Kupe Kupersmith - Business Analysis For Dummies

Business Analysis For Dummies

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John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013937659

ISBN 978-1-118-51058-2 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-51061-2 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-51063-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-51064-3 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Introduction

O kay, so you bought this book looking for hints about performing business analysis. Or maybe youre still in the bookstore thinking about whether this book is going to be of any value to you as a business analyst. (Hint: It is.) You may be working as a business analyst now or wondering whether its the right job for you.

As a career path, business analysis is a good option. Companies today need business analysis performed so they can solve problems, take advantage of opportunities, make sure theyre chasing the most cost-effective solutions, and streamline efficiency. The good news is that the skills needed to address these concerns are learnable. With even basic knowledge, you can immediately help a company reach its goals. You can make a difference today in the success of your (or someone elses) business.

However, one of the challenges you face as a business analyst (BA) is that it isnt black and white; the standard BA answer to almost any question is, It depends. Business analysis deals with a lot of variables and changing conditions, which means you have to practice a lot to get good at it. The more you experience, the better you get. Business Analysis For Dummies brings together a lot of experience in one place to help you get a head start and jump in right away.

About This Book

Part of business analysis is about setting general expectations for the project results and being educated in various techniques and principles, and this book is right in line with that philosophy. No book about business analysis can possibly explain every situation and every approach you may find yourself in. You have to do a certain amount of figuring it out as you go along.

What this book does give you are tools and techniques you can use to set your expectations. We provide tips and starting points for communication with stakeholders and even explain what business analysis terms like stakeholder mean. This book is a reference tool you can turn to in order to understand what particular aspect of business analysis youre looking for. The beauty of it is that you dont have to read through the entire book cover to cover to get the information you want out of it. You can simply open to the table of contents, find what youre looking for, and head directly to that section without passing Go or collecting $200.

Heres a taste of the useful reference material you can expect to find in Business Analysis For Dummies:

How to determine whether someone is giving you a solution disguised as a requirement and how to find the root cause of the problem ()

Why you have to understand what is driving the business to undertake the project and know whether proceeding is a good decision ()

How to create multiple solutions for a problem (or take an advantage of an opportunity) and recommend which one the business should undertake ()

How to find and maintain the boundaries of a project so you know exactly what you are (and arent) working on ()

The great thing about this book is that we let you know exactly what information is vital and whats nonessential. Weve packed the main body with all the stuff we think you really need to know, but you can skip items like sidebars (shaded boxes) and Technical Stuff paragraphs. These bits are interesting, but you wont miss out on vital information if you choose to pass them by.

All web addresses appear in monofont . As you read, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If you're reading this book in print and want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the web address exactly as it's noted in the text, pretending that the line break doesn't exist. If you're reading this as an e-book, you've got it easy just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.

And one business analysis-specific note: We use BA, business analyst, and business analysis professional interchangeably to describe the person doing this type of work just as these terms are used in real life. Know, though, that business analyst is a general descriptor rather than a professional title. Business analysis is performed at all levels of a company. Even mom-and-pop shops need to perform business analysis, but they dont necessarily hire an outside business analyst; someone on their staff performs the business analysis work. In this book, that person is as much a BA as someone who has business analyst printed on her business card.