In Agile environments, prioritization is rarely a calm, linear process. Stakeholders want everything now, contexts shift rapidly, and teams face mounting pressure to deliver. As Business Analysts or Scrum Masters, we’re often called to facilitate decisions when clarity is scarce and urgency is high.

This article offers a structured approach to help teams prioritize requirements (like user stories) under pressure — balancing strategic alignment, stakeholder needs, and delivery feasibility.

Why Pressure Happens?

Pressure in prioritization stems from multiple sources:

• Conflicting stakeholder demands — not all voices carry equal weight.
• Overloaded backlogs — unresolved items accumulate.
• Rapid context shifts — market, technology, or organizational changes.
• Time-sensitive goals — deadlines, seasonal releases, or competitive urgency.

In these moments, the Business Analysts / Scrum Masters become facilitators of clarity, calm, and consensus.

Key Criteria for Prioritization

To make informed decisions, teams should evaluate each requirement against a set of well-defined criteria:

1. Benefit

What value does the requirement deliver? Consider strategic goals, customer experience, and stakeholder impact. Different groups may perceive benefits differently — negotiation may be needed.

2. Penalty

What are the consequences of not implementing it? This includes regulatory risks, customer dissatisfaction, or missed opportunities.

Echi da BAWI2025 – “Business Analysis to lead the AI-driven Transformation”

Si è conclusa con grande partecipazione l’edizione 2025 di BAWI – Business Analysis to lead the AI-driven Transformation, un evento che ha messo al centro competenze, visione e responsabilità nella rivoluzione dell’intelligenza artificiale. L’evento, che è stato ospitato da NTT Data a Milano e trasmesso anche in modalità online, ha registrato oltre 360 iscritti, con la presenza di 16 relatori italiani e internazionali, rappresentanti di aziende, istituzioni e capitoli IIBA europei. Un’occasione unica per esplorare il ruolo strategico del Business Analyst nella trasformazione delle organizzazioni guidata dall’intelligenza artificiale.

Un confronto internazionale, tra visione e concretezza

BAWI2025 ha offerto un programma ricco e articolato: keynote ispirazionali, tavole rotonde tematiche, esperienze sul campo e momenti di Q&A. Tra i protagonisti, esperti di Business Analysis e Project Management, Manager dell’innovazione, Rappresentanti dei Chapter PMI Italiani, Rappresentanti di IIBA Spain e Denmark, e aziende come TIM, Randstad Enterprise, Assochange, MBDA Italia, BluPeak Consulting, DXC Technology, IIBA AI & Analytics SIG, NTT Data, IIBA e molte altre.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming industries, reshaping business models, and redefining customer expectations. For organizations seeking to harness AI, the role of the Business Analyst (BA) becomes crucial—not just in defining requirements, but in aligning AI solutions with strategic goals and operational realities. According to the BABOK Guide, Strategy Analysis comprises four key tasks:

1. Analyze Current State
2. Define Future State
3. Assess Risks
4. Define Change Strategy

This article focuses on the first and foundational task: Analyze Current State. Understanding where the organization stands today is essential before envisioning where it wants to go.

Purpose of Analyzing the Current State:

To uncover the underlying drivers for change — whether it's solving a problem, seizing an opportunity, or responding to external pressures. It helps identify what aspects of the business will be affected and lays the groundwork for defining business needs and solution scope.

Key Outputs:

1. Current State Description: A holistic view of the enterprise’s internal and external environment, including capabilities, resources, performance metrics, culture, infrastructure, and dependencies;

2. Business Requirements: Clear articulation of the problem, opportunity, or constraint that justifies the initiative.

Analyze the Current State of an organization is an integration endeavour, aimed at studying, discovering and integrating the several aspects of an organization, as well as understanding the Needs

and their root causes behind.

Below is a structured framework (might not be complete) to guide Business Analysts in capturing the current state for AI-related initiatives: