Whenever someone asks me what I do for a living, I share that I am a Business Analyst.
The first post is about the introduction of a business analyst job title and an overview of the required skill set. Often met with surprise, people inquire if I’m in business or sales when I reveal I’m a Business Analyst. Assumptions arise from my software engineering background, associating it solely with coding. Little do they know the diverse roles within the IT industry. Reflecting back almost a decade, choices seemed limited to programming or testing. Care to guess my initial career path? Anyway, I swiftly shifted gears when it became clear to both myself and my manager that my programming skills weren’t up to par. See, I started as a PHP programmer and still know the language but I was (am) simply not good at it while my “other” skills were spot on to become A Business Analyst, and now, I’m thriving in a comfortable corporate role, enjoying the flexibility of remote work, generous deadlines, and enticing benefits. But more on that in our upcoming discussions.
For now, the question is, what exactly is A Business Analyst and which skill do you require to become one?
To start with a textbook definition, “A Business Analyst (BA) is someone who plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between business needs and technological solutions“. That’s it, that’s the one and the only correct (but pretty vague) answer. The primary objective of a BA is to understand the business processes, identify areas for improvement, and recommend solutions to enhance efficiency, productivity, and profitability. We are the liaisons between stakeholders, including clients, business users, and technical teams, to ensure that the delivered solutions meet the business requirements effectively.
Some of the required “key” skills for Business Analysts include (but are not limited to),
- Analysis: Well, it’s in the title itself! Business Analysts must possess strong analytical skills to evaluate complex problems (business or otherwise), break them down into manageable components (or in more professional terms, divide them into smaller tasks), and provide/propose suitable solutions. To provide effective decision-making, they must analyze data, trends, and patterns.
- Communication Skills: This is one of the most important skills anyone must possess, regardless of whether they are a BA or not! Effective communication is essential to interact with diverse stakeholders, gather requirements, and convey “technical concepts” clearly and understandably. This includes active listening, interpersonal skills, negotiation, and presentation skills. Notice how I added “technical concepts” in quotes? More on this later.
- Technical Proficiency: You don’t have to code but you need to understand the concept. As a BA, you must understand exactly what is going on, what is the required change and how can we change it. A solid understanding of IT systems, databases, and software development methodologies is essential. An advantage (and depending on the company, a necessity) would be familiarity with project management tools, SQL queries, and Excel.
- Problem-Solving Abilities: Well, who doesn’t require this skill? BAs encounter various challenges during project lifecycles, requiring strong problem-solving skills, and must think critically to identify root causes and propose innovative solutions that address requirements.
- Domain Knowledge: This is kind of optional but depends on the type of industry or domain you want to work for. A deep understanding of the industry domain in which the potential company operates is crucial for BAs. Some examples include finance, healthcare, and e-commerce. If you are familiar with the industry-specific terminologies, regulations, and best practices, you can provide relevant insights and recommendations, and it will help crack that technical round of the interview.
- Adaptability: Again, a common skill that should be present in every modern workforce. In the dynamic landscape of the corporate world, requirements evolve rapidly, and BAs must adapt to changes quickly. Flexibility and agility are essential qualities for navigating shifting priorities and trends in the business.
- Stakeholder Management: BAs interact with a diverse range of stakeholders, including clients, business users, developers, and product/project managers. Building and maintaining positive relationships with these stakeholders is vital for gathering requirements, managing expectations, and ensuring project success.
So, these are the basic skills one needs to become a business analyst. Not everything is required but the more you have, the higher the chance of you landing that sweet corporate job! If you don’t have any of these skills, the good news is it’s not that hard to develop and I will help you on your path to become successful. I will go one oy one for all the required skills in future posts, and tell you exactly what you must do to improve those, and trust me, you will achieve the victory!
So, that’s all for the introduction.
Now, what’s the role of a business analyst in an Indian IT company? We will delve into it in the next post.