The flow and value of business analysis at ABCloudz

The application development process is a multi-layered activity with the core idea as the starting point and a well-functioning final product as the top layer. In this post, we will focus on the twists and turns involved in bringing the idea through to the final product.

The role of business analysis is to identify and bring together business requirements and software solutions. So, one of the main roles of a business analyst is to outline and present a customer’s idea as a project that can be turned into reality. Therefore, an analyst serves as a sort of bridge between the client and development team. They, in turn, translate the customer’s idea into a technical plane. As a result, the customer gets their hands on a plan that includes all technical specifics of the future app.

What ABCloudz brings to its customers with the help of business analysis

Here at ABCloudz, we perform business analysis to make sure that projects have a solid backbone for the next stages of development. Our mission is more than simply grasping the  customer’s idea and making appropriate decisions for the future product. We dive deep into details to find out the best technical implementation and put the  business idea into reality.

Solutions: What you get with ABCloudz

Customers enjoy a full analysis and our expert recommendations. Our business analysts are ready to answer all of your questions and guide you to create improved ideas for the future product. These benefits are complemented by assistance with:

1. Definition of core features and additional functionality of the future product based on resources available to the customer. As an alternative, our analysts can map out an MVP if the budget is limited. We provide a list of functional and non-functional requirements.
2. Scalability, performance, and functionality based on full use of the most reliable technologies available.
3. Functional platforms designed for the app to operate according to the requested target audience, current and future market trends, and other important factors.
4. Client and server-side architecture as well as logic that dictates how all components interact with each other.
5. Reliable third-party services that can be integrated into an app while maintaining appropriate performance.
6. Visualization of an application with the help of wireframes that can be organized as an interactive prototype.

We are aimed at meeting the current needs by all necessary means while focusing on securing the potential of a product for future changes during the business analysis stage. Therefore, we communicate with a customer to create a pathway for a viable future product. That is why business analysis is the first and highly important step in creating a solution.

BA stages and artifacts

Business analysis provides you with an assortment of essential technical and procedural artifacts that can be used to make the development process more efficient as a whole. Instead, they can be used to set a course for the app functionality and other features development.

Stages of business analysis at ABCloudz

Natural transition from one stage of business analysis to another, provides us with an ability to cover all the aspects of a project. This way, we effectively avoid any potential misunderstandings among people who work on the product. Everyone has a clear vision of goals and how to implement them in reality.

1 Discovery of business objectives and background research

We begin with gathering and analyzing the project history through the use of all available related materials and data. Furthermore, we set goals high so they represent the vision of our customer’s team.

2 Preliminary estimate

Our analysts create a crude estimate that includes potential hours required for the project and whether there is a need for specific specialists to be involved in the project. This estimate is then sent to the sales representative who provides it to the customer. If the latter is satisfied, it is possible to move to the next steps.

3 Defining the scope of the project

At this stage, we focus on defining the project scope to weed out all unnecessary things. This is followed by the creation of output and deliverables, risks, success criteria, and so on.

4 Requirements elicitation

After outlining the project scope, we proceed with collecting and documenting all requirements. At this point, our team focuses on communication and qualitative information. Therefore, we often use such communication means as meetings, questionnaires, and creation of prototypes to get the complete picture of the future product, and be on the same page with the customer.

5 BPMN creation

Creation of a BPMN model allows both developers and customer to understand workflows behind the project. BPMN also allows involving customers in a process that creates a ground for effective response to any potential issues.

6 User story and wireframes

Unlike other companies, our business analysts are responsible for creation of visual schematics such as user stories and wireframes. These documents are provided to the customer to help them understand logic and actions behind our development process.

7 Validation of requirements

Now, we proceed to validate the requirements gathered before and match them with business requirements. In case of controversies, our team communicates with the customer to determine which requests are essential and critical. The rest can be moved to the next phases of the project. Moreover, we evaluate all requirements from a technical standpoint and determine how to overcome potential constraints if such appear. If the case requires it, we involve ABCloudz’s experts and software architects to make decisions.

8 Detailed estimate

As soon as all steps above are covered, our business analysts are able to create a highly detailed estimate. This information is always submitted for the customer’s review.

9 Requirements analysis and documentation

This is the final stage. At this point, our business analysts set priorities based on their complexity, importance, and risks. Then, we begin to create project documentation that describes all aspects of the offered solution. The list of aspects includes but is not limited to the purpose of the app, business model, design, functional and non-functional requirements, business and system use criteria, acceptance criteria, and many more.

Business analysis workflow based on one of our projects

We were contacted by a potential customer who wanted to create an app that would serve as a marketplace for building materials. This B2B platform allows creating relationships between buyers and suppliers. It operates on the basis of a tender system where a potential buyer can make requests for materials while the supplier can respond to the offers.

The first stage was to create a concept of the product.

It is important to highlight the fact that our business analysts actively use graphic materials and documentation to visualize any project. That is why we focused on creating a BPMN to provide more clarity to our client.

The next step was to create a wire scheme and specifications. Based on estimates, our analysts created mockups of the future app and provided them for  the team review and make sure they were aligned with the budget and sent them for the customer’s review.

Later, analysts acquired all information to outline functional and non-functional requirements. That included:

• Admin panel
• Users management screens
• Orders management screens
• Notifications
• Integration of a payment system
• Integration of documentation circulation system

Non-functional requirements included:

• Localization
• Accessibility
• Local data cache
• Device provisioning support
• Security
• GDPR compliance
• Penetration testing.

In the case of this project, the customer was satisfied with the provided specifications and estimates but their budget was not enough for the selected approach. That is why we decided to go with a web app instead of a mobile version. That required recreating the existing specification documentation and creating a new clickable prototype.

Such communication and feedback loop between analysts and a customer has its benefits. First of all, it is possible to actively track and assign requirements to each part of the project. Secondly, our team can actively react to any changes in specifications that can occur on the customer’s side.

Considering the fact that this project was following a sprint approach, flexibility played a major role and that was the reason why our team was conducting a considerable number of meetings. This, in turn, allowed us to effectively achieve all the objectives for this project.

Artifacts our clients receive after the business analysis is complete

After the business analysis stage at ABCloudz is complete, you will receive highly useful and valuable documentation for your project. This includes:

Software requirements specification — project scope, design, constraints, safety, operating environment, and security requirements. This document also features functional and non-functional requirements, user acceptance testing, and use case diagrams.

Wireframes (business and technical design) — provides you with information that is going to be displayed on the pages of your product. So, you will be able to see how the solution looks: its interface, layout, and structure.

Clickable prototype — you can receive a clickable prototype of the product as a part of business analysis stage completion. It is a visual representation of the future app. With this artifact, you will be able to see how screens and pages interact with each other. This is an optional feature but it can serve clients as a great instrument for getting to know what to expect.

Tutorial — our analysts can also create user manuals for our customers.

Benefits of employing business analysts in your project

Here at ABCloudz, we understand that our customers are looking for a solution that pays off while bringing maximum value. That is why we involve our professional analysts in projects as this can bring a number of benefits including:

• Reduction of development costs — business analysis helps to clearly define the scope, complexity, and cost of a project by highlighting requirements.
• Problem solving — the main task of an analyst is to provide solutions to a customer’s problem. That is why clear identification of requirements and their adjustment during the project reduces potential time wasted on unnecessary processes. This also reduces any risks associated with the project.
• Release time — our business analysts create roadmaps that are used by development teams throughout the projects. As a result, our customers benefit from optimized time management which guarantees an on-time release of the product.

We can support you with business analysis at a later date

Our business analysis is a testament to the company’s team skills, technical innovation, readiness for challenges, and the ability to bring actual value to the customer.

At ABCloudz, we focus on providing our clients with top-quality consultation and that is why we closely examine customers’ technological concepts and business models. There are cases when customers have a specific idea and method of executing it. However, there are also cases when they need professional advice on how to implement their idea into reality to create an available product. Our team can provide and implement recommendations on how to make your product more appealing to the target market.

We provide support and consulting services during all stages of app development, and build a long-lasting relationship with customers rather than a one-time interaction. That is why we are fully responsible for the business analysis stage and offer our services in terms of business direction rather than just development capabilities. You can boldly expect us to provide you with the smartest solution possible at any stage of your business.

Why choose ABCloudz for business analysis and software development?

Here at ABCloudz, we offer full-cycle development services to our customers. Everything begins with a close look at your idea and identification of the ways to make it real. Our team will walk you through design, development, deployment, support, and any other activities. We hold a belief that our business analysis is the first step in the creation of a bountiful partnership. Contact us now to begin our cooperation!