Agile and Business Analysis_Practical Guidance for IT Professionals(2017).pdf

Our idea for a book that looked at business analysis from an agile perspective, and agile from a business analysis perspective, arose following many discussions with colleagues and customers. We were concerned that the development of business analysis, and the inroads made in appreciating the benefits it can offer, were in danger of being eroded if agile was adopted by organisations and projects without consideration of the busi- ness analysis world view. A review of available publications highlighted that business analysis was not widely explored within agile and the application of agile principles to business analysis (and, conversely, the application of business analysis to agile projects) were not clearly defined anywhere. Therefore, the topics in this book aim to address this gap and provide comprehensive and practical guidance, enabling business analysts to understand how and when they can support agility at an enterprise, programme and project level. To do this, we needed to provide sufficient details of the agile philosophy, methods and practices plus the relevant business analysis approaches and techniques. The more we considered how these two disciplines would work in combination, the more we felt it was a ‘marriage made in heaven’ that had significant potential to improve information systems activity and outcomes and, consequently, the efficiency and effectiveness of organisations. In order to provide the coverage we felt necessary, the book forges a path from the origins of agile, through the different levels and aspects of information systems work and, ultimately, looks at how agile might be adopted by an organisation. We felt it was important that all these dimensions were explored if the landscape of business analysis was to be represented thoroughly. Similarly, it was important to encompass the agile world across this landscape. One of the key aspects we think important, is the need to tailor the approach adopted to information systems work in the li