Tags: BA, Business analysis, Prototype
The application development process is a multi-layered activity with the core idea as the starting point and a well-functioning final product as the top layer. In this post, we will focus on the twists and turns involved in bringing the idea through to the final product.
IT Business Analysis is all about the elicitation of business and software requirements. The main goal at this stage is to put flesh on the bones for a client’s idea and to provide proof of concept for its realization. Hence, the business analyst who completes these tasks serves as a bridge between the client and the development team. They transmit the client’s vision and frame it in technical language. And as a result, you as a client have all aspects of the app clarified, specified, approved and precisely described in terms required for technical implementation.
What DB Best brings to its clients with Business Analysis
When done properly, Business Analysis ensures that your software solution will have a healthy foundation for all upcoming development stages. And that’s exactly the approach we use at DB Best. Our team’s mission is not only to grasp a client’s vision and corresponding requirements for the product. We also go into detail and verify all the above to uncover the best technical implementation for a client’s business concept.
Solutions: What you get with DB Best
Since our business analysts are specialists with strong technical backgrounds and great communication skills, they’re capable of complex business and technical consulting. Together with DB Best system architects and project managers, our business analysts approach your solution from different angles. They help you define aspects that include:
- Overall functionality, including feature definition by priority such as crucial features that become part of the MVP as well as additional functionality that will enhance the product and help it grow into a more advanced system. This also includes use cases.
- Beneficial and reliable technologies that allow full realization of the designed functionality as well as high performance and scalability of the solution.
- Feasible platforms where the application should operate according to the target audience, current and upcoming market tendencies, and a host of other factors.
- Software architecture: client and server-side architecture and the logic of how all components interact.
- Proven 3rd party services that offer all needed documentation for integration to the app and its proper performance.
- The visualization of the application by wireframing. We can even provide an interactive prototype.
Within the business analysis stage, we’re striving not only to meet the current need by any means but to foresee any situation that might take place in the market for years to come. Thus, together with the client, we pick the right path for the product to follow in the future. And even though business analysis is just the first stage of our cooperation, it’s an important one that gets the client’s project off on the right foot.
BA stages, tools and artifacts
Just to clarify, this phase of business analysis is independent and valuable on its own. This is true whether you proceed with development immediately or even if you decide to take a break. With Business Analysis, you possess the entire range of technical and procedural artifacts essential for the further efficient development process. In other words, when prepared properly, these documents are not only applicable to that particular team at that particular moment. They are sufficient and can serve at any time as a compass for the flow and functionality of the app as well as for the flow of development.
Stages of Business Analysis at DB Best
When we move from one stage of business analysis to another using a specific sequence, we can collaborate to discover and cover every inch of the project. In this way, we eliminate possible misunderstandings and misconceptions between members engaged in building the solution. Everyone sees the goals the same way and we can concentrate fully on implementation.
Stages of the BA at DB Best as a part of an efficient business analysis process include:
- Project background research and business objectives discovery
At this stage, we collect and analyze project (concept) history using all existing project-related materials and input data. We also discover current business processes and possible business risks. Finally, we set high-level project goals and make sure they represent the vision of the client’s entire team.
- Defining a project scope
Here we define the entire scope of the project and exclude things that are not relevant. We formulate general output and outline specific issues like deliverables, acceptance criteria for the deliverables, possible risks, etc.
We are halfway through!
But, we still have 3 additional stages to complete our BA process:
- Requirements elicitation
Once we have the scope outlined, we gather all possible requirements with respect to the solution and document them. This stage is all about qualitative communication and attention to details. Our team might turn to personal interviews, custom questionnaires, templates and prototypes with assumptions to understand the complete picture of the solution in the same way the client’s team sees it.
- Validation of the requests
Here we validate all gathered requirements and basically match them with business requirements previously discovered. In controversial cases, we work together with the client to prioritize queries and agree on which of them are critical. The rest can be removed or postponed until the next project phase. Also, we validate the requirements from the technical point of view and, in the case of some constraints, determine how to overcome them. We may even use DB Best’s software architects and key experts for this purpose.
- Requirements analysis and documentation
The final stage is where we prioritize all valid requirements according to their importance, implementation complexity and associated risks. This is also the stage where create project documentation. Here, we describe all solution aspects. Those include the purpose of the app, the business model, business and system use cases, functional and non-functional requirements, designs, acceptance criteria, etc. We take care of the format and the convenience so that each team member understands all sides of the solution.
Our BA team uses the following tools
While this section isn’t all-inclusive, we wanted to share just a few of the programs that help us in providing our clients with high-value business analysis. The following tools are key for our business analysis team within their daily workflow:
- Draw.io
Used to build flow charts, process diagrams, and network diagrams. - Gliffy
Another powerful tool for diagraming, flow charts creation, and much more. - Figma
A great tool that allows us to design interfaces and build interactive prototypes. - Adobe Photoshop
This is a great help in many types of visualization creation.
Artifacts Our Clients Receive after Business Analysis is Complete
After the business analysis stage at DB Best, you will receive valuable documentation for your project. This documentation includes:
Software Requirements Specification — Project Scope, operating environment, design, and implementation constraints, safety, security requirements (for users want security assurance when using the app). The document also includes functional and non-functional requirements, use case diagrams, and user acceptance testing.
Wireframes (business/technical design) — with the help of wireframes you will have an idea of the information that will be displayed on the platform pages. You will see the structure of the solution, the layout, and the general look of the user interface.
Clickable prototype — as a result of the business analysis stage, you will also have a clickable prototype of the solution. It serves as a visual demonstration of the application. Unlike wireframes, prototypes are done in color and include animation as well as the actual content of pages. This artifact represents the way screens will interact with one another and is considered a primitive working model of the app.
We can support you with Business Development at a later date
Our Business Analysis demonstrates a company’s readiness for challenges, the team’s skills in technical investigation, and the ability to bring value to the client’s product.
We at DB Best strive to provide our clients with qualified consultation. To do that, we dive into their technological concept and chosen business model. Sometimes, our clients know exactly what they want and have an actual vision of how their solution should progress. But in some cases, clients need authoritative advice on how their idea can be evolved into a valuable and viable product. Then our team may modify a client’s initial concept to make it more viable and appealing to the target market.
Since we build a long-term partnership with our clients rather than work on a task-by-task basis, we provide consulting and qualified support during all stages of development and far into the future. Basically, we bear responsibility for the results of the BA stage. And we are ready to address your needs not only in terms of development power but in terms of business direction as well. At any stage of your business and at any time we will provide the smartest tech solution possible.
Why choose DB Best for business analysis and software development?
At DB Best we provide our clients with full-cycle development services. We start with the investigation of your idea and the way it can be brought to life. And we walk you all the way through design, development, deployment and all further amendments and support activities in respect to your product. We truly believe the business analysis we conduct for you will be the first stage of a fruitful partnership. Contact us today and let’s start our work together!
