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This guest post is by Laura Brandenburg. It describes how to get the most out of the relationship between project manager and business analyst.
Before I forget, I want you to know about Laura’s Quick Start To Success as a Business Analyst training (it’s free). It’s designed for business analysts to achieve greater success on their projects.
It’s a collaborative one! This article will show you 5 ways that a project manager and business analyst can work together to achieve project success.
This article:
The role of the Business Analyst on the project team
#1: Work together to reduce scope creep
#2: Save time by working together on stakeholder management
#3: Establish shared communication expectations in order to stay informed
#4: Work together on schedules and plans
#5: Get more involved from stakeholders to make the business analysis process more efficient
>> Get a Quick Start to Success As a Business Analyst
We all want to see more successful projects. Projects that deliver the intended business value and are on time and within budget. You are a project manager and work with many different team members who have different skills. This helps to ensure the success of your project.
One of these team members is often a business analysts.
The role of the Business Analyst on the project team
What is the role of a business analyst? How can you use their skills and expertise to create more successful projects
Business analysis ensures that your project delivers the expected business value. It also helps to understand business requirements and processes, which leads to a more efficient implementation process.
A skilled business analyst can help you avoid project chaos and be your best partner. As a project manager, there are many things you can do to create the right environment for them to do their best work.
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#1: Work together to reduce scope creep
To analyze the requirements in detail and manage scope creep, the business analyst must understand the business problem and the underlying ‘why’ of the project. This information is usually found in the project scope or business case.
For project scope, the team can also use user-story mapping. This is a great technique to use at the start of a project (plus, the BA will likely have experience with this type of work).
Naturally, a business analyst will have many questions about the project scope. It can be frustrating to have questions about the project scope after it has been approved. However, answering them now will allow the business analyst help you manage scope creep, prioritize requirements and keep the requirements effort on track.
It is easier to involve the business analyst in creating the documents. This will allow them to address their questions at a more appropriate time.
The business analyst can help the business sponsor identify the root problem and consider alternative solutions before committing to a project scope. This can create a scope document that is a solid guide for the entire project team, and prevent scope creep from ever happening.
But understanding