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It's been superseded by: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.Search here for any template you need so you don't have to scroll through them all:
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, Environmental2. 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, Threats7. 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 & Diversification8. 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 Values9. 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
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.
Thank you!
No problem Rich – Hope they help!
Awesome!!! Thank you
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.
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
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
It’s superseded, not super seeded (unless you’re talking about a loaf of bread )
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.
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
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
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?
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