Listening for Requirements

There are common phrases an analyst can listen for to find requirements. Table 7.1 lists words and phrases to listen for and the possible requirements components that will be discovered.

Skill: Write Effectively

Business analysis professionals communicate and present information to stakeholders verbally and through the written word. The ability to write clear, concise, unambiguous sentences is highly valued. BAs should be careful with all of their written communication: e-mail, memos, meeting agendas, meeting minutes, and most importantly requirements deliverables. Clearly communicating requirements in text is very difficult. Experienced analysts use diagrams and models as much as possible, but this does not eliminate the need for textual descriptions. Models, diagrams, and tables are all supported by definitions and detailed descriptions which can only be documented with text.

New BAs should focus on using consistent terminology and developing strong definitions. Have others review your writing as often as possible to learn about your areas for improvement.

Case in Point

Growing up, I did not receive a strong foundational education in English language structure. Formal writing skills were not emphasized in my schools, and when they were, I was not particularly interested because I didn’t understand their importance. My college had a requirement that every student had to take a writing exam and pass it before graduation. The writing exam really scared me. I realized that this missing piece in my skill set could prevent me from graduating and achieving any of my goals. I was a bright, hard worker, but I didn’t have the knowledge required in this fundamental area.

The college held writing workshops for students like me. They gave us very practical advice about organizing and planning an essay before writing. They taught us to use the first sentence of a paragraph as a topic sentence. They taught us to write our introduction and summary paragraphs after the essay was complete. I learned a lot of valuable lessons about writing and was able to pass the essay exam on my first try. I began to think more about writing as a skill and worked to improve this skill when I could. Since then, I have purchased reference books on writing, taken workshops, and paid more attention to the writing styles of authors whose work I read. I have practiced writing and exercise my skill almost every day. And now I have written a book! This shows that new skills can be learned at any time in your career.

This experience is not uncommon. Two of a BA’s most important skills—listening and writing—have not been emphasized in formal education. This is unfortunate because these two skills are needed for almost every type of work, not just business analysis. Spend some time thinking about your personal skill level in the area of writing. Do people usually understand your e-mail messages and documents on the first reading or do they come back with a lot of questions? Have you been invited to write for committees, your manager, or other departments because they like what they have seen from you? Are your thoughts well organized? Do you rush through a document just to get it done even though you know you could do better if you took your time? Does it take you too long to create a document because you agonize over sentence structure? Like all of the skills needed to be a successful BA, you can learn and practice to improve the clarity and quality of your writing.