Frequently Asked Questions About Business Analysis Services from Essent
What should you expect when you enter Business Analysis Services from Essent? Here are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions.
When should a business utilize Business Analysis Services?
A critical time for Business Analysis is at the start of any major project, such as the implementation of a new software system. Essent also recommends periodic Business Analysis Services to keep software continually optimized for a business’s needs.
Why is pre-implementation Business Analysis necessary?
No matter how hard individuals work, they cannot overcome a flawed process design, much less the burden of no design at all. The analysis is a tool to verify that the capabilities of the system meet the customer’s requirements.
What are the advantages of ongoing Business Analysis?
Ongoing analysis is a matter of optimizing the system that's already in place. "Refresher” or "check-up” analyses can be completed in just a couple 2-hour sessions
Most customers grow after implementing Essent software, which gives rise to new business needs. At the same time, Essent adds several dozen new features each year. It becomes increasingly beneficial to examine how the customer’s growth and the software’s growth can combine in new ways for more automation and more efficiency.
How does ongoing Business Analysis compare to the initial Business Analysis?
Ongoing analysis isn’t as time-intensive as the initial analysis because it doesn’t need to start from the ground up. The system is in place, and now it’s a matter of optimizing the system. "Refresher” or "check-up” analyses are typically 1 to 3 sessions, compared to 10 to 30 sessions for initial analysis. It’s like taking a vehicle for a tune-up as opposed to installing a whole new engine.
What types of Business Analysis are there?
Broadly speaking, there are four types of sessions.
|
Strategic |
Tactical |
| Gap/Fit |
Focuses on processes within existing software functionality |
Focuses on activities within existing software functionality |
| Business Process Engineering |
Focuses on processes outside existing software functionality |
Focuses on activities outside existing software functionality |
What happens in a Business Analysis session?
Essent representatives meet with customer representatives to define the business processes and activities that the customer needs the software to automate. Essent asks a series of organized, tried-and-true questions to define the customer’s business process. Essent then designs the software to automate that process.
What is covered in a Business Analysis session?
Each session analyzes part or all of a business process. For example, a session could cover Sales Order Entry, Shopping Cart Creation, Invoicing, or any number of other processes and the activities within them.
How long is an analysis session?
A session is 2 hours, long enough to get into the crux of the issues without taking too much of your valuable time.