Insurance Learning DeskIndian insurance guide, from beginner to proRules as of 26 October 2026
Module 9

The BA's craft in insurance

Rule-heavy work: precision in calculations and edge cases matters more than in most domains.

One wrong rounding rule or effective date can misprice thousands of policies, so insurance BA work rewards precision and traceability.

Artefacts

The documents you will write. Prepare a sample of each to talk through in interviews.

See the diagram: Core data model (entity relationship) →

  • A business requirements document (BRD) says what the business needs and why; a functional requirements document (FRD) says what the system must do. A rating specification lists every table, formula, rounding rule and effective date.

    ExampleRequirement MTR-OD-014: 'The system shall apply NCB to OD before NCB, rounded to the nearest rupee, and shall never apply NCB to TP.'

  • Swimlane diagrams show who does what across customer, intermediary, insurer and third parties, with the systems used and time limits at each step.

    ExampleA cashless health claim map with lanes for patient, hospital, TPA and insurer, marking the 1-hour and 3-hour deadlines.

  • Gherkin writes acceptance criteria as Given, When, Then. Decision tables list every combination of conditions and its outcome, which makes missing cases easy to spot.

    ExampleGiven a health proposal with all adults under 45, SI up to ₹10 lakh and no pre-existing disease, When it is submitted, Then it is issued without underwriter referral.

  • Data mapping shows each field from source to target with any transformation. UAT scenarios state inputs and the expected premium to the rupee. A traceability matrix links each requirement to its tests and results.

    ExampleUAT case: the default car quote on 26 October 2026 must give an IDV of ₹5,95,000 and a total of ₹14,892. This site's automated tests check exactly that.

KPIs to talk about

Link every project you describe in an interview to one or two of these numbers.

  • Conversion shows how many quotes become policies, the STP rate shows how much is automated, and turnaround times show service quality.

    ExampleHow to phrase it: 'Moving inspections to self-video raised our motor STP rate from 62% to 81% and cut issuance time from two days to 20 minutes.'

  • These show commercial impact: keeping customers, pricing risk correctly and paying valid claims.

    ExampleHow to phrase it: 'A redesigned renewal reminder journey lifted motor retention from 55% to 63% in two quarters.'

  • Fraud tools are judged both on fraud caught and on genuine claims wrongly delayed. IRDAI publishes grievances per 10,000 policies, so insurers compare themselves on it.

    ExampleA fraud rule that delays 5% of genuine claims to catch a few more fraudulent ones can raise complaints more than it saves.

Regulatory change impact analysis

Regulatory change is a large share of insurance BA work. Follow the same steps every time.

  • Note the effective date, which products and channels are in scope, and exactly what must change: rates, wordings, screens, letters or regulatory returns.

    ExampleThe September 2025 GST change touched rating, invoices, receipts, credit notes, renewal notices, partner portals and finance reports.

  • Old policies, endorsements and renewals must keep using the rate that applied at the time, so new rates are added alongside old ones, not in their place.

    ExampleWhen TP premiums are revised, policies starting the day before the change use the 2022 rate and those starting on or after it use the new rate, even if both were bought on the same day.

  • Re-run a saved set of quotes and documents before and after the change, explain every difference, and have compliance confirm the result matches the regulation.

    ExampleA pack of 200 saved motor quotes is re-rated after the change, and every premium that moves is matched to the rule that caused it.