Business Analyst Principle #1: Focus on value
The main focus of a business analyst is to create value for the client.
This is more difficult than it first appears.
You need to understand who the client is.
You need to understand the change being made regardless of the type of change. New software, new processes, new resources new staff are all different types of change.
You need to understand the criteria for what determines the value to the organization and therefore the client.
You need to understand any sacrifice being made in order to implement the change. The sacrifice takes away from the value.
You need to understand the domain the change is happening in.
You need to communicate the benefit and the sacrifice to the client so that they understand the change. The value will be understood as the perceived benefit minus the perceived sacrifice from the client’s perspective.
You need to understand the short term value as well as the long term value.
You need to understand other changes that will result from the change that is being done.
If the change is being done in an organization you need to understand the vision and the mission of the organization. Sometimes what the client values and what the organization stands for are at odds. As a business analyst, it is your role to help the client understand the difference.
Focusing on value in many ways is predicting the future which is why it is an art and a science.