Business Analysis: Best Practices for Success -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- International Institute for Learning, Inc. (IIL) -- PART I: THE PROBLEM SOLVER -- CHAPTER 1: What Is a Business Analyst? -- The Business Analyst in Context -- What Is It All About? -- The Role of the Business Analyst -- The Business Analyst in the Center -- Business Analyst Focus -- The Ideal Business Analyst -- Last-Liners -- Notes -- CHAPTER 2: The Evolution of the Business Analyst -- The Business Analyst Hall of Fame -- Where It Began -- Information Systems -- The Rise of the Business Analyst -- The Business Analyst Position -- The Business Analyst Profession -- The Question of Certification -- The Challenge of Business Analyst Certification -- The Value of Certification -- Notes -- CHAPTER 3: A Sense of Where You Are -- Business Analysts Coming from IT -- Business Analysts Coming from the Business Community -- Living with the Business -- The Lone Ranger -- Working Both Sides of the Street -- Central Business Analyst Organization -- CHAPTER 4: What Makes a Good Business Analyst? -- The Skillful Business Analyst -- Is a Business Analyst Born or Made? -- So What Does It Take to Be a Business Analyst? -- CHAPTER 5: Roles of the Business Analyst -- Intermediary -- Filter -- Mediator -- Diplomat -- Politician -- Investigator -- Analyst -- Change Agent -- Quality Control Specialist -- Facilitator -- Process Improver -- Increase the Value of Organizational Business Processes -- Build It and They Will Come -- Reducing Complexity -- Playing Multiple Roles -- Notes -- PART II: THE PLAYERS -- CHAPTER 6: The Business Analyst and the Solution Team -- Business Analyst and Project Manager -- Business Analyst and Systems Analyst -- Trying to Do All Jobs -- Business Analyst and the Rest of the Solution Team -- Bottom Line -- Notes.

CHAPTER 7: The Business Analyst and the Business Community -- Constituents and Constituencies -- Business Analysts and Upper-Level Management -- Product Stakeholders -- Subject Matter Experts -- Process Workers -- Managing Expectations -- Notes -- PART III: THE PROBLEM -- CHAPTER 8: Define the Problem -- First Things First -- Challenge 1: Finding the Problem -- Challenge 2: The Unstated Problem -- Challenge 3: The Misunderstood Problem -- Define the Real Problem -- The Problem Determination Game -- Documenting the Problem -- Product Vision -- Define the Vision -- Checkpoint Alpha -- Focus on the Problem and Vision -- Note -- CHAPTER 9: Define the Product Scope -- Project and Product Scopes -- Product Scope -- Product Scope Formula -- Strategic Justification -- Business and Product Constraints -- Business and Product Risks -- Functional Goals -- Political Success Factors -- Product Scope Formula -- Measuring -- Take the Technical Pulse -- Applying the Product Scope -- Notes -- CHAPTER 10: Confirm Alignment and Financial Justification -- The Business Case -- The Value of IT -- Considering Alignment -- Organization Mission -- Organization Goals -- Organization Strategies -- Department-Level Mission, Goals, and Strategies -- At the Tactical Level -- Determining the Value of the IT Project -- Provide Financial Justification for Solving the Problem -- Proof of Solution: Feasibility Study -- The Metrics Game -- In the End . . . -- Notes -- PART IV: THE PROCESS -- CHAPTER 11: Gather the Information -- Why We Cannot Define Good Requirements -- Stop Gathering Requirements -- Users Do Not Have Requirements -- Gather Information, Not Requirements -- Gathering the Information -- Information-Gathering Plan -- Information-Gathering Session -- Solving Common Information-Gathering Issues -- Iterative Information Gathering -- Interviewing.

Information-Gathering Meetings -- Other Elicitation Methods -- Are We Done Yet? -- Notes -- CHAPTER 12: Define the Problem Domain -- Problem Domain Analysis -- Defining the Domain -- Changes in the Problem Domain -- Neighboring Constituencies -- Ancillary Benefits -- Change in the Problem -- The Essence -- Note -- CHAPTER 13: Determine the Solution -- The Accordion Effect -- Tools and Techniques -- Determining the One Best Solution -- Constraining the Solution -- Stop Analyzing, Already -- Confirmation -- Checkpoint Beta -- Notes -- CHAPTER 14: Write the Solution Document -- The Value of Documentation -- The Anatomy of Requirements -- Forms of Solution Documentation -- Write the Right Thing -- Write the Thing Right -- Canned Brains -- Requirements Ownership -- Complete the Process -- Note -- PART V: PRODUCING THE PRODUCT -- CHAPTER 15: Monitor the Product -- Entering the Solution Domain -- Development Processes -- Implementing the Solution -- Keep the Light on -- Things Change -- Checkpoint Charley -- The Watchdog -- The Essence -- Notes -- CHAPTER 16: Confirm the Business Problem Has Been Solved -- Correct Behavior -- Acceptable Level of Confidence -- Circumstances of Interest -- The Testing Game -- User Acceptance Testing? -- Handling Defects -- Testing Does Not Stop at Delivery -- Note -- CHAPTER 17: Transition and Change Management -- Steps to Ensure Successful Change in the Organization -- Orchestrate the Transition -- Facilitate the Transition -- Timing the Change -- Major and Minor Changes -- Do Not Change a Thing -- Wrapping Up -- Notes -- POSTSCRIPT: Where to Go from Here -- Future of Business Analysis -- Why We Need Business Analysts -- The True Value of the Business Analyst -- Increasing the Value of the Organization -- Power to the Business Analyst -- Notes -- APPENDIX A: Business Analyst Process -- APPENDIX B: The Principles.

APPENDIX C: Why We Do Not Get Good Requirements -- APPENDIX D: Comparison of the Roles of Business Analyst, Systems Analyst, and Project Manager -- APPENDIX E: Context-Free Problem Definition Questions -- APPENDIX F: List of Nonfunctional Requirements Categories -- Bibliography -- About the Author -- Index.