Current State Assessment
The Current State Assessment is a critical component in the business analysis process that involves understanding the existing situation—often referred to as the "as-is" state—of the organization or project. This assessment helps the team identify what currently exists so as to better determine what should exist in the future, or the "to-be" state. Here are key aspects of the Current State Assessment:
Understanding of Existing Operations: The assessment aims to understand how the organization currently operates, including its business processes, stakeholders, enterprise architecture, and existing products.
Use of Models and Textual Descriptions: The information collected can include models like workflow diagrams, data models, and architectural diagrams as well as textual descriptions that provide insights into the current functioning of the organization.
Variable Formality: Depending on various factors like project complexity, industry norms, and the size of the problem or opportunity, the Current State Assessment may or may not be formally documented.
Leveraging Existing Organizational Process Assets: If the organization has well-documented enterprise and business architectures, these can be used in lieu of creating new as-is documentation for the project.
Foundation for Future State: The assessment provides the baseline information needed to define the future state. Before recommending any new capabilities, it's crucial to understand what currently exists to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
Review in Conjunction with Solution Design: The Current State Assessment is not just a standalone activity but is often reviewed alongside future solution designs. This comparison helps identify areas where the solution design either lacks, replaces, or augments current functionalities.
Types of Differences Identified: When comparing the current state to future solutions, differences could be in the form of functionalities that the new solution lacks, new or improved capabilities that replace current functionalities, or entirely new capabilities that did not exist in the current state.
By meticulously performing a Current State Assessment, business analysts lay the groundwork for successful project planning, requirements elicitation, and solution design. It acts as a cornerstone for defining what changes are needed to move from the current state to a future state that aligns with the organization’s objectives.