BA Techniques: Background Research

Written by Bharath Ravi | Jul 7, 2020 8:05:24 AM

Purpos

Background research technique is a research discipline of identifying the business needs and determining the solutions to the business problems.

The background research technique is a creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge, including the knowledge of business, culture, and society, and the use of this knowledge to devise new products. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of information to increase the understanding of the issue. At general level the background research has three steps, such as

  • Post the question
  • Collect data to answer the question
  • Present an answer to the question

This is the familiar process engaged in solving the problems that we start with the question, collect some information about the issue, and then form an answer for the question. Background research is important because it suggests improvements for practice. The primary purpose of background research are documentation, discovery, interpretation, and development of methods and systems for the advancement of the business knowledge.

The background research technique can be done in number of different ways. It is a process of steps used to collect and analyze the information to increase the understanding of the topic or the issue. This is also called as the primary research technique. The main purpose of this technique is to produce a new knowledge, rather than to present the existing knowledge in a new form. It involves the direct or indirect observations of the research subject. The background research is important for three main reasons,

  • Research adds to our knowledge - It means that analysts undertake the research to contribute to the existing information about the issues.
  • Research improves the practice - It is important because it suggests the improvements for the business practice.
  • Research informs the policy debates - It provides the information to the stakeholders about the business process.

Some of the articles related to Background research techniques are as follows,

Background research is done by getting the information from the stakeholders regarding the process. The project is driven by the sponsors vision and not by the user requirements. The business analysts in some cases suggest the requirements, explain their benefits and acceptance of the new product system. In general, requirements arise from the need to solve the problem, or exploit an opportunity. The responsibilities of the business analysts include,

  • To investigate business systems, take a holistic view of the system.
  • TO evaluate the actions to improve the operations of the business systems.
  • To document the business requirements using appropriate documenting standards.

Advantages of using the background research technique are,

  • It helps to understand the business clearly.
  • It identifies the potential threats and opportunities in the global market.
  • It helps to discover the competitor strength and weakness
  • It facilitate strategic planning
  • It focus on customer needs and demands
  • It helps to evaluate the success of the business

Some of the books for Background Research techniques are,
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