When collecting information on the AS-IS process takes too long 😮‍💨

One of the first steps in many business analysis tasks is gathering information about the AS-IS process. While the process may seem obvious to stakeholders, a BA has to gather all edge cases and context to avoid mistakes when designing a new system.
But let’s be honest: if it takes too long, stakeholders get impatient. So how can we speed it up without losing quality? Here are a few best practices that helped me personally:

1. Let SMEs sketch the BPMN diagram themselves
This might sound bold, but it has saved me hours. I once asked the finance team to draw their own process. I prepared an example, picked a simple tool for them and scheduled a Q&A session to review their version. As a result, the team really enjoyed learning a new tool and managed to execute the task perfectly.

2. Reverse interview
Ask the subject matter expert to teach you how to do their job, step by step as if you were their trainee. This reveals the hidden steps they normally do unconsciously or forget to mention.

3. Provocative modeling
When creating a model, sketch an intentionally wrong version of the process. Ask the SME to review it. It works surprisingly well: people are often much better at pointing out mistakes than describing the whole flow from scratch.

How do you speed up AS-IS discovery without sacrificing quality? Share your experience in the comments

#BusinessAnalysis #BABestPractices #AsIsProcess #RequirementsElicitation

Hey, Analysts! Today we we want to share with you an interesting fable comparable to the responsibilities of BAs 🌈

There’s an old fable about six blind men who encountered an elephant for the first time. Although they couldn’t see it, they wanted to learn what an elephant was like. Each of them touched a different part of the elephant.

The first man wrapped his arms around the elephant’s leg and said, “Why, an elephant is just like a big tree.”

“No,” said the man who held the elephant’s tail, “an elephant is like a rope.”

The third man felt the side of the elephant and reported, “This elephant is like a big wall.”

The fourth man gripped the elephant’s trunk and declared, “You’re all wrong. The elephant is like a giant snake.”

The fifth man rubbed the elephant’s tusk and said, “I think an elephant resembles a spear.”

“No, no, no!” said the final man, who touched the elephant’s ear. “An elephant is like a big fan.”

The blind men were all correct. The elephant has all the characteristics they described, but no single feature of the elephant provides a complete description of what an elephant is all about. Each man had but a limited view of the elephant and could draw conclusions only from that view.

In conclusion, while writing requirements, keep in mind that there is no single view of the requirements.
Often it’s desirable to represent requirements in multiple ways such as with use case diagrams, test cases, models, thereby giving the readers a richer, more holistic understanding of the requirements.

#BusinessAnalysis #Requirements #MultiPerspective

Hello Analysts, today I want to share with you my reflection on one of the most impactful parts our role - Discovery 🧐

Many assume that the most critical phase of a project for a Business Analyst is during development, when requirements are implemented and validated.

But in my experience, the real challenge—and the most intellectually rewarding part—lies in the presales and discovery phases.

During discovery, the work goes far beyond gathering requirements. It’s about designing solutions that are tailored to unique business environments, identifying the root problems behind client requests, balancing business objectives with technical feasibility, and navigating ambiguity with clarity and structure.

This is also where Business Analysts can deliver the highest value—by shaping the direction of the solution before it’s built. When a BA is involved early, they can:
- Influence scope and priorities before they are locked in
- Ensure the real business problems are identified—not just the symptoms
- Help the client or internal stakeholders reframe their needs in terms of outcomes
- Facilitate early alignment between business, design, and technology
- Lay the foundation for smoother development and fewer change requests later
From a personal growth perspective, being involved in discovery sharpens your analytical thinking, stakeholder management, commercial awareness, and ability to operate in unfamiliar domains. It also exposes you to strategic decision-making, which is often limited in later project phases.

What I enjoyed the most is the variety and depth: each project introduces a new business model, operating context, ROI logic, and user behavior landscape. It feels like solving a unique puzzle every time.

How do you approach discovery? What techniques or mindsets have helped you deliver the most value in this early stage of a project ❓

#Discoveyphase #BusinessAnalysis #PresalePhase #BusinessAnalyst

🤖 How do you design processes in BPMN to effectively resolve business challenges?

At our meetup, “Process Automation with Camunda: A Systems Analyst’s Perspective,” we’ll tell you about designing processes in BPMN using Camunda 8, including architectural components, automating processes in FinTech, and its benefits and challenges.

Speaker: Viktoryia Filipava, Senior System/Business Analyst at Andersen with 10 years of experience. Domains: FinTech, Logistics, Telecom.

🎟 Register here

📅 Time: 18:30 (Minsk time)/17:30 (СEST)
🕒 Duration: 1 hour
🗣 Language: Russian
📍 Offline: Andersen’s office in Minsk
💻 Online: The link to the stream will be sent to your email specified in the registration form

Join Analysts Hub on LinkedIn:
📱 BA/SA: LinkedIn

See you at the meetup!