What Does a Agile Business Analyst Do: Definition, Skills and Role

What Is an Agile Business Analyst?

The main goal of an Agile Business Analyst is to solve business problems as and when they occur. While the rest of the Agile team is focused on producing new pieces of working software in every iteration or sprint, they are focused on the main goal of the entire project.  Because they are not so focused on documenting all the requirements and rules for the project, they can spend more time on actual business analysis.

Who Is an Agile Business Analyst?

An Agile Business Analyst (Agile BA) understands the Agile methodology and can help a business use Agile principles. They work with stakeholders to help them understand the benefits of Agile and how it can help their business. They also help the development team understand the business requirements and how they can be met using Agile methods.

Role of an Agile Business Analyst

One of the key roles of an Agile Business Analyst is to support the product owner with the decision-making process so that they don’t go rogue during the project. Here are some more roles and responsibilities of an Agile Business Analyst:

1. Recognize the Business Needs

An Agile BA holds discussions with stakeholders to understand their requirements and their vision of the product. This is then translated into business needs and communicated to the team members to make them understand the expectations of the project.

2. Analyze the Business Domain

An Agile BA needs to analyze the whole system in detail - from the first iteration to the release phase of the project. They work closely with the development team to understand the initial requirement of the project, the scope of the project, and also identify automation areas of the project.

3. Stock and Groom the Product Catalog

Stocking the product backlog refers to establishing user stories that represent the overall scope of the project. Agile BA help the product owner establish user stories from the requirement models created during business analysis. 

Grooming the product backlog refers to maintaining the product backlog so that it does not become a burden on the product owner and the team. Agile BA achieve this by considering purpose, organizing and prioritizing user stories, and splitting epics into user stories.

4. Helps Team Understand the Big Picture

An Agile BA helps the team to get a better grasp of the project and where it fits within the organizational strategy. This can be done by facilitating a number of discussions such as:

• What business processes should be created, eliminated, or revised?
• What stakeholders are involved in the project?
• What information should be tracked?
• What policies and rules should be followed that affect business behavior and decisions?

Skills Required to be an Agile Business Analyst

A high-performing Agile BA ensures that the product meets true business needs and fits in well with the current business environment. The key skills required to become one are:

Good Communication Skills

An Agile BA needs to communicate with nearly everyone and consider everybody’s needs and concerns. At the same time, they should ensure a shared understanding of the product vision and requirements. All of these require good communication skills to negotiate and influence both the team and the stakeholders.

In-Depth Business Knowledge

As an Agile BA is the “go-to” person for both the team and stakeholders, they need to have a thorough understanding of the business, product, and vision. In addition to having in-depth business and product knowledge, they must be able to recognize and prioritize business value as well. 

Flexibility and Adaptability

As Agile teams are cross-functional and self-organizing, an Agile BA must learn to continuously self-reflect and think how best they can contribute to the team. They should be able to easily adapt to new and changing requirements by doing detailed analysis beforehand. 

Knowledge of Different Tools and Techniques

Agile tools and techniques make the team more effective. They help to ease backlog management, provide real-time collaboration, make estimates and reports for sprints and releases, etc. A good grasp of the different tools and techniques available for Agile is a crucial skill in order to become an Agile BA.

How to Become an Agile BA From a Traditional BA?

There are many ways to become an Agile BA from a traditional BA. 

• Join an Agile development team and learn from them.
• Attend Agile training courses or workshops. 
• Read books or articles on Agile methodology. 
• Analyze product graphs while taking important decisions.
• Develop crowd-pulling techniques.

Whichever route you choose, the key is to have an open mind and be willing to adapt your approach to fit the Agile framework.

Qualifications of an Agile Business Analyst

The Agile Business Analyst is a highly skilled professional responsible for providing business analysis services within an Agile framework. They work closely with the product owner, development team, and stakeholders to ensure that the product meets the needs of the business. The Agile Business Analyst is a crucial team member and plays a vital role in the project's success.

• To be an Agile Business Analyst, you must have excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills. 
• You must understand the business requirements and translate them into technical requirements. 
• You must also be able to communicate effectively with all members of the team and stakeholders. 
• You must acquire a deep knowledge of Agile methodology and principles by regularly learning it.
• Before everything, you must have a postgraduate degree in computers or business discipline.

Roles and Responsibilities of an Agile BA

• As an Agile BA, you are responsible for working with the development team to ensure that the product backlog is well-groomed and contains user stories ready for development. 
• You are accountable for facilitating sprint planning and backlog refinement sessions, as well as helping to ensure that the development team clearly understands the user stories they are working on. 
• And also, you are responsible for creating and maintaining any necessary documentation, such as requirements specifications and change logs.

