Determining the 'Why': The True Power of Business Analysis"

By Thandeka Mbokazi

Ever completed a project on time and on budget only to realise you have solved the wrong problem? Depending on the project size and resources, this can either be catastrophic or a regular Tuesday in the office, either way, the consequences it has on resources can’t be ignored. This is where business analysis plays an important role.  Often considered the first phase of development, within business analysis lies the compass, for the direction, vision and even the mere necessity of projects in the first place in some cases, and anchors the project throughout.

What is Business Analysis

According to the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) in their BABOK V3 (Business Analysis Body of Knowledge), Business Analysis is “the practice of enabling change in an organisational context, by defining needs and recommending solutions that deliver value to stakeholders”.  

Business Analysis is therefore a set of techniques, tasks, and approaches that professionals employ to help organisations make effective changes. Leveraging communication and collaboration with various stakeholders such as customers, partners, sponsors and investors, etc., business analysts focus on processes of the organisation so that they can find opportunities for improvement.

To thoroughly understand the needs of any organisation, business analysts must fully assess, dive deep and question the goals, opportunities, directives and vision of an organisation, so that they are able to come up with solutions which affects the change and hopefully deliver value to stakeholders.

Why the “WHY” matters

Although it may seem a small question and often misunderstood, understanding the “why” especially early in projects, acts as a guide for project direction, helping define clearly what the purpose is, setting the scope environment and giving some idea of how effective delivery of value could be achieved.

 

Drives meaningful problem realisation

Really digging deep into “why” helps organisations focus on the real problems, that otherwise would be overlooked or not prioritised accordingly. Circling back to the “why” also helps people really face the reality or purpose of what drives projects or change and thus draw out the root cause which could change the whole direction of a project when done correctly.

Informs solutions within context

Once a problem is clearly defined, understood and analysed, it becomes much simpler to ideate for solutions that will address the direct problems. Often, these solutions are more informed, suitable and accurate, reducing wasted effort and resources.

Helps align stakeholders and improve communication/buy in

Stakeholders can tend to have competing priorities at times. Anchoring everyone to the “why” unites them around shared business objectives — not just individual desires. This helps transforms discussions from “what do I want?” to “what are we trying to achieve together?”

While defining the “why” behind a recommendation helps non-technical stakeholders understand the reasoning, increasing trust and reducing resistance to change. For example, the marketing team may want to speed up time to market, while the IT team prioritises data security, defining the why clearly may help bridge these gaps.

Helps connect real value to “tasks”

This is probably one of the most important factors, really understanding “why” helps connect real tangible value to requirements for analysts and team members. When the developer for example understands that a prompt deployment of code means the difference between a real customer receiving their delivery on time, or not missing a flight.

Conclusion

As the name suggests: analysing a business and helping it to reach its strategic goals by identifying and implementing specific changes is the main purpose of business analysis and consistently, proactively and efficiently asking “why” in conjunction with the rest of the business analysis process to derive the utmost value for organisations sits at the highest priority for any business analyst. Analysis that continues to ask not just “what” we are building, but “why” …. Is where value is truly unlocked.