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As an Atlanta-based BA, I have seen Ryland Leyton, the author of The Agile Business Analyst, present on the topic before. His trainings at the local IIBA are among the best-attended, due to the richness of his content.
Needless to say, expectations for his new book are quite high. Having completed a first read, I will predict that this book will greatly impact the larger Business Analyst community in the years ahead.
For those transitioning to Agile, the chapters that provide two cases studies will be of particular interest. The first covers a BA’s work on a Waterfall project, while the second tracks the same project if using Agile practices. The two case studies are then compared, which alone makes this book essential reading for BAs.
For those already experienced with Agile, there is enough food for thought here regarding the pain points that most teams face: date-driven vs. feature-driven releases, story decomposition, what is “enough,” and the BA’s relation to the other roles on the team. A pleasant surprise is the perspective about working within Matrix-ed organizations and its inherent challenges.
A book like this could have aimed to be The Ultimate Authority, such as Software Requirements by Karl Wiegers and Joy Beatty -- an all-encompassing work that aims to be the canon. The opposite would have been to be an excellent reference guide, such as the Software Requirements Memory Jogger by Ellen Gottesdiener.
Instead, this book aims for practicality over perfection, and succeeds in hitting the “sweet spot” of good business writing: 1) Covering vast territory, while providing enough depth to be useful to a practitioner, and 2) keeping the material grounded enough for different audience levels to follow. (Think Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis by Barbara Carkenord).
The one area that warranted more coverage in this book is “Sprint Zero.” Although briefly mentioned, the concept continues to have very little written about it in Agile communities (and happens to be greatly impacted by the work of BAs). Also, the chapter on “Common Business Analysis Techniques That Work in Agile” deserves to grow into its own book.
All nitpicking aside, this is a practical and timely book which belongs on a short list of “Essential Reading for Early-Career BAs.” Add Mr. Leyton’s work to the group which includes Discover to Deliver, User Stories Applied, and Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis. He succeeds in delivering a great Minimum Viable Product -- a guide for BAs who need to start sprinting in Agile quickly.
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