Agile Methods for Business Analysis
The following methods are discussed here:
- Walk the wall: For stakeholder alignment
- INVEST model: Define concise user stories
- Last Responsible Moment: Decision making principle for project and product development
- Minimum Viable Product: How to define "done" for initial product offering
- Template statement for experiments
Walk the wall
Walk the Wall is a collaborative review technique commonly used in Agile and iterative project environments to review requirements, user stories, progress, or solution designs. It involves physically or virtually walking along a visual display (a “wall”) where work items are posted, and reviewing them as a group to ensure shared understanding and alignment.
How It Works
- Requirements, user stories, workflows, prototypes, or plans are displayed on a wall, whiteboard, or digital board (e.g., Jira, Miro, Trello).
- The team physically or virtually gathers around this wall.
- Participants discuss each item in sequence — usually left to right or top to bottom.
- Questions, clarifications, dependencies, and risks are identified.
- Updates are made immediately, or follow-up actions are noted.
Purpose of Walk the Wall
- Build shared understanding of the work.
- Confirm requirements are interpreted correctly.
- Visualize progress, gaps, and dependencies.
- Encourage collaboration instead of isolated interpretation.
When It’s Used
- Before development: Reviewing user stories for completeness.
- During development: Checking progress against the roadmap.
- During testing: Reviewing coverage and outcomes.
- During release planning: Ensuring feature alignment.
Who Participates
| Role | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Business Analyst | Clarifies requirements & rules |
| Product Owner / Product Manager | Confirms business priorities & value |
| Developers | Confirm feasibility & technical dependencies |
| Testers | Identify validation and test coverage needs |
| UX/Design | Ensure experience alignment |
| Stakeholders | Provide acceptance or feedback |
Example Scenario of Walk the Wall
Context: Development of a new customer self-service portal.
On the wall, the team displays:
- User stories
- Wireframes
- Acceptance criteria
- Workflow diagrams
Walk-through:
The group walks left-to-right across the posted process:
| Step | Discussion Focus |
|---|---|
| Login Screen | Authentication method and data requirements |
| Dashboard | Which widgets are must-have for MVP |
| FAQ Search | What search filters should be included |
| Support Ticket Form | Which fields must be mandatory |
Result: Everyone leaves understanding what is being built, why, and in what order.
INVEST model
The INVEST model is a guideline used to evaluate the quality of user stories in Agile projects. It ensures that each user story is well-formed, actionable, and testable before development begins.
INVEST is an acronym:
| Letter | Meaning | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| I | Independent | The story should stand on its own and not be tightly dependent on another story. |
| N | Negotiable | The details can be discussed and refined between stakeholders and the development team — it’s not a fixed contract. |
| V | Valuable | The story should deliver clear business value to the user or organization. |
| E | Estimable | The team should be able to estimate the size or effort to complete the story. |
| S | Small | The story should be small enough to complete within one iteration (typically 1–2 weeks). |
| T | Testable | The story must have clear acceptance criteria to validate that it’s done correctly. |
Example of an INVEST-Compliant User Story
As a returning customer, I want to save multiple delivery addresses, So that I can quickly choose where I want my order delivered.
Acceptance Criteria:
- I can add a new address.
- I can edit or delete an existing address.
- I can choose a saved address during checkout.
Why it meets INVEST:
- Independent → Doesn’t require other checkout features to work.
- Negotiable → Details can be clarified with Product Manager/BA.
- Valuable → Improves user convenience and repeat purchase flow.
- Estimable → Developers can assess complexity.
- Small → Can likely be done within one sprint.
- Testable → Acceptance criteria define how we validate completion.
When the INVEST Model Is Used
- During backlog refinement / grooming
- When writing new user stories
- Before planning a sprint to ensure stories are ready to be worked on
Last Responsible Moment
The “Last Responsible Moment” (LRM) is a decision-making principle used in project and product development, especially in Agile and Lean environments.
What It Means
The Last Responsible Moment is the latest point in time at which a decision can be made without negatively affecting cost, schedule, or outcome.
In simple terms:
Don’t make a decision too early when information is unclear — but don’t wait so long that it becomes a problem.
It encourages delaying decisions responsibly so teams have maximum learning, more accurate information, and reduced rework.
Why It’s Used
Because early decisions can be wrong.
If you commit to technical choices, designs, processes, or requirements before enough is known, you risk:
- Rework
- Cost overruns
- Delivering the wrong thing
- Locking into poor solutions
By waiting until the Last Responsible Moment, decisions are:
- Better informed
- More accurate
- More aligned with real user needs
Example
Scenario:
A product team is building a new mobile app. They need to choose:
- Which payment processor to integrate (Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, etc.)
If they decide too early, they may:
- Choose a processor that users don’t prefer
- Miss new pricing options
- Lock themselves into a more expensive contract
If they wait too late, the system’s architecture may restrict them or delay launch.
Last Responsible Moment Approach:
The BA and technical team design the app so the payment module is pluggable. They gather user data during beta testing, then select the payment processor right before integration.
This timing: ✔ Uses real customer insight ✔ Avoids rework ✔ Keeps flexibility without delaying delivery
Visual Summary
|-------------------|----------------------|-------------------|
Too Early Last Responsible Too Late
(Risk of Wrong) (Ideal Choice) (Risk of Delay)Stakeholder Involvement
| Role | Contribution to LRM |
|---|---|
| Product Manager / Product Owner | Sets priorities, ensures decisions align with product vision. |
| Business Analyst | Gathers requirements and data to support informed decisions. |
| Development Team | Identifies technical constraints and suggests the safest point to decide. |
| Stakeholders | Provide feedback to inform decision timing. |
The Business Analyst plays a key role by supplying the information needed to decide at the right time.
