Creating a Business Analysis Model

A business analysis model is a pictorial representation of the steps that a business takes to complete a business process. It involves using a model to outline or develop a business strategy.

Models can easily be explained by the common phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. With the help of these models, diagrams, and other visual aids, a business analyst can, at a glance, comprehend the current state of the business and then advise stakeholders on possible future operations when recommended changes are introduced. 

These models enable an analyst to understand the needs of stakeholders in an organisation. By narrowing down the problem areas, these business analysis tools also help them to determine the opportunities that an organization can explore to expand its growth strategies.

Purpose of business analysis model

Typically it's an easy way to understand the description of a business or an organisation. It can be used to describe the internal structure of the company without necessarily prescribing binding roles to workers and other business entities.

It is therefore used not only to define business products and services but also to provide an overview of internal workers and systems, as well as other units that form the organisation's structure. By using a model, one can easily define the relationships between various actors in an organisation thereby giving one an idea of their behaviors.  

Stakeholders find models very useful as they can understand some of the effects of the changes that are yet to be introduced into the business.

Types of business analysis models

When determining the correct model, it is vital to first evaluate the needs of the business and the most likely useful solutions to these needs. Here is a list of categories based on business needs, such as strategic, tactical  and operational business analysis.

Also Read: Reasons why business marketing can create a difference

Creating a business analysis model

To develop a business analysis model, a BA needs a comprehensive understanding of the business problem, stakeholders, and users of the value delivered by the model. This is important because the diagram or model selected needs to provide user-friendly solutions. Ideally, the right modeling tool should be based on the organization's structure and the relationship of its stakeholders.

A combination of diagrams or models may work best for medium-to-large projects. Ideally, the model chosen should, at any point should mimic the patterns and relationships that stakeholders use to organize their work environment.

Here are some steps you can take when creating a business analysis model.

1. Identify the primary business objectives

Being familiar with the overall goal or vision of an organization is the first step of business analysis and a crucial one in determining the appropriate model to be used that all stakeholders will understand. It also helps to define the scope of the model that will be used and ensure that precious time is not spent on solutions that do not fit the main organization problem.

Identifying primary objectives answers the question “Why do you need a business analysis model?”

2. Gather background information

It is advisable to research and gather all the necessary information about the nature and root causes of a problem as this helps the BA to clarify the objectives of the project and redefine the scope of the model to have only the information that meets the requirements for having a representative business analysis model.

Having a structured analysis should not, in any way, overrule the need for a well researched and documented report. A report is based on the findings of detailed business analysis and can be used to develop business analysis models that will provide the same information as in the report but with a high level of abstractions.

Depending on the stakeholders’ needs and understanding, the analysis model should be detailed enough to be well comprehended. On the other hand, however, even with a very refined diagram, more details still need to be communicated through text. This means that diagrams cannot completely replace written text as the text remains to be the only way to express some quality attributes of business analysis findings. In other words, diagrams should be used to complement effectively written specifications by highlighting important elements.

3. Define the scope of modeling

Clearly defining the scope brings together the entire team in one understanding of the business needs.

An effective business analysis model is one that is the outcome of responding to the most pressing needs. This calls for modeling to be guided by a clear statement of the project scope. This is especially helpful when developing models in teams as it helps all team members to progress uniformly and see their individual contributions as a vital part of the entire project.

However, it might not be necessary to have a single model that provides solutions to all the identified problems. The focus should be on modeling the most complex or risky elements of a problem/business need and in the process, helping stakeholders have a unified understanding of the approach taken to deal with the identified needs.

Ideally, defining scope involves

• Defining a solution approach to a business problem
• Drafting a clear statement of scope and having all stakeholders go through it up to a point of where they all have a shared understanding of the statement
• Re-evaluating the business case for the project

4. Check existing models

As much as it’s tempting to innovate a new model to represent the requirement for your analysis, it’s prudent to use existing, standardized models unless this is not possible. Various models have already been tested and found effective in representing virtually all things that one might want to show about the organization's processes, systems, interfaces, and structures among others. It is, therefore, helpful for a business analyst to familiarize themselves with as many models as possible to always have a variety of models to choose from to represent their findings the best way possible.

5. Determine the right analysis model to present your information

It should be common knowledge that there is no one requirement that can provide solutions for all the elements that make up an entire organization’s system. As a result, it’s important to narrow down one’s selection to an analysis model that shows one view of an identified problem. Some simple ways of representing a requirement are using lists, tables, prototypes among other ways of simplifying complex information.

Conclusion

It is likely that you might not come up with a perfect analysis model on your first attempt. Chances are that the first diagram that you sketch will be far away from the information that you want to portray to your stakeholders. Keep redefining your drawings and counter checking your model to be sure that the right data is used and the right stakeholders captured. Selecting the right tools does not only make it easy for you to draw appropriate models but will also help you to visualize your findings effectively. Most business analysts master this art through years of experience. If you are eager to learn about it, you can take up a business analyst certification course and develop the relevant skills and experience too.