1. Purpose

The purpose of Identify Business Analysis Performance Improvements is to assess business analysis work and to plan to improve processes where required.

2. Description

To monitor and improve performance, it is necessary to establish the performance measures, conduct the performance analysis, report on the results of the analysis, and identify any necessary preventive, corrective, or developmental actions. Performance analysis should occur throughout an initiative. Once potential performance improvements are identified, they become guidelines for the next time a task is executed.

3. Elements

.1 Performance Analysis

What constitutes effective business analysis work depends on the context of a particular organization or initiative. Reports on business analysis performance can be informal and verbal, or they may include formal documentation. Reports on business analysis performance are designed and tailored to meet the needs of the various types of reviewers.

.2 Assessment Measures

If current measures exist, the business analyst may leverage them or determine new measures. The business analyst may also elicit assessment measures from stakeholders.

Performance measures may be based on deliverable due dates as specified in the business analysis plan, metrics such as the frequency of the changes to business analysis work products, the number of review cycles required, task efficiency, or qualitative feedback from stakeholders and peers regarding the business analyst’s deliverables. Appropriate performance measures enable the business analyst to determine when problems are occurring that may affect the performance of business analysis or identify opportunities for improvement. Measures may be both quantitative and qualitative. Qualitative measures are subjective and can be heavily influenced by the stakeholder’s attitudes, perceptions, and other subjective criteria.

Some possible measures are:

• Accuracy and Completeness: determine whether the business analyst work products were correct and relevant when delivered, or whether ongoing revisions were needed to gain acceptance by stakeholders.
• Knowledge: assess whether the business analyst had the skills and/or experience to perform the assigned task.
• Effectiveness: assess whether the business analyst work products were easy to use as standalone deliverables or whether they required extensive explanation in order to be understood.
• Organizational Support: assess whether there were adequate resources available to complete business analysis activities as needed.
• Significance: consider the benefit obtained from the work products and assess whether the cost, time, and resource investments expended to produce the work products were justified for the value they delivered.
• Strategic: look at whether business objectives were met, problems were solved, and improvements were achieved.
• Timeliness: evaluate whether the business analyst delivered the work on time per stakeholder expectations and schedule.

.3 Analyze Results

The business analysis process and deliverables are compared against the set of defined measures. The analysis may be performed on the business analysis process, the resources involved, and the deliverables.