CATWOE business analysis technique

CATWOE analysis

CATWOE is a technique that helps the business analyst understand different stakeholder perspectives. This technique is covered in detail on the BCS Business Analyst courses.

CATWOE stands for: 

• Customers;
• Actors;
• Transformation;
• Worldview;
• Owners;
• Environment.

This technique is best done in the sequence WTCAOE. 

Customers

Stakeholders will have differing views of who are the customers of the organisation. This represents their understanding of the customer(s).

Actors

These are the people who carry out the transformation. They are staff within the organisation who perform business operations.

Transformation

This is the principal business activity of the organisation or business system. It ‘transforms’ inputs into outputs.

Worldview

This summarises the stakeholder’s beliefs about the organisation. It explains why it exists and what is should be doing.

Owners

This is perspective of who is in control of the organisation or business process and who can instigate change.

Environment

These are the constraints of the organisation dictated by external factors. These can be identified through PESTLE analysis. 

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