In today's dynamic digital landscape, successful businesses recognise the importance of strategic technology solutions. At KOIA, our Business Analysis service takes a holistic approach. We don't just ask, "What should the system look like?". Instead, we dive deeper into the crucial question: "What problems should this system solve?".

Take a look from outside the box

Our experience shows that when you work on a solution for a long time, it’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on what you want rather than the underlying needs your product should address. This is where our external perspective becomes useful. We look beyond surface-level requirements to understand:

• Your core business needs
• Financial benchmarks
• Worktime optimisation opportunities
• Operational efficiency improvements

Let's look at this example: a client approached us to rewrite their existing system because it was "unfriendly to employees." While they had a clear vision of what they wanted the new system to look like, we helped them focus on how it would actually improve their team's productivity and impact company performance metrics. This external perspective helped capture many system elements that needed changes but were unseen internally.

The KOIA Business Analysis Process

Enough of theory. Here’s a brief explanation of our step-by-step cooperation before we start crafting your code.

1. Interactive Workshops

Every collaboration with a new partner has to start with understanding what resources are already there and what the goal is. Nothing beats a face-to-face meeting to talk through the story behind our client’s company, their infrastructure struggles and development plans. 

During our collaborative workshops, we:

• Gather the business requirements
• Uncover hidden challenges
• Understand your business context
• Identify optimisation opportunities
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Usually, we have 3-4 KOIA members and 3-4 people from the client’s side at such a meeting to collect the perspectives from the technical, business development and management team members and add more ideas to the table.

This also ensures that we’re all on the same page and understand the goals and next steps of the product development well.

2. Comprehensive Planning

Based on the workshop findings, we:

• Create a flexible roadmap that is a starting point and will be developed and adjusted in the next cooperation stages
• Break down the development into manageable stages
• Prepare thorough backlogs for each development phase

The valuation of the product can be a tricky part, as it’s often difficult to estimate all the risks that may occur. That’s why we always aim to get requirements from the client that are as detailed as needed. 

Once we know what our business partner wants and the initial scope of work, we can prepare a roadmap with the identified steps. We separate each development area for a better overview and task division and plan the estimated time needed for each development stage.

3. Agile Implementation

In the agile approach, business analysis is not performed on the entire product upfront but is conducted incrementally and iteratively throughout the development process. The analyst delves into details during the ongoing software development process, facilitating responsiveness to changes and stakeholder feedback, which, through continuous collaboration, remains up-to-date and can be validated throughout the development lifecycle.

That’s why we work in cycles that:

• Typically span 2-4 weeks, providing short, focused iterations
• Deliver tangible business value through functioning software that supports key business processes
• Include regular feedback sessions to gather insights from stakeholders
• Allow for roadmap adjustments to address emerging needs and priorities

Working with KOIA: What to Expect

Our iterative approach ensures transparent progress and continuous alignment with your business goals. Each sprint concludes with:

• Joint review of the increment of a given sprint
• Discussion of the current business needs 
• Goal-setting for the next iteration
• Adjusting the scope of product development based on feedback from our stakeholders

Getting Started

To begin your journey with KOIA, you simply need to:

1. Share your business needs (e.g., "We want to increase our transaction revenue by executing more of them faster")
2. Participate in our requirements-gathering workshops
3. Review and provide feedback on our proposed solutions, both at the starting point and during the product development

Our team handles the rest, including:

• Detailed requirement documentation
• UX design collaboration
• Technical feasibility assessment
• Non-functional requirement gathering

Why choose KOIA?

Strategic Partnership

We position ourselves as consultants and partners in your success. Our approach helps you to:

• Focus on actual needs and product value
• Constructively question the initial assumptions about the product
• Build a product that will not only be user-friendly but also support your internal team

Cross-Functional Expertise

Our Business Analysts are like a bridge between business needs and tech requirements, often being a Delivery Coordinator at the same time. They work closely with all team members involved in the development of the product:

• UX designers
• Developers
• Testers
• DevOps teams
• Delivery Managers

Conclusion

At KOIA, we understand that successful software development starts with thorough business analysis. By focusing on the "why" before the "how," we help ensure that your investment in technology truly serves your business needs. Whether you want to optimise existing systems or build new solutions, our Business Analysis service provides the foundation for success.

Ready to discover how KOIA can help transform your business challenges into effective software solutions? Contact us today to start the conversation.

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Authors: Agnieszka Ertel & Natalia Czerpak