Handbook
BA techniques catalog
Master catalog of business analysis techniques from the [BABOK Guide v3](https://www.iiba.org/babok-guide/), mapped to knowledge areas and lifecycle phases. Use this as a **selection guide** — pick te
BA techniques catalog
Master catalog of business analysis techniques from the BABOK Guide v3, mapped to knowledge areas and lifecycle phases. Use this as a selection guide — pick techniques that fit your initiative's context, formality level, and team capability.
How to use this catalog: 1. Identify which lifecycle phase you are in (PDLC P1–P6 or SDLC A–F) 2. Find techniques that apply to that phase in the table below 3. Select based on your BA calibration — see BA ↔ SDLC ↔ PDLC bridge §6 for when to go lightweight vs heavyweight 4. Refer to the technique detail section for guidance on each technique
1. Technique matrix
Each technique is mapped to the knowledge areas where it is primarily used and the lifecycle phases where it is most applicable.
Knowledge area abbreviations: BAPM = BA Planning & Monitoring, SA = Strategy Analysis, EC = Elicitation & Collaboration, RLCM = Requirements Life Cycle Management, RADD = Requirements Analysis & Design Definition, SE = Solution Evaluation.
Elicitation techniques
| Technique | Knowledge Areas | PDLC Phases | SDLC Phases | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interviews | EC, SA | P1, P2 | A | One-on-one or small-group structured/semi-structured conversations to gather detailed stakeholder perspectives |
| Workshops / facilitated sessions | EC, SA, RADD | P1, P2, P3 | A, B | Structured group sessions to build consensus, explore problems, or define requirements collaboratively |
| Focus groups | EC, SA | P1, P2 | — | Moderated group discussions with representative stakeholders to explore attitudes and reactions |
| Observation / job shadowing | EC, SA | P1 | A | Watching users in their natural environment to understand actual workflows and pain points |
| Surveys / questionnaires | EC, SE | P1, P5 | — | Structured instruments for gathering data from large groups; useful for quantifying patterns |
| Document analysis | EC, SA | P1 | A | Systematic review of existing documentation, contracts, regulations, and system artifacts |
| Interface analysis | EC, RADD | — | A, B | Examination of interfaces between systems, users, and processes to identify integration requirements |
| Prototyping | EC, RADD | P2 | B, C | Building simplified representations of a solution to validate concepts and surface implicit requirements |
| Brainstorming | EC, RADD | P2 | A | Unconstrained idea generation to explore solution possibilities; quantity over quality initially |
Analysis techniques
| Technique | Knowledge Areas | PDLC Phases | SDLC Phases | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWOT analysis | SA, SE | P1, P3 | — | Assess Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats for an initiative or solution |
| PESTLE analysis | SA | P1 | — | Assess Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental external factors |
| Root cause analysis | SA, SE | P1, P5 | E | Systematically investigate the underlying cause of a problem, not just symptoms |
| Gap analysis | SA, SE | P1, P5 | — | Compare current state to desired future state; identify what must change |
| Benchmarking | SA, EC, SE | P1, P5 | — | Compare capabilities, processes, or performance against industry standards or competitors |
| Feasibility analysis | SA, RADD | P2, P3 | C | Assess whether a proposed solution is technically, financially, and organizationally achievable |
| Risk analysis | SA, BAPM | P2, P3 | A | Identify threats and opportunities; assess probability and impact; define mitigation strategies |
| Cost-benefit analysis | SA, SE | P3, P5 | — | Quantify expected costs and benefits to justify investment or evaluate returns |
| Decision analysis | SA, RADD, SE | P3 | C | Structured evaluation of alternatives using defined criteria and weights |
| Business model canvas | SA | P3 | — | Visual framework for articulating value proposition, customers, channels, revenue, and cost structure |
Specification techniques
| Technique | Knowledge Areas | PDLC Phases | SDLC Phases | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| User story writing | RADD, RLCM | P2 | A, B | Short narratives: "As a [role], I want [capability], so that [benefit]" — core agile specification format |
| Use case modeling | RADD | P2 | B | Detailed step-by-step interaction between actors and the system; includes alternate and exception flows |
| Acceptance criteria (Given/When/Then) | RADD | — | B | Verifiable conditions for requirement completion; Gherkin format for automated testing |
| Business rules analysis | RADD | — | B | Identify, document, and validate the business rules that constrain or govern solution behavior |
| Data modeling | RADD | — | B, C | Define entities, attributes, relationships, and constraints — ER diagrams, data dictionaries |
