top business analyst interview questions and answers
1) What is a flowchart and why it is important?
Flowchart's show complete flow of system through symbols and diagrams. It is important, because it makes sometimes complicated systems easier to understand.
2) What does UML stand for?
It stands for Unified Modeling Language.
3) Define Use Case Model?
A use case model shows a sequence of events and stream of actions regarding any process performed by an actor.
4) Do you think an Activity Diagram is important and how?
As the name implies, activity diagram is all about the systems activities. The Main purpose of an activity diagram is to show various activities taking place in an organization in different departments.
5) What is an alternate flow in a use case?
It is the alternate solution or activity in a use case that should be followed in case of any failure in the system.
6) What are exceptions?
These are the unexpected results or situations that arise.
7) What are the two types of diagrams heavily used in your field?
The two diagrams are Use Case Diagram and Collaboration Diagram
8) What are extends?
Extends are actions that must take place in a use case.
9) What are two documents related to a use case?
The two documents are FRD (Functional Requirement Document) and SDD (System Design Document).
10) What is the difference between Business Analyst and Business Analysis?
Business Analysis is the process performed by the Business Analyst.
11) In your previous experience, what kind of documents you have created?
I have worked on, Functional Specification Documents, Technical Specification Documents, Business Requirements Documents, Use Case Diagrams.
12) As a business analyst, what tools, you think are more helpful?
There are many but I mostly use, Rational Tools, MS Visio, MS Word, MS Excel, Power Point, MS Project.
13) What does INVEST stands for?
INVEST means Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Sized Appropriately, Testable.
14) What is SaaS?
SaaS means Software as a Service. It is related to cloud computing. It is different from other software as you don’t need this type of software to be installed on your machine. All you need is an Internet connection and a Web Browser to use it.
15) What steps are required to develop a product from an idea?
You have to perform, Market Analysis, Competitor Analysis, SWOT Analysis, Personas, Strategic Vision and Feature Set, Prioritize Features, Use Cases, SDLC, Storyboards, Test Cases, Monitoring, Scalability.
16) What is better in your openion, the Waterfall Model or Spiral Model?
It all depends on the type and scope of the project. Also a life cycle model is selected on the basis of organizational culture and various other scenarios to develop the system.
17) Can you explain user centered design methodology?
It all depends on the end users. In such scenario, we develop the system with a user’s point of view. Who are the end users, what they require etc. Personas are basically social roles, performed by any actor or character. It is derived from a Latin word meaning character. In marketing terminology, it represents group of customers/end users.
18) How do you define Personas?
Personas are used to mimic what real people will do when using an application.
19) What is Application Usability?
Application usability is the quality of the system that makes the system useful for its users. A System’s usability is good if it is capable of achieving users’ goals. Personas are basically social roles, performed by any actor or character.
20) Explain in your words, what is database transaction?
Any activity in a database, such as addition, deletion, modification, searching etc. is said to be a database transaction.
21) Define OLTP Systems?
OLPT stands for On-Line Transaction Processing; these systems are capable to perform database transactions and are designed to provide good speed for database transactions. These systems are mainly used for data entry and retrieving data from the database.
22) What is a Pugh Matrix?
A Pugh Matrix is used to decide about the most optimal and alternate solutions. This technique is now a standard part of Six Sigma technique. It is also known as problem or design matrix.
23) What does FMEA stands for?
It means Failure Mode and Effects Analysis. It is a failure analysis, that is used mainly in product development, system engineering and operations management. This analysis is performed to figure out various failure modes and their severity in any system.
24) What is the 100-point method?
It is used to assign priority to different steps in a process. Each group member is supposed to assign points to different steps. In the end all the points for each step are calculated. The step having the highest points has the highest priority.
25) Do you know what 8-omega is?
It is a business framework that is mainly being adopted by firms and organizations for the betterment of their business. Its key factors are Strategy, People, Process, Technology.
26) What is a mis-use case?
