Business Analysis Interview Questions and Answers

Functional requirements describe what the system does: behaviours, features and business rules. Examples include calculating a discount, generating an invoice or allowing a user to reset a password.

Non functional requirements describe how well it does it: quality attributes and constraints. Examples include performance, security, availability, scalability, usability, compliance and accessibility.

Both matter, but non functional requirements are often skipped and then cause expensive problems later. A feature that works but takes ten seconds to load, fails under load, or is inaccessible is not acceptable.

They should be specific and measurable, or they cannot be tested. Instead of "the system should be fast", write "the search results page must load in under two seconds for ninety-five percent of requests at peak load".

I capture them early, include them in acceptance criteria and trace them to tests so they are verified, not assumed.

Stakeholder analysis identifies the people who affect or are affected by a change, and works out how to engage them.

I start by listing everyone: users, managers, IT, finance, compliance, suppliers and sometimes customers. Then I assess each on two dimensions: their level of interest and their power or influence over the outcome. I map them on a grid.

That produces an engagement approach. High power and high interest are key players, managed closely and involved in decisions. High power but low interest need to be kept satisfied with clear, concise updates. Low power but high interest need to be kept informed, and they are often the best source of detail. Low on both need monitoring.

I also note their attitude, supportive, neutral or resistant, and whether that changes over time. The analysis is not a one off document. I revisit it as the project and the people change.