Business Analyst Roles

[Gingersay]

I've worked for my CS department for 25 years and there's not a part of our business I don't know. I currently work in stakeholder relations.
We have advertised for a BA role which I really fancy but it asks for knowledge of BA techniques which I kinda have a brief knowledge of but not working knowledge.
I'm sure it would be simpler for them to train me in BA techniques than it would be for a BA to learn the basics of the organisation.
Any advice from BAs? How did you get into this role?

I'm not a BA, but I am a Product Director who has hired and managed lots of BAs.

I always look for experience, attitude and approach rather than qualifications. BAs (and increasingly we hire service designers and user experience researchers as well) come from a really wide range of backgrounds. I'd recommend looking at how individual bits of experience map to the requirements of the role - eg you might have undertaken lots of stakeholder engagement, requirements gathering or process mapping. Evidence that.

However, one thing to keep in mind - it's often really useful for an incoming BA to not have knowledge of the systems and processes. If you're trying to reimagine and improve business process, you don't want to be beholden to "the way things are done at the moment"

Check out the international institute of business analysis www.iiba.org.

Also really recommend the BCS book business analysis techniques on Amazon. It's expensive but worth it

I echo @cheese? 's comments. I'm in a similar role.

I'm looking for BAs to be able to evidence thoroughness, attention to detail, and curiosity to the point of irritation. Essential to keep the big picture in mind - what are we trying to understand, where are we trying to get to, not just 'record x process' accurately, neatly and thoroughly.

@Whataretheodds Hi there, I am an A-Level student and wanted to know if there is a path to learn to be a BA without going to uni. I have spent the summer learning Excel (and achieved certification). Can you suggest the next step as so many jobs need experience? Really appreciate your help.

@Bluey777 what have you found out so far about the BA role?

@Whataretheodds A Business Analyst is like a translator between a company's needs and the technology it uses. They talk to different people in the company to understand what's needed, then write down clear instructions for the tech team. They help make sure everything works well, problems are fixed, and changes are made smoothly.

Yes, I mean what have you researched so far on the skills and knowledge required, and routes to entry? Have you pursued those pointers? How have you found them?

I’m a BA - have been doing this for 30+ years, and currently contracting. Lots of BA’s cone up from “the business”. Biggest problem is that they know what the current systems and processes are and therefore don’t often ask what the business needs. A BA has to keep asking why. They also need to understand the priorities, and often are very unpopular and will say “No” to a project, if it’s not in the best interest of the business. You need to have facts as to why you are saying “no”, so these can go to senior stakeholders for their final decision.
It can be a great job, but also high pressure, and other project team members get all the accolades.

I've previously been in BA roles, and echo that these are highly paid roles for a reason.

Very high pressure, high stakes, need to evidence everything, and usually answerable to board or senior stakeholder who are experienced and have been around long enough to know bullshit.

Equally, never felt more out of a team, they are lonely roles, usually only last for a project duration or phase, so it's insecure work to the vagaries of corporate direction and budget.

Typical BA skills include

Business Requirements articulation
Business Benefits articulation
Process Improvements
Scoping training needs based on the change in process and/or technology
Adept at selecting the right analysis tools in the tool kit eg

• SIPOC

-SWOT -PESTEL -Benefit Dependency Network User Acceptance test scripts

Lots of parallels with Lean Six Sigma skills

Soft skills

Effective workshop facilitation
Stakeholder engagement
Emotional and social intelligence

Being a business magician and pulling rabbits out of hats also helps!

@Whataretheodds I attempted to apply this concept in my personal life by looking at several local businesses through Google Maps. Because I have some experience of web design I assessed their websites and thought about potential improvements I could make to elevate their online presence and increase their conversion rate from visitors to clients.

Once I looked at their website, I identified a lot of significant issues with their website. For example, there was a lack of a clear call to action—direct instructions for visitors on what actions to take. Moreover, vital information was dispersed across multiple pages, resulting in challenges for users to locate important details about the businesses' offerings and pricing. To address these issues, I reached out to local businesses through cold calls, proposing my assistance in website development free of charge as my intention was to gain practical experience.

One business accepted my proposition, and I utilised WordPress to build their website.

I really enjoyed doing this process and I believe a Business Analyst has a similar thought process therefore I am interested in pursuing it as a career.

@daisychain01 Thank you for letting me know what skills are required. Can I ask how you got into this field I'm trying to learn what steps I should take to achieve a role as a BA.

@Bluey777 after Uni, I managed to get a place on an IT graduate scheme, so I got to try out the business analysis role on a couple of IT projects. Then I took an exit role as a BA when I came off the scheme. The skills are so transferable, even though I've moved into a different skill set, the Lean Sigma and requirements elicitation have come in handy as they've cropped up in my current role which is more focused on knowledge and information management, but with some systems implementation thrown in for good measure.

if you can get sponsorship for the BCS Business Analysis International Diploma, that should give your BA career a real kick start. You can take it as individual modules over time, and to get the Diploma you have a viva, which is quite straight forward.

Go talk to the person hiring and tell them you're interested. See what they say.