The Making of a Business Analyst
Business analysts can come from diverse backgrounds of education and work experience, which leaves knowledge gaps they’ll need to bridge.
Great business analysts (BAs) arise from diverse backgrounds of education and work experience. Consequently, they’re likely to have some gaps in their knowledge and skill sets that will present challenges as they pursue requirements development for a new software system.
Each BA should decide which knowledge and skills pertain to their situation and actively seek to fill their own gaps through continuing education. My book with Joy Beatty, Software Requirements, 3rd Edition, identifies numerous skills that most BAs need to accumulate through training and experience. These fit into the following categories:
- Communication skills (listening, interviewing and questioning, writing)
- Interpersonal skills (facilitation, leadership, teamwork)
- Technical skills (modeling, analysis, systems thinking, organization, creativity)
The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) describes the competencies entry-level, junior, intermediate, and senior business analysts should exhibit across the common BA activities. All new BAs will benefit from…