It is a term derived from use-case. Unlike use case, a mis-use case is something that shows -what kind of malicious activities can be performed by an actor that may result in system failure.
27) What does SQUARE stands for?
SQUARE stands for Security Quality Requirements Engineering. It is one of the software engineering steps that mainly focus on documenting the security requirements of the system.
28) Explain Pareto Analysis?
It is a decision making technique, also known as 80/20 rule. It is used for quality control and defect resolution. It explains tiny factors that can be responsible for big problems. It is named as 80/20 rule, because as per this rule, 80 % effects in the system, arises from 20 % causes.
29) What is Agile Manifesto?
Agile Manifesto is a guide for software developers about the development principles to ensure iterative solutions.
30) What BPMN stands for?
It is Business Process Model and Notation. It is a graphical representation of the business processes.
31) Define BPMN Gateway?
BPMN Gateway is a processing modeling component that is used to control flow of interaction, sequence of processes.
32) Name the five basic elements’ categories in BPMN?
They are Flow Objects, Data, Connecting Objects, Swimlanes and Artifacts.
33) Have you ever used Kano Analysis in your previous jobs and how do you define it?
Yes, I have used Kano Analysis in one of my previous jobs. Kano Analysis is used to analyze a system in terms of its requirements to identify its impact on customers’ satisfaction.
34) How many key areas are there in a Kano Analysis?
They are three in number, namely as Unexpected Delighters, Performance Attributes and Must Have Attributes.
35) What is Pair-Choice Technique?
The pair-Choice Technique is used to give priority to various items in a process. It is mainly used when distinctive stakeholders are involved in the project. This technique asks from the group to compare each item with the other and select the one having highest priority.
36) Do you have suggestions to make an effective use-case model?
Yes, two separate diagrams. One serves as a use-case and the other serves as an actor diagram. So that we can highlight all the possible activities in a use case & in actor diagram and then we can merge both the diagrams to get an effective use-case diagram.
37) How many types of actors can be there in a Use-Case?
There are primary and secondary actors. Primary actors start the process and secondary actors assist them. Moreover, actors can be of four types such as Human, System, Hardware and Timer.
38) What is a BCG Matrix?
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) matrix is developed to analyze several of business processes and new product offerings from companies. It is a useful tool that can be used in portfolio analysis, strategic management, product management, and brand marketing.
39) What is the difference between a pool and a swimlane?
A swimlane is related to group activities on an activity diagram while a pool is dedicated activity to a single person.
40) What is the difference between a Fish Model and V Model?
A Fish model is comparatively very costly and time consuming, while, V model requires less time and cost. Moreover, Fish model is used when there were no ambiguities in the customers’ requirements. Otherwise, other model is preferred.
41) How do you manage frequently changing customers’ requirements while developing a new system?
As a business analyst, I would develop a document stating clearly that no change will be accepted after a certain period of time and get it signed by the user.
42) What are Use Case points?
Use Case points are used to evaluate the cost of work done to develop the system.
43) What does PEST stand for?
It means Political, Economic, Social, and Technological. It is used to analyze business environment, in which it has to be operated.
44) Name the four key phases of business development?
They are Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing.
45) Define Benchmarking?
Benchmarking is about analyzing performance of an organization to compete in the industry. In this process a company may measure its policies, rules, performance or other workings.
46) What do we mean by SWEBOK?
It means Software Engineering Body of Knowledge.
47) What does JAD stand for?
Joint Application Development
48) What do you know about GAP Analysis?
It is a process of comparing and determining the difference between two things or processes.
49) Define Scrum Method?
It is one of the agile methods, used to develop iterative information systems. In this method a small team works on the assigned tasks for a time period of 30 days usually.
50) Define Agile?
Agile is basically a technique that uses several light-weight methodologies such as Rapid Application Development (RAD), Extreme Programming (XP) and SCRUM. All these methodologies focus on the development of iterative solutions.
