Forums for the Business Analyst

 
  Modern Analyst Forums  Business and Sy...  General  BA Lifecycle models
Previous Previous
 
Next Next
New Post 6/12/2008 5:40 AM
User is offline Craig Brown
560 posts
www.betterprojects.net
4th Level Poster




Re: BA Lifecycle models 
Modified By Craig Brown  on 6/12/2008 7:44:22 AM)

I have come across many BAs who have no/little experiences with use cases.  I think you have to see use cases in the context of the product lifecycle.  It's only really been in the last couple of years that they have hit the middle of the bell curve.

That plus the exponential growth of projects and the demands to staff them mean that your analysts can come from very diverse backgrounds, and not all of them have come through 'traditional' training and coaching.

As an aside - I am a senior BA (and PM) and rarely deal with use cases, let alone write them.  My main modelling tool tool is a (bastardised) context diagram and occaisionally unstructured flow charts and decision trees.  I do work above the details of system requirements though - my focus is more about integrating the business with technology than what's going in the box.

In fact when it comes to modelling - this PDF from ChangeThis.com aligns with my heretical views on modelling.

 
New Post 6/12/2008 7:24 AM
User is offline Tony Markos
493 posts
5th Level Poster


Re: BA Lifecycle models 

David:

The company that I was talking about teaches a requirements specification course that revolves around first creating a Context diagram, and then a bunch of Use Cases.    This is not my course, as a matter of fact, I feel that such an approach is based on the following unrealistic assumptions:

1.)  That someone, anyone, can, up front can develop a context diagram.  This is not going to happen with larger scale efforts.

2.)  That anyone can develop an integrated set of requirements  for a large scale system using a tool that has no formal integration mechanism - use cases.

As for what do I do with deal level level requirements specs that are very disjointed and often are too tech oriented?   I learn what I can from them, try to abstract a partcial data flow diagram out of them, and then I start asking alot of questions to fill the gaps to complete and verify my data flow diagrams. 

Tony

 

 
New Post 6/12/2008 8:22 AM
User is offline David Wright
141 posts
www.iag.biz
7th Level Poster




Re: BA Lifecycle models 

 ajmarkos wrote

David:

The company that I was talking about teaches a requirements specification course that revolves around first creating a Context diagram, and then a bunch of Use Cases.    This is not my course, as a matter of fact, I feel that such an approach is based on the following unrealistic assumptions:

1.)  That someone, anyone, can, up front can develop a context diagram.  This is not going to happen with larger scale efforts.

--> Why not? I use such diagrams in up-front scoping exercises. They are more like DFDs than a Use Case Diagram...

2.)  That anyone can develop an integrated set of requirements  for a large scale system using a tool that has no formal integration mechanism - use cases.

--> You mean only use cases? If so, I agree, you need an Information Model at least, with supporting business rules, and with all these artifacts cross-referenced.


David Wright
 
Previous Previous
 
Next Next
  Modern Analyst Forums  Business and Sy...  General  BA Lifecycle models

Community Blog - Latest Posts

Fabricio Laguna talks Business Analysis and AI
I recently connected with Fabricio Laguna, aka The Brazilian BA. Fabricio is a passionate and pioneering business analyst from Brazil. During our conversation, we had a thought-provoking discussion on how artificial intelligence stands to shape the field of business analysis in the years ahead. While AI promises to transform many aspects of busines...
Business Architecture, Ontology and More with Terry Roach
It's been a privilege meeting Terry Roach, a visionary in the field of enterprise architecture and business architecture. Terry's insights into the evolution of business models, the importance of ontology in architecture, and the potential of AI to shape our future were not only thought-provoking but also a reflection of his extensive exper...
Today I had the pleasure of chatting to Jignesh Jamnadas, Chief Operations Officer at Mosaic, about his Blueprints for Success. As a Senior Finance and Operations Executive, Jigs (as he is known to many) has a holistic understanding of all facets of business and a flair for managing both people and processes. Having worked with Jigs, I was struc...

 



Upcoming Live Webinars




 

Copyright 2006-2024 by Modern Analyst Media LLC