What if the customer is asking for the wrong solution?

AI-Powered Business Analyst Series | Post 16

🤔 What if the customer is asking for the wrong solution?

Let me share a situation that many Business Analysts might have experienced.

A customer approaches the team and says:

“We need a dashboard to track our failed transactions.”

The team starts discussing the dashboard design, required fields, reports, filters, and timelines.

Everyone is focused on delivering what the customer requested.

But wait a minute. 👇

Have we really understood the customer's problem?

What if the actual issue is not the lack of a dashboard?

What if hundreds of transactions are failing every day because of incorrect partner configurations, mapping errors, or missing validations?

A dashboard might help the customer see the problem. But will it actually help them solve the problem?

This is where I believe AI can make a real difference in Business Analysis.

Instead of immediately converting the customer's request into requirements, a BA can use AI to explore some deeper questions:

🔹 What is causing the transactions to fail?

🔹 Are there recurring patterns in the failures?

🔹 Which failures consume the most operational effort?

🔹 Can some errors be prevented before transactions are processed?

🔹 Can we automate error classification and suggest corrective actions?

🔹 Would improving the existing process deliver more value than building a new dashboard?

Of course, AI cannot simply assume the answers are correct. The BA must validate the findings using actual data, technical expertise, and discussions with the customer and delivery team.

But imagine the conversation changing from:

Customer: “Can you build us a dashboard?”

BA: “Yes, we can. But based on what we have discovered, there may also be an opportunity to reduce the failures themselves. Can we explore both options before deciding?”

Now the BA is not just documenting requirements.

The BA is helping the customer think about the business problem differently.

And there is another benefit.

The company may be able to deliver a better solution using its existing capabilities, reduce unnecessary development, and create more value for the customer.

That is a win for the customer and the service provider.

💡 My takeaway:

A good BA understands what the customer asks for.

A great BA investigates why the customer needs it.

An AI-enabled BA can go one step further by identifying patterns, exploring alternatives, and helping people make better-informed decisions.

AI should not replace the Business Analyst's thinking. It should help the BA ask better questions.

What is your opinion?

Have you ever seen a situation where the customer requested one solution, but the actual business problem required something completely different?

I would love to hear your experiences in the comments. 👇

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