10.18.1 Purpose
Document analysis is used to elicit business analysis information, including contextual understanding and requirements, by examining available materials that describe either the business environment or existing organizational assets.
10.18.2 Description
Document analysis may be used to gather background information in order to understand the context of a business need, or it may include researching existing solutions to validate how those solutions are currently implemented. Document analysis may also be used to validate findings from other elicitation efforts such as interviews and observations.
Data mining is one approach to document analysis that is used to analyze data in order to determine patterns, group the data into categories, and determine opportunities for change. The purpose, scope, and topics to be researched through document analysis are determined based on the business analysis information being explored. When performing document analysis, business analysts methodically review the materials and determine whether the information should be recorded within a work product.
Background research gathered through document analysis may include reviewing materials such as marketing studies, industry guidelines or standards, company memos, and organizational charts. By researching a wide variety of source materials, the business analyst can ensure the need is fully understood in terms of the environment in which it exists.
Document analysis about an existing solution may include reviewing business rules, technical documentation, training documentation, problem reports, previous requirements documents, and procedure manuals in order to validate both how the current solution works and why it was implemented in its current form. Document analysis can also help address information gaps that may occur when the subject matter experts (SMEs) for the existing solution are no longer present or will not be available for the duration of the elicitation process.
10.18.3 Elements
.1 Preparation
Document analysis materials may originate from public or proprietary sources.
When assessing source documents for analysis, business analysts consider:
- whether or not the source’s content is relevant, current, genuine, and credible,
- whether or not the content is understandable and can be easily conveyed to stakeholders as needed, and
- defining both the data to be mined (based on the classes of data needed) and the data clusters that provide items grouped by logical relationships.
.2 Document Review and Analysis
Performing document analysis includes:
- Conducting a detailed review of each document’s content and recording relevant notes associated with each topic. Notes can be recorded using a document analysis chart that includes the topic, type, source, verbatim details, a paraphrased critique, and any follow-up issues or actions for each document that is reviewed.
- Identifying if any notes conflict or are duplicates.
- Noting any gaps in knowledge in which the findings about certain topics are limited. It may be necessary to perform additional research to revisit these topics, or to drill down at a sub-topic level.
.3 Record Findings
When the information elicited through document analysis is used in a work product, the business analyst considers:
• if the content and level of detail is appropriate for the intended audience, and
• if the material should be transformed into visual aids such as graphs, models, process flows, or decision tables in order to help improve understanding.
10.18.4 Usage Considerations
.1 Strengths
- Existing source material may be used as a basis for analysis.
- The business analyst does not need to create content.
- Existing sources, although possibly outdated, can be used as a point of reference to determine what is current and what has changed.
- Results can be used to validate against the results of other requirements elicitation techniques.
- Findings can be presented in formats that permit ease of review and reuse.
.2 Limitations
- Existing documentation may be out of date or invalid (incorrect, missing information, unreadable, unreviewed or unapproved).
- Authors may not be available for questions
- Primarily helpful only for evaluating the current state, via review of as-is documentation.
- If there is a wide range of sources, the effort may be very time-consuming and lead to information overload and confusion.
