software development | Business Impact | agile
How do you engineer a technical solution without first understanding the problem you’re trying to solve?
You may as well blindfold yourself and try to go about your day as you normally would. Inevitably, you’ll run into some roadblocks.
It happens more often than you might think. Not the blindfold (we hope!), but the uncharted territory of trying to solve a business problem without any upfront analysis.
In today’s world of ever-increasing and always accessible information, there’s no reason not to conduct business analysis as a key first step for any initiative — especially when you’re faced with a complex problem that requires a technical solution.
If you’re considering whether business analysis for software development is a necessary step in your solution roadmap, we’re here to show you why it’s essential — including what it looks like, the return on investment (ROI), and why it’s a mainstay in our agile approach.
What is Business Analysis?
Business analysis is a research methodology where you identify and analyze business problems to determine a solution (or solutions).
In the technology space, that solution often results in custom software development, but it can (and should) encompass more than that: strategic planning, process improvements and policy development to aid operational efficiency, and even organizational change.
Without that first crucial step of conducting comprehensive business analysis, you might miss a facet of the problem or opportunities to solve more than what you set out to. When you’re investing your company’s time, resources, and dollars, it pays to do the research up front — otherwise, you risk building a half-baked solution.
Analyze, then Strategize
We’ve taken the blindfold off. What does successful business analysis actually look like?
Multiple sub-disciplines and techniques are out there, some of which you’ve probably heard of before — think SWOT, Five Whys, SCRS analysis and more. Whatever technique appeals to your organization most, we recommend including the following elements to enable discovery:
- Key stakeholder interviews
- Market research
- Persona development
Once you can see everything in front of you and your desired solution, it’s a lot easier — and more profitable — to chart a path to get there. Business analysis for your technical solution delivers a better ROI in a few ways:
- Minimizes Rework and Requirements Churn
Rework happens when there’s a lack of clarity about the solution requirements. Comprehensive, collaborative business analysis guides the management of requirements and reduces rework, even as those requirements evolve throughout an agile development process.
- Accelerates Development
What happens when everyone is on the same page? It’s a lot easier to produce better work at a rapid pace.
- Improves Overall Quality
When engineers have a better understanding of the problem their technical solution aims to solve, the result will always be more effective. Business analysis also aids in testing effectiveness, too — well-defined and testable requirements make validation of the solution that much more successful.
- Maximizes Value
Business analysis aids innovative, critical thinking by painting a bigger picture. This ultimately leads to more avenues for reducing cost and opportunities to solve problems greater than you could fully appreciate before getting started.
Achieve Your Art of the Possible with Business Analysis
At Aviture, we pride ourselves on a disciplined agile approach that enables us to define goals upfront, keep organizational value at the forefront, and set the pace for rapid, iterative innovation. Business analysis is just one of the stepping stones for our tried-and-true methodology.
If you’re ready to build a roadmap to a sustainable solution with a partner who will understand your business from top to bottom, contact us to learn more about how to get started and what doing so could mean for your organization.
