The BABOK® v3 Guide describes this term as follows: 

The context describes the situation and environment in which a change is being introduced. This could include culture, people, legislation, goals, processes, products, and any other aspects to consider when introducing a change. The context that change is introduced to is a determining factor of how that change will be realized. 

In the example of the payroll calculator, the organization had many employees who belonged to a union, and every change that affects any union members has to be reviewed and approved by the union. So, if the organization wanted to make any change to the way a salary is calculated for a union member, they would need to consider the context of the union when introducing this change and incorporate their rules and agreements they have in place with the company. 

Important questions for a business analyst to ask

As a business analyst performing your role, you should always ask the following questions to ensure you address all the core concepts while planning your tasks:

• What are the kinds of changes we are making?
• What are the needs we are trying to satisfy?
• What are the solutions we are creating or changing?
• Who are the stakeholders that are involved?
• What do stakeholders consider to be of value?
• What are the contexts that we and the solution are in?