Business Analysis For Dummies

In business analysis, a prototype, or mockup, generally means a representation of a computer screen and examples of how the user will interact with the application to accomplish a task to solve the business problem

Example of interface types.

One of the best ways to understand how the business does its work is by doing the work right next to the business. However, this approach does have its limitations in certain industries and tasks. For instance, you may be able to learn by experience how an administrator resets someone’s password on a computer system, but you most likely won’t get to learn how to land a 747 jumbo jet by actually landing it.

So the time has come to sit down with everyone involved in the project and figure out what each person’s problems are so you can eventually help solve them — well, some of them, anyway. (You can leave the rest to their therapists and mothers-in-law.)

We want to take advantage of a shift in the music industry to connect a music device onto a portable hard drive. Users can then carry around their entire music library with them.”

After you’ve designed all your questions as we discuss earlier in this chapter, it’s time to arrange it all into a master plan to take over the world, muahahahahaha! Oh wait, that’s a different book. Sorry. Seriously, though, you’re ready to lay everything out so you can move forward and get the information you need. The plan is also vital for keeping everyone on the same page and keeping your session — and therefore, the project — on track

You identify possible triggers while ruling things out

“What is the goal of the project? What indicates success? What revenue opportunities do we have?”

“What is the information/data you need to record and store?”

Even though you’re not performing brain surgery (or the aforementioned psychotherapy) here, following certain techniques is just as important to the success of your project.