BCS Business Analysis Practice: Best Practices for Quality Assurance

BCS Business Analysis Practice: Best Practices for Quality Assurance

Business Analysis, in simple words, refers to the practice of identifying business needs and coming up with solutions to address them. For any business project to be successful, it is essential to have a solid business analysis plan in place. One of the significant components of business analysis is quality assurance.

Quality assurance is a process that involves verifying that a product or service meets all the requirements. In the world of business analysis, quality assurance is about ensuring that solutions designed and delivered in response to business needs are fit for purpose. The BCS Business Analysis Practice (formerly ISEB) outlines the best practices for quality assurance in business analysis.

This blog post will dive deep into the best practices for quality assurance laid out in the BCS Business Analysis Practice.

Understand the Business Needs

The first and foremost step in ensuring quality assurance in business analysis is to understand the business needs. Business analysts must take the time to understand the context, environment, and stakeholders’ needs before evaluating the solution. The analyst must ensure the solution is designed to meet the stakeholders’ needs by liaising with them throughout the analysis phase.

Define Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance criteria are the conditions that must be met for a solution to be accepted by the stakeholders. Acceptance criteria must be precise and measurable to ensure they can be applied consistently. The criteria should be agreed with stakeholders upfront, and the solution should be tested against these criteria throughout the analysis and development phase.

Test Early and Often

Testing is a critical part of quality assurance. Testing should start as early as possible in the project lifecycle to ensure that problems are identified and resolved immediately. Testing should not only focus on identifying defects but should also address usability, functionality, and performance.

Manage Change

Managing change is crucial in ensuring quality assurance in business analysis. Change can come in many different forms, from minor adjustments to fundamentally different requirements. Any change to the solution must be evaluated against the acceptance criteria to ensure it still meets the stakeholders’ needs.

Document Everything

Documentation plays a critical role in ensuring consistency and quality in business analysis. The analyst must document the requirements, acceptance criteria, design, testing plans, and test results. The documentation must be accurate, precise, and complete to ensure that everyone involved in the project can access the information they need.

Conclusion

In conclusion, quality assurance is a crucial component of business analysis. The BCS Business Analysis Practice lays out the best practices for quality assurance in business analysis. Business analysts must understand the business needs, define acceptance criteria, test early and often, manage change, and document everything. Adhering to these best practices will ensure that solutions delivered in response to business needs are fit for purpose and meet the stakeholders’ needs.

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