In business analysis, what are 'personas'?

In business analysis, personas are detailed representations of target users or customers that are created to help teams understand user needs, behaviors, and motivations. The development of personas involves gathering qualitative and quantitative data about real users and synthesizing that information into fictional characters that embody the characteristics of the target user base.

This approach allows project teams to tailor products and services more effectively, ensuring that the final outcomes align with user expectations and requirements. By referencing personas throughout project development, teams can make more informed decisions about design, functionality, and features that resonate with users, ultimately leading to more successful products and marketing strategies. The reliance on personas helps drive user-centered design practices, making them essential for effective business analysis.

The other options do not accurately represent the function or definition of personas within the context of business analysis. Charts for project scheduling relate to project management rather than user representation, groupings of stakeholders based on influence pertain to stakeholder analysis, and templates for website development are tools for designers, not user representations.