One of the most important tools in the toolkit for a BA are modeling the “As Is” and “To Be” business processes and finally performing the “GAP” Analysis. At the highest level, we are trying to identify and document what is currently occurring, what we would like to see happen in the future, and ultimately find the gaps between these two states. This type of analysis is usually focused on business processes; this can and typically does overlap with system functions (technology).
The "As Is" analysis focuses on the current state of the business in terms of its processes, including any pain points which need to be resolved. The goal is to bring clarity to what is occurring in an organization. Information is elicited from Stakeholders and SMEs who are either:
- Performing these business functions, or are
- Responsible for managing these processes and/or
- Responsible for the outcomes of these processes
This information is typically boiled down into a Business Process Model. These models are a simplified, graphical representation of the real-world business processes which are occurring for an organization.
The level of decomposition of these models will depend upon the stated goals of the project. For example, if you are attempting to gain organizational efficiencies and are reengineering business processes, it is likely your models will be decomposed into a great level of detail. For most projects related to application development, this level of detail is usually not required.
The "To Be" analysis is focused on creating an ideal state of business processes in the future. The goal here is to begin identifying opportunities for improvement. Many times, processes can be automated through the creation of new applications, or enhancements to existing ones. Whereas some business processes can simply be tweaked to gain efficiency, while others can be added or removed. Time savings, opportunities to cut costs, or improve quality can all be realized through this type of analysis.
Alright, so now you have a high-level understanding of the “As Is” and “To Be analysis”, so what is “GAP” analysis? GAP analysis is simply the process of identifying the holes between your “As Is” and “To Be” analysis. A great way to think about it is identifying what steps need to be taken to fulfill the “To Be” process models. Here we are, and here’s what needs to occur. For all intents and purposes, most of your work during the project will be here, filling the gaps and implementing the “To Be” models.
As a Business Analyst, this type of analysis isn’t always required. However, it can be extremely useful on most projects. During my experience, there have been many occasions in which being detail-oriented during this phase paid off with uncovering hidden requirements. Furthermore, this is where you typically find your opportunities for improvement, or even unseen pain points. I will leave it here for now, but I will definitely be expanding upon this topic in the future; the primary focus will be on what I look for when conducting this type of analysis.