QA to BA: Journey from Debugging to Discovering

It all started with a simple question “ Could this have been avoided earlier?”

December 4th 2014: Working in #thoughtworks as a Quality Analyst has always been a dream for most of us out there and the obvious reason being #selenium #automation.

Coming from an organisation with the most automation experience out of 1600+ employees to an organisation with the least automation experience out of 160+. It was indeed a shocker!

I’m sure, most of you(laterals) had a similar experience in the first couple of weeks here.

After spending nearly a month on the beach, it was time for me to start on a project and get my hands dirty.

There was a huge shift in the mindset. From someone who’d get involved later in the development stage to getting involved in the early phases.

As a QA, you are mostly closer to the functional aspects of the application.

Collaborating with the developers, pushes your limits towards debugging a code/service.

Often a times, during the RCA(Root Cause Analysis) calls, I’d wonder:

1. Could this have been avoided early?.
2. Can we not run the clients through these scenarios during the analysis itself?

This was one of the trigger for me to get into the Business Analyst role.

There were other reasons too:
#thoughtworks as an organisation provides you the opportunity to play
multiple roles i.e. wear multiple hats.

#thoughtworkers promote you to push your limits if you want to take up additional responsibilities.

So, I went ahead and expressed my interest to the PM(Project Manager), PC(People Champion) and the PSM(Professional Service Manager).

Got the opportunity to start with one of the stream as a QA/BA.

The QA to BA transition phase:

Things to keep in mind:

→ If you are playing a dual role, your former(QA) should not get impacted by your aspirational(BA) role while you are in the transition period.

How to maintain the balance? Keep collecting feedback from your colleagues at a regular interval and keep improvising.

→ Identify a mentor: This is the most crucial person in your journey. A mentor helps you with the nitty gritty of the aspirational(BA) role.

→ This person may assists you in:

• Overcoming the role(BA) jargons. For e.g. Burn up charts, Burn down charts, Sprint & Velocity planning, Release planning etc.
• How to breakdown epics, stories, tasks etc.

I have not read User Stories Applied to this day.

• What goes into a user story.

I was fortunate enough to get an exceptional mentor who not only supported me professionally but morally too.

Moving to a BA(only) phase:

Your initial(official) work defines a benchmark for the rest of your career going forward.

Your first attempt has to be your best attempt for you to push yourself in the role you are now.

Indeed, my first project as a BA set such high standards for me which I still cherish.

But, does that mean you shouldn’t fail?

Oh no, failure is a part of life. It defines your success path, tells you what to avoid. I failed miserably in my second stint at a BA.

Lesson(s) learnt:

• Failure is a part of life, let it not derail your morale.
• Never compare your previous successful experiences with the current situation. Circumstances play a crucial role.
• Seek help as early as possible. Don’t fight alone, if you don’t need to, you should not.

Remember why I emphasised on having a good mentor/guide? They should be the first go to person when you are at your low(don’t forget them when you are at your high).

What changed after moving to a BA role?

→ Your perspective changes.
→ Earlier, I’d only think from an end user’s perspective. The BA role pushed me towards thinking from a client’s perspective, their business’s perspective and of course, the end user’s.

It’s been more than 6 years for me functioning into a full time BA role in #thoughtworks and I must tell you, I never regretted my decision for the change.

As you grow, you encounter a lot of challenges, make them your opportunity.

What should I keep in mind?

• Simple answer, your core values! You see, if you build a solid foundation, you are less likely to start from scratch in a new opportunity.
• I have always focused on core BA skills viz. Analysis, Story breakdown & grooming, Value generation, Collaboration to name a few.
• That does not mean other aspects like Consulting, Communication are not important. As per my experience, they are built over time given circumstances.

But, the core never changes, it’s your bread and butter as a BA.

I hope I was able to assist you in any way by writing this Blog. If I can be of any assistance in your journey, do not hesitate to get in touch.

I wish you a lovely day ahead.

Happy Discovering!