Business Analysis Case Study - Access Management

Jul 8, 2024

Business Analysis Case Study - Access Management

Introduction

  • Objective: To work on a business analysis case study that represents a typical day-to-day task for a business analyst.
  • Scenario: Company A is growing rapidly, increasing the number of employees, and needs to manage access rights to prevent fraud and other issues.
  • Task: Create a prototype for a software solution to let employees request access rights and have those requests reviewed by their line managers.

Case Study Overview

  • Company A's Challenge: Managing access rights becomes challenging as the number of employees increases.
  • Solution Need: A digitalized process to allow employees to request access rights and to enable managers to review and approve these requests.
  • Prototype Objective: Develop a first prototype of the software that addresses the access management needs.

Requirements Gathering

  • Methods: Conduct workshops or interviews to better understand the topic (linked additional content available on YouTube).
  • Outcome of Workshop/Interview:
    • Employee Requirement: Ability to request access to applications.
    • Manager Requirement: Ability to review requests with outcomes of approval, rejection, or rework.
    • Prototype Scope: Focus on a single-user executable software, ignoring the automated download and role concept.

Process Modeling with BPMN

  • BPMN: Business Process Model and Notation, a standard for modeling business processes.
  • Tools and Steps:
    • Start Event: Beginning of the process.
    • End Event: Conclusion of the process.
    • Activity: Task representation, such as 'Request Access' or 'Review Request'.

Creating the Request Access Form

  • Essential elements of the form:
    • Application Selection: Drop-down menu with options (e.g., PowerPoint, Excel, Word).
    • Justification: Multi-line text field for the reason behind the request.
    • Welcome Message: Greeting the user (e.g., "Welcome, Initiator").

Developing the Workflow

  • Flow:
    1. Request Access Task: Employee fills out the form and submits the request.
    2. Review Request Task: Manager reviews the request and can approve, reject, or request rework.
    3. Gateway Decision: Determines the next step based on the manager's decision.

Implementing Decision Outcomes

  • Possible Outcomes:
    • Approve: Request is approved, ending the process.
    • Reject: Request is rejected, ending the process.
    • Rework: Sends the request back to the employee for additional information.

Testing and Iteration

  • Prototype Testing: Running through different scenarios to ensure all paths work as intended.
    • Approval Path: Request is approved and completes the process.
    • Rejection Path: Request is rejected and completes the process.
    • Rework Path: Request is sent back to the employee and then reviewed again after rework.

Conclusion

  • Outcome: Successfully built and tested a prototype that meets the access management requirements of Company A.
  • Tools: Utilized BPMN and a software tool (Flowable) to model and execute the business process.
  • Next Steps: Gather feedback and refine the prototype to include additional features and improvements based on real-world usage.

Additional Resources

  • YouTube Links: For further learning on conducting requirements workshops and interviews.

Thank you for following along. Comments and feedback are welcome. Take care!