The “Agile” Business Analyst
Business Analysts have been functioning in an agile way since the beginning. The word “agile” seems to be floating around a lot and there’s mixed beliefs of its application depending on who you talk to. Agile can have a different meaning based on the team executing it.
As described by the Agile Manifesto:
“We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it, through this work, we have come to value”:
- Individuals and Interactions over processes and tools
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- Responding to change over following a plan
Being agile is about applying values and principles in situations that allow progress within ambiguous and uncertain environments. Business analysts by virtue navigate change and ambiguity, therefore operating with: flexibility, responsiveness, creativity, innovation, collaboration, clarity, communication and transparent teamwork.
Agile started in software development and has been adopted in other business areas as it was found that the idea resulted in fast results with less effort. Being agile is about adapting to change. Understanding agile requires people to know that though we need to know what and where things are leading, new process steps that involve less time and effort give way to results, accomplished in small increments. Smaller increments allow the picture to take shape far more quickly. For example; suppose it took 6 months to accomplish a pile of work to deliver part of a solution to a customer, to then learn the customer has changed their needs, or doesn’t like part of the solution. The teams would need to spend the next 6 months correcting the solution to meet the customer’s new needs. Now we’ve spent 12 months building something that should have taken 6 months. This will also include regression changes that could have multiple impacts. Now imagine if we said to the client; “we are going to build this little component and have it presented in two weeks so you can assess it and see if it meets your idea of what you want.” If little changes are made over smaller chunks of time, within 6 months we have a more accurate and acceptable solution that the customer was part of, and accepts. We can get far more done in less time and with higher accuracy.
Get more work done, and lead the direction. Remember working solutions have more value than comprehensive documentation, and people are happier and invested in the outcome. The agile BA thinks about what the business needs to solve, additionally, what the solution teams need to support the delivery, to accomplish success.
Agile involves constant effort in re-evaluation and prioritization. Often, needs change as new pressures are applied to a business, forcing redirection. Being nimble to changes requires courage to remove judgment and preconceived conclusions as well as ego, so there’s less obstacles in the view of the bullseye.
