In the 21st century, there are plenty of new and innovative professions which were hard to even imagine a few decades ago. However, almost all of these professions have clear job responsibility, tasks and career paths. Among the very few comes the profession of a business analyst, because they responsibilities, roles and even career path vary project to project, organization to organization, and individual to individual.
That is one of the main reasons why many of my friends who also are business analysts get asked a lot about what does a business analyst do. So, to comprehensively answer this question and to explain all the aspects of a business analyst career path, we have created this article. So, now let’s get straight to the basics and then move further toward the business analyst’s career path.
What do business analysts do and who are they?
To simply and practically describe who business analysts are and what do they do, we are going to escape from the academic definitions which can be found easily around the web. A business analyst is an individual who works with different teams and people in an organization to appropriately understand the business needs and problems to further interpret and document these as business requirements so that the solution providers can implement them in the accurate manner.
The business analysts are great in communication and they have a great eye for details. Much of their time is spent on analysis of business problems and on finding the right solutions for these. The business analysts use variety of techniques, tools and resources to not only describe the actual business needs but also illustrate and specify these business requirements.
We have a detailed article about the education and how to get started as a business analyst. This article deals with the career path and tasks on business analysts.
Daily tasks of business analysts
As mentioned above, the daily tasks and responsibilities of business analysts vary as per the project and organization. Still there are a few tasks and activities which are common among the role of business analysts.
Investigating problems and goals:
In the profession of business analysis, the analysts are required to ask a lot of questions, interview other people, observe and read about the ongoing work. This is all part of the investigation for which a business analyst is supposed to come up with a solution for, either from the inside of an organization or outside.
Analyzing the gathered information:
The analysis of the information gathered from the previous step is essential to make sure that their findings are directly associated to the main sources of the problems and solutions to these problems.
Communicating with various people:
Communicating with other people in the organization is an important part of business analysts’ job. This communication involves open dialogue, formal interviews, questions and answers, verbal and nonverbal messages, to understand the problem and then communicating back to come up with a solution or proposing one.
Documenting all the findings:
To formalize the whole process, business analysts are required to document all the significant findings and the results they have acquired after the analysis. This documentation is both textual and visual.
Evaluating the solutions:
After finding and analyzing the problems and researching on all the possible solutions, the business analysts identify the best solution for specific business problems which they have identified. This chosen solution is analyzed in concordance with the design and construction to make sure that the solution meets the business needs and the responsible people pick the best method to implement this solution.
All of these tasks, when done manually, requires a lot of time which can make the jobs of business analysts extremely difficult. This is why there are several tools to help them focus on the things which matter more. This is also why we made Pearls an all in one business analysis solution.
What is a business analyst career path?
The hardest part in the career path of business analysts is that there is no single path which can be taken to reach to an advanced position. There are various advancements for business analysts to choose from depending on their passion and interest. Similarly the roles of the business analysts can differ too like being an employee of an organization, serve as a consultant, provide business analysis tools to businesses etc. Below we will discuss the major career paths that business analysts can take.
What can be different business analysts career paths?
For all the business analysts, the certifications and the experience go hand in hand to advance in their careers. In addition, a master’s degree also help a lot to grow in their specific organizations or projects. However, there are various career paths which business analysts can take depending on their skills, strengths, and interests.
These different business analyst’s career paths varies from being a hardcore business analyst to be a project manager. If an individual is interested in the profession of business analysis then they can be Career Business Analysts. If their interest is more towards managing the people then being a Business Analysis Manager is a better option or if you love to talk to people then you can be a Relationship Manager.
As many know, a popular career option for business analysts is to become Project Managers. But if the individual is more inclined towards building a team has the option to be a Business Analysis Competency Manager. Additionally, if specialization is someone’s passion then being a Subject Matter Expert is a good option. Also, a senior level business analyst can be a Business Architect as well.
So, now you know about the different business analyst career paths, their job roles and common tasks. So, next time somebody asks what does a business analyst do or what is the business analyst’s career path, then you know where to route them for the information.
