Agile is an approach to software development that focuses on iterative development and incremental delivery. For business analysts, adopting an Agile approach can revolutionise working practices. It enables a clear focus on customer needs and a basis for early delivery of new or enhanced software products. Now newly revised, this new edition reflects the latest developments in the Agile methodologies and provides a comprehensive introduction to Agile methodologies and techniques, and explains how they may be applied within the business analysis context. The book also extends the application of Agile to holistic business change. Written by industry experts, this new edition is ideal for any business analysts who wish to understand or extend their understanding of Agile practices, work in an Agile environment or undertake BCS Agile certifications.

Now in its second edition, The Power of the Agile Business Analyst has expanded to include new Agile methods that have emerged or gained prominence since the first edition. Buy this book to learn how to revolutionise your Agile development and increase the value and relevancy of your project outcomes.Learn 30 realistic, achievable ways that an Agile business analyst can increase project efficiency, add value and improve quality.Find out how an Agile business analyst bridges the gap between the needs of the business and the resources of the development team.Now updated with current Agile methods, to support emerging and established business analysts to adapt to new trends. 30 ways an Agile business analyst can help Drawing on her extensive experience, Jamie proposes a new role for Agile projects: The Agile business analyst. She details 30 achievable ways that such a role will increase relevance, quality and overall business value, and provide business users with crucial support. The Agile business analyst is also a boon to the development team, being a ready source of business knowledge and ensuring that project outcomes align with requirements. This book has been updated to: Incorporate behaviour-driven development into the work that the business analyst does to support interface design;Align the programme management strategies of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) to encourage cross-organisational communication and participation;Include full updates throughout the Qualifications section in ‘Getting the Right Agile Business Analyst for Your Team’; andProvide Agile updates, bringing the book back into line with current methods. Support your Agile business user for better project outcomes.

WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT? Business Analysis in the Real World A Buddhist proverb warns, “Be mindful of intention. Intention is the seed that creates our future.” In a very real sense, this statement expresses the reason for business analysis. This discipline is really all about choosing and defining a desired future because without intention (expressed in business analysis terms, “requirements”), no future is more or less desirable than another. In reality, every organization does some form of business analysis whether it uses the term or not. For many (especially larger organizations), it is an extremely structured, managed process while others thrive on change and only do business analysis when and as needed. The perception that business analysis is only needed to develop IT solutions is inaccurate. Actually, it is a critical component of any change initiative within an organization whether software is involved or not. Current Business Analysis Techniques and Methods The book defines how business analysis is currently practiced. The authors provide insight into this fast-growing field by distinguishing strategic, tactical, and operational business analysis. It provides surveys of what Business Analysts really do and what business analysis techniques people use most often when they are the one “wearing the BA hat”. You will learn what “requirements” really are and what different types of requirements exist. Because many requirements define future information technology (IT) solutions, the authors share their experience on how Waterfall, Iterative, Agile, and Experimental (aka “Chaotic”) Software Development methodologies impact the business analysis responsibility. Who Needs Business Analysis Skills? Although the field of Business Analysis offers great career opportunities for those seeking employment, some level of business analysis skill is essential for any adult in the business world today. Many of the techniques used in the field evolved from earlier lessons learned in systems analysis and have proven themselves to be useful in every walk of life. We have personally experienced how business analysis techniques help even in your private life. We wrote this book for everyday people in the real world to give you a basic understanding of some core business analysis methods and concepts. If this book answers some of your questions, great. If it raises more questions than it answers (implying that it piqued your curiosity), even better. If it motivates you to learn more about this emerging and fascinating topic, it has served its purpose well. WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM READING THIS BOOK? Many distinct roles or job titles in the business community perform business needs analysis for digital solutions. They include: - Product Owners - Business Analysts - Requirements Engineers - Test Developers - Business- and Customer-side Team Members - Agile Team Members - Subject Matter Experts (SME) - Project Leaders and Managers - Systems Analysts and Designers - AND “anyone wearing the business analysis hat”, meaning anyone responsible for defining a future digital solution TOM AND ANGELA’S (the authors) STORY Like all good IT stories, theirs started on a project many years ago. Tom was the super techie, Angela the super SME. They fought their way through the 3-year development of a new policy maintenance system for an insurance company. They vehemently disagreed on many aspects, but in the process discovered a fundamental truth about IT projects. The business community (Angela) should decide on the business needs while the technical team’s (Tom)’s job was to make the technology deliver what the business needed. Talk about a revolutionary idea! All that was left was learning how to communicate with each other without bloodshed to make the project a resounding success. Mission accomplished. They decided this epiphany was so important that the world needed to know about it. As a result, they made it their mission (and their passion) to share this ground-breaking concept with the rest of the world. To achieve that lofty goal, they married and began the mission that still defines their life. After over 30 years of living and working together 24x7x365, they are still wildly enthusiastic about helping the victims of technology learn how to ask for and get the digital (IT) solutions they need to do their jobs better. More importantly, they are more enthusiastically in love with each other than ever before!

