“Week 3: Business Problem and Requirements
Business Analysis
The basic idea of business analysis is simple. It is the practice of identifying and
clarifying a problem or issue within a company, then working with the various
stakeholders to define and implement an acceptable solution. However, actually
conducting a business analysis can be quite complex and time-consuming.
Starting Point
The first step in the process is to identify a problem, an issue, or some other
business need. Let’s say that you are the owner of a small motorcycle
dealership. In addition to selling bikes, your store does repairs and
maintenance, sells riding gear, and custom orders parts for your customers. You
have received numerous complaints from the staff and customers about the accuracy of your inventory system. The problem
is the inventory system often shows parts and merchandise as being in stock,
when none are actually available. This often means that a repair job is not
finished on schedule, which really irritates your customers.

Milestone 1
Business Problem Definition
In a 5-8 page paper using APA format, please describe the following:
1. Introduction
Briefly describe the organization and the business process you are evaluation
to provide context for your project.
2. Business
problem Identify and describe the business problem explain the
steps in the current business process and why it needs to be improved.
a.
Create a flowchart
of the as-is / currentbusiness
process using Microsoft Visio insert the figure in this section.
b. If
you do not have Visio installed on your computer, you can access this
application via the iLab tab in the
Course Home unit.
3. Project
stakeholders Explain the importance of interacting with stakeholders
on your project and why they are important to the success of your project.
a. Create
a stakeholder matrix based on each stakeholders position and responsibilities,
the level of their involvement that will be required during the project, and
their importance to the success of the project.
b.
Insert the table in this section.

Example of a stakeholder matrix:

Role

Responsibilities

Level of Involvement

Importance

Project Manager
(Business)

Manages the day-to-day organization of project tasks

High,
regular, daily

High needed to mediate disputes and guide the direction
of the project

Project Manager
(Implementation partner)

Business Analyst

Department Manager

Approves purchase orders

Medium,
regular, weekly

Medium needed to provide details on the inventory
replenishment process

Work Group Supervisor

External Business Partner
(supplier)

SME 1

SME 2

SME 3

Level of Involvement What level of project involvement is required of this stakeholder and
how much time will be expected of this stakeholder?
Importance How important is the stakeholder in the overall success of
the project? Are they required in order to document all of the critical project
requirements, or are they optional in that they can add clarity to processes
that may further refine requirements?

4. Elicitation
activity Explain the importance of using the correct method to gather
requirements for your project.
a. Select
one method from the list below to gather
requirements about the business process from your project stakeholders.
b. Describe
the elicitation method used, how many participants responded, and why this was
the best method for eliciting requirements for your project.
c. Provide
a summary of the elicitation results in
this section of the paper.
d. Use
a chart, table, or graph to illustrate the summarized results.
e. Provide
the individual results of your elicitation activity in the Appendix of this
paper. (hint: the Appendix is a separate section located after the References
section)

Surveys develop a set of 5-8 multiple choice questions
pertaining to the business problem that will enable you to document a list of
requirements for your project, administer the survey to elicit responses from 10 participants
Interviews develop a set of 5-8 open-ended questions pertaining to
the business problem that will enable you to document a list of requirements
for your project, conduct interviews to elicit responses from 10 participants
Observation develop a list of 5 work areas pertaining to the business
problem where you can observe employees acting out the steps in the business
process, document your observations and record issues that will enable you to
document a list of requirements for your project
Document analysis Gather and review at least 5 internal sources of existing
documentation from the organization that is pertinent to your business problem
or that may hold data related to a viable solution.
According to the BABOK, such documentation may
include, business plans, market studies, contracts, requests for proposal,
statements of work, memos, existing guidelines, procedures, training guides,
competing product literature, published comparative product reviews, problem
reports, customer suggestion logs, and existing system specifications.
5. List of
requirements Explain why having accurate requirements is essential to
the success of your project. Explain the process you used to document your
requirements during the elicitation activity from the previous section.
a.List the requirements you gathered from
your project stakeholders during the elicitation activity in a table similar to
the one below.

Example
of a requirements matrix:

Requirement
ID

Business Requirement

Stakeholder

Business
Process step

Project Objective

1.1

The
Warehouse inventory should be updated within 15 minutes when new stock is
received.

