One Answer to Many Questions
Business Analysis is driven by questions.
At any point in time, questions pop up — while listening, structuring, refining, checking, or delivering. Answers are not always immediately available. However, if you recognise the questions below, there is a method designed to address them.
Interpretation
- What understanding does this input provide?
- How can intents, needs, constraints, and expectations be identified?
- What assumptions are embedded but unstated?
- What is ambiguous or imprecise?
- What does this not say that may still be relevant?
Needs, Requirements, and Traceability
- What are the actual business needs behind this?
- Can I do this in a different way?
- Why is this requirement on the table?
- How is this different from that?
- I already have this requirement… or do I?
Coverage, Completeness, and Impact
- Are we missing something?
- How do I know this is an exhaustive list?
- How do I detect hidden scope?
- What is out of scope?
- If we change this, what else is affected?
Delivery and Change
- How do I keep alignment between the requirements and User Stories?
- How do I express the context of a requirement?
- How can I track the requirements lifecycle?
- What if the priority is changed?
- Can I combine several requirements for a single delivery?
Requirements Framework
- How can I ensure requirements are not duplicated?
- If I add or remove a requirement, will it break the overall structure?
- How can I keep the requirements format appropriate for the stakeholder group?
- What if I’m unsure whether a requirement will survive prioritisation?
- Is there a way to track progress at a glance?
Conclusion
The Stackable Jacks Method (SJM) provides a multi-faceted, comprehensive structure for addressing these questions. Whichever way you roll, you land on SJM.