Senior Business Analyst for NZ Technology and AI Projects

Most failed technology projects fail before anything is built: the wrong problem, vague requirements or a business case nobody believed. I have held the business analyst role inside New Zealand organisations, and every engagement I take on starts there.

Signs you need a business analyst

  • Requirements are vague, so vendors quote high and deliver something different.
  • Stakeholders disagree on what the problem actually is.
  • Nobody can say what the current process costs, so no investment can be justified.
  • An AI project started with a tool rather than a business problem.
  • A key analyst has left part way through a project.

What I deliver

Analysis that leads somewhere: clear enough for a vendor to quote on, grounded enough for a board to approve, and realistic because I also design and build solutions myself.

Requirements elicitation and documentation

Clear, testable requirements that vendors and developers can quote on and deliver against.

Current-state mapping and gap analysis

How the work really happens today, where it breaks, and what needs to change.

Stakeholder workshops

Structured facilitation that gets operations, IT and leadership agreeing on the problem and the priorities.

Business cases and ROI

Costs, benefits and risks quantified with the rigour of a registered financial adviser.

User stories and acceptance criteria

Backlogs that development teams can build from and testers can sign off against.

AI use-case definition

Success measures, data readiness and risks defined before you invest in an AI build.

My End-to-End Approach

One senior person accountable from the first workshop to measured results. No handoffs between analyst, architect and developer, so nothing gets lost in translation. Engage me for the whole journey, or for any single stage.

  1. 01

    Understand

    Business analysis first: stakeholder workshops, current-state process mapping and the real problem behind the request.

    You getProblem statement and current-state map
  2. 02

    Quantify

    Size the prize: what the current way of working costs, options compared, and ROI in terms a board can approve.

    You getBusiness case and prioritised options
  3. 03

    Design

    Requirements, data and solution design, choosing the right answer independently: AI, automation, reporting or simply a better process.

    You getRequirements and solution design
  4. 04

    Build

    Hands-on delivery of AI agents, automation, Power BI and integrations, using AI-assisted engineering to show working results early.

    You getWorking solution, tested on your data
  5. 05

    Embed

    Change support, training, documentation and handover, so your people actually use it and can run it.

    You getA solution your team owns
  6. 06

    Measure

    Track the benefits against the business case and improve whatever is not delivering.

    You getMeasured results

From analysis to delivery

I have held business analyst, BI manager and process improvement lead roles across 20 years inside Powerco, Taranaki District Health Board, Methanex New Zealand and Winstone Pulp International. Unlike a pure analyst, I can also design and build the solution, so requirements stay realistic and nothing is lost between analysis and delivery.

Every engagement is delivered by Luis Silva personally. No juniors, no subcontractors, and no vendor commissions.

Ways to work together

Defined ProjectAgreed scope and a fixed fee before work begins.
Part-Time RetainerA set number of days per month, without a permanent hire.
Short-Term ContractCover a gap, backfill a role or oversee an implementation.
Advisory ReviewAn independent second opinion before you commit.

Questions

Can you backfill a business analyst role on contract?

Yes. Short-term contracts to cover recruitment gaps, leave or a mid-project departure are a common engagement, with no long onboarding.

Do you only do analysis, or can you deliver the solution too?

Both. You can engage me for analysis alone, or for the full journey from requirements through build, adoption and measured results.

Can you write the business case for an AI or automation project?

Yes. I quantify current costs, expected benefits, risks and ROI in financial terms your leadership can evaluate and approve.

How do you work with our IT team or vendors?

I produce requirements vendors can quote on, and can act as your independent client-side representative. I earn no vendor commissions.

Tell me your biggest bottleneck

Book a 30-minute process review. No commitment and no sales pitch, just an honest view of whether and how it can be fixed.

Book a 30-Min Process Review