A business analyst (BA) is someone who analyses and understands an organisation, in order to help find (technology based) solutions to its problems. They can be an internal resource or third party consultant. Their value and role however is often debated. So what are some of the top 30 qualities and how much value does a strong BA add to your organisation?
1. Is a facilitator. Often misrepresented too simply as the bridge between IT and the business, a strong business analyst will help define problems and facilitate or determine solutions. Note they will facilitate and lead discussions here and be a creative input, rather than simply interpret business requirements and act as a middleman. With this quality a good BA enables shared understanding between project team members and the wider business. This allows conflicts and misunderstandings to be resolved quickly, for instance between business and technical teams. So, whether acting as an internal or external consultant the BA will look to move the business forward, for example by improving supply chain control, reducing stock management or other supply chain costs such as distribution, warehousing or inventory, improving supply chain security or raising order fulfilment accuracy. A good BA will seek to improve the organisation in line with business goals.
2. Looks at company rather than department benefits. A systems based project must be aligned to business goals and not just functional or department benefits. The BA will find out and understand the bigger company picture to make sure projects give the business benefits aligned to these goals. Additionally, understanding goals and processes across the entire business helps the analyst recommend solutions that benefit the whole organisation rather than one or two business areas. This can be advantageous for example where no formal structure exists between a business user and a developer. There are occasions however when business users liaise directly with developers to make system enhancements and changes. Whilst this may benefit the individual user or small team, it may not take into account a department or business functional view, nor be in line with strategic business goals, or even have documented solutions to help IT support teams. When this exists money and time can be quickly wasted. Note however the reverse can also be true if the BA adds no value to the business user/developer relationship. So a good BA will recognise both cases and will recommend how resources can best be used in order that business goals are met.
3. Understands different types of systems solution. Selecting and implementing a commercially available off the shelf solution (COTS) requires a different skill set to designing and developing a system from scratch or building enhancements to existing software. This is because of the potential mixture of different technologies involved that need to be understood, finding out how well the key business requirements can be met in each case, requiring different frameworks to work within e.g. from procurement, to not having a starting point if designing a solution from the beginning. A strong BA will have experience of all these projects and will therefore be more experienced in helping manage business risk and choosing the right solution for the business. We’ve known cases for example where businesses have to decide for example between making major changes to an existing warehouse system, designing a bespoke solution to bolt onto an existing system, buying a new system and making minor modifications to it, or buying a COTS system and living with the functionality it has out of the box. Here, the BA will help the business take the right course of action based on risk, budget, relationships, functionality and project timescales.
4. Is aware of different technologies. Having an awareness of the types of technology available to help solve business problems allows the BA to help guide the business into making the right and most suitable decisions. This can include understanding market trends and future technologies. For example, at the current time is it best for companies to invest money in RFID, NFC technologies, 2D or conventional barcodes, or another technological solution, for an asset tracking project? Should you go Cloud, SaaS or client-server, or stick with legacy? Much will depend on the business needs and knowledge of existing technologies.
5. Sells solutions. Defining problems and finding solutions in small project teams is one thing, forecasting the benefits for a business case, listening to the business needs and providing great customer service with solution selling and delivery is another. A good business analyst (BA) will not only consider for example features and process functionality in a software solution, however will listen to key business stakeholder needs, look at strong benefits and provide a rational, documented and agreed proposal, business case and sometimes Project Initiation Document (PID) for solution purchase and/or implementation. The advantage to the business of this BA work is that decisions can be made more easily and informatively as to whether to proceed or not and importantly, what the business receives once a project is implemented. This work is valuable whether the BA is working as an internal or external consultant, or even in a pre-sales capacity to a client.
