Metrics into Mastery: Unlock Your Business Analysis Potential
by Sumita Sharma (aspiring ECBA)
Reading Time: 7 minutes
Imagine a workplace where business analysts transform from overwhelmed spreadsheet jugglers into strategic superheroes, conducting business analysis techniques like a maestro conducting a symphony. This is where business analysis performance improvements come in, not in one swoop but through continuous improvement over time. Identifying business analysis performance improvements means figuring out how to make a business analyst’s work better and more effective. It involves looking at how they do their tasks, like gathering information, solving problems, or working with others, and finding ways to do those things faster, more accurately, or with better results. It's like fine-tuning a process so the business analyst can help a business grow or solve issues more smoothly.
Identify Business Analysis Performance Improvements
In business analysis, it is essential to continuously assess the performance of business analysis activities to ensure the achievement of desired outcomes. The continuous performance evaluation and improvement are essential in refining processes and aligning them with organizational objectives.
To conduct an effective performance analysis, a business analyst should follow these critical steps:
Establish Specific Performance Measures: It is crucial to identify indicators that reflect business analysis performance and align with organizational requirements. While some organizations may have internal methods to evaluate performance, in other cases, business analysts may need to collaborate with stakeholders to define appropriate measures.
Conduct the Performance Analysis: This step involves evaluating the business analysis operations, activities, and processes to see how they compare with the performance targets. .
Report on the Results of the Analysis: The results of the performance analysis should be documented in a report, which may vary in formality based on the organization's needs. The reports could be verbal, written, formal, or informal, and it acts as a foundation for discussing improvements and identifying areas for future development.
Identify any necessary Preventive, Corrective, or Improvement Actions: A thorough review of the report allows the business analyst to focus on areas requiring improvement, corrective measures, or proactive steps for future tasks. This process is vital to ensuring the continued progress and success of the project.
Below is a plan do check act method that reflects these steps, use this conceptual diagram to improve your business analysis performance:
Ready to put your learning into practice? Download our Business Analysis Performance Improvements conceptual template designed in Google Drawings. It's completely free and collaborative . Start capturing valuable insights today!
Analogy
In the retail industry it is crucial for stores to meet their sales targets. Sales associates are given monthly targets that roll up to the larger store target. If employees are able to meet their targets then the store can meet its target. Employees may try a preventative approach and monitor their sales for the month and make adjustments to their work if they are not meeting the targets (e.g. trying to upsell other related items for the product the customer is buying). Managers will track sales associates performance compared to targets as well, perhaps one employee is underperforming and they can provide additional training or the team is underperforming and they will implement a 10 feet rule to acknowledge the customer with a smile, and within 5 feet acknowledge them verbally.
Business Analyst Example
At the beginning of the IT project the business analyst team sets out for a target of 95% of requirements meeting quality standards for written requirements. The team tracks their progress for quality at the end of the month doing a peer review audit of project requirements. The results show one of the business analysts did not meet the target. The BA with help from the team lead identifies particular areas in the way the BA writes their requirements that can be improved as a corrective approach to improve business analysis performance
Some of the most important performance measures identify requirement accuracy and effort which determine a business analyst’s work to be accurate with zero errors and is complete within timelines. The BA must have required skills and knowledge to perform the task and it must be effective.
As with the sales associate contributing to the sales target of the company, the business analysis performance measures should be significant to the overall project measures. The growth and performance of the business analyst will benefit the project or organization to be able to achieve its targets.
Categories of Business Analysis Performance
To organize the information on assessment measures and performance improvements for business analysis, some possible categories include:
Quality: Accuracy and Completeness assessment of whether work products meet the correctness and relevance criteria upon delivery.
Knowledge and Skill: Assessment of the business analyst's required skills and experience for the assigned task.
Effectiveness: Evaluation of whether work products are easy to use independently or require additional explanation.
Organizational Support: Evaluate whether adequate resources are available for the analyst to perform their duties without constraints.
