What is Business Analyst’s Master Playbook?
I often receive questions from multiple people about how to approach a business analyst position, what role a business analyst performs, and what they need to do in this process. When I talk about business analysts, I always look at it from this perspective: there are no written words or books that can definitively guide you on what role a business analyst can perform. To understand what a business analyst actually does, you have to identify what the company you’re going to work for is doing.
A business analyst role is not some sort of engineering position. As the name suggests, it involves the analysis of the business.
Who can become a business analyst? Only those who have been working in that particular industry for a considerable period and have a good understanding of that specific company or industry. To start your journey as a business analyst, you have to begin at the ground level in that same industry, segment, or company. You need to look at problems at the bottom level and do some groundwork. As you do this work, you’ll realize what problems people face. When you understand these problems, you can climb the ladder and move into a business analyst position.
The primary role of a business analyst is to analyze various aspects of the business. This includes analyzing day-to-day operations, the industry, the market, trends, and the environment impacting the company. Business analysts identify problems faced by people involved in the company, the industry, or the particular environment in which the company operates. They need to understand the complete chain of operations, regardless of the industry or organization they’re working in.
For example, from an agricultural standpoint, a business analyst would need to understand how food is grown and how it reaches your plate. They would need to comprehend every component of that chain and understand how each component impacts the industry. Once they’ve understood the chain, they need to look at various departments in the company and their roles, as well as the hierarchy within those departments.
A business analyst needs to be both outward-looking and inward-looking.
When looking outward, they need to be visionary and understand potential future problems, opportunities, and changes in dynamics. They should be able to anticipate how these factors might affect the business.
When looking inward, a business analyst needs to examine their own department and function, as well as other departments within the organization. They should talk to people, understand their problems, processes, and intricate details of their functioning. They should ask about the issues people face, their vision, and their perception of the market.
Empathy is a crucial skill for business analysts. They need to understand people’s problems, how they do their work, and how to resolve issues. Business analysts should not only look at current situations but also past mistakes and future possibilities. They need to sit with senior stakeholders to understand their vision, the problems they face, and what they plan to solve through the projects the business analyst is working on.
Documentation is another key skill for business analysts. They need to be good at documenting all their communications, covering every aspect of their findings. The documentation should include the vision, ideas, and problems identified. A business analyst needs to be a good reader to be a good writer, as they’ll need to go through their documentation repeatedly and cross-check with teams to ensure they’ve captured everything accurately.
Business analysts should also be proficient in creating diagrams to visually communicate their findings. They need to have basic design skills to present information visually, as people often have limited time to read lengthy documents. The ability to articulate captured information and present it visually is crucial.
The profile of a business analyst includes strong communication skills, curiosity, the ability to understand problems, empathy, good writing and reading skills, and some design capabilities for visual communication. There’s no specific course or curriculum for becoming a business analyst. The role requires a combination of these basic skills to perform effectively and guide others in their role.
