IT has long known that business analysis is important, but many shops are just beginning to focus on improving their business analysts' skills and practices. Smart application development leaders recognize that strong business analysis results in increased project success, better products, and improved customer satisfaction. They see that it strengthens the relationships between IT and business partners. And with recent research showing the cost of poor requirements practices, they understand that improving their business analysis practices can save them money. These leaders are establishing business analysis programs to provide adaptable templates, techniques, and tools to optimize business analysis performance, hone their business analysts' skills, and build community and collaboration among their analysts. Whether business analysts are centralized or distributed throughout your organization, a business analysis program can improve your effectiveness and add business value.