| Process modeling (BPMN) | RADD, SA | P1 | B | Visual representation of workflows using Business Process Model and Notation |
| State modeling | RADD | — | B | Define valid states and transitions for lifecycle-driven entities (state machine diagrams) |
| Non-functional requirements analysis | RADD | — | B, C | Systematically identify and specify quality attributes: performance, security, scalability, accessibility |
| Scope modeling | SA, RLCM | P3 | A | Define solution boundaries — what is in scope, out of scope, and deferred |
Prioritization techniques
| Technique | Knowledge Areas | PDLC Phases | SDLC Phases | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MoSCoW prioritization | RLCM | P3 | A | Classify requirements as Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have (this time) |
| Value/effort matrix | RLCM, SA | P3 | A | Plot requirements on a 2x2 matrix of business value vs implementation effort |
| Kano model | RLCM | P3 | — | Classify requirements as basic (expected), performance (linear), or delighter (surprising) |
| Weighted scoring | RLCM, SA | P3 | A | Score alternatives against multiple criteria with assigned weights |
| Story mapping | RLCM, RADD | — | A | Organize user stories along a journey backbone; slice horizontally for release planning |
| Cost of delay | RLCM | P3 | A | Quantify the economic cost of not implementing a requirement now vs later |
| Estimation | BAPM, RLCM | P3 | A | Size requirements for planning — story points, t-shirt sizes, ideal days, or parametric methods |
Governance and management techniques
| Technique | Knowledge Areas | PDLC Phases | SDLC Phases | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stakeholder analysis | BAPM, EC | P1 | A | Identify stakeholders, assess influence/interest, plan engagement strategies |
| RACI matrix | BAPM | P3 | A | Clarify Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed roles per decision or artifact |
| Traceability matrix | RLCM | P3 | A, B | Link requirements to objectives, tests, and design elements; detect gaps and orphans |
| Impact analysis | RLCM | P5 | A | Assess the effect of proposed changes on scope, schedule, quality, and other requirements |
| Reviews and walkthroughs | RADD, RLCM | P2, P3 | B | Structured examination of requirements with stakeholders to verify quality and completeness |
| Lessons learned | BAPM, SE | P5, P6 | F | Capture what worked and what did not for future BA initiatives |
| Metrics and KPIs | BAPM, SE | P5 | E | Define and track measurable indicators of BA effectiveness and solution performance |
| Configuration management | RLCM | — | A–F | Version control and change tracking for requirements artifacts (git-native in this ecosystem) |
2. Technique selection by lifecycle phase
Quick reference — which techniques to reach for at each phase:
| Phase | Recommended Techniques |
|---|---|
| P1 Discover Problem | Interviews, observation, document analysis, SWOT, PESTLE, benchmarking, stakeholder analysis, root cause analysis, process modeling |
| P2 Validate Solution | Prototyping, workshops, use case modeling, user stories, feasibility analysis, risk analysis, reviews, acceptance criteria |
| P3 Strategize | Decision analysis, business model canvas, cost-benefit analysis, MoSCoW, scope modeling, RACI, estimation, weighted scoring, traceability matrix |
| A Discover | Story mapping, user stories, scope modeling, stakeholder analysis, estimation, backlog management |
| B Specify | Acceptance criteria, use cases, data modeling, state modeling, business rules, NFR analysis, interface analysis, reviews |
| C Design | Decision analysis, feasibility analysis, prototyping, NFR analysis |
| D Build | Impact analysis (for mid-sprint changes), acceptance criteria clarification |
| E Verify | Metrics and KPIs, root cause analysis (defects), traceability matrix (coverage check) |
| F Release | Reviews, lessons learned, configuration management |
| P4 Launch | Reviews, stakeholder analysis (support/operations readiness) |
| P5 Grow | Gap analysis, root cause analysis, surveys, benchmarking, impact analysis, lessons learned, metrics and KPIs |
| P6 Mature / Sunset | Cost-benefit analysis, decision analysis, lessons learned, SWOT |
3. Technique selection by BA calibration
| Calibration | Techniques to Use | Techniques to Skip |
|---|---|---|
| Lightweight (bug fix, small feature) | User stories, acceptance criteria, backlog management | Use case modeling, BPMN, SWOT, PESTLE, business model canvas |
| Medium (feature on mature product) | User stories, acceptance criteria, interviews, MoSCoW, traceability matrix, data modeling | PESTLE, business model canvas, formal RACI |
| Heavyweight (greenfield, enterprise) | All of the above + use case modeling, process modeling, SWOT, business case, RACI, scope modeling, formal reviews | — (use everything that applies) |
See BA ↔ SDLC ↔ PDLC bridge §6 for detailed calibration guidance.
Canonical source
Edit https://github.com/autowww/blueprints/blob/main/disciplines/product/ba/techniques/README.md first; regenerate with docs/build-handbook.py.