The initiating process group is the one that occurs at the beginning of the project. It involves defining the project scope, objectives, and deliverables, obtaining the project authorization, identifying the key stakeholders, and establishing the project manager’s authority. The initiating process group helps to set the vision and direction of the project, and aligns it with the strategic goals of the organization. The initiating process group also ensures that the project is feasible, viable, and desirable, and that it has the necessary support and resources to proceed. References:

CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, 2nd Edition, page 47

Project Management Process Groups - Villanova University, under Initiating Process Group

The Five Traditional Process Groups Explained - Project Management Academy, under Initiating Phase

 Functional decomposition is the analysis of complex systems by breaking them down into smaller simpler elements. It involves breaking down processes, systems, functional areas, or deliverables into simpler components, so that each part can be analyzed separately12. By breaking down larger components into smaller parts, it allows the organization to measure and track each work effort involved in implementing the solution. It also helps in the assessment of the effectiveness of each sub-component as it relates to other larger or smaller components3. Functional decomposition is a technique used in business analysis to facilitate the understanding and management of large and complex processes2. It is also used in systems engineering, software architecture, database theory, machine learning, and a variety of other fields2. References: 1: Functional decomposition in business analysis – The Functional BA 2: Functional Decomposition: Definition, Diagrams, and Applications 3: 10.22 Functional Decomposition | IIBA®

A business analyst is responsible for preparing the business architecture, feasibility studies, and business cases. A business analyst is a professional who analyzes the needs and problems of an organization and its stakeholders, and proposes solutions that deliver value to them. A business analyst performs various tasks, such as eliciting, analyzing, validating, and managing requirements, conducting stakeholder analysis, modeling business processes, designing solutions, assessing risks, and evaluating alternatives. A business analyst also prepares various documents, such as business architecture, feasibility studies, and business cases, to communicate the business needs and the proposed solutions to the relevant stakeholders and decision-makers. A business architecture is a description of the current and future state of the business, including its vision, goals, objectives, strategies, capabilities, processes, and organizational structure. A business architecture helps to align the business and IT strategies, and to identify the gaps and opportunities for improvement. A feasibility study is an assessment of the technical, financial, and operational viability of a proposed project or initiative. A feasibility study helps to determine if the project is worth pursuing, and if it can be successfully implemented within the given constraints and resources. A business case is a document that provides the justification and rationale for a proposed project or initiative, based on its expected costs, benefits, risks, and impacts. A business case helps to secure the approval and funding for the project, and to measure its performance and outcomes. References:

CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, 2nd Edition, pages 3-4, 47, 343

Business Analysis Professional Resources | IIBA®, under Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK ®) Guide, Business Analysis Standard, and Standards, Regulations, and Best Practices

The Differences Between Feasibility Studies and Business Cases

Information architecture is the structure and organization of information within a system or process1. It helps to ensure that the process models relate to each other by defining the relationships, dependencies, and interactions among the data, information, and knowledge that are used or produced by the processes2. Information architecture also helps to align the process models with the business goals, objectives, and requirements3. 

One of the possible reasons for the disagreement among the stakeholders is that they have different interpretations of the requirements, which may lead to conflicting expectations, assumptions, and preferences. The BA should use various techniques to elicit, analyze, validate, and communicate the requirements clearly and consistently to all the stakeholders, and to resolve any ambiguities or discrepancies. The BA should also ensure that the requirements align with the business need and the solution scope that were formally approved by the stakeholders at the beginning of the project.

Interviewing is a quantitative risk analysis technique that relies on experience and past data to compute the probability and impact of risks on project objectives. Interviewing involves asking experts, stakeholders, or team members to provide their estimates of the likelihood and consequences of the identified risks, based on their knowledge, judgment, or historical records. Interviewing can be conducted individually or in groups, using structured or unstructured questions, and using qualitative or quantitative scales. Interviewing helps to obtain a range of possible outcomes and their probabilities, as well as to identify the assumptions and uncertainties behind the estimates. References: IIBA BABOK Guide v3, section 11.2.2.5, page 388; CBAP / CCBA Certified Business Analysis Study Guide, 2nd Edition, chapter 5, page 232; CBAP Sample Questions, question 236.

 The level of decomposition needed for the requirements depends on the complexity of the system, the level of detail required by the stakeholders, and the level of architecture decomposition that is necessary to specify the system being developed. The BA must take into account the stakeholder perspectives when decomposing the requirements, as different stakeholders may have different needs and expectations for the granularity and clarity of the requirements. The BA must also ensure that the decomposed requirements are consistent, feasible, verifiable, and traceable to the higher-level requirements. References:

BABOK Guide v3, Section 5.2.3: Decompose Requirements - Guidelines and Tools1

Step 4: Analyze, Refine & Decompose Requirements - AcqNotes2

MDRE: Developer Derived/Decomposed Requirements | SpringerLink3

Requirements Decomposition - ArgonDigital | Making Technology a …4

Requirements decomposition - No Magic Product Documentation