Want To Be A PRO Business Analyst? TRY THIS...

Have you ever wondered what separates a mediocre business analyst from a good one? What makes some business analysts the best at what they do? Why some business analyst are more appreciated by stakeholders, coveted by recruiters and hiring managers, and have a wide variety of career options open to them than their other counter parts? It’s because they know their onion and have mastered what makes their business thick. This then brings to mind the one billion dollar question, “what it that which makes them so good and outstanding amidst their competitors?” Well, you need not be a rocket scientist to know and master them too. There are millions of good reasons to aspire to be a professional business analyst. As a professional business analyst you are not only ever relevant to the society, you also will never have to worry about money again or paranoid over job security. You will never lose sleep over unemployment, why? Because no matter-how many changes take place in the economy, there will always be a need for good/ professional business analysts. Regardless of how many companies and industries become obsolete or go out business, professional business analyst will always be in high demand. As professional business analyst, you can always accomplish and even surpass any financial goal you set for yourself. Here are the skills that sets them apart from the rest of the crowd: Professional Business Analysts Have the Basics Covered Professional business analysts are good communicators, problem-solvers, and think critically. They can create requirements specifications, analyze requirements, create visual models, facilitate elicitation sessions, and use the necessary business analyst tools. This is the foundation…But then you must do a little more. Professional Business Analysts are Resourceful Business analysts know how to find the answers to questions and don’t wait for the answers to come to them. They find alternative paths through the organization and involve the right people at the right time. Good business analysts rarely get stopped for long and can often work through challenging situations to come through to a solution. Professional Business Analysts Grow their Toolbox of Skills Good business analysts are not content to do the same things the same way every time. They apply “use cases” in every requirements situation. Gaining confidence to apply wide variety of business analysis techniques increased their marketability and made them more efficient. Good BAs select the right tool for the job instead of relying on their go-to tools and making it work for every situation. Professional Business Analysts Create Alignment and Ownership Around the Solution It’s really easy to be the one who writes down what the stakeholders ask for. And as a new BA, you might be in a role where you are expected to do this or where it’s the biggest contribution you can make at first. But professional business analysts do more. And this means that you are in the middle of resolving conflicts and ensuring that when the solution is delivered, the business truly owns that this is what they wanted and is prepared to use it. Understanding the “business processes” or the underlying problem to be solved can lead you in this direction. So can creating clarity, which we’ll talk about next. Professional Business Analysts Create Clarity Business analysts bring a unique blend of critically important soft skills and analysis skills. Together these two skill sets help the business analyst create clarity. And clarity does not simply mean that you get sign-off on the spec. A professional business analyst doesn’t rely on sign-offs and hundred-page documents. They use analysis techniques to drill into details and ask relevant questions. They “get buy-in”, not just sign-off, during the verification and validation process. And they get into the appropriate details to ensure true clarity emerges. Professional Business Analysts Don’t Rely on Cookies Yes, developers and stakeholders like cookies. Who doesn’t? It’s nice to feel appreciated for all of your hard work. But professional business analysts don’t rely on bribes to build and sustain positive relationships. • They use “active listening techniques” to ensure stakeholders feel heard. • They set clear expectations as a way to “build trust”, consistently follow through on their commitments, and don’t make promises they can’t keep. • They honor confidentiality agreements, never talk behind anyone’s back, and are generally seen as above office gossip. Professional business analysts are both professional and good to work with. Professional Business Analysts Have a Strong Dash of Project Management This might sound like a bit of heresy, so let me explain. Professional BAs are not only not project managers but they understand with perfect clarity why they are not project managers. That being said, professional business analysts know how to manage within business analysis. • They are proactive and dependency aware. • They manage themselves to commitments and deadlines. • They get stakeholders involved at the right times and in the right ways and keep everything moving. And more than all of this, professional business analysts have a strong eye for scope. While it can be fun to figure out what we might pack if everything but the kitchen sink fits into the car, professional business analysts realize that implementation constraints nearly always get in the way of achieving the full vision the first time out. And so they keep a close eye on value and feasibility and guide their stakeholders toward a set of requirements that can actually get implemented. One of the best things about being a pro as a business analyst is, you never have to worry about money again or paranoid over job security. You will never lose sleep over employment