6. Forecasts accurately. As part of writing a business case a good BA will be able to consider numerous aspects of the project upfront. This includes project timescales, risk and risk management, implementation roadmaps and processes, project issues and budgets. The BA will also consider key areas of the project such as agreeing the scope with the project manager/management team, identifying stakeholders, system interface and functionality complexity, project deliverables, impacts on other projects and project roles and responsibilities. They will base an assessment on previous project, software, domain and company (culture) experience. A good BA’s assessment is based on experience and previous projects, is more than just guesswork and therefore gives credibility. The BA will show the impact on a business of going through an implementation process. From cash flows and financial forecasts through to team effort and skills required, either throughout or during periods of the project. This gives the business a better understanding of what is required to implement the solution. The BA will give the business better understanding of what can be achieved, planning milestones, scope and budget before projects are formally signed off. These considerations are important particularly when the business and IT teams have to manage multiple simultaneous projects. We’ve known large scale shop order replenishment systems cutting over with major network changes, desktop roll outs and distribution planning systems feasibility studies, warehouse system upgrades and manufacturing process reviews. The BA needs to make a judgement on how the next project will impact the business and whether it will meet business and project goals.
7. Promotes the project. Throughout the solution selling and business case development process the BA will need to sell and enthuse about the project to the business to help gain approval and find ways to overcome objections. This helps the business by giving the project momentum, focus and belief. Also as the project starts a good BA will continue this enthusiasm with wider project team members and other people in the organisation. For the business this is important as the project needs growing acceptance and adoption if it is to fulfil the business case benefits. The wider business also may need to feel reassured about changes that are about to happen and the BA can play an important role in assisting project and line managers, by facilitating understanding and helping to resolve project conflicts. Often with technology projects for example the business may need to understand how new systems are there to benefit individuals e.g. to make vehicle tracking processes accurate and in real time, deal with higher volumes of customer orders, automating distribution and shipping activities etc. These can all be positive changes.
8. Is an innovator. A good BA will solve problems and help create solution ideas, and then facilitate a practical course of action, turning ideas into reality. The business benefit is having practical solutions to meet the project goals. For example we’ve known it where developers are struggling to understand code logic for a planning system, so a BA has worked with the software developer to understand the code and then work with business to understand the business processes in greater detail. This enabled the BA to work on solution proposals, leaving the developer to continue with other aspects of coding and also save the business users valuable time.
9. Gets more from technology. A good BA will work with the business to understand their needs however will also look to find ways of getting more from technology already deployed, as well as bringing in new technological solutions. Being a creative thinker is only part of the skill here, as the BA must also effectively communicate the technology and solution benefits to stakeholders and business users. Typical cases we’ve seen include writing reports based on existing systems and data to give improved product planning information. Or analysing existing business data to recommend changes from rough cut capacity planning (RCCP) to warehouse goods receipt processes using existing system functionality.
10. Wears multiple hats. Once a project has been sold and commenced, a BA may then take up one or a number of roles in a project. All involve elements of problem definition and solving, ideas generation, requirements gathering with the business and writing accurate documentation. BA roles can vary slightly between organisations and can involve elements of:
- Systems analysis. Such as writing system design specifications and reviewing systems code in a bespoke systems project. This includes looking at code changes, pinpointing problems and incorporating code into new programs. For example this could include warehouse management system enhancements through to bespoke report writing or backend office systems integration between ERP and WMS solutions. This obviously involves understanding the software language the system is being developed in. Note that some BA’s may not be able to write or fix code issues however will be aware of what the code does
- Data analysis. This can mean gathering, reviewing, cleaning and generating data for the business, either to help make project recommendations or to enable current or new/future systems to function correctly. This can also include spotting patterns and trends, working with data from disparate sources and understanding when data looks incomplete or has errors. Examples include gathering data to help model distribution loading patterns, looking at picking/packing method feasibility studies, or reviewing data to recommend solutions e.g. to stop replenishment, goods receipt or shipping errors.
- Non-systems analysis. Less involved with information systems the BA will use a number of techniques to help define and document detailed business project requirements or complete process analysis work.
11. Is a good interviewer. Part of the requirements gathering role is to interview a range of people across the organisation. This can include everyone upwards to Director level and since everyone is busy, the BA’s interviewing and listening skills need to be sharp and focussed in order not to waste time. The benefit to the business is that all requirements are captured accurately with the minimum of time, again in line with business and project goals. As an example we’ve seen this when drafting a requirements specification for MRP enhancements to an existing ERP system, where business specific requirements had to be documented and passed to an IT team. The Directors and business people had limited time to spare in-between other duties requiring the BA to efficiently plan well and interview efficiently.