Warehouse
Manager

Receipt
Incoming
Stock

To show
accurate inventory levels in the system at all times.

Business requirement
this column contains a description of the requirement (the
WHAT not the
HOW). Describe what the stakeholders want the process to accomplish.

Stakeholder
this column identifies the stakeholder that defined this requirement.

Business process step
this column links to the step in the business process flowchart you presented
in the Business Problem section of this paper.

Project objective
this column describes the goal of the requirement. As shown above, the
requirement is to update inventory within 15 mins. of receiving new product,
and the goal of this requirement is to have accurate inventory showing in the
system within a reasonable timeframe.

6. Conclusion
– Do not simply reiterate your results or the discussion points.
Explain
the significance of your findings from the results of the elicitation activity.
Where do they lead you regarding next steps for the project?
Indicate
where you found opportunities to implement a solution that will bring
improvements to the business process you described in the Introduction.
a.For example, while examining the process
with stakeholders you found that employees were skipping a step because it took
too long to complete or they werent properly trained on how to complete that
step. This will allow you, as the business analyst, to explore how training
classes are being conducted or how long it actually takes an employee to
complete the process by observing the staff for a few hours.

Grading Rubric

Category

Points

Weighting

Description

Content

60 pts

60%

All key elements of the assignment
are covered in a substantive way. Page
count met. Major points are stated
clearly, are supported by specific details (examples or analysis), and are
organized logically. The paper links
theory to relevant examples of current experience and industry practice.
Provided depth and clarity.

Grammar and
Spelling

20 pts

20%

Paper is well written and is
college level writing. Rules of
grammar and punctuation are followed. Spelling is correct. Follows APA
format.

Organization &
Cohesiveness

20 pts

20%

Paper was organized, has topical
flow, and used appropriate industry vocabulary, concepts, and theory. Paragraph transitions are present and
logical, flow maintained throughout paper. Sentences are complete, clear, and
concise. Sentence transitions are present and maintain the flow of
thought.

Total

100 Pts

100%

A quality paper will meet or exceed
all of the above requirements.

