Business Analyst · Cheatsheet

Business Analyst Cheatsheet

A short reminder sheet that pairs with the full playbook. Use it in a meeting when you need the next move, not a long read. Tap “What this means” on any card if a heading is unclear.

Civil Service specific Universal any sector Both

MAP-01

Analysis maps

Both

Discover: Double Diamond · JTBD

Specify: BDD · process maps · decision tables

Standards: GDS Service Standard · WCAG · Green Book

RL-01

The role

Both

You own clarity. The PO owns priority.

Run daily:

Problem before solution?
Can a stranger test it?
Which assumption would break us?

DS-01

Problem framing

Universal

Who, what, impact, evidence
Explicit non-goals
Assumptions in RAID
Success signal with PO

RQ-01

Requirements & AC

Universal

Testable AC · BDD examples

Happy path + key edges

Non-functionals visible

Trace to outcome / epic

PM-01

Process modelling

Universal

Model seams before tickets

Decision tables for rules

Data dictionary for meanings

Stop when it will not change a story

ST-01

Stakeholders

Universal

Workshops end in decisions

Owners for open questions

Circulate decisions same day

PO keeps priority

DS-02

Discovery with PO/UX

Universal

Evidence next to risky bets

Timebox spikes

Kill ideas that fail tests

Map evidence to Service Standard in government

TR-01

Traceability

Both

Outcome to epic to story to AC to evidence

Log scope change with impact

Light trail people will update

CS-01

Civil Service

Service Standard evidence continuous
WCAG in Ready and Done
Green Book options honesty
Design System by default

CM-01

Tone & ask

Universal

Team: AC + edges

SRO: options + recommendation + ask

Drop "the business wants". Name the person and your call.

GV-03

Troubleshooting: symptom to first move

Universal

!Solutioneering: write problem + non-goals, park the tool

!Gold-plating: cut a thin proving slice, park edges

!Ambiguous AC: three amigos rewrite with BDD

!UAT rejects Done: freeze AC before coding, bring SME into Ready

!Everything Must: show capacity, name the arbiter with PO

!Rules in heads only: harvest decision table this week

REF-01

Field reference

Both

One-minute checklist when requirements are on fire:

Name the problem, one sentence, no solution
Framing, ambiguity, gold-plating, dependency or quality?
Decision that unlocks most clarity, who owns it
Brief PO (and SRO if needed) before a distorted version spreads
Protect Ready quality; do not flood the Sprint with fog

Specify: BDD, DoR, DoD, MoSCoW, BPMN

Collaborate: three amigos, JTBD

Public: GDS, Service Standard, WCAG, Green Book

Govern: RAID, RAG, SRO, decision log