A business impact analysis (BIA) is a business analysis tool that helps you predict how significantly your project will impact the business. You use it to gather information about the project's various elements, players, and entities so you can determine the depth and breadth of your potential efforts.
Here's a worksheet to help you complete a BIA. In the third column, write "low," "medium" or "high" according to the guidelines in the second column. Then count the numbers of each ranking. The predominant ranking denotes the impact of your project.
Factor | Impact on Business | Rank |
---|---|---|
Number of users | 0–100: low | |
101–1,000: medium | ||
1,001+: high | ||
Number of stakeholder subject matter experts (SMEs) | 1–3: low | |
4–10: medium | ||
11+: high | ||
Number of team members | 1–6: low | |
7–12: medium | ||
13+: high | ||
Highest position held among stakeholders | Manager: low | |
Director: medium | ||
Executive: high | ||
Number of stakeholders' geographic location | 1: low | |
2–3: medium | ||
4+ (or international): high | ||
Business complexity | Subjective. Consider the complexity of core components, nonfunctional requirements, and implementation. Assign low, medium, or high. | |
Solution complexity | Subjective. Consider software, hardware, technical architecture, support, and whether the task is outsourced. Assign low, medium, or high. | |
Relative importance of the project to the organization | Subjective. Consider this project relative to the project portfolio. Get input from project manager and executive sponsor. Assign low, medium, or high. | |
Business risk | Identify risks. Identify costs for high risks. Consider input from project manager, executive sponsor, or business SMEs. Assign low, medium, or high. | |
Quality requirements/expectation | Potential for loss of comfort: low | |
Potential for loss of discretionary money or opportunity: medium | ||
Potential for loss of life, essential money, or mission-critical: high | ||
Due date | Movable date: low | |
Target date: medium | ||
Fixed date: high | ||
Project length | Project length > project scope: low | |
Project length = project scope: medium | ||
Project length < project scope: high | ||
Stakeholders' knowledge | Subjective. Consider the value of stakeholders' knowledge and representation. Assign low, medium, or high. Note: This ranking has an inverse relationship with impact (high knowledge = low impact ranking). | |
Project budget | Subjective. Relative to size of company or other projects. Assign low, medium, or high based on input from project manager and executive sponsor. |