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Setting Expectations with Developers: A Business Analyst’s Key to Seamless Collaboration

  • Oct 24, 2024
  • 3 min read

For a Business Analyst (BA), setting expectations with developers is vital to ensuring that business requirements translate into effective technical solutions. Clear communication from the start helps avoid misunderstandings and ensures that both the development team and the BA are aligned on deliverables and priorities.


Steps for Setting Expectations with Developers

  1. Clarifying Technical Requirements:

    • Purpose: BAs must ensure that all business requirements are translated into clear, actionable technical specifications for developers. This includes providing any user stories, acceptance criteria, or use case diagrams.

    • Example: In a US Healthcare Domain project, a BA delivers a detailed technical specification for integrating a new patient management system, ensuring that developers understand how data should flow between systems.

  2. Managing Priorities and Scope:

    • Purpose: Developers need to understand which features or requirements are prioritized, and which elements are "must-haves" versus "nice-to-haves."

    • Example: In a Fintech project, a BA works with the developer to prioritize the implementation of a core payment feature first, ensuring that critical elements are completed on time.

  3. Establishing Feedback Loops:

    • Purpose: BAs should establish regular feedback loops to clarify requirements as needed and to handle potential changes. This ensures both parties are in sync throughout the development phase.

    • Example: A BA on a Banking project sets up weekly touchpoints with developers to review progress and adjust any unclear requirements based on evolving stakeholder needs.

  4. Discussing Potential Roadblocks:

    • Purpose: Developers often encounter technical challenges or limitations. BAs must create a space for developers to share roadblocks and collaboratively find solutions that won’t affect project timelines.

    • Example: In a Supply Chain Management project, a BA addresses concerns raised by developers about integrating a new inventory system, collaborating to find a workaround without delaying delivery.

  5. Ensuring Alignment on Testing:

    • Purpose: The BA must communicate how requirements will be validated, ensuring developers understand the test cases and acceptance criteria that their work will be measured against.

    • Example: In a Capital Markets project, the BA aligns with developers on testing scripts for trading data to ensure accuracy and compliance.


Case Study: Setting Expectations in a Capital Markets Project


In a Capital Markets project aimed at building a high-frequency trading platform, the BA worked closely with the developers to ensure that business requirements for trading speed and accuracy were met. The BA provided technical specifications and user stories, while also setting clear expectations around performance metrics. By maintaining continuous feedback and addressing roadblocks early, the team was able to meet performance goals while staying within scope.


Conclusion:


For a BA, setting expectations with developers ensures the technical team understands the business needs clearly. Establishing open lines of communication, setting clear priorities, and providing detailed technical documentation helps bridge the gap between business goals and technical execution.


Explore Our Courses at JVMH Infotech Learn how to collaborate effectively with developers and other stakeholders through our hands-on Business Analyst training programs:


  • 🎓 Business Analyst Job Mentorship Program

  • 🎓 Scrum Product Owner Job Mentorship Program

  • 🎓 Project Manager Job Mentorship Program

  • 🎓 Scrum Master Job Mentorship Program

  • 🎓 EPMO Course Job Mentorship Program

  • 🎓 Banking and Financial Markets Domain Training

  • 🎓 US Healthcare Domain Training

  • 🎓 Supply Chain Management Domain Training

  • 🎓 Scrum Developer Certification

  • 🎓 Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification


 
 
 

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