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The one interrogative that requirements should answer is what. What defines the characteristics, attributes, and features of the requirement. What describes the desired outcome or result of the requirement. What specifies the functional or non-functional aspects of the requirement. What helps to identify and differentiate the requirement from other requirements. What also helps to verify and validate the requirement by testing whether it meets the acceptance criteria.

The other interrogatives, when, why, and how, are not essential for identifying the requirement, but they may provide additional information or context for the requirement. When defines the timing, frequency, or sequence of the requirement. Why defines the rationale, purpose, or benefit of the requirement. How defines the method, process, or technique of implementing the requirement. References:

BABOK® Guide, p. 36, 38, 40

CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, p. 154, 156

Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) | Coursera, Course 2, Week 1, Video: “Specify and Model Requirements”

The plan business analysis activities process involves defining the tasks and resources needed to perform the business analysis work. The inputs to this process are the business analysis approach, the organizational process assets, the stakeholder list, roles, and responsibilities, and the business analysis performance assessment. The list of identified risks is not an input to this process, but rather an output of the identify risks process, which is part of the business analysis planning and monitoring knowledge area. References: BABOK Guide v3, page 37; CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, page 75.

The conduct elicitation activity is a technique to understand stakeholder needs and identify potential solutions that may meet those needs. It involves guiding stakeholders and collaborating with them through the elicitation activity, doing research or running experiments, and capturing elicitation outcomes1. The captured outcomes should be recorded in a format that is clear, consistent, and accessible for future reference and analysis. Text messages sent via a secured mobile phone are not an acceptable element for requirements documentation, as they are not easily retrievable, traceable, or verifiable. Written documents, visual or audio recordings, and whiteboards are acceptable elements for requirements documentation, as long as they are properly stored, labeled, and managed2. References: Conduct Elicitation - iiba.org, Conducting elicitation activity – The Functional BA

 A business case is a document that provides justification for undertaking a project, programme or portfolio. It evaluates the benefit, cost and risk of alternative options and provides a rationale for the preferred solution. The purpose of the business case is to communicate the value of the solution to the organization and help the decision-makers decide whether to approve the project or not. The business case should include the following elements:

Executive summary: A brief overview of the problem, opportunity, solution, benefits, costs, risks and recommendations.

Introduction: A description of the background, context, scope and objectives of the project.

Analysis: A detailed analysis of the current state, future state, gap, options, criteria, assumptions and constraints.

Evaluation: A comparison of the options based on the criteria, such as financial, strategic, operational, technical, social and environmental factors.

Recommendation: A clear statement of the preferred option and the reasons for choosing it over the others.

Implementation: A description of the implementation plan, including the schedule, resources, roles, responsibilities, governance, change management and risk management.

Appendices: Any supporting information, such as data, calculations, charts, diagrams, references, etc.

References:

Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) Guide, Version 3, Chapter 3: Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring, Section 3.4: Plan Business Analysis Approach, Task 3.4.3: Define Business Analysis Process, Technique 3.4.3.1: Decision Analysis, p. 66-67.

What is business case? | APM

How to Write a Business Case: Template & Examples | Adobe Workfront

 A task list is a tool that helps to organize and track the business analysis activities. Each task in the task list must have a unique number that identifies it and allows it to be referenced and tracked. The unique number can also be used to link the task to other elements, such as requirements, deliverables, stakeholders, or risks. The unique number can be assigned sequentially or based on a coding scheme that reflects the task hierarchy or category. References: BABOK Guide v3, page 38; CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, page 77.

According to the BABOK® Guide, one of the elements of the conduct elicitation activity is tracking the time actually spent eliciting the requirements. This element helps to provide a basis for future planning by comparing the actual time spent with the planned time, identifying the variances, and analyzing the causes and impacts of the variances. Tracking the time actually spent eliciting the requirements also helps to monitor the progress and performance of the elicitation activities, evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the elicitation techniques, and improve the estimation and scheduling of future elicitation activities. The other options are not elements of the conduct elicitation activity, although they may be related to it. The number of stakeholders that did not participate in the requirements elicitation is an element of the confirm elicitation results activity, which helps to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the elicitation outcomes. The cost of actually eliciting the requirements is an element of the manage requirements traceability activity, which helps to track the relationships and dependencies among the requirements and other project deliverables. The changes that entered the scope throughout the requirements elicitation activities are an element of the maintain requirements activity, which helps to manage the changes and updates to the requirements throughout the project life cycle. References:

BABOK® Guide v3, section 4.2, page 108-109

Conducting elicitation activity – The Functional BA, paragraph 1

Prepare for Elicitation, paragraph 2

Elicitation and Facilitation—Tools, Tips, and Techniques, paragraph 2

 A request for quote (RFQ) is a procurement form that asks the vendor to provide only a price for a standard or fixed product or service, such as a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) solution. An RFQ is used when the requirements are well-defined and there is no need for negotiation or customization. An RFQ is different from a request for proposal (RFP), which asks the vendor to provide a detailed proposal for a complex or customized product or service, including the price, schedule, approach, and qualifications. An RFQ is also different from a purchase order (PO), which is a formal document that authorizes the purchase of a product or service from a specific vendor. An RFQ is also different from a request for information (RFI), which asks the vendor to provide general information about their products or services, capabilities, or references, without asking for a price or a proposal. References: CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, Chapter 9: Solution Assessment and Validation, page 275. Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®) Handbook, page 6.

 The communications management plan is a document that defines the approach, methods, frequency, and responsibilities for communicating with the stakeholders throughout the business analysis process. The communications management plan also specifies how the business analysis communications will be stored, distributed, updated, and disposed of at the end of the project. Therefore, the business analyst must follow the communications management plan to determine what to do with all of the communication documents created as part of the project.

The other options are incorrect because they do not reflect the best practice for managing the business analysis communications. All formal communication must not be destroyed once the project is completed, as they may contain valuable information and lessons learned that can be used for future reference or audit purposes. All communications must not be documented and passed onto the solution’s project manager for analysis and to serve as supporting detail, as this may create unnecessary duplication, confusion, and overhead. The project manager may not be the best person to analyze and use the business analysis communications, as they may have different objectives and perspectives than the business analyst. All communications must not be archived and will become part of the organizational process assets, as this may not be appropriate or feasible for all types of communication. Some communication may be confidential, sensitive, or irrelevant for the organization, and may not need to be archived or shared with others. References:

BABOK® Guide, p. 29, 32

CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, p. 45, 48

Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) | Coursera, Course 1, Week 2, Video: “Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring”

 Voting is a technique of requirements prioritization that involves asking the stakeholders to express their preferences for the requirements using various methods, such as ranking, rating, or allocating points or money. Voting helps to achieve consensus and alignment among the stakeholders and to identify the most important and valuable requirements. In this scenario, the business analyst is using a voting method that assigns play money to the requirements, which reflects the relative importance and benefit of each requirement. The requirements with the highest amount of play money are prioritized over the ones with lower amounts.

References:

BABOK® Guide, p. 55, 376-377

CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, p. 165-166

Certified Business Analysis Professional™ (CBAP®) | Coursera, Course 2, Week 1, Video: “Requirements Prioritization”

 Solution scope is the set of capabilities a solution must deliver in order to meet the business need. It describes what is included in the solution, such as features, functions, and characteristics. Solution scope is not concerned with how the solution is delivered, but rather what the solution is. Solution scope is defined by the business analyst based on the business needs and requirements of the stakeholders. References:

Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) Certification

Solution Scope – An Insight

Solution Scope vs. Project Scope