The business analysis practice in your organisation or client’s organisation is the organisational capability in the discipline of business analysis. The practice is therefore more than the collective capability of the individuals that make up the practice.

For a young profession that can struggle with identifying competent and capable individuals, it becomes doubly difficult to identify competent and capable business analysis organisations.

How then does an organisation determine its level of business analysis capability?

A definitive text on the subject is by Kathleen (Kitty) Hass, “The Enterprise Business Analysis: Developing Creative Solutions to Complex Business Problems“.

Kitty writes on the subject of business analysis practices in Part IV of the book, and covers practice maturity in Chapter 13. If I can paraphrase Kitty’s 400 page book, a mature business analysis practice is considered one that has managed to move its focus beyond project or even enterprise success, and has managed to improve the competitiveness of the organisation itself through its business analysis.

The dimensions that BA practice maturity is evaluated against include;

• nature of the relationship with the customer
• use of standards
• benefits management
• practice support by the organisation
• practitioner competence and career development

Some of these will be more important to your organisation than others, and this is likely the key to improving your practice maturity.

What elements are critical to the success of your organisation, and how do you intend to develop them?