Lex Melnykow Head of Web

• Business

May 3, 2024 6 min read

Full-Stack Analytics: Benefits of Hybrid Approach to Business and System Analysis

Driven by the ongoing migration of various industries to the digital environment, the business analysis market is expected to reach $84.39 billion by 2032, growing at an 8.5% annual rate. Meanwhile, the demand for system analysis and hybrid analytics performed by experts known as full-stack analysts grows as well. As more companies realize the importance of tailoring software to their customers’ needs, they seek highly skilled analysts to ensure that user needs and business requirements align before the development begins and that the team adheres to product vision throughout the process.

In this article, we discuss the differences between business and system analysis, as well as why we often use hybrid analytics and employ full-stack analysts for projects in fintech, e-commerce, medical, and other industries.

Hybrid analytics and full-stack analysts: what they are

The distinction between business and system analytics, and where one role ends and the other begins, is a subject of ongoing debate. Although both specialists provide unique services on a project, the line between their responsibilities is often blurred.

System analysts (SAs) explore potential digital product functionality and system capabilities. They work with customers, business analysts, and backend developers to design client-server interaction interfaces (APIs), decide what data the product interface should display, and how server-side processing should occur. SAs are crucial for hypothesis validation, long-term product development, and complex system design. They ensure that new features don’t disrupt existing functionalities and tech specifications. However, SA services aren’t essential for projects that require only architecture and no UI, such as data migration software.

Business analysts (BAs) connect business and technical solutions.They identify the company’s requirements, generate insights, make decisions on what solutions to implement, and ensure the team adheres to the product vision. For complex projects, they ensure that business logic covers all use case scenarios and platforms, including mobile. While business analysis complements product management, it differs from product analysis which focuses on market trends and consumer interests. Surf also provides comprehensive product analytics to aid development and growth.

A full-stack analyst is a specialist who combines the roles of a business analyst (BA) and a system analyst (SA). Our experience shows that such an expert benefits many projects. This unified role involves a single specialist who investigates business requirements, examines app capabilities, and communicates with developers and clients. It ensures that the developers’ work aligns with the client’s vision. Having a comprehensive view, a full-stack analyst understands both the business requirements and the technical implementation.

Hybrid approach benefits

Having worked on software projects for more than a hundred clients, Surf tried different approaches to system technical design, with hybrid proving to be the most cost-effective, comprehensive, and efficient one.

Gives a complete vision of the whole project

Full-stack analytics encompass all stages of development, providing a holistic view of the system. For instance, during the development of a family banking app for SBI Group, our analyst collaborated with stakeholders and the development team to ensure the app aligned with the family concept and met the needs of the corresponding category of users. This was one of the factors that led to a 27% increase in monthly active users in just six months past release.

Helps stick to the budget

A smaller team’s headcount improves the overall development process and decreases its costs. The broad skill set of a full-stack analyst, from requirements gathering to technical system design, eliminates the need for separate specialists and optimizes resource spending.

Attracts top talents

The hybrid full-stack approach appeals to highly skilled analysts as it combines two narrow-focused specializations. It offers a range of challenges and opportunities that attract top-level experts eager to deliver impressive results.

Provides for more effective communication

A single analyst acting as an intermediary between developers and a client and providing business analytics consulting services reduces the risk of missing details on functionality and tech requirements. This is particularly important for banking apps, where approval often involves several departments. The analyst maintains the overall picture and adheres to the initial technical task and deadlines while incorporating each department’s input to enhance the end result.

Since a full-stack analyst is responsible for the entire analytics process, from requirements elicitation to system technical design, a hybrid approach ensures that all aspects of the software project are addressed and that there is a single accountable person for the entire analytics process.During the development of an online pet shop app, our full-stack analyst worked through each app prototype with the client, discussing what problems users had and what could potentially arise in the future. As a result, since the app’s first release, in-app purchase conversion has tripled.

What to look for in full-stack analytics

Whether you are picking an analyst to work on your software project or assessing their work performance, consider the following aspects.

Thorough decomposition of business requirements. An analyst should be prepared to understand and break down business requirements with the client’s team to minute details. By investing time in the process, the analyst can ensure that the solutions developed align perfectly with the client’s requirements and users’ needs, leading to more efficient solutions.

Being prepared for changes. Due to the dynamic nature of software projects, being ready to face changes is vital for a full-stack analyst. Shifting business requirements, technological advancements, stakeholder feedback, and market trends can disrupt the project’s deadline and cause changes to its features and logic. An expert ready for such changes can adapt and realign the project’s requirements and help the development team navigate through the changes. This requires a flexible work approach, as well as emotional intelligence.

Anticipating challenges. Understanding in advance how to test a new feature or what difficulties may arise due to technical constrictions is an essential responsibility of a full-stack data analyst. For example, when updating an app for a multiplatform entertainment operator, our analytics services helped the app cover all use cases, while its complex logic was adapted for mobile devices, even in the face of strict technical limitations. The сlient has also received a project roadmap that covers several subsequent app versions.

Planning for regulatory requirements. Analysts in fintech, medical, and legal app development must plan for regulatory requirements. For example, during banking app development, our team often faces the challenges of meeting biometric regulatory requirements on tight deadlines. Setting aside some time in a development sprint to work on these tasks in advance helps us manage these efficiently and adhere to established patterns in working with regulatory bodies.

Read more on how we developed an app for a Y Combinator neobank in Surf’s case study.

Being open to learning new technologies. A full-stack analyst should be eager to learn new languages and technologies, such as REST API, GraphQl, or SOAP. This enables them to choose the most suitable solutions based on a project’s features, limitations, and integrations.

Our analysts to your benefit

For the past 13 years, Surf has been providing full-cycle app development services from business analytics to public release and beyond. In our work, we highly support client’s active involvement in the development process and present them with the results after each iteration.

Surf’s analysts carefully decompose business requirements and assess risks prior to the development. While remaining flexible and anticipating changes, they strive to carry the initial product vision throughout development. By holding regular stakeholder meetings, they ensure that everyone has up-to-date information about the product. This makes our full-stack analysis essential for efficient and transparent software development.