Agile Business Analyst Mindset | Introduction For Business Analysts In 2024

The agile mindset involves the set of attitudes and beliefs that drives the thinking and actions of a business analyst and supports the agile context so the resulting value of the project can be maximised with minimal output. It ensures the efficient and high-performance teamwork and effective and timely delivery of the right products to the right people (i.e. the customer). 

The agile context in the organisation enables flexible and prompt response to potential issues and empowers team members to make decisions more democratically.

The agile mindset values do not differ much from common human values and they are defined in the agile manifesto which we will discuss further on this article. The main aspects of this mindset include rapid delivery of value, extensive collaboration, willingness to learn through numerous iterations, avoiding waste through simplification, adaptation to context and new realities, reflections on feedback, and production of the highest quality products.

The ideas of the agile mindset came to full use in software development, but they are not new or exclusive to this industry. Over time, people discovered that these ideas can be applied in any area that uses creative work to produce value. 

This includes law firms, architecture companies, marketing, consultancy operations, life sciences, and many others. What is common for these domains is that all of them employ the skill, knowledge, and collaboration of everyone involved to bring value to customers. Business analysis, as a domain that almost completely depends on these traits, is a perfect ground for applying the agile mindset.