Business Analysis Templates: 72 Techniques for Success (1-22)

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Have you read the book?

Business Analysis Techniques: 72 Essential Tools for success

No? Here's the good news.

It's been superseded by:

Business Analysis Techniques: 99 Essential Tools for success.

To succeed as a Business Analyst, You MUST read and USE this book.

So I'm creating a template for EVERY technique in the book.

Here's the first 22 templates - Business Strategy & Objectives templates.

Template 23-30 can be found here -

Hold tight for the next few templates coming soon.


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1. PESTLE Analysis Template Excel

PESTLE analysis. Also known as PEST.

A framework for investigating and analysing the external environment.

Identifies six key areas to help identify the sources of change.

They are:

Political, Econominc, Socio-Cultural, Technological, Legal, Environmental

2. Porters five forces Framework Template

For examining the business' domain.

Helps identify the business pressures.

Usually applied to a selection of products or services.

It's Microsoft Visio Template.

3. MOST Analysis Template

MOST analysis technique.

Used to analyse an organisation’s Mission, Objectives, Strategy and Tactics.

Provides a statement of intent.

And it's used during strategic analysis,

Why?

Because it can demonstrate strength or expose weaknesses.

4. Resource Audit Template

The Resource Audit technique.

Analyse key areas of internal capability.

To identify the resources to drive change.

AND those that will block change. There’s five key areas:

Financial, Physical, Human, Reputation, Know-How

5. BCG Boston Box Template

The Boston Box technique.

Developed by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG Matrix)

Used to aid portfolio management.

It's a 2 x 2 matrix with four quadrants.

Which represent:

Star, Cash Cow, Wild Cat, Dog

6. SWOT Analysis Template

If you haven’t yet read my article then head over now and have a read.

It fully explains the SWOT and I give you an exact copy of MY Personal SWOT Analysis.

The Personal SWOT Analysis – Where to really focus your efforts

In case you don’t know – it stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

7. Ansoff’s Matrix / Box Template

Also known as Ansoff’s Box technique.

Provides a set of strategic alternatives.

To define a business strategy.

It maps new and existing markets against new and existing products.

Focussing on:

Market Penetration, Market Development, Product Development & Diversification

8. McKinsey 7-S Model Template

McKinsey 7-S model technique.

Define areas to be in alignment for effective opperation.

Identifies areas that need to change.

Template focuses and explains:

Structure, Systems, Style, Staff, Skills, Strategy, Share Values

9. The Four-View Model Template

The four-view model technique.

People, Process, Organisation and Technology

Identifying the changes that need to be made to an organisation.

Download the template to see the model in action.

10. & 11. Critical Success Factors & Key Performance Indicators

Critical success factors (CSFs) & Key performance Indicators (KPIs)

Used to determine measures of organisational performance for both industry-wide and organisation-specific.

CSFs are identified first, since they are the areas of performance that the organisation considers vital to its success.

KPI’s are created in relation to the CSFs.

12. Balanced Business Scorecard Template

Balanced Business Scorecard (BBS) technique. Defines performace measures that support the VISION and STRATEGY.

Stakeholders historically focused on FINANCIAL performance

But now there MUST be focus on other key areas to balance the business:

Financial, Customer, Internal Business Process, Learning & Growth

13. Interviewing Template

Interviewing one of the main fact-finding techniques for BAs and vital to becoming a good facilitator – see my post on Business Analysts 37 habits

Usually a one-to-one discussion, though can be more than one interviewee or BA

Answer these two questions first:

- Who do I want to interview

- What do I want to ask

Then create an agenda and decide on the best location to conduct the interview

An interview is broken into 3 parts. Introduction (10%), main questioning (80%) and where next (10%)

Oh and don’t forget to say THANKS.

One more thing, there are various types of questions as the book explains. Open, closed, limited choice, leading, probing and linking

14. Workshop Template

Facilitating workshops is a BAs 2nd Habit (see more here)

It’s a gathering of stakeholders for 4 main reasons:

- Agreeing direction and scope

- Identifying/Agreeing requirements

- Examining solution options

- Reviewing products, e.g. Requirements docs

The book offers great guidance to the 3 main stages –

Planning the workshop

Conducting the workshop

Following up

Make sure you read about the workshop roles and ice-breaking techniques

15. Observation Template

There are various forms of observations

- Structured

- STROBE

- Shadowing

- Protocol Analysis

- Ethnographic study

Great for eliciting tacit knowledge and a primary BA technique

Simply involves shadowing a user, although observations can throw up some issues, often in the user influencing the results because you are there.

