IndigoCube's Robin Grace publishes results-based business analysis book

Robin Grace, principal consultant at IndigoCube, has published a book entitled "Aligning Business Analysis: Assessing Business Analysis from a Results Focus" ISBN 1-897312-56-3.

The book provides practical methods to identify information that must be gathered and gleaned during businesses' analysis processes in order for the technical team to be able to deliver the system with the correct business functionality.

With this information, analysts or organisations will be in a position to assess their entire approach to business analysis in order to ensure they record and communicate the correct information succinctly. This will enable the development teams to effectively deliver businesses' requirements.

"This is not a 'how-to' but rather a 'what-is-needed' book," says Grace. "The book was written out of frustration. I could see the discipline of business analysis was not functioning as was intended and was not producing the results required. A requirement that is only identified during testing will cost one hundred times more to implement then, than if it was identified during analysis. Increasing the effectiveness of business analysis can result in huge savings in development and bug fixing. It was for this reason that I decided to write a book to assist business analysts and companies to assess the effectiveness of their business analysis function."

The book, which took Grace a year to write, is his first to be published, and is available from most online book stores.

This is what Mark McGregor, co-creator of the 8 Omega Frameworks, and co-author on several books on business process management, had to say: "The book was a pleasure to read as it talks about business analysis in the context of today's organisations, not those of the past. He brings together in a very sensible manner all the skills and abilities that go together to make the role of the business analyst successful in today's system-centric world.

"I am sure that whatever your skill level, you the reader will gain new ideas and new insights that will certainly enable you to be a better manager or analyst - provided that you act on what you read and think."

Grace entered the IT industry via the Van Zyl & Pritchard COBOL Course in 1979. Over his 29 years of industry experience he has used, consulted and taught many methods and is renowned for his insightful presentations on various aspects of business analysis. He has assisted many prominent South African companies assess and then improve the effectiveness of their business analysis function.