
The Business Analysis Handbook
Techniques and Questions to Deliver Better Business Outcomes
Helen Winter(Author)
Kogan Page Ltd (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 3. September 2019
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-78966-023-4 (ISBN)
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Description
FINALIST: Business Book Awards 2020 - Specialist Book Category
FINALIST: PMI UK National Project Awards 2019 - Project Management Literature Category
The business analyst role can cover a wide range of responsibilities, including the elicitation and documenting of business requirements, upfront strategic work, design and implementation phases. Typical difficulties faced by analysts include stakeholders who disagree or don't know their requirements, handling estimates and project deadlines that conflict, and what to do if all the requirements are top priority. The Business Analysis Handbook offers practical solutions to these and other common problems which arise when uncovering requirements or conducting business analysis.
Getting requirements right is difficult; this book offers guidance on delivering the right project results, avoiding extra cost and work, and increasing the benefits to the organization. The Business Analysis Handbook provides an understanding of the analyst role and the soft skills required, and outlines industry standard tools and techniques with guidelines on their use to suit the most appropriate situations. Covering numerous techniques such as Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), use cases and user stories, this essential guide also includes standard templates to save time and ensure nothing important is missed.
FINALIST: PMI UK National Project Awards 2019 - Project Management Literature Category
The business analyst role can cover a wide range of responsibilities, including the elicitation and documenting of business requirements, upfront strategic work, design and implementation phases. Typical difficulties faced by analysts include stakeholders who disagree or don't know their requirements, handling estimates and project deadlines that conflict, and what to do if all the requirements are top priority. The Business Analysis Handbook offers practical solutions to these and other common problems which arise when uncovering requirements or conducting business analysis.
Getting requirements right is difficult; this book offers guidance on delivering the right project results, avoiding extra cost and work, and increasing the benefits to the organization. The Business Analysis Handbook provides an understanding of the analyst role and the soft skills required, and outlines industry standard tools and techniques with guidelines on their use to suit the most appropriate situations. Covering numerous techniques such as Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), use cases and user stories, this essential guide also includes standard templates to save time and ensure nothing important is missed.
Reviews / Votes
"This is a reference book for Business Analysts. In particular, if you are contemplating joining or are new to the profession, then you will benefit from the practical guidance. Many books on this subject limit themselves to technical skills like process modelling, data modelling, document production and so on. This book recognises and emphasises that an effective Business Analyst needs a mixture of both technical and sociological skills." * Suzanne Robertson, Principal, The Atlantic Systems Guild Ltd * "What makes this book unique from others is its no-nonsense approach to explaining key Business Analysis concepts, which are brought to life by Helen's personal experiences. Whether you are new to Business Analysis or an experienced practitioner, the Business Analysis Handbook is an essential reference guide for your book collection." * Pardeep Dhanda, IIBA UK Director * "Helen Winter's book will meet a genuine need amongst business analysts for clear, practical advice on many issues that BAs commonly come across in their work, which aren't all discussed in the more formal literature. If you're starting out on a BA career, I strongly recommend you read this book." * Nick de Voil, President, IIBA UK * "Helen Winter's book provides a good overview of the business analysis role, processes, techniques, and deliverables. It is written, such that it is valuable to both someone wanting to enter the business analyst role and experienced business analysts looking for a thorough overview of the role. I like that the book goes beyond describing business analysis tasks, techniques, and deliverables. It covers both hard and soft skills required for a business analyst. It also addresses some of the challenges you will face as a business analyst, along with tips to overcome those challenges. I like how Helen pulls from her experience to provide real-life examples that demonstrate the techniques and their benefits. Finally, the book provides some valuable templates to help you get started. Overall, The Business Analysis Handbook is a very nice, well-rounded book for business analysts." * Vicki McCracken, Requirements Analyst and author of Requirements for an MDM Solution * "I had the pleasure to work with Helen on a very challenging digital transformation program, where we collaborated on shaping the emerging practices, and Helen's experience helped us all to keep the focus on outcomes. It was very inspiring to observe how Helen used her drive and vast experience to establish good BA practices in a wider business, and effectively design training programmes for her team, as well as iteratively improving practices in the agile delivery context. I am really looking forward to having this great reference on my bookshelf!" * Susan Engel, Lead Product and Innovation Consultant, Zuhlke Engineering * "So many people are 'doing' business analysis without even realising it, and certainly without formal training or recognition. This superbly organised book demystifies the subject, and serves as a valuable primer for anyone considering a career in the field or interested in applying its principles to their work: in a world where change and uncertainty are the new normal, embedding business analysis throughout the organisation leads to higher quality thinking, which in turn leads to better decision making. The section providing tools and templates will be especially welcomed by anyone wishing to understand and emulate best practice." * Alison Jones, Innovation strategist, host of the Extraordinary Business Book Club and founder of Practical Inspiration Publishing * "This book is amazing, and I vouch that the techniques presented in this book are practical, as I have seen Helen deliver successful business change programmes using the techniques that she has shared in this book. I have recommended every staff of my company to read this book, as I truly believe that following the principles in this book will help one build a stronger trust with the customer and deliver solutions to their expectations." * Anil Passi, Head of Architecture, Fusion Practices *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 164 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
685 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78966-023-4 (9781789660234)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions

Book
06/2023
2nd Edition
Kogan Page Ltd
€177.00
Shipment within 10-20 days
Additional editions

Helen Winter
The Business Analysis Handbook
Techniques and Questions to Deliver Better Business Outcomes
Book
09/2019
1st Edition
Kogan Page Ltd
€62.15
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Person
Helen Winter has over 20 years' Business Analysis experience, having worked as a consultant on large-scale transformation programmes within the financial services, regulation, insurance and utilities sectors. She has the BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis and is a BCS certified Chartered IT Professional. She is an active volunteer for IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis) and the founder of Business Bullet, an online magazine promoting business analysis and providing guidance for professionals.
Content
Chapter - 01: Preparation for business analysis;
Chapter - 02: Effective working relationships;
Chapter - 03: Business context and vision;
Chapter - 04: Business context and business processes;
Chapter - 05: Business context/understanding requirements;
Chapter - 06: System context/understanding requirements;
Chapter - 07: Managing requirements;
Chapter - 08: Enterprise business analysis;
Chapter - 09: Templates;
Chapter - 02: Effective working relationships;
Chapter - 03: Business context and vision;
Chapter - 04: Business context and business processes;
Chapter - 05: Business context/understanding requirements;
Chapter - 06: System context/understanding requirements;
Chapter - 07: Managing requirements;
Chapter - 08: Enterprise business analysis;
Chapter - 09: Templates;