Role of an Agile Business Analyst as a Business Advisor

• The role of an Agile Business Analyst is to advise businesses on how to utilize Agile methodology best to achieve their desired outcomes. This utilization includes working with companies to understand their goals and objectives and then providing advice on how to use an Agile methodology best to achieve these.
• An Agile Business Analyst must understand the Agile methodology and the business they are advising. They must effectively communicate with business stakeholders and Agile delivery teams to ensure everyone is aligned and working towards the same goal.
• An Agile Business Analyst is a crucial member of any Agile delivery team, and their role is essential in ensuring the success of an Agile transformation.

Role of Agile Business Analyst in Documenting the Processes

• The role of an Agile Business Analyst is to work with the development team to document the processes involved in the software development life cycle. This process includes documenting the requirements, design, testing, and deployment phases. 
• The Business Analyst is also responsible for ensuring that all of the necessary documentation is completed and that it meets the standards set by the organization.

Carlos Linares’s advanced degree and teaching background made him passionate about learning new things and improving his skills. About six years ago, he decided to become a subject matter expert in business intelligence and took the necessary steps to gain that knowledge. Simplilearn’s Post Graduate Program in Business Analysis in partnership with Purdue University, helped him achieve his dream. Read about his career journey at Simplilearn Business Analyst course review!

Frequently Asked Interview Questions

When interviewing for a position as an Agile Business Analyst, be prepared to answer questions about your experience with Agile methodology and your approach to problem-solving. Here are some commonly asked questions that you may encounter during an interview:

1. How do you assess the qualities of a requirement?
2. How is a product developed from a basic idea?
3. What are the various types of business analysis diagrams you know?
4. Name a few essential Agile metrics to be considered by Business Analysts.
5. What is meant by Benchmarking?

1. How do you assess the qualities of a requirement?

There are a few essential qualities that make up a good requirement. 

• First, a provision should be clear and concise, and easy to understand what is being asked for without ambiguity or confusion. 
• Second, a requirement should be achievable and possible to meet the requirement without being too complicated or unrealistic. 
• Third, a provision should be relevant and something that is needed and not just something that would be nice to have. 
• Fourth, a requirement should be testable, and there should be a way to measure whether the condition has been met so that it can be verified. 

 2. How is a product developed from a basic idea?

• When an individual has a great product idea, it is often the first step in a long and challenging journey to get that product developed and onto store shelves. 
• The first step is often to create a prototype of the product. 
• This prototype is then put through a series of tests to see if it is feasible and if it meets all of the necessary safety and quality standards. 
• Once the prototype has passed these tests, it is mass-produced and made available for purchase.

3. What are the various types of business analysis diagrams you know?

There are various business analysis diagrams you may come across in your work. Some of the most common include flowcharts, process maps, and swimlane diagrams.

• Flowcharts are a type of diagram that shows the steps in a process. They can be used to show how a process works or to troubleshoot a problem with a process. 
• Process maps are similar to flowcharts but usually show a more detailed view of the process. 
• Swimlane diagrams are a type of diagram that shows how different parts of a process work together.

4. Name a few essential Agile metrics to be considered by Business Analysts

There are a few essential metrics that Business Analysts should consider when using Agile methods. These metrics include the following:

• Story Point: Story point measures the work required to complete a user story. Story points are typically assigned by the development team and can be used to track the team's progress over time.
• Cycle Time: Cycle time metric measures the time it takes to complete a task from start to finish. Cycle time can identify bottlenecks and track the team's progress over time.
• Lead Time: Lead time measures the amount of time it takes to complete a task from when it is assigned to when it is completed. Lead time can identify bottlenecks and track the team's progress over time.
• Velocity: This metric measures the work the team can complete in a given period. Velocity can track the team's progress over time and identify areas where the team may need to improve.
• Burn Rate: Burn rate metric is used to measure the amount of money that is being spent on a project. And also, the Burn rate can be used to track the project's budget and identify areas where the team may need adjustments.

5. What is meant by Benchmarking?

Benchmarking is the process of comparing the performance of a company or product against others in the same industry or market. This process can be done in terms of quality, cost, or other measures. And also, benchmarking can be used to identify areas where a company or product needs to improve and to set goals for improvement.

Agile Business Analyst Salary

You can expect to earn a competitive salary as an Agile Business Analyst. Your exact salary will depend on your experience, skills, and location. However, you can expect to earn a good salary if you are an experienced and skilled Business Analyst. 

• The average salary for an Agile Business Analyst in the United States is $85,000 per year.
• The average salary for an Agile Business Analyst in India is 5L per annum.

How Does an Agile Business Analyst Analyze Business Domain?

An Agile Business Analyst analyzes the business domain and requirements to help the development team deliver the required functionality. They work closely with the development team to understand the business domain and requirements and then use their analytical skills to help the section provide the necessary functionality.

Agile Business Analysts use various techniques to analyze the business domain and requirements. They use their business domain knowledge to identify relevant concepts and relationships and then use their analytical skills to understand how these concepts and relationships can be used to solve the business problem at hand.

In addition to their analytical skills, Agile Business Analysts also need good communication and collaboration skills. They need to communicate with the development team and other stakeholders and collaborate effectively with the team to deliver the required functionality.

How Does a Business Analyst Stock the Product Backlog?

A Business Analyst is responsible for stocking the product backlog. To stock the product backlog, a Business Analyst works with the product owner to identify and prioritize the features that need to be developed. The Business Analyst then creates user stories for each segment and adds them to the product backlog.

How Does a Business Analyst Groom Product Backlog?

A Business Analyst grooms the product backlog by reviewing and prioritizing items in the backlog. They also work with the product owner to ensure that the backlog items are adequately scoped and accurately reflect the business requirements. In addition, the Business Analyst may also provide input on how the product should be developed to meet the business needs.

Role of a Business Analyst as a Business Coach

A Business Analyst can play the role of a business coach by providing advice and guidance to business owners and managers. They can help identify areas of improvement and recommend solutions to improve efficiency and effectiveness, and they can also help develop action plans and implementation strategies. In short, a Business Analyst as a business coach can be a valuable asset to any business owner or manager looking to improve their business.

Facilitating Collaboration

There are many ways to facilitate collaboration among team members. 

• One way is to provide a shared space where team members can collaborate on projects. This act could be a physical space, such as a conference room, or a virtual space, such as a shared online workspace. 
• Another way to facilitate collaboration is to provide tools that make it easy for team members to work together on projects. These could include project management software, document-sharing tools, or communication tools. 
• By making it easy for team members to work together, you can help to encourage and facilitate collaboration.

Generating Examples

Examples are an excellent approach to recalling the accurate information provided during conversations. And teams should consider the following questions when coming up with examples:

• What are we trying to accomplish?
• What are some potential obstacles?
• What are some feasible solutions?
• How can the proper implementation of the user story be verified?
• How to test the user story that the team delivered?

By asking these questions, teams can generate specific examples to help them remember the information discussed during the conversation. These examples can be used as a reference point in the future to ensure that the team agrees.

Transferring Knowledge

Transferring knowledge is a process of transferring information from one person to another. Transferring knowledge can be done through verbal means, such as conversation or lectures, or through written means, such as books or articles. For knowledge to be transferred effectively, the person receiving the information must be able to understand it and apply it to their situation.

There are many ways to transfer knowledge, each with advantages and disadvantages. 

For example, face-to-face conversation allows for immediate feedback and clarification, but scheduling can be difficult. Written materials can be easily shared and accessed, but verbal communication needs to be more apparent and concise. 

Ultimately, the best way to transfer knowledge depends on the situation and the people involved.

How to Build a Career as an Agile Business Analyst?

The first step to becoming an Agile Business Analyst is to develop an Agile mindset. If you are already a business analyst starting out with Agile, here are some ways you can build a career as an Agile Business Analyst:

• Understand the Agile methodology and how it works
• Shadow the product owner for the first few projects to understand the role of the product owner in an Agile team
• Think in terms of “user stories”
• Understand the value of story points for product decisions
• Hone your communication and negotiation skills (you need to negotiate back and forth with the stakeholders and Agile teams)

An Agile BA isn’t that drastic of a change from the traditional business analyst role that we know of. However, Agile is a change-driven vs. plan-driven approach. This means that the main goal is to eliminate wasteful work and prioritize the highest-value work for the team.

What Should You Do Next?

An Agile Business Analyst is highly critical in environments with changing scopes and requirements. As such, it is not an easy feat and anyone willing to venture into this space must be ready to step up to the challenge. There is no shortcut to becoming an Agile Business Analyst but certifications offered by premier educational institutions can boost your success in this field. Suppose you want to learn more, we have our Simplilearn’s Business Analyst Master’s Program which is launched in order to help professionals like you on all three aspects of Business Analysis - planning and monitoring, requirements elicitation, and requirements management and communication. This course contains all the latest tools and techniques for business analysis and you will get the opportunity to work on real-world projects and attend Masterclasses from IBM experts. Get started with this course today and get one step closer to achieving your dream career.