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What is a Business Analyst? (Part 2)

WHAT IS A BUSINESS ANALYST? (Part 2)

Today the term Business Analyst is synonymous with a career in

the IT industry but the most successful and valuable analysts

are those who understand the "business" rather than those who

understand IT.

So what exactly is a Business Analyst? What is the Business

Analyst's role? What is the best background for this job? What

skill set is required? What type of person is the best fit? What

training is required and available? Each organisation seems to

have its own ideas about the role, skills, responsibilities and

expectations. Given the importance of the job, a common

definition would assist both practitioners and employers. In

this second part we look at typical background requirements for

a Business Analyst, and their job role.

Academic level

In our experience the most successful B.A.'s are those with

formal, structured education and training. Business

administration and similar qualifications are certainly helpful,

but not essential. Similarly, a qualification in a computing

topic, while helpful is not essential. Professionalism is not

widely sought-after or recognised, and most B.A.'s are not

members of the ACSiii (Australian Computer Society).

Experience A broad experience of business is required,

the more varied, the better. Business experience in insurance,

HR, banking, retail, manufacturing, processing and technology

industries, etc. is transferable, no matter what the recruiters

might say.

Personal characteristics

The B.A. has to get along with everyone, maintaining good

relationships at all levels from senior management to junior

staff. They must be able to understand the business objectives

and be able to quickly prioritise their work, so that they do

not spend undue time on the small things before they've sorted

out the main issues. They must be analytical and be able to deal

with the abstract; this is most important. They must be good

with detail, and tenacious - following issues through to

conclusion. They must be good organisers and good with their own

time management. Above all, they must be excellent

communicators, able to reduce the complex to the understandable.

An often under-rated skill is listening.

'You have two ears and one mouth. I suggest that you use them

in that proportion.' G.K. Chesterton

Computer programmers sometimes make the move to an analysis

role, not always successfully. Programming requires a particular

personality - comfortable with detail and logical precision.

Business analysis is more of the big picture. It is a rare

individual that is comfortable - and competent - in both areas.

Today's Business Analyst - the job role

At the core of the Business Analyst's skills are process

modelling, requirements gathering and requirements

specification. However, because the B.A. has a highly visible

role in the project, the expectations from clients, colleagues

and the organisation are often far higher and extend through the

life of the project:

In the project initiation phase, the B.A. may be expected to

investigate, formulate & agree terms of reference, and etablish

relationships.

In the analysis and specification phase, the B.A. may be

expected to investigate business systems, to establish & agree

business requirements, establish cultural & organisational

changes required and advise on technology options.

In the design phase, the B.A. may be expected to propose,

outline, design & specify business functions, to appraise

software packages, to design manual interfaces and design

implementation & training processes.

In the build phase, the B.A. may be expected to liase with the

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technical services provider, and plan/build/present training

courses.

In the test phase, the B.A. may be expected to liase and manage

acceptance testing.

In the implementation phase, the B.A. may be expected to liase

and manage the implementation.

A Business Analyst may find themselves involved in some or all

of the above roles. The required skill set may be classified as

follows:

Primary skills - analysis & investigative skills, process

modelling, data modelling, specification writing, business

writing, inter-personal communications skills. Secondary skills

- presentation & training skills, technology & vendor knowledge,

SDLC knowledge, project management, team leadership.

Even if the B.A. works predominantly in the domain of primary

skills, to be effective within the organisation they will need a

balance of secondary skills as well.

In Part 3, we'll look at the current tools for modelling and

requirements specification.

This article adapted for the web by Phil Dean,

www.irmtraining.com.au. You may use this article in your

newsletter or internal document free of charge provided that you

do not alter it in any way and that you include the

following:

Written by Derrick Brown and Jan Kusiak ©2002-2005 IRM Training

Pty Ltd ABN 56 007 219 589. http://www.irmtraining.com.au

About the author:

Phil Dean is Operations Manager for IRM Training,

http://www.irmtraining.com.au, based in Melbourne, Australia.

More resources and articles relating to the field of business

analysis can be found by visiting our website at

http://www.irmtraining.com.au.