A few tools to boost your business analysis potential

As many of you already know, tools and software for business analysis are NOT always a top priority for most companies. In most cases, MS Word, MS Excel, and MS Powerpoint are the only business analyst tools your company provides you along with an outdated requirements template, that is most likely in MS Word. Unfortunately, our jobs as business analysts can become complex and when certain valuable aspects of our deliverables become “difficult”… in most cases we elect not to do them, and I can’t blame you. So, until Microsoft Comes Up With MS Business Analysis (PM’s Already Got MS Project!), here are some requirements management tools to bring some sanity to your everyday life.

Tools Your Company Might Already Have (Civilian Gear)

SharePoint is not a requirements management tool;  however,  It does have a lot of powerful features that can bring some ease to traceability, approvals, collaboration, and the organization of your requirements. Of course, it will take some knowledge of Sharepoint, but you are a smart BA, and you can do it. For tips, check out Sharepoint Requirements management. I personally have used it to make my job and life a whole lot easier.

Requirements Management Software for the Business Analyst Mercenaries Out There

If you are a consultant or contractor, then sometimes it’s appropriate to bring your own tools to the fight and Gatherspace might be the right pick for you. The quality of requirements plays an enormous role in the success of a project, and yet many companies still leave you hanging when it comes to providing tools specific to the requirements analysis activities. You, however,  should not wait for someone to else to get you what you need, sometimes you have to go out there and get it yourself! Gatherspace is the most affordable for a single business analyst and can be scaled to a larger group.

Enterprise Requirements Management Tools for Business Analyst Armies

If you have the backing and the budget for an enterprise-level initiative, then I would check out, Jama and Blueprint. There are plenty more than these two, but these are my top picks. Mostly for the user experience factor. They just look and work great. I even had a chance to play in the environments and get live demos. I was pretty impressed. The tracing capability alone sold me for each of these (one of the hardest things to keep track of). These tools really simplify impact analysis and change management. These tools not only ease the creation and documentation of deliverables but also make the collaboration and approval process a breeze.