Significance: Analysis of the benefits derived from business analysis work products versus the resources expended (cost, time, and effort).
Strategic: Determine if business objectives are met, problems are resolved, and meaningful improvements have been achieved.
Timeliness: Monitor adherence to deadlines and stakeholder expectations regarding deliverable timelines.
Collaboration and Engagement: Gather qualitative feedback from stakeholders and peers regarding deliverables to refine collaboration methods.
By focusing on these categories, business analysts can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of their business analysis functions, driving better project outcomes and increased stakeholder satisfaction.
Recommended Actions for Better Business Analysis Performance
Preventive: These actions reduce the possibility of an event with a negative impact. These actions are taken to prevent issues before they occur, aiming at improving future performance and avoiding potential problems. Think of this as a risk that should be avoided.
Corrective: These measures are taken to fix problems after they have already occurred. They aim to establish ways to reduce the negative impact of an event. Think of this as an issue that needs to be dealt with.
Improvement: Establishes approaches to increase the probability or impact of events with a positive impact. Think of this as an opportunity that should be pursued.
Tools for Measuring Performance:
BambooHR - Performance evaluations and check-ins.
Basecamp - Task organization and performance tracking for remote teams.
ClickUp - Employee monitoring and productivity reporting.
Culture Amp - Employee experience platform focusing on feedback and development.
DeskTime - Time-tracking with app usage analytics.
iDoneThis - Daily performance tracking through end-of-day updates.
IntelliHR - Continuous performance tracking with analytics.
Lattice - Custom performance review cycles and feedback integration.
monday.com - Task categorization and progress tracking tool.
Paycor - HR management with performance tracking capabilities.
Peoplebox - Goal alignment and performance reviews, integrated with existing workflows.
PerformYard - Comprehensive performance management strategies.
Trakstar - End-to-end employee management with performance evaluation tools.
Trello - Project management tool for visual workflow tracking.
Ready to put your learning into practice? Download my Business Analysis Performance Improvements template designed in Google Drawings. It's completely free and collaborative . Start capturing valuable insights today!
Case Study - Remote Business Analysis Performance Workshop using Lessons Learned
Background
FiNOM, a rapidly growing IT company, has been facing challenges in optimizing their business analysis processes. With an increasing demand for efficiency and accuracy in their project deliveries, the Business Analyst (BA) team recognized the need to assess their performance and identify areas for improvement.
Objective
To enhance the effectiveness of the BA team before the next project. Measurements will be identified in the business analysis performance improvement plan.
Approach
FiNOM's BA team organized a structured "lessons learned" workshop focusing on past project experiences using the following structured approach:
Preparation
Participants were asked to provide feedback in three categories prior to the session:
What to do more of
What to do less or differently
What to keep doing
A timeline of the recent project phases was created, highlighting significant events for reference during the discussion.
Technology Utilization
Collaborative tools such as our Google Sheets template were employed to collect input and allow for real-time feedback.
The workshop was recorded for future reference.
Roles and Facilitation
A designated facilitator guided the session to maintain focus on the discussion points.
The facilitator ensured all contributions were captured in the tool.
Outcome
The remote workshop enabled the BA team to engage in a meaningful discussion about their performance. Key insights included:
Actions to Increase: More frequent stakeholder engagement and clearer communication of requirements.
Actions to Reduce: Limit overlaps in documentation efforts and streamline analysis processes.
Continued Best Practices: Maintain emphasis on data-driven decision-making and effective use of Agile approaches.
The session resulted in a comprehensive report outlining actionable improvements that the BA team could implement in future projects, fostering a culture of continuous improvement within FiNOM.
Conclusion
By employing the "lessons learned" technique, FiNOM’s BA team was able to identify critical areas for improvement, leading to enhanced collaboration, efficiency, and overall project success. This approach proved successful in achieving performance enhancements within a remote work setting.