These solutions may include changes in the organization itself, strategic development or development of new policies. The person who takes on the responsibility of business analysis is called a business analyst.

When the time inevitably comes for some sort of change, the business analyst has several techniques at his disposal. Precisely which techniques are used will depend on the nature of the problem, and the scope of the solution. Here are five that are used successfully by business analysts to help solve an array of different problems.

MOST

The MOST technique is an internal analysis. It contains four attributes that are defined by the business analyst to ensure the project you are working on is aligned and on track. These attributes are as follows:

Mission (where the business intends to go) Objectives (the key goals that will help achieve mission) Strategies (the different options for moving forward) Tactics (how the different strategies are put into action)

PESTLE

The PESTLE technique is an external analysis designed to examine the many different external elements affecting a business and its operations. It includes six attributes:

Political (Current and future political influences) Economic (The local, national and world economy impact) Sociological (Different ways society can affect an organization) Technological (The effect of new and emerging technology) Legal (The effect of national and world legislation) Environmental (Local, national and world environmental issues)

CATWOE CATWOE is a technique used to encourage critical thinking about what the business is trying to achieve. There are six different elements included in this technique: Customers (who benefits from the highest level business process and how does the issue affect them?) Actors (who is involved in the situation? Who is implementing solutions? What will impact their success?) Transformation Process (what processes or systems are affected by the issue?) World View (what is the big picture and what are the wider impacts of the issue?) Owner (who owns the process or situation being investigated and what is their role in the solution?) Environmental Constraints (what are the limitations that will impact the solution and its success?)

SWOT

A SWOT analysis is used to give a more complete overview of both internal and external factors affecting a business. There are four attributes to SWOT:

Strengths (examine advantages and what is done well within the company) Weaknesses (examine the disadvantages and areas that need improvement) Opportunities (examine opportunities for improvement in all areas, including market share) Threats (examine the obstacles the business faces in accomplishing their goals)

FIVE WHY’S

The Five Why’s technique is used to help get to the root of any given problem within the business intelligence. It is a question asking method to examine the cause and effect of a particular situation.

You will start with a problem, such as “my car won’t start,” then ask a succession of why questions until the root of the problem is uncovered and a solution is evident.

Business Analysis can be a complex and intricate process. Within this broad spectrum lie several sub-disciplines, roles and even more techniques.

All businesses encounter situations and problems that need attention to help keep them moving forward. With a skilled business analyst employing the right techniques, a solution won’t be far behind.

Market leader in providing a new generation of predictive, business analytics software and services that create true business intelligence. Offering masterful tools in financial management, information analysis, and collaborating business statistics.

Having your website visitors test themselves without obligation is a terrific way to gain your respect and keep them coming back. Assessments are being used in a variety of ways throughout the coaching, career, employment, health, and even to test employees knowledge about the jobs they are doing. Jobs like customer service, software knowledge, hardware knowledge, management style, and what type of career a person would be most suited for can be tested and analyzed by giving a simple assessment. Assessments are used to determine the category or type of career, coach, fitness coach, or relationship preference ” if you have a service to sell, assessments can be used to engage your website visitors who will want to know more about what you have to offer.

Website visitors can test themselves without obligation. This will create an interest in what you are offering and is a terrific way to gain your respect and keep them coming back.

1. Business Owners and Employers – give a personality assessment. Pre-hire personality screen assessments specially built for your company are most important when you are making a hiring decision. Assessments are an easy tool to suggest that people with certain personalities are best suited to certain careers. See if your potential new hire will fit in your company culture. Make them fast, easy, and fun.

2. Real Estate Agents – create an assessment to determine the type of residence that is best for the visitor to your web site. Assessments can be used to determine the price range a potential buyer can afford.

3. Customer Service and Telephone Answering Service ” How do you know how your service is representing your company? Create an assessment to analyze how an employee is representing your company when he/she answers the phone for you and dealing with order issues. This is great for the employee review process.

4. Software Tech ” create an assessment to determine the depth and type of software a potential employee will best fit into the company. Help employees demonstrate any new abilities by letting them take assessments several times a year.

5. Hardware Tech ” make sure your employees and potential employees can address the problems that will be presented to them by your customers ” re-assess their abilities a couple times a year. Assessments are appropriate when the knowledge, skill, or ability they measure can clearly be shown to be job-related and is not easily trainable once the person is on the job.

6. Coach Training Programs ” help your coach trainees determine their niche or the coaching type they are best suited for, or the type of clients they should pursue offering them a free “niche” assessment. Using the knowledge gained through assessments, the coach can encourage and support the development of the trainee and enable the trainee to connect more powerfully with their future clients.

7. Coaches ” use online assessments for your in-take forms ” have your new client fill in the discovery form online. The use of assessments will make your clients and prospects think much deeper than before. Used appropriately, the right assessment is a key part of the coaching conversation. Many forms and types of assessments have been used for many years, in consulting and psychotherapy as well as coaching.

8. Career Consultants, Employment Agencies and Temporary Agencies ” give your clients assessments to determine the best position they are suited for and the depth to which they know the subject. Assessments are a great time to make initial contact with the career center online and encourage your visitor to come to you for help in finding a job. Having the results of the assessment in hand, a career professional can more intelligently discuss what the clients needs are and how the career center can assist with meeting those needs.

9. Fitness Centers ” Create assessments for new clients to determine the individuals preferred styles of exercise, his/her motivation and communication preferences, and their fitness goals. A coach/manager account can be established for the trainer to manage and have access to the client assessments.

10. Sports Teams and Athletic Teams ” Assessments can help determine the level of stress a player may be experiencing. Properly designed assessments can determine a team members strength, as well as problem areas or emotional barriers that could prevent a player from achieving peak performance.

11. Social Clubs ” Assessments can be used to determine at what level a person should be put into to properly balance competition, personalities and performance. Tennis Clubs, golfing clubs, even pool tournaments. A knowledgeable event planner will be able to better address the needs and desires of their individual members.

12. Business Sites, Home Based Business Sites, Online Business Sites ” Create assessments to help people determine the best business they may be suited for, i.e. a franchise, home based, day care. Results can then be linked to additional assessments to determine the type of daycare, for instance, the type of franchise is best suited for a particular person. After they determine the type of business, help them will assessments to determine their business niche by offering additional assessments.

13. Relationships ” determine where your web site visitors are in their relationships, what issues they are facing, what their goals are for better relationships.

14. Families and Parenting ” assessments are a great self-study to help a person learn where they may need help in their parenting or family relationships ” why they are experiencing unhappy situations and then offer materials for improving the problems.

15. Employees 3-Way Assessments ” 1. Self assessments for each employee, 2. Managers productive assessment and finally the HR assessment ” combine them for the final annual review.

Assessments are useful to figure out where a person is in his/her current situation and to determine how to show the person how to move forward. Assessments are unique in that they adapt to each persons ability, accurately measuring what a person knows and needs to learn. In addition, good records can measure growth and progress over time.

Although assessments can be any length necessary, a good rule of thumb is to keep it short enough to keep the participants attention and interest. Assessments are easy to administer and convenient to use using online tools such as Assessment Generator. They are a diagnostic exercise, carried out by you, as the professional, to consider the current situation of your client, customer, employee or student. Remember to always add your visitors name and email address to your prospects database when they take an assessment.

If you are currently having people fill in forms, you can easily transform those forms to be automated online. They will be automatically scored and analyzed, and you receive the results via email, print them out for your file, and view the results online. There are online tools available for creating assessment easily and quickly. I use Assessment Generator at www.assessmentgenerator2.com