Business Analysis Demystified

← Back to Portfolio Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5

Phase 01 of 05

Clarify

Chs 1 & 2

Business Analysis Demystified · Zoomed Phase Map

Problem Statement, Reverse Brief & Straw Man

Most BA work fails not in the analysis but in the brief. This phase exists to interrogate the task before you build anything. It is the only phase with no predecessor — you start here regardless of how well-formed or vague the request appears to be. The two chapters produce three interlocking artefacts that together force the brief to become genuinely agreed.

The question this phase must answer

“

The fundamental question of Phase 1

Do we understand — precisely and in writing — what problem we have been asked to solve, whose assumptions are embedded in the brief, and whether the person who set the task agrees with our interpretation?

Until this question can be answered yes to all three parts, Phase 1 is not complete. The reverse brief forces the answer. The straw man turns the answer into usable feedback. Neither replaces the other.

Chapter artefacts & prompts

CH.01

Reverse Briefs & Problem Statements

Name the problem before proposing any solution

Problem Statement

A single precise paragraph naming the problem, its impact, who is affected, and what a good outcome looks like. Written before any solution thinking begins.

Reverse Brief

Your interpretation of the brief written back to the requester — what you heard, why you heard it, and the open questions you need answered before proceeding.

Prompts

P01 Orient Me

P02 Show Me an Example

P03 Write a Problem Statement

P04 Write a Reverse Brief

P05 Surface Hidden Assumptions

P06 Identify Root Causes

P07 Challenge the Brief

P08 Review My Draft

CH.02

The Straw Man Technique

Build something imperfect on purpose to generate honest reaction

Straw Man Draft

A rough, intentionally incomplete version of the deliverable — enough to be wrong in useful ways. Gives stakeholders something concrete to react to rather than a blank question.

Reaction & Feedback Capture

The disagreements, corrections, and new information the straw man provokes. This is the actual output — the draft is the means, not the end.

Prompts

P01 Orient Me

P02 Show Me an Example

P03 Build a Requirements Straw Man

P04 Build a Process Straw Man

P05 Calibrate to the Situation

P06 Prepare Facilitation Steps

P07 Convert Feedback to Requirements

P08 Review My Draft

How the work flows through this phase

01 / 06

Receive the brief

Read it slowly. Note what it says and what it does not say. Resist the urge to start.

02 / 06

Write the problem statement

Name the problem in your own words. Who is affected? What does it cost? What would good look like?

03 / 06

Write the reverse brief

Reflect your interpretation back to the requester. List open questions explicitly.

04 / 06

Build the straw man

Create a rough draft of the key deliverable — imperfect by design.

⚡ Must be explicitly labelled as provisional

05 / 06

Facilitate the reaction

Share before the meeting. Point to assumption flags first. Capture in three columns: keep / change / missing.

06 / 06

Convert to Phase 2 inputs

Confirmed problem statement, agreed scope direction, and named stakeholders feed Phase 2.

Practitioner confidence curve

Phase startPhase end

Uncertain, tentative

Gaining clarity

Brief is real

Grounded, ready

Traps & failure modes

Trap 01

Skipping straight to requirements

The single most common source of rework. Requirements written without a confirmed problem statement answer the wrong question correctly.

Trap 02

The polished straw man

A straw man that looks finished signals that it is finished. Stakeholders will accept it rather than challenge it. Rough is the point.

Trap 03

Open questions without answers

A reverse brief with no open questions is a sign you have not looked hard enough — or that you are too comfortable with the task as given.

Feeds forward & practitioner signals

→What this phase feeds into

→

Phase 2 — Engage & Understand
The agreed problem statement and named stakeholders become the inputs for persona and stakeholder mapping.

→

Phase 3 — Define & Analyse
The reverse brief surfaces the scope boundaries that Ch.5 requirements work will formalise.

💬What practitioners say at this phase

💬

I'm not sure what they actually want me to produce.

💬

Why does this problem exist in the first place?

💬

This straw man feels rough — but that's the point.

💬

The brief has changed three times.
The reverse brief is what stopped it changing again.