Some web apps to get you going

Here are some web applications that you can use to improve your productivity as a business analyst. All of these are free! But you should realize that there are some things you need to consider when using these types of products:

• Confidentiality - Should business critical information be placed online?
• Acceptability - Is the use of these tools acceptable to your client(s)?
• Availability & recoverability - Can you get to your valued work products?

List of web apps

• Gliffy - A diagramming tool that supports online collaboration. Easy to make simple process flow diagrams.
• Google Notebook - A tool that allows you to make collections of information that you can arrange by subject.
• Google Spreadsheets - Online spreadsheets! Not as powerful as Microsoft Excel but still useful.
• Imagination Cubed - An online whiteboard where multiple people can collaboratively diagram and brainstorm ideas. Drawings can be saved and emailed.
• Remember the milk - A to-do list application. You can email tasks to add to your list.
• Thumbstacks.com! - A web-based presentation application.
• Voo2do - A to-do list application that is suitable for project task lists.
• Zohowriter - A word processing application.

Unfortunately, I have not found any free online tools that support things central to business requirements such as traceability and change request management. Perhaps that's an idea for a Web 2.0 start-up. Hmmm...