Shoveling Snow is like Business Analysis
Most of you probably don’t know (or necessarily care) that I live and work in the panhandle of Texas. However, the panhandle area just got hit with a pretty good blizzard requiring me to shovel my driveway. I say “pretty good blizzard” because I grew up in North Dakota, and what passes for a blizzard and shuts down businesses and schools in Texas is just a minor inconvenience in North Dakota. I digress. As I was shoveling, a thought struck me that shoveling snow was a very good analog to performing Business Analysis.
The Right Tool for the Job
One thing about shoveling is that you need to use the right tool for the job. You can not use any old shovel. If you try to use a normal flat bladed shovel like you would use in soil, you will be shoveling for a long, long time. There is a reason snow shovels are wider and hold more material. More importantly, depending on the type of snow on the ground, you may need different snow shovels. For instance, a plastic shovel works well on powdery or even wet snow, but it is almost useless for breaking up the icy layer underneath. A metal shovel works best for those icy layers.
The right tool for the job holds true in Business Analysis as well. A class diagram will likely be jibberish to the end user. A Use Case Scenario and Use Case Diagram is a better tool for non-technical types. Also, a System Requirements Specification is the wrong tool to put in front of the Executive Sponsor. You will be better off with a shorter, more global tool like a Vision Document. You may or may not use the tools described, but you should be conscious of the tool you apply to the situation. [read more…]
