Recently we conducted a survey where we asked Business Analysts and Project Managers the question, “What are the most frustrating things for you when facilitating or attending workshops?”.
One participant, upon seeing the replies of others’, left a response along the lines of “A good business analyst wouldn’t have these problems as they should already be across everything”.
On reflection, they were right. It prompted us to ask an important question.
Business analysis has never been about turning up to a workshop with a blank sheet of paper. Yet, in practice, that is exactly how it can be.
Good practice encourages stakeholder engagement, preparation, validation and consensus before people gather in a room.
So why do so many discovery workshops still begin with everyone trying to align?
What Good Business Analysis Looks Like
Every experienced Business Analyst understands the value of preparation.
Before a workshop ideally you would:
- Identify the right stakeholders.
- Understand the project’s scope.
- Interview stakeholders individually.
- Observe current processes.
- Compare stakeholder perspectives.
- Identify conflicting requirements.
When that happens, workshops become far more productive. The group meet and are already at least partially aligned.
So Why Doesn’t It Happen More Often?
Modern projects rarely allow enough time.
Stakeholders are busy.
SMEs are unavailable.
Projects overlap.
Priorities change. What was unimportant last week can become a last minute workshop this week.
On larger projects, facilitators don’t always choose who attends. Stakeholders are often nominated by managers or invited because of other motives, resulting in workshops that include people who are there to observe rather than contribute.
We Asked Business Analysts What Slows Their Workshops Down
As mentioned at the start of this article, we asked members of Business Analyst and Project Manager communities online to describe the biggest frustrations they experience during requirements workshops.
Despite coming from different organisations and industries, the themes were remarkably consistent.
People spoke about:
- Stakeholders who couldn’t find time to attend.
- Key SMEs being unavailable or distracted.
- Requirements surfacing late in the workshop.
- Discussions drifting into solution design.
- Scope creep.
- The same conversations happening repeatedly.
- Long lists of post-workshop follow-up actions.
None of these problems are caused by poor business analysis but are instead symptoms of projects operating under real-world constraints.
Good Practice Hasn’t Changed
Business analysis frameworks still describe the same principles they always have.
Understand stakeholders.
Prepare thoroughly.
Validate assumptions.
Build consensus.
The difference is that projects have become larger, faster and more complex.
Many Business Analysts already know exactly what they should be doing. The challenge is finding enough hours in the day to do it consistently.
The Opportunity
Imagine if every stakeholder could be interviewed individually before your workshop.
Imagine if every response could be clarified through follow-up questions.
Imagine if duplicate requirements were consolidated automatically, conflicting viewpoints highlighted before the workshop began, and every interview contributed to a growing understanding of project requirements rather than another set of workshop notes.
Business Analysts would spend less time collecting information and more time applying their expertise where it matters most: analysing, prioritising and facilitating better decisions.
That’s the problem Jessica was built to solve.
Whether you’re already interviewing every stakeholder or wish you had the capacity to, Jessica gives you more time to focus on the parts of business analysis that require human judgement: asking better questions, challenging assumptions and facilitating better decisions.
Whether you’re already interviewing every stakeholder or wish you had the capacity to, Jessica gives you more time to focus on the parts of business analysis that require human judgement: asking better questions, challenging assumptions and facilitating better decisions.