Business Analyst Day in the Life : How I Write High Quality Requirements and User Stories 

Hi. How is it going with your job. Congrats on your offer. I just got my first BA job as well. I had to b.s a bit to get the job which was after 20+ interviews. I would love to know how its going and what I need to be prepared for. I start in 2 weeks.

Thanks. I'll take that!

I have a website ( metabusinessanalyst.com/ ) but the content is very much the same.

My channel is dedicated to people who don't want to watch hour long videos. Short and simple.

Lovely video content! Excuse me for butting in, I would appreciate your initial thoughts. Have you researched - Peytonivon Abs Takeover (probably on Google)? It is a great one of a kind guide for mastering life with this simple goal setting technique without the headache. Ive heard some incredible things about it and my mate after a lifetime of fighting got astronomical results with it.

Thanks and good luck on your exam

Here you go. I think this is close to what you might be looking for ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0j_eqINHbC8.html

Thank you I was after this as well

@@AngeloTheBA do you have a video how to do use cases from a current state. What must be in a use case?

Something like this ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-a4u68ux2QN8.html ?

I would start with this for now. It provides some ways to think through asking good questions ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-a6ZZWol3WJs.html

The process doesn't change. I haven't specifically done a Marketing Automation integration so I can''t make a specific video for something I'm not qualified to speak on, but if I was assigned to one I would follow exactly what I already explained in this video. Getting into specifics is like getting into specifics about personal tastes. Understand what is (processes, features, data)... Understand what needs to change (processes, features, data)... Document in a way that makes sense for your sdlc (agile vs waterfall).

1. Examples might be APIs to interface old data to new system or migration processes. Once everything is moved, you don’t need APIs or process to move things. The permanent ones would be the requirements of the CMS itself. If you lived in a house and were moving to a new house then the size, # of rooms, etc would be requirements of the house. Moving truck and boxes would be transition requirements. Once the move is done, you don’t need a moving truck or the boxes, but you still need the same size house, # of rooms, etc. 2. I look to make sure it can do what the organization needs it to do (processes, data, good UI) 3. No, I think the video covers anything else

@@AngeloTheBA thank you for quick response. Appreciate it! Currently going through all your other videos. Thanks

I'll consider this topic for my next video. I'll let you know once its up.

Here you go - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6gLTKcusQQc.html

Is it a junior level or more experienced level position?

@@AngeloTheBA it's in-between, I feel they expect me to know my way but not necessarily be an expert. I've never made a flow chart in my life lol so I've been watching tons of videos to get up to scratch. My experience is with analytics and some low level process improvement. Not on the same scale as documentation as a BA

Modeling/Diagramming is the best way I know to get yourself to start thinking more critically. You have to think about the information differently in order to organize it accordingly. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ezSQhea3O0w.html

Think big picture. Think like an investigative journalist. Learn the application and learn HOW the end users used the system. Think of the end result. Always ask yourself, what are the risks who is impacted, what's missing.

The full details of what I used to produce the video are in the details.

What do you mean by lists? My whole channel is BA topics

If you are modeling a process, you should model all the activities related to the process. For example, if the checkout process is Activity A -> Activity B -> Activity C -> Finish, then that's what should be in the model. It doesn't matter what tab Activity B. If the project is related to the checkout process and Activity N isn't part of the checkout process, then don't include it in that model. However, a good business analyst would want to know about all the features of an application because it may impact how you define a solution/change to the application.

I would start with this video that I've already created on the topic ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FL0l0ZiIpDc.html

Thank you

A solution requirement and a UI (design) are not the same. A solution requirement should be describing "what" the system needs to be able to do, whereas the UI design is "how" it is eventually done. In some cases, defining a UI to early makes you unable to search for the best option. Relative to who does what, there are no rules. I was a BA with a passion for UX (and a master's degree in UX), so I made the wireframes and prototypes. However, a BA on a team with a developer who is passionate or more talented in UI design might leave the design up to them.

Your question is a bit unclear, however every function that isn't well understood creates potential to miss a requirement. If it's complex enough that you don't want to model it, it probably means it's complex enough that you should definitely model it.

I'm glad you enjoyed. I'll try to be less fast next time.

you can play it at less speed. youtube has given you the power.

Could you be more specific on what you mean by that?

~40 minutes of "lecture" total (the full curriculum with durations is available on the page if you want to be exact), but there are 7 assignments and I can't predict how low it might take you to do those.

