Titles what are they good for…
Does having the title ‘Business Analyst’ (BA) mean that you are a BA? I think it is important to understand that you do not need to have a title to be called a BA. There is no strict definition for a BA, certain pay grade, experience, education, association, or tasks done. To be a BA is a mindset. In fact, and of course all of this is my opinion, being a BA does not even have anything to do with writing requirements, gathering requirements, or any other documentation. At the end of the day anyone could be taught to do all of this, fairly easily, except for one big catch…
If none of the above adds up to being a Business Analyst…then what the heck does it mean to be a BA?!?! For me what it really comes down to is the second word, your are an ANALYST. This means if you are not doing analysis at every stage of a project, for every document, every meeting, then really you are actually a regurgitator. In other words, you are simply taking notes, and regurgitating back to the stakeholders what they told you in some fancy document. What I am saying is that if you do not do the analysis part of your job, then you are not bringing the value to your role on the project, and really the company who hired you, would have likely been better off to not hire you at all, as big financial savings for them! (ooohhh did you see that, analysis at work in that paragraph!!! :) )
So what do I mean by analysis, as I think this is a bit of a grey area, and not something I can cover entirely in this post, or even in 100 posts! Most would likely tell you analysis is looking at numbers, or a document and asking why things are the way they are, but this is really only part of analysis. Analysis is also being in a meeting and understanding the mood of everyone there, it is knowing who your supporters are in the room, and whom would rather shy away from answering questions. Thus, one part of analysis is understanding people.
For reading documents analysis is not just doing analysis of what is on the page, but also what is not on the page. Analysis is also thinking about who wrote a document, how much does there subjectivity influence the document, who all participated in creating the document, why was it created, and I could go on forever!
These are just two examples of analysis at work. So here comes the bold statement: if you are not doing any analysis, but simply doing what is asked of you, ask what value am I bringing to my role on this project beyond being a note-taker, and regurgitation of information??? This topic deserves much more in-depth analysis, pun absolutely intended, and I will do that in future posts.
In my own job search I saw many job descriptions with the title BA, but the experience you will get only includes minor use of soft skills (ex. understanding people), as you are essentially there to create documents and draw diagrams for requirements. Nothing wrong with that type of position, if this is what you want, but for me this is requirement documentation, it is NOT business analysis. Unfortunately, a person in a position like this will miss out on experience in the key skills to being a BA, which for me are the analysis skills. This is why it is important, especially getting into a transitional role, that you read into the job description, or ask lots of questions in interviews about the actual tasks you will be doing,how much your input matters, and try to figure out if they really want a BA, or a regurgitator.
Analysis is an art, and anyone who claims to have mastered it is likely working in the same environment, with the same people all the time, or is unwilling to push themselves to learn how to be better. Analysis comes down to being great at many skills, and bringing them together at just the right moment. Some of these skills would be rapport, relationship building, planning, presenting, composure, mindset, review, summary, decomposition, document review, questioning, people dynamics, and accountability to name a few.
So coming full circle, having the title Business Analyst does not mean you are a Business Analyst. The title does not magically grant you all the abilities to be a great BA. Many people learn the skills to be a great BA long before the title, and continue to develop looooonnnnggg after they get the title, and in fact the best BA’s I have heard speak continue to develop their skills throughout their career. Continuous learning, and learning again, or revisiting concepts, as they evolve in our careers is key to be the best we can be.
Lastly, although this post has been about the BA title, this is also true of any title. The title does not make the person, the person makes the title! Thus, whatever role you want to have in life, find out the skills you need, learn the skills, practice the skills, and repeat, over and over again. As this is the best way to get the experience you need for your resume, regardless of current background, or title.
I look forward to diving into many of these concepts in future posts, with the hopes that they inspire you are always striving to be the best Business Analyst you can each day, regardless of whether you have the title or not.
Being a BA, one ‘why’ at a time!!!
