A framework for improvement

A Business Analysis Centre of Excellence (BACoE)  is a framework that provides structure, context and content for improvement initiatives in business analysis and its relationship to other development centres.

A business analysis centre of excellence is a tool for:

• Ensuring that the capabilities of business analysts match the needs of the organisation
• Implementing lessons learnt during programmes and projects
• Working closely and effectively with all project stakeholders and participants
• Assisting in portfolio planning
• Assisting in managing the realisation of benefits identified in programme and project business cases
• Working efficiently and effectively in all types of project
• Helping to boost business agility
• A source for the development of a business architecture
• Developing the skills of business analysts in line with the needs of the organisation

Optimising Business Analyst Performance

A business analyst’s role is very much about the continuous improvement of business capabilities. But the capabilities of each business analyst and the whole business analysis function also need to be continuously improved.

Unfortunately, business analysts and other team members often do not have the time, independence, authority or appropriate organisational structures to examine and improve their own capabilities and to optimise their own processes and performance.

Sometimes business analysis teams are not aware of what a process of continuous improvement of their own capabilities might look like. Agile business analysis approaches can help, but even here it is not always easy to agree on what should be done, how to go about doing it or finding the time to do it. This is where the Business Analysis Centre of Excellence (BACoE) comes in.

A Business Analysis Centre of Excellence (BACoE) (or Center of Excellence in the States), is a framework that provides structure, context and content for improvement initiatives in business analysis and its relationship to other development centres.

Why have a BA centre of excellence?

Business analysis skills, and suitably skilled business analysts, are critical to the success of change projects, particularly when it comes to:

• Discovering the essence of the business problems to be solved and the business opportunities to be achieved
• Solving those problems in a manner that is in line with the business and IS/IT strategic objectives
• Identifying and managing risks and benefits of the proposed solution in line with corporate and IT governance policies
• Achieving business agility – the ability to respond rapidly and effectively to a changing world

The business analysis team obviously cannot achieve the above alone. A framework for cooperation, communication and negotiation with all business and IT stakeholders is critical to project success. This framework is supplied by a business analysis centre of excellence.