtue in doing so or we do not.

Author: Tim Bryce