I'm happy to see this book being selected, awarded and securing it's place in "100 notable books of 2020". Business Analysis life cycle & IT-Business Analyst (Role in Traditional, Digital and Agile world) book, is a quick read for Engineering, IT and Management graduates, novice and experienced Business analysts, Scrum Masters and Agile coaches, Business Architects and Business consultants. The book is beneficial for training institutes, BA nurturing programs, BA Internships, meet ups for knowledge sharing, webinar topics, in-house BA trainings, BA skill build, Scrum teams, sales team, governance teams, Center of excellence, Project management professionals and Agile practitioner's. Some key concepts you would love and enjoy reading: Traditional Business Analysis and processes Digital Business Analyst Skills and techniques for BA in DevOps environment Agile manifesto principles applied to a BA Core activities of an Agile BA Requirements cycle BA Career track and the available certifications A brief about the Enterprise Business Analysis Various Tools and techniques For reader's information: All job designation employees should read the book as a "casual read" and every chapter can be turned to a single book. So, enjoy the read, understand the role and it's scope and keep upskilling. You will find the content to its relevancy and post completion of reading, you can immediately relate the concepts to your job. Thank you.

Written with special attention to the challenges facing the IT business analyst, The Agile Business Analyst is a fresh, comprehensive introduction to the concepts and practices of Agile software development. It is also an invaluable reference for anyone in the organization who interacts with, influences, or is affected by the Agile development team. Business analysts will learn the key Agile principles plus valuable tools and techniques for the transition to Agile, including: Card writing Story decomposition How to manage cards in an Agile workflow How to successfully respond to challenges about the value of the BA practice (with an "elevator pitch" for quick reference) Scrum masters, iteration managers, product owners, and developers who have been suddenly thrust into a work environment with a BA will find answers to the many questions they're facing: What does a BA actually do? What's their role on the team? What should I expect from a BA? How and when should I involve a BA, and what are the limits of their responsibility? How can they help my team increase velocity and/or quality? People managers and supervisors will discover: How the BA fits into the Agile team and SDLC Crucial skills and abilities a BA will need to be successful in Agile How to get the team and the new BA off on the right foot How to explain the BA's value proposition to others How adding a BA can solve problems in an established team Executives and directors will find answers to critical questions: In an Agile world, are BAs a benefit or just a cost to my organization? How do I get value from a BA in the transition to Agile? Can I get more from my development team by using the BA as a "force multiplier"? What expectations should I be setting for my discipline managers? With a foreword by Barbara Carkenord, The Agile Business Analyst is a must-read for any analyst working in an Agile environment. "Fresh insights, practical recommendations, and detailed examples, all presented with an entertaining and enjoyable style. Leyton shares his experience, mentoring his reader to be a more effective analyst. He has hit a home run with this book!" --Barbara Carkenord, Director, Business Analysis/RMC Learning Solutions "Leyton does a great job explaining the value of analysis in an Agile environment. If you are a business-analysis practitioner and need help figuring out how you add value to your team, you'll find this book valuable." --Kupe Kupersmith, President, B2T Training

The definitive guide on the roles and responsibilities of the business analyst Business Analysis offers a complete description of the process of business analysis in solving business problems. Filled with tips, tricks, techniques, and guerilla tactics to help execute the process in the face of sometimes overwhelming political or social obstacles, this guide is also filled with real world stories from the author's more than thirty years of experience working as a business analyst. Provides techniques and tips to execute the at-times tricky job of business analyst Written by an industry expert with over thirty years of experience Straightforward and insightful, Business Analysis is a valuable contribution to your ability to be successful in this role in today's business environment.

This book documents a business analyst's experience with agile projects; Scrum in particular. It describes activities performed outside of the sprint cycle and identifies the benefits and quality that they bring to the implementation of a deliverable product. These activities are captured within a process named Quality With Agile, or QWAP for short. This book documents the QWAP process and how it is applied to Scrum, SAFe and Kanban.