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Tools Used By Business Analysts

Here I have compiled a list of Tools used by Business Analysts. I beleive it should be helpful for BAs looking for most famous tools being used at different organizations.

  • Process mapping — Visio, Excel, UML
  • Process modelling — Websphere Business Modellet (WBM), Oracle Bea
  • Aqualogic, UML Activity diagram, Visio, Tibco
  • Requirements Mgmt — Doors, Rational Reqpro, Doors, Rational Requirements
  • Composer (RRC), Borland CaliberRM, Blueprint, Raveflow
  • Requirements Simulation — Irise , Blueprint, Ravenflow
  • UML Modeling — Rational Rose, Rational Software Architect(RSA), Visio, MS Visual Studio
  • Data Modelling — Erwin , ERStudio, Visio, MS Visual Studio, Enterprise Architect, Casewise Tau, System Architect
  • Collaboration tools — Lotus Notes, Sharepoint

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This entry was posted on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 at 3:29 pm and is filed under Business Analysis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Tools Used By Business Analysts”

  1. Neil Johnston Says:
    October 20th, 2009 at 4:55 am

    Hi Kashif,

    I agree that there are many tools out there, which can assist a BA in performing their role, but I think more importantly are the “soft skills”; some of these I learnt (a long time ago) as “RASPOC”:

    • Rapport
    Build a good working relationship with your customer/stakeholder. Get to know them as a person, and not just a point of contact for information
    • Ask / Analyse
    The stakeholder knows their area of expertise, ask them about it – both in an informal fashion; but also using tools from the BA’s kit (5-whys, root-cause analysis, follow-the-paper etc)
    • Summarise
    Present back to the stakeholder a summary of what they have told you; and get agreement that their personal requirements have been captured.
    • Presentation
    Include the as-is status, explain that you understand the problem; and ALL the individual stakeholders project objectives; present your findings, analysis and proposed solution.
    • Objections
    Handle objections from stakeholders as to your analysis and solution, and manage disagreements between different stakeholders.
    • Conclude
    Fully document the requirements and gain sign-off from all stakeholders, an move on to the delivery phase.

  2. Kashif Says:
    October 25th, 2009 at 6:03 am

    Hi Neil,

    Thank you for your comments. It is really important for a BA to have soft skills like “RASPOC”.

    I mentioned into one of my blogs that it is better to give technical skills to a profesisonal already having Soft Skills than drafting Soft Skills to a professional with Technical Skills.

  3. sunita Says:
    February 10th, 2010 at 1:13 am

    what do you recommend for someone like me. i’ve ten years experience and excellent RASPOC or soft skills…. but i have only used ms office or google apps for documentation and collaboration. what technologies are a must for me to learn in order to compete today?

  4. Kashif Says:
    February 14th, 2010 at 10:33 am

    Hi Sunita,

    Good to see your comments.

    Its great that you have excellent RASPOC or soft skills.

    Have you used MS Visio or Rational Rose? I have seen most of the companies using MS Visio and some Rational Rose.

    For requirements Management and collaboration, it depends which tools being used by the company. I have never used Doors but heard its very good.

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