Planning analysis work across lifecycle phases
How a business analyst sequences analysis work across the implementation lifecycle: discovery first, a business analysis plan per phase, high-level scope up front with just-in-time detail in iterative delivery, reuse of current-state maps, and routing newly found scope to the sponsor.
Apply the implementation lifecycle for planning business analysis activities.
~7 min read · 8 practice questions ·
What the exam expects
- Place discovery and current-state analysis early in the lifecycle, before design and build.
- Order BA activities so each one feeds the next: goals and current state, process mapping and elicitation, requirements, user stories with acceptance criteria, build support, UAT.
- Produce a business analysis plan that maps activities, deliverables and stakeholder involvement to each phase or region.
- Adjust the plan for iterative delivery: high-level scope up front, detail just in time.
- Know when to revisit current-state maps, and what to do with scope found during discovery or after sign-off.
Key terms: implementation lifecycle (plan, build, test, deploy and monitor phases a change moves through); business analysis plan (the list of all BA activities across the project); waterfall (all scope defined before work starts); iterative or agile (scope continuously defined and refined); backlog refinement (preparing upcoming backlog items so they are ready).
Key facts
- Detail
- Plan, build, test, deploy, monitor
- Detail
- Analysis comes before architecture and before build
- Detail
- Lists all BA activities that take place throughout the project
- Detail
- Entire scope defined before the project begins
- Detail
- Requirements and scope continuously defined and refined
- Detail
- Higher-priority items carry more detail so they are work-ready
- Detail
- Every 2 weeks, a couple of sprints ahead (Salesforce's own Scrum practice)
- Detail
- Throughout the lifecycle, not a one-off
- Detail
- Last stage before go-live, after QA, with written sign-off
Sources for this section (8)
- Learn About Salesforce Application Lifecycle Managementtrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Understand the Value of Business Analysistrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Explore Documentation Typestrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Project Scope Managementtrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Learn the Elements of the Scrum Workflowtrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Implement Scrumtrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Explore Techniques for Information Discoverytrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Learn About User Acceptance Testingtrailhead.salesforce.com (opens in a new tab)
- Why is discovery planned before design and build?
- When does a backlog item get its detailed requirements in Scrum?
- What does a business analysis plan contain?
- Why can't overlooked requirements simply be added mid-project?
The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.
Keep reading with the Business Analyst pack
- Core concepts
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- Worked scenario
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- All 22 lessons of the Business Analyst guide, with reading progress
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