12. Understands process flows. There are a number of documents a good BA will deliver here that allow the business to understand both high and detailed level problems, before generating solutions in line with both business and project needs. Examples include:
- Model current business processes. This requires investigation and agreement into what the business actually does, how it does it, timings, including information, data and process flows. This modelling helps to generate business understanding and consensus about what is going on.
- Documenting flow activity. Once the modelling is underway it must be documented so it can be referred to later and understanding can be checked. There are a variety of models and software systems to help record business process flows and a good BA needs to have the right tool kit ready.
- Understanding business issues & needs. Based on both the project and business goals, the BA must understand at a high and detailed level, where the issues are in the current processes that require attention. Similarly a good BA will start to generate ideas on what the business need are for now and the future.
- Agreeing future processes. Having understood the business issues the BA must help determine what the new process solutions are to address the business gaps. The future processes will be based on the business and project goals and may also address other detailed business issues.
- Documenting gaps. Having documented current and future processes, the BA will document gaps to help understand the impact on the business of moving to the future state. This can be at functional and role level within the organisation. This process can also start to review whether and how project benefits will be realised.
13. Captures the business requirements. These are the requirements that business needs based on the future processes. One skill of the BA is to facilitate discussions and encourage people to openly talk about issues so that requirements can be captured. The BA will often be given a one line explanation around what is needed and must accurately work out with the business what the requirement(s) is.
14. Writes business requirements. Following on from the process flow analysis the BA will document business requirements. At this stage it isn’t software designs or code that is written, rather the requirements documented in such a way that is useful for the software and information systems team. From the work of the BA, the business now receives a set of documented system requirements that will form the basis of the systems design. The aim is to enable software to be developed in order that business and project goals are reached. All requirements therefore must be communicated in such a way that everyone understands them. Inaccurate documentation at this stage will put the original business case in jeopardy
15. Completes other relevant documentation. Depending on the business analysis role and the solution being implemented, the BA may write a variety of other documents for high and detailed level systems design or data analysis. Examples might include Use Case Document (UCD), Use Case Diagram, UML diagrams, User Scenario Document (USD), test cases and website wireframe screen designs. This helps pave the way for developers to write code to meet the requirements, project and business goals.
16. Understands and is familiar with jargon. From domain and local business specific terms to systems and technology words and phrases, a good BA will have some understanding and familiarity in order to help effective communication with business personnel and systems teams. From MRPII, Kanbans and semi-cross docking to nested tables, subforms and arrays, the BA must have business and IT familiarity. As effective communication is a key part to a successful project outcome this becomes an important part of the project.
17. Experienced at holding reviews. When documentation has been written (sometimes in different formats and levels of detail) the BA must ensure there is:
- Agreement that they are correct i.e. reflect real stakeholder needs
- They are easy to understand
- All the requirements are captured and none are missing to provide the system
- Documentation is brief and to the point
- No conflicts exist between requirements
- There are no gaps between project goals, user requirements and system specifications
- The requirements are feasible within the technology constraints and project goals
- Each requirement is capable of being verified
- Documentation is fit for purpose and complete for both the business and the software development team
- Users, quality assurance personnel and software teams sign them off
Failure to complete this exercise puts the project goals at risk. Conversely the business benefit is that the BA enables the project to move the next stage and consequently look to achieve its targets and objectives.
18. Has strong quality management. The format of the written documents, sign-off, change control processes and documentation content are also important to the success of the project. Having inaccurate and poorly managed documents will lead to misunderstanding or wrong interpretation by business users and software developers, costly project delays and ultimately may lead to failed systems delivery. Again this puts the original business case in jeopardy so a good BA will ensure this does not happen. In larger projects, particularly at a low level of systems documentation detail there can be many documents written, requiring multiple reviews and reviewers. Major stock control systems for example can involve a high degree of documentation and this must all be controlled to keep the project on track.
