Business Analysis: From Interviews through Implementation

The keys to delivering better software lie in understanding what customers want―even when they are unable to articulate what they want―and being able to create a system that will improve the end users’ work. This is why your starting point should be understanding the differing, and sometime conflicting, needs of the customer and the end-users. Analyzing user needs, developing clearly defined requirements, and managing stakeholder expectations are three areas of business analysis that lead to greatly improved customer and end user satisfaction. Barry Harvey details his experience analyzing the system needs of a culturally and geographically diverse statewide academic support organization; explains how to translate those needs into detailed requirements; and most importantly, shares proven strategies for managing stakeholder expectations throughout the development and implementation process. Transparency and traceability allow both customers and users to understand how specific features and functionality came to be included in the final system, and how their particular needs are being addressed.