Also, you may not be observing a typical day/situation at the time so bear this in mind

16. Questionnaire Template

Questionnaires may become the primary fact finding technique.

Usually when the user population is widely spread

Be clear about the purpose, realistic about the scope, careful about design and understand that low response rates are typical

Unless you stand there while they do it of course.

Here’s a template for one I used during a workshop to capture even more information from system users.

17. Sampling Template

Sampling is used to obtain quantitative data about how people spend their time

Much information obtained is usually subjective, but this technique achieves figurative truths.

These can work well alongside special purpose records.

Download the template to see the best way to lay out the findings so you can be well prepared beforehand

18. Special Purpose Records Template

Another method used to obtain quantitative data.

Very popular in complaints handling in order to find key information such as

- How many complaints

- What they are about

- How long it takes to respond

- Etc.

There is a downside – they may not be completely accurate, people may forge to do it and might even fudge it a little to look more accurate for the pesky BA.

19. Document Analysis Template

This is the systematic examination of forms and other data sources

The key part is to discover data sources worth examining, so use common sense when making this decision

Download the template o you don’t need to create your own it can take you more than 1½ hours.

20. Rich Pictures Template

Popularised in the soft systems methodology.

Idea is to capture the essential elements of a business issue in pictures.

It facilitates a more holistic understanding

There’s no rules on what or how – so draw what you wish.

But there are guidelines on what should be represented:

Actors, Ideas, concerns, org structure, processes, culture and climate

21. Mind Maps Template

A visual representation of a set of ideas, words, things or tasks.

Can be used in several situations, including team building.

Most likely used by a BA in an interview or workshop

Download the template to see an example of a mind map might look.

22. Context Diagram Template

A context diagram shows the IT system in relation to the wider world

The system is seen as a black box, with activities going on within it

And around it are the actors and users.

It’s one of the most popular methods of describing an application

13 thoughts on “Business Analysis Templates: 72 Techniques for Success (1-22)

  1. Hi, great site, I’ve been looking for some workable templates for a long time – so thanks for you contribution. Can you advise how the Business Activity Model template works. I’ve downloaded it expecting to be able to use it in visio – but can’t.

  2. Hi Matthew,
    I just received “Business Analysis Techniques: 99 Essential Tools for success” (bought it at Amazon).
    But it is stated “First South Asian Edition 2015” inside, and I am a bit confused.
    I live in Canada and just wonder would the content be different (adapted to South Asian Economics) or technics remain the same despite the edition?
    Thank you in advance. Your help will be much appreciated.

    1. Hey Iryna,

      I’m not fully clued up with every edition of the book but I expect the techniques are much the same. Does it line up with my post? As long as it makes sense to you, I personally wouldn’t worry too much about the markets/industry/country that the book is printed for.

      Cheers,
      Matt

      1. Hi Matthew,

        Thank you for the reply.
        I am a beginner in Business Analysis and appreciate your expert advice.
        As for the templates library developed by you, I find it really valuable.
        Thank you for sharing the knowledge.

        Best regards

        1. Ha, thanks Gordon, I must have been half asleep when I wrote that. Let me know if you find any others :-). Hope you found the article useful anyway.

  3. Hi thanks for this resource it is excellent – I might be missing something here but I cannot download a number of docs with V on them e.g. no 8 and no2 but there are lots of these which are really useful- please advice. Also some I tried to download are duplicates of others? e.g. workshop planning opens as the interview doc content? Please can you help/advise?

    thanks again

    1. Hi Jayne,

      Thanks for your feedback. I will certainly take a look at these and inform you when I’ve updated the downloads.

      Regards,
      Matt

  4. Hi Matt
    I paid for a CV review two days ago but haven’t had any response from you. Kindly let me know when you can help with this.
    Otherwise can I please get a refund if you are busy so I try elsewhere?

    1. Hi Gladys,

      Apologies seems there’s an issue with the order emailing. Should be fixed now – I’ve sent you an email. Thank you for the heads up.

      Cheers,
      Matt

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