The Last Responsible Moment is the practice of delaying decisions until the point when delaying any further risks cost, schedule, or quality.
Minimum Viable Product
A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is the smallest, simplest version of a product that can be released to real users to validate assumptions, test value, and gather feedback with minimal effort and cost.
The MVP is not a prototype—it is a working product that delivers just enough value for early users to use it and for the team to learn what to improve next.
What is an MVP?
Formal Definition:
A Minimum Viable Product is the minimum set of features required to deliver value to early users and generate validated learning about the product’s direction.
Purpose of an MVP
- Validate market demand
- Avoid building unnecessary features
- Reduce development cost and time
- Learn quickly from real users
Real Example
A company wants to build a full fitness tracking app.
Full product vision:
- Custom workouts
- Nutrition plans
- Progress charts
- Community features
- Wearable device sync
MVP:
- A simple mobile app that lets users choose one workout plan and track exercises manually.
This lets the team test whether people want structured workout guidance before building everything else.
Methods to Define an MVP
There are several structured approaches to deciding what should be included in the first release:
1. MoSCoW Prioritization
Divide features into:
- Must Have (Required for product to function and deliver core value)
- Should Have
- Could Have
- Won’t Have (now)
MVP = Must Have items only
2. User Story Mapping
Steps:
- Map the user journey (e.g., Find product → View → Buy → Track order).
- Break into user stories under each step.
- Prioritize the simplest useful slice across the journey.
Result: You build one thin but complete workflow, instead of many unfinished features.
3. Kano Model
Classify features based on how they affect customer satisfaction:
| Category | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Basic Needs | Must exist or product fails |
| Performance Needs | More = better satisfaction |
| Delighters | Extra features users love but don’t expect |
MVP = Basic + 1–2 Performance features, no delighters.
4. Riskiest Assumption Testing (Lean Startup)
Identify the most uncertain assumption (e.g., “Users will pay monthly”), and build the smallest product needed to test that assumption.
Example: Launch a landing page with a “Try Now” signup button to measure interest.
5. Feature Value vs. Effort Matrix
Plot features on a 2x2 grid:
High Value | Low Value
High Effort Avoid | Avoid
Low Effort MVP | Maybe LaterMVP = High Value + Low Effort items.
Key Characteristics of a Good MVP
A good MVP:
- Solves a real problem
- Provides value immediately
- Is simple and small
- Helps collect real user feedback
- Can be built quickly
A bad MVP:
- Tries to please everyone
- Requires complex architecture before launch
A Minimum Viable Product is the fastest, simplest version of a product that allows real users to experience core value and provide feedback—helping the team learn before investing further.
Template for experiments
Quick reference to the templates types to be discussed here:
| Template Type | Best Use |
|---|---|
| Hypothesis Statement | Testing product ideas |
| Assumption Test | Validating uncertain beliefs |
| Experiment Card | Recording structured learning |
| Learning Objective | Framing purpose of test |
| Prototype Test | Testing UX concepts |
| A/B Test | Optimizing design or messaging |
| MVP Test | Validating core value before scaling |
1. Hypothesis Statement Template
We believe that (target group)will (desired behavior/outcome)if we (change, feature, experiment).
Success Criteria: Measured by (metric or observable behavior).
Example:
We believe that new customers will complete checkout faster if we add a guest checkout option. Success: 20% increase in completed purchases within 2 weeks.
2. Assumption Experiment Template (Riskiest Assumption First)
Our assumption is that (assumption to validate). To test this, we will (experiment method). We will know we are right if (success metric).
Example:
Our assumption is that users want personalized workout recommendations. To test this, we will show a “Take Personal Fitness Quiz” prompt. Success = at least 35% of visitors complete the quiz.
3. Lean Startup Experiment Card Template
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Assumption: | What needs to be true for the idea to succeed |
| Experiment: | What we will do to test it |
| Data to Collect: | What we will measure |
| Expected Outcome: | What success looks like |
| Next Action: | What we’ll do depending on results |
Example:
- Assumption: People want live chat support.
- Experiment: Add a “Live Chat” button linking to a survey sign-up.
- Data: Click-through and sign-ups.
- Expected Outcome: 10%+ click rate.
- Next Action: Build live chat if validated.
4. “We Will Learn” Learning Objective Template
By running this experiment, we expect to learn whether (core question).
Example:
By running this experiment, we expect to learn whether customers want self-service returns instead of phone support.
5. Prototype Test Statement (Design Thinking)
We are testing (solution / concept) with (user group) to learn (behavior or preference) to determine whether (decision to proceed, pivot, or stop).
Example:
We are testing a simplified subscription dashboard with frequent gym members to learn if visibility of workout streaks increases motivation.
6. A/B Test Experiment Template
If we change (element) from (A) to (B), then (specific user action) will change, measured by (metric).
Example:
If we change the “Subscribe” button to “Start Free Trial,” sign-up rates will increase, measured by conversion %.
7. MVP / Feature Slice Test Template
We will release (smallest feature version) to (specific user group) to observe whether (behavior / outcome) occurs.
Example:
We will release a single workout plan to 50 early-access users to observe whether they complete at least 3 sessions per week.