The Incredible Value of the Agile Business Analysis Professional
The value of the agile business analysis professional cannot be overstated. In the webinar, “Where do I fit in Agile,” Leyton outlined why the agile business analysis professional is beneficial for organizations and product teams. He stated: “As a business analysis professional, I free the product owner to focus on the needs, desires, and interests of the end customer. The product owner can then maximize the value of the full suite of products and features that our company offers.”
While they’re doing that, I’m making sure the project deliverables are analyzed all the way from marketing through ordering, delivery, billing, accounting, and customer support.
My focus is on making sure internal and external customers will be satisfied, that the impacts are identified and managed so the company has no blind spots, and that the development team has a smooth flow of work to deliver.”
Business analysis professionals bring a lot to the table. In that same webinar, Leyton described them as the organizational radar, alerting the organization to issues beyond the scope of development.
“Business analysis professionals are invested in the success of the entire organization, not just the development team’s success,” he said.
Adding Business Analysis Skills to an Agile Team Results in Tremendous Improvements in “Everything That Matters”
Up to 71% of US companies are currently using Agile, according to an article by ZIPPIA. This means millions of companies are deploying agile teams regularly. According to Leyton, agile teams need good business analysis skills to succeed. Without these skills, agile teams won’t be as effective as they have the potential to be.
“You will get tremendous improvements in everything that matters if you add good agile business analysis skills to your agile team, appropriately assign and execute responsibilities, and follow agile practices,” Leyton says.
Adding good business analysis skills to an agile team helps ensure Agile is properly implemented. Leyton’s data shows that Agile can be a game-changer for companies.
In 2021, Leyton coached a team of developers, business analysis professionals, businesspeople, leaders, product owners, and product managers through an Agile/Scrum implementation. He polled the team after the implementation. Their answers were very telling about how helpful Agile is.
Overall, the team experienced:
- Increased efficiency and throughput (100%)
- Better delivery of business value (100%)
- Higher quality of software (94%)
- More focus and less distraction (81%)
- Better IT/business alignment (100%)
- Better capacity planning, transparency, and visibility (100%)
- Better communication within the team (94%)
- Better communication with other teams (88%)
- More ease within individual roles (75%)
- A more satisfying job experience (75%)
- Clearer responses (88%)
- Improved skills (94%)
Adding business analysis skills to an agile team using a business analysis professional delivers results companies want to see. Business analysis professionals also offer an invaluable service to companies by filling gaps in the Agile approach.
How Business Analysis Professionals Fill Gaps in the Agile Approach
Many organizations find that there are gaps in the Agile approach. These gaps can be difficult to navigate and can cause agile initiatives to go awry. The business analysis professional must know where and how they fit into existing gaps in the Agile approach if they want to be successful.
According to Leyton, here are just a few of the ways those who practise good analysis fill gaps in the Agile approach:
- They maintain a clean and consistent supply of cards
- They improve velocity through quality and prep work
- They watch out for business impacts to the enterprise
Business analysis professionals do all of this for the product owner by:
- Serving as proxy product owner
- Providing enterprise-level thinking and analysis
- Writing stories with quality
- Guiding decomposition and prioritization
- Coordinating with other disciplines (e.g., UX, copy)
Business analysis professionals accomplish this for the scrum master by maintaining the analysis wall and team. Moreover, they do this for the tech lead and development team by preserving TL/team time and focus and being a durable partner for the team.
“A business analysis professional answers many challenges for organizations,” Leyton said. “For example, they are completely dedicated to one team.” This prevents them from spreading themselves too thin and promotes better project outcomes.
Leyton also added that business analysis professionals have foundational skills in well-written requirements, and they generally write better cards. They also have more time to work with the tech lead to ensure card quality before estimation.
Additionally, business analysis professionals can improve agile velocity and allow more of a “play your position” approach, Leyton explained. This results in fewer rejected cards. It also improves the smoothness of cards through development and prevents the tech team from needing to do business analysis work.
Business analysis professionals with product owner analysis skills are particularly needed in Agile. “Business analysis professionals with this skill set can free the product owner to focus on core product management work and strategic thinking,” Leyton said. “They can also help the product owner think clearly about prioritization and minimum viable product (MVP) or minimum viable feature (MVF).”
These are just a few of the many ways the business analysis professional fits in Agile.
There is no doubt that business analysis adds value to any agile environment. By understanding where they fit in Agile, business analysis professionals can increase their relevance and effectiveness. They can also gain a competitive edge in their field and better serve their employers, clients, customers, and product teams.
About the Author
Emily Midgley is the president of the Cleveland Chapter of IIBA and has 13 years of business analysis experience in the insurance industry. She led business analysis for programs to implement leading-edge technology like big data and mobile apps. As an Agile coach, Emily brings business analysis practices to product managers and product owners throughout the enterprise to increase focus on customer value.
