Understanding AS-IS analysis

Business Analysts are responsible for bridging the gap between the current state and future state. Imagine this scenario, you are new to an organization and are given your first project as a Business Analyst – where do you start? To understand the current state, you need to do a thorough as-is analysis. Depending on the size and complexity of the project, it may be very daunting to find the starting point for the AS-IS analysis activities. In this blog, we give some tips on how Business Analysts can structure their as-is analysis.

 

  1. People – understand the key players.

Stakeholder analysis will allow you to understand who the key players are in the project.

Technique: Level of influence vs level of interest matrix

  • Stakeholders who have high level of influence and high interest:

Collaborate Fully engage them and ensure their needs are met.

  • Stakeholders who have high level of influence and low interest:

Involve – Keep these stakeholders satisfied.

  • Stakeholders who have low level of influence and high interest:

Consult – Lean on them for insights into the business.

  • Stakeholders who have low level of influence and low interest.

Inform: These stakeholders should be kept informed.

 

  1. Process – understand the process.

Understand as-is processes, business rules and the hand off between different teams. Understand the pain points – bottlenecks, inefficiencies etc.

Technique: Process analysis to understand and describe the process. Document activities, inputs, and outputs.

 

  1. Technology – understand the key systems involved.

Understand key systems involved and integration points.

Technique: Context diagram – This shows the interfaces and boundaries of the system as well as how it interacts with other systems and users.

 

In conclusion you cannot build for the future if you do not understand the current pain points and landscape – as-is analysis will help paint a picture of the current state.

 

Yours in Analysis

Tendai

BA Trainer / Instructor

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