Business Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

Introduction

• Business Analysts (BAs) hold projects together.
• Important to prepare for conceptual, technical, and situational questions.
• Complete and impactful answers are better than superficial ones.

Key Terms

Process Design

• Designing/redesigning business processes.
• Goals: streamline work, improve quality/efficiency, reduce cost, improve customer satisfaction.

Feasibility Study

• Assessing a project's viability (technical, economic, operational).
• Helps stakeholders decide if the project is worth pursuing.

UML Modeling

• Unified Modeling Language.
• Uses diagrams: use case, class, sequence, activity, state machine, deployment.
• Helps in analyzing, documenting, and communicating business systems.

Important Documents

BRD (Business Requirements Document)

• Captures all business requirements of a project.
• Contents: project objectives, scope, requirements (functional/non-functional), business rules, roles, use cases, dependencies, assumptions, limitations, glossary.
• Ensures clear communication among stakeholders, BAs, and the development team.

FRD (Functional Requirements Document)

• Bridges business requirements and technical specifications.
• Useful for development and system testing.
• Contents: project introduction, scope, requirements, UI design, data/system interfaces, error handling, reporting, performance, security, testing criteria.

Acronyms and Models

INVEST

• Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable.
• Guidelines for creating effective user stories.

RFI, RFQ, RFP, ROI

• Request for Information, Request for Quotation, Request for Proposal, Return on Investment.

BPMN

• Business Process Model and Notation.
• Diagrammatic representation of business processes using shapes/symbols.

CRUD

• Create, Read, Update, Delete.

COTS

• Commercial Off-The-Shelf products.
• Ready-made software/hardware solutions.

WBS

• Work Breakdown Structure.
• Breaks project into smaller tasks.

JAD

• Joint Application Development.
• Meetings to gather/validate requirements with stakeholders and subject matter experts.

SIPOC

• Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers.

Matrices and Metrics

RACI Matrix

• Responsibility Assignment Matrix.
• Defines roles and responsibilities (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed).

RTM (Requirement Traceability Matrix)

• Traces the source of every requirement during project lifecycle.
• Ensures each requirement is addressed, verified, validated, and tested.

Stakeholder Metrics

• Maps stakeholders based on their impact and influence.
• Helps in engagement and decision-making.

Requirements Management

Managing Challenging Stakeholders

• Identify reason for negative bias and address concerns.
• Gain support with positive stakeholders' influence.
• Handle unavailability by delegating to junior representatives or regular reporting.

Types of Requirements

• Business: Upper-level business needs (e.g., improve efficiency).
• Functional: Specific functions to meet business requirements (e.g., sending notifications).
• Non-Functional: Qualities of the system (e.g., reliability, response time).

Requirement Elicitation Techniques

• Interviews, workshops, document analysis, surveys, observations, prototyping, etc.
• Choice depends on project complexity, stakeholder availability, timeline, etc.

Requirement Prioritization Techniques

• Techniques: Moscow method, ranking, Kano model, user story mapping, etc.
• Importance: Helps in planning resources, improving productivity and time management.

Agile and Scrum

Agile Methodology Events

• Sprint planning: Define goals and plan.
• Daily scrum: Discuss progress and obstacles.
• Sprint review: Demonstrate work and seek feedback.
• Sprint retrospective: Reflect on what went well and what needs improvement.

Velocity

• Measures work completed in a time frame.
• Helps in planning and forecasting.

Sprint Burn Down Chart

• Graph of work left to do vs. time.
• Helps monitor scope creep and schedule.

Observation Methods

• Techniques: shadowing, work sampling, video recording, etc.
• Factors affecting choice: process nature, stakeholder availability, objectives.
• Ensure ethical information collection.

Identifying Gaps

• Types: process, functional, data, knowledge, skills, stakeholder, performance, compliance.
• Methods: process mapping, SWOT analysis, customer feedback, gap analysis, etc.

SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)

• Stages: requirement gathering, design, implementation, testing, deployment, maintenance, retirement.

Role of Ba During Testing

• SIT: Aid testers in planning, reviewing test cases, validate results, manage defects.
• UAT: Identify testers, define scenarios, analyze results, and ensure all requirements are met.

Handling Changing Requirements

• Ensure requests come through proper channels.
• Assess necessity and impact on timeline/budget.

Conclusion

• Importance of preparation for successful interviews.
• Effective communication and complete answers can lead to success.