Day 6 — When the Estimate Is Burning: How AI Helps the BA

 Day 6 — When the Estimate Is Burning: How AI Helps the BA

This is a very realistic project situation.

Suppose:

Original estimate: 500 hours

Actual forecast: 750 hours

The worst BA response is:

“We need another 250 hours.”

The customer will immediately ask:
“Why?”

AI can help the BA analyze the variance.

For example:

Original assumption
5 partners
5 mappings
1 communication protocol

Current reality
12 partners
14 mappings
3 protocols
Additional validation rules
Additional security requirements
Additional testing

Now the BA can build:

Original Scope → New Discovery → Impact → Effort → Timeline → Commercial Impact

The conversation becomes fact-based rather than emotional.

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