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Documentation
No one likes to read documentation. And who can blame them. When is the last time you picked up a user manual? It’s probably been awhile. No one even prints documentation anymore. You can maybe find an odd PDF file here or there, and then you have two choices: you can print it out and kill a few trees at your own expense, or you can read it online. Most people don’t do either.
When people don’t read documentation, it’s as much a reflection on the writer as it is on the reader.
That’s where the Business Analyst comes in. The Business Analyst is a bi-lingual communicator. The BA speaks the language of Business and of Technology. And each language has many dialects, colloquialisms, and subtle slang in its vernacular. When the BA writes documentation, it needs to command not only the attention, but the respect of its audience. Here are three things to consider when developing documentation as a Business Analyst.
First, balance Documentation Style and Substance
- Well-written documentation, formatted and laid-out poorly, is not well-written documentation.
- Know your audience. Who are you writing for?
- Also, usability isn’t just for software; it’s for documentation, too. Create great documentation that is easy to read.
- And remember Re-usability is as important as usability.
- Last, if your company/project/SDLC doesn’t have a Style Guide, create one.
A second suggestion is to use Microsoft Word to its Full Potential
- Know the basic controls for properly formatting documents.
- Get it right and then make a template.
- And stylesheets are your friend. Use them.
- It’s easy to master documentation by using Master Documents. Master documents allow you to: specialize, customize, assemble, disassemble, and change scope on a dime
The last suggestion is to create a Documentation Platform and Strategy
- It establishes a single known go-to source for all documentation. Plus, network locations provide for security and backup.
- It’s easy to keep documentation up to date while maintaining historical versions of documents.
- It can notify appropriate audience members regarding new versions of documents.
- And can provide workflow, online review, approval, sign-off, and audit functions.
Well that is it for today but the BA Collective does not stop. Go to the BA Collective to view more from this article on Documentation written by Andrew Kass the CIO of Collective Genius. Also, stay tuned for up coming Business Analysis videos and articles at BACollective.com
Use Cases
There is an adage that a "classic" novel is one that everyone admires, but that no one has actually read. Were one simply adventurous enough to approach the subject matter, one would relish the simplicity and joy the experience would bring.
Use cases, to a Business Analyst, are perhaps the most "classical" of tools. Use cases, like classic novels, are held in the highest regard, but rarely understood or properly executed upon.
So, what is a use case exactly? A use case is a detailed description of a user's interaction with a system.
That's it. It's pretty simple; somewhat general, and rather vague. But that's the way it should be. A use case really amounts to nothing more than plain old "documentation." It can be applied to a business process, a complex software system, your morning routine, a wedding ceremony, or a historical event. The only requirements are an "actor" and an object to be acted upon.
A brief word about the term "actors." You will hear the term with some frequency. It is a core term to the Rational Unified Process or RUP. There are a lot of terms specific to RUP and other established processes and methodologies that can sometimes cause people to avoid use cases. The intent of this video is to encourage analysts that might not have considered using use cases to go ahead and do so. Don't let words like RUP, SDLC, methodology, process, and use case throw you off. So if you hear actor, feel free to replace the word in your own vernacular with user, analyst, person… whatever you want to call them. There is no right or wrong. The only right process and methodology to use is the one that is right for you and your environment.
A use case consists of seven components: Name, Description, Pre-Conditions, Scenario, Results, Alternate Paths, and Additional Business Rules.
- Name - The name is the identifier for the use case in question. It should be represented in the form of an action.
- Description - The description expands on the name and provides additional detail regarding the actor and system's interaction.
- Actors - Actors are the individuals who will interact with the system.
- Pre-Conditions - Pre-conditions are criteria that must first be met prior to the execution of the scenario. Pre-conditions can be the successful execution of other use cases, or they can be assumptions.
- Scenario - The scenario is the anticipated series of actions and responses. Depending on the complexity of the use case, the scenario may be as simple as a couple of lines, or span several pages, but Length should be taken into consideration. If a use case is overly long, you may want to consider a means of dissecting the scenario into separate use cases.
- Result - The result is the final result of the actor system interaction and reflects the successful completion of the use case.
- Alternate Paths - The alternate paths are variations on the anticipated scenario and represent failures of the system interaction.
- Additional Business Rules
Business rules are rules that govern the use case. They should be presented within the scenario or within the alternate paths where they are contextually relevant. The Additional Business Rules section is the place to list additional business rules that govern the entire use case and do not have a location for inclusion within the context.
For examples of these concepts and their applications, go to www.bacollective.com for the entire article. The use cases in the article are for you to review and use as a model. Remember, there is no right or wrong format for preparing use case documentation. The only right way is the way that works for your project team, your organization, and for you.
Well that is it for today but the BA Collective does not stop. Stay tuned to the BA Collective for up coming Business Analysis videos and Articles at BACollective.com.
BA Collective Webcast Introduction
The BA Collective is a gathering place for like-minded professionals dedicated to the practice of business analysis. This is a place for industry professionals to learn about developing trends and share their own thoughts and experiences with the community.
The reason we developed The BA Collective is to unite a community of Business Analysts and provide a place where we can all share experiences and continually evolve our knowledge within our roles throughout our careers.
The founders of the BA Collective are also the founding members of Collective Genius, the Local Business Analyst Center of Excellence. As our name and vision states we believe in unity and collaboration. We are creating and empowering a collective genius of BA's. We believe this will help all of us educate our market on the vital importance of the role we play within all organizations. It is important we all work together to strengthen our knowledge and become better business analysts by continually seeking education and knowledge around our role.
Our mission is to bridge the gap between the need for professional and experienced Business Analysts and the projects that need them. We hope with your support of the BA Collective and Collective Genius we will continue to accomplish this mission.
The BA Collective is for you; the BAs. This is your community for knowledge, sharing and education. As we build our membership we will also continue to seek great organizations that will want to work together to further our collective mission.
If you are interested in becoming part of the BA Collective team as a member, advocate, contributor, or would like to refer a colleague, visit the BA Collective at www.bacollective.com.
Well that is it for today but the BA Collective does not stop. Stay tuned to the BA Collective for up coming Business Analysis videos and Articles at http://www.BACollective.com.
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Videos 