Requirement = required capability and is the new thing that needs to happen. There are many ways to do this and how you do it is dependent on the nature of the requirement and how the team works together. The goal is to convey what needs to change (which can be represented at multiple levels) and the the value you expect to gain. Features are a form of business requirements usually represent high level needs. User stories are a form stakholder requirements that take it down a level. Functional requirements, can be documented as use cases, acceptance criteria, task flows, Gherkin, process models, etc and take it down another level. Non-functional requirements represent the things you should remember to consider and might exist as Definition of Done. These are all tools to convey a message to Stakeholders, developers, designers, etc. You are the artisan who needs to understand when a tool works best. BRD templates basically serve as a template to do the full job of business analysis. Often in waterfall the project team is new, so you kinda assume everyone is starting from zero. Basically do you understand the process(es)? Do you understand the data? Do you know who all the stakeholders are... Etc. Then, what new things need to happen? In waterfall, requirements happen and essentially get tossed over the fence to designers and developers, so documentation needs to be robust. In agile, because work is continuous and the team is consistent, there wouldn't be a need to document processes or data from scratch every time. Ideally you would just be updating or referencing ones that already exist as you go. Also because the team is consistent and in constant collaboration, there isnt as much of a need for super heavy requirements document. However you (the BA) still determine what the team needs to be successful. Think planning a quarterly trip together with your closest friends (agile) vs giving a stranger the requirements to plan one huge trip for you and your closest friends and hoping for the best (waterfall).

Here is my video on writing user stories. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BhBUynQNPsw.html , but the short answer is if "the system must do XZY", then you need to add "who does it" and "why." For example As a new user (the who) I want to be able to do XYZ So that I can accurately do my task (the why)

What is CM1202?

@@AngeloTheBA It's a module at my uni which focuses on Software Development. We had to watch your video as one of our tasks... I like it btw bc it made the whole requirements thing a lot more sense.

That is because every BA is in a different situation and can approach their job differently. The contents of this video explain what a BA does. How it is done is up to the business analyst. This isn't a job that comes with a step by step manual. You have to understand the goal then determine what activities you will undertake to achieve it. Diagrams, data maps, work flows, user stories, etc are just tools. You decide how to use them best. The BABOK has the most comprehensive list of techniques that I'm aware of, from there its up to you on how and when to use them.

Well this reply you gave me is a video you can make in itself. As someone trying to pursue a career as a ba it’s so foggy . Don’t know when to use what . Does a process analyst use same techniques use it analyst ? Everything is so confusing relating to practical field .

@@sadiai3144 I'll try do dig a little deeper into this with a video to see if I can bring some clarity.

@Sadia thank you for question on the steps and flow of the BA. How are you learning the various concepts of BA and more specific to scrum what is the exact way of gathering requirements (all the requirements are in the form of userstories alone or are their any other kind of requirements to be capture by BA. Please help with the practicality of Scrum BA roles and responsibilities.

Sadia I I had this confusion with videos and I recommend that you find pdfs of Software deliverables from your industry. The EU has a lot of public software implementation and documentation resources that you can read and gain some understanding of the practicality side of ba role. Good luck!

Can you clarify defining and bounding so I can make sure I answer your question as accurately as possible?

@@AngeloTheBA , so for example if I have functional viewpoints for a washing machine, following my university lecture slides, bounding functions are for example installation, user interaction, or maintenance, and defining viewpoints are washing (wash, rinse, spin) and load management ( determine load, select wash cycle...) but they dont give more information and I am having a bit of a difficulty understanding the differences, thanks for your help!

​@@hermanosmc4272 I'm assuming there is some translation happening and the use of the word "bounding" and "viewpoints" is what's throwing me off. So I'm going to try and you can correct me if I make incorrect assumptions... I think bounding might be coming from like a boundary or "scope" and viewpoints to roughly translate to requirement. Relative to this video, Bounding would be the higher-level business requirements, features/epics (around 02:50 ) or even stakeholder requirements (03:20). These are broken down into the specifics of how you want to accomplish each piece which is "defining" how the solution & functional requirements (04:30) The other way bounding could be interpreted is like to bind or tie-down, which might be a "constraint," but your examples don't quite fit that model, so I don't think that is what was meant. If you think there is more to it and I'm misunderstanding feel free to message me on Facebook (see description)

@@AngeloTheBA Thanks for your response, peace with you!

Hi Mouna, 1. No you do not need coding to be a successful Business Analyst. I don't have to do any coding to accomplish my job. 2. Yes you can get hired without a certificate in Business Analysis, but you'll have to be able to sell why your skills and experience make you a good business analyst candidate. The certification will actually help you do that. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hxpQaBK50PE.html This video should help you think about the transition. Sorry for the slow reply and good luck

@@AngeloTheBA Thank you very much for your feedback.I really appreciate it.

Hey Zakh. I would say Business Intelligence or Data Analytics is most directly related to making data understandable and valuable. However, most business jobs require making data within your space into decision making information (accounting, finance, marketing, business operations, etc). Here is my video from an Information Technology perspective and I talk about Business Intelligence. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7v5g91c1SWI.html If you choose to go to college, try to get yourself into the kinds of freshman lectures that give you a broad scope of all business jobs.