Week 3: Business Problem and RequirementsBusiness AnalysisThe basic idea of business analysis is simple. It is the practice of identifying and
clarifying a problem or issue within a company, then working with the various
stakeholders to define and implement an acceptable solution. However, actually
conducting a business analysis can be quite complex and time-consuming. Starting PointThe first step in the process is to identify a problem, an issue, or some other
business need. Let’s say that you are the owner of a small motorcycle
dealership. In addition to selling bikes, your store does repairs and
maintenance, sells riding gear, and custom orders parts for your customers. You
have received numerous complaints from the staff and customers about the accuracy of your inventory system. The problem
is the inventory system often shows parts and merchandise as being in stock,
when none are actually available. This often means that a repair job is not
finished on schedule, which really irritates your customers. Milestone 1
Business Problem DefinitionIn a 5-8 page paper using APA format, please describe the following:1. Introduction
Briefly describe the organization and the business process you are evaluation
to provide context for your project. 2. Business
problem Identify and describe the business problem explain the
steps in the current business process and why it needs to be improved. a.
Create a flowchart
of the as-is / currentbusiness
process using Microsoft Visio insert the figure in this section. b. If
you do not have Visio installed on your computer, you can access this
application via the iLab tab in the
Course Home unit.3. Project
stakeholders Explain the importance of interacting with stakeholders
on your project and why they are important to the success of your project. a. Create
a stakeholder matrix based on each stakeholders position and responsibilities,
the level of their involvement that will be required during the project, and
their importance to the success of the project. b.
Insert the table in this section. Example of a stakeholder matrix: Role ResponsibilitiesLevel of InvolvementImportanceProject Manager(Business)Manages the day-to-day organization of project tasksHigh,
regular, dailyHigh needed to mediate disputes and guide the direction
of the projectProject Manager(Implementation partner)Business AnalystDepartment ManagerApproves purchase ordersMedium,
regular, weeklyMedium needed to provide details on the inventory
replenishment processWork Group SupervisorExternal Business Partner(supplier)SME 1SME 2SME 3Level of Involvement What level of project involvement is required of this stakeholder and
how much time will be expected of this stakeholder?Importance How important is the stakeholder in the overall success of
the project? Are they required in order to document all of the critical project
requirements, or are they optional in that they can add clarity to processes
that may further refine requirements? 4. Elicitation
activity Explain the importance of using the correct method to gather
requirements for your project. a. Select
one method from the list below to gather
requirements about the business process from your project stakeholders. b. Describe
the elicitation method used, how many participants responded, and why this was
the best method for eliciting requirements for your project. c. Provide
a summary of the elicitation results in
this section of the paper. d. Use
a chart, table, or graph to illustrate the summarized results. e. Provide
the individual results of your elicitation activity in the Appendix of this
paper. (hint: the Appendix is a separate section located after the References
section) Surveys develop a set of 5-8 multiple choice questions
pertaining to the business problem that will enable you to document a list of
requirements for your project, administer the survey to elicit responses from 10 participantsInterviews develop a set of 5-8 open-ended questions pertaining to
the business problem that will enable you to document a list of requirements
for your project, conduct interviews to elicit responses from 10 participantsObservation develop a list of 5 work areas pertaining to the business
problem where you can observe employees acting out the steps in the business
process, document your observations and record issues that will enable you to
document a list of requirements for your projectDocument analysis Gather and review at least 5 internal sources of existing
documentation from the organization that is pertinent to your business problem
or that may hold data related to a viable solution. According to the BABOK, such documentation may
include, business plans, market studies, contracts, requests for proposal,
statements of work, memos, existing guidelines, procedures, training guides,
competing product literature, published comparative product reviews, problem
reports, customer suggestion logs, and existing system specifications.5. List of
requirements Explain why having accurate requirements is essential to
the success of your project. Explain the process you used to document your
requirements during the elicitation activity from the previous section. a.List the requirements you gathered from
your project stakeholders during the elicitation activity in a table similar to
the one below. Example
of a requirements matrix: RequirementIDBusiness RequirementStakeholderBusinessProcess stepProject Objective1.1The
Warehouse inventory should be updated within 15 minutes when new stock is
received.WarehouseManagerReceiptIncomingStockTo show
accurate inventory levels in the system at all times. Business requirement
this column contains a description of the requirement (the WHAT not the
HOW). Describe what the stakeholders want the process to accomplish. Stakeholder
this column identifies the stakeholder that defined this requirement. Business process step
this column links to the step in the business process flowchart you presented
in the Business Problem section of this paper. Project objective
this column describes the goal of the requirement. As shown above, the
requirement is to update inventory within 15 mins. of receiving new product,
and the goal of this requirement is to have accurate inventory showing in the
system within a reasonable timeframe. 6. Conclusion
– Do not simply reiterate your results or the discussion points. Explain
the significance of your findings from the results of the elicitation activity.
Where do they lead you regarding next steps for the project? Indicate
where you found opportunities to implement a solution that will bring
improvements to the business process you described in the Introduction. a.For example, while examining the process
with stakeholders you found that employees were skipping a step because it took
too long to complete or they werent properly trained on how to complete that
step. This will allow you, as the business analyst, to explore how training
classes are being conducted or how long it actually takes an employee to
complete the process by observing the staff for a few hours. Grading RubricCategoryPointsWeightingDescriptionContent60 pts60%All key elements of the assignment
are covered in a substantive way. Page
count met. Major points are stated
clearly, are supported by specific details (examples or analysis), and are
organized logically. The paper links
theory to relevant examples of current experience and industry practice.
Provided depth and clarity.Grammar andSpelling20 pts20%Paper is well written and is
college level writing. Rules of
grammar and punctuation are followed. Spelling is correct. Follows APA
format.Organization &Cohesiveness
20 pts20%Paper was organized, has topical
flow, and used appropriate industry vocabulary, concepts, and theory. Paragraph transitions are present and
logical, flow maintained throughout paper. Sentences are complete, clear, and
concise. Sentence transitions are present and maintain the flow of
thought. Total100 Pts100%A quality paper will meet or exceed
all of the above requirements.”