Reading List

Business Analysis Pitfalls and Worst Practices

Anti-patterns to recognize and avoid

Created by the author in Midjourney

The best practices of business analysis are regularly covered in articles, videos and conferences. What about the worst practices?

I’ve written about many anti-patterns of business analysis before — approaches that lead to ambiguity, misunderstanding, missed requirements and failed projects.

This reading list is a compilation of my BA pitfalls stories to serve as an anti-checklist for business analysis activities.

“Requirements come from business”

The most fundamental mistake of a business analyst is to expect that interviewing a couple of stakeholders will provide them with complete business requirements.

Stakeholders have needs, problems, and complaints — and that does not equate to requirements. This is what business analysis is for.

Requirements Don’t Come From Business: They Come From Business Analysis

“I don’t care why”