Business Analyst: Conflict Resolver in IT!
By: Mehmet Ozan Ege
Tags: Conflict, Backend, Frontend, Business Analyst, Business Analysis

Business Analyst: Conflict Resolver in IT!

Conflict is a part of work life, which comes from the difficulty of accepting each other’s idea. As individuals have varied interests, opinions, needs and values, conflicts are inevitable.

If conflicts are left unresolved or dealt with improperly, it results in low team morale, work disruptions or even project failure. Conflict management skills is critical to keep software development life cycle to remain intact, far away from risks.

When many Development Teams are working on the same product, conflict of interest is inevitable. Generally, design that the frontend developers would prefer to have and the backend developers want to build is totally different. Frontend developers try to reduce the coding effort required to build screen. In the other hand, Backend developers try to avoid unnecessary code complexity in the service layer. Real Mess! Furthermore, limited resources and time-to market put pressure on team members.

Then, it is time for Business Analyst to change from Clark Kent to Superman: Business Analyst needs to take over the functions of moderator and facilitator.

Business Analyst appears in the project from the first day of its launching, until the go-live and post-production support. He/she has many roles and responsibilities in code development life cycle. Analyzes the business needs, elicit requirements and deliver comprehensive documentation. Thanks to its strong communication and good interpersonal skills, Business Analyst is a facilitator and a negotiator. Not only between business stakeholders and development teams but also between software developers of the same team. He/she is a servant team member to ensure collaboration and teamwork. That means It is up to Business Analyst to avoid productivity killer situations and keep things running smoothly.

How to Resolve the Frontend/Backend conflict as a Business Analyst, while keeping both parties satisfied? Here are four strategies Business Analyst can follow:

We are all in the same boat!

Business Analyst must remind that they are all in the same boat. Backend/Frontend developers are doing parts of the same product, that means they are working toward the same goal. While resolving a conflict, Business Analyst should encourage communication in the team to uncover disadvantages and benefits of the decision chosen, underlying importance of collaborating.

Trade-off : Technical Debt or time-to-market

Higher share in the market or launch of a new product always require high speed in the software development. Business Analyst get in contact with business units to understand the flexibility of deadlines. While considering business needs, Business Analyst knows the importance of the time-to-market and he/she can suggest the development team to choose the method that will save time. That’s not always the right solution but it delivers the most value!

Ask to someone who knows: Architect / Technical Head

Another way to handle unresolved conflicts between frontend and backend developer, is to escalate it to technical lead or/and software architect. An objective authority considers the whole system integrity and evaluate all aspects of the conflict in question. They can consider all dependencies to take the right decision. Because Technical Leads and Software architects are reputable in an organization, their suggestions are taken into consideration by both parties.

The last but not least: “HIPPO” method

As a Business Analyst, we have tried many methods to meet backend/frontend developers halfway but both parties are insistent on their opinions. A total deadlock! Our last method is “HIPPO”. It stands for “Highest Paid Person’s Opinion”. Business Analyst get in contact with highest paid person of the department (that means hierarchically at the top, for example C level executive) he/she makes a short summary and asks for his opinion. People with certain status, power and experience will make undisputed decision immediately. You should take into consideration that this must be the last resort, as executives have limited time for this kind of issues.

Conclusion

Conflicts are inevitable in business life so they must be managed carefully. Resolving backend/frontend API design conflict is primarily the job of the developers in question. Especially in Scrum Methodology, the development team is self-organizing.

But if this doesn’t happen, conflict solving between frontend and backend developers is a non-written responsibility and role of a Business Analyst to keep the project running smoothly.