Importance of AS-IS & To-Be Analysis as a BA!

"I am really stuck in a rut now. I don't know whom to contact for the correct requirements. Everyone I meet is clueless or confused about what they want, while they give me wish lists."

As a Business Analyst (BA), if you try to elicit requirements without knowing clearly about the business of your customer, project objectives, vision and how they operate currently (AS-IS scenario), there is a high possibility that you will get stuck in a rut and getting out of it may be a herculean task.

While some customers ask if we can skip directly to the future state, it is important for you as a BA to start with the As-Is analysis as this brings clarity and provides a solid foundation. It becomes essential in situations where there are known issues with the current process, like frustrated end customers or fulfilment and processing problems. The As-Is analysis helps identify gaps causing these issues.

Usually, business users feel confused about the right processes and steps to take, because they know only their job and they cannot suggest process (or requirements) improvement, usually--which is your job. Many times, they don't know what they want.

Hence as a BA, it is your role to analyze the existing business processes first and bring everyone onto the same page. You should know how they operate, who are the people involved, why they do it that way. All these insights automatically will give you a vision of how you can suggest improvement to a process, and thus finalise the requirements that align with the business vision.

Analysing the "As-Is" business process is all about how things work currently in your customer's organization. As a BA, your ultimate goals are to listen, understand, and note down the processes and at the same time process flaws, including mistakes and redundancies and is making a process inefficient. The As-Is process analysis includes elements like process descriptions, roles, steps, exceptions, and more. You not only talk to the people who are involved in the process but also study the documentation, and diagrams that your customer can supply.

When creating an As-Is process, it's crucial to involve stakeholders who perform the business processes. Eliciting information about the current state involves methods like interviews and observations. Once you gather information, review and confirm your understanding to fill any knowledge gaps. You need to schedule and lead workshops with people who understand the process, like managers or subject matter experts and more. Always, be clear to them - AS-IS process analysis is not a requirements workshop.

Remember that when you understand a business it is important to know it from different perspectives. Hence talk to various people, who actually are doing the work and those overseeing it and also people who are connected to that process - end to end. Ensure at least one stakeholder represents each role in the process. For example, if the process involves new customer onboarding, you'd need representatives from marketing, sales, customer service, fulfilment, and possibly finance as well to understand clearly how the customer onboarding process takes place, end-to-end.

Conducting an As-Is analysis helps you as a BA to get everyone on the same page. This avoids disagreements when defining a To-Be state because right from the beginning (AS-IS to TO-BE state) you would have involved customers. Also, if your customer plans to automate or streamline processes as part of their To-be state, starting with the current state is crucial. It helps discover redundant steps and opportunities for automation.

What are your thoughts? Do comment.

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