19. Ensures priorities are agreed. The captured business requirements will often need to be prioritised to manage scope creep, maintain project goal relevance and business case benefit. A good BA will facilitate the prioritisation of these with the business so project stakeholders understand and agree the relative priority of the work. This can happen for example where assumptions are reviewed, new and vague requirements are generated, or new people join the project part way through and want to add new opinions. We’ve seen this where data and process teams come together on a project, finance personnel and planning and operations teams come together, or senior managers voice strong opinions in selected meetings. A good BA however will look to ensure key aims are met, that decisions are made in timely fashion, allow the project to benefit from its goals and all without compromising financial benefits.
20. Sets delivery expectations. The BA will help the business understand what the project and software will deliver and when delivery is expected to take place. This is a natural role since a good BA will be in regular contact with the business and inquisitive people will ask them project questions. Setting expectations is a key part of the success of the project as the BA’s role is to help the business to buy into the project, roll it out successfully and look to gain the business case benefits. We’ve seen it where maintenance planning teams for example are looking forward to automating job task distribution and eagerness on the part of the business may look to rush the project implementation. To help keep to the wider business objectives however the strong BA will look to keep enthusiasm and momentum however temper it according to current delivery plan schedules.
21. Builds trust. A good BA will build trust with the project team, IT developers and systems support, Directors and business personnel. This helps business requirements to be discussed openly and honestly. It also helps maintain the view that the key project goals and business needs will be fulfilled. In turn having trust enables the BA to not only continue support for this project but also into the next one. As an example we’ve known good BA’s to be asked in advance to join future projects, as well as being asked strategic business advice for other business ventures.
22. Manages stakeholders. A strong BA will always look to support the business during development, by helping the business and IT functions understand the business goals and project objectives, whilst looking to help resolve any conflicts that may arise during implementation. This means the BA must be able to effectively influence stakeholders and business personnel. Stakeholder management will be a strong feature of much of the BA’s work, for example during requirements capture and definition, scope agreement, how a system will be used in the business, gaining system acceptance and sign-off and managing and handing over documentation to the business at project completion.
23. Has a strong network. It is unusual for BA’s to have strong domain (industry) experience in many business areas, so to help their understanding it is important that the BA has a strong network to call upon when they require greater business knowledge or deeper understanding. This helps the business to help define and resolve problems faster whilst facilitating and searching for solutions. For example a BA may not have deep domain experience in all web technologies, legacy software, construction, warehousing, manufacturing, distribution, planning or other supply chain areas. So knowing domain experts through a strong network in these areas is important.
24. Knows when to dip in and out of detail. The business plan may have tight deadlines however a good BA will know when to look at the bigger project picture as well as the requirements and technical details. In the early stages of a stock flow improvement project for example a BA may need to find the best way to decide between say an existing systems enhancement, a new COTS solution or a bespoke implementation. Decision delays caused by looking at endless detailed requirements, business user requests and departmental goals can cost the organisation time and money. Wasted time, money spent on external resource, implementation fees and support problems later on can be the result. A good BA therefore will understand how to keep to plan and recognised the important issues for the business.
25. Understands change management. The BA will often be a member of the change management team, identifying changes in the organisation and managing the facilitation process to find the best ways to manage changes through successfully. The BA needs to understand the way the business works and be able to apply this insight. This will help faster project, system and solution adoption and business buy-in helping the project achieve its goals.
26. Recognises the project management relationship. Many of the BA qualities overlap with those required of a project manager (PM), such as good communication, presenting, document writing and interviewing. Unless a dual BA/PM role exists or the BA is also a business consultant, the BA may assist however will not be accountable for project areas such as project leadership, recognising when stakeholders are not in line with the project and resolving this issue, ensuring project structure, governance and adherence, project planning, project management and leadership communication updates and meetings, wider aspects of the project such as hardware, networks and infrastructure delivery, budgets and financial aspects of the project and managing team members. It is important therefore for the both the project team and business to recognise this and for the BA to communicate and abide by the specific role in the organisation it in order to help balance workload and keep the project on track.
27. Develops test strategy & plans. A BA will help develop the system test strategy and test plans. This will include test cases, data and processes based on the business requirements. The BA can also assist testing. This can mean either participating in tests or reviewing test output from a quality assurance (QA) team. If the role requires it a BA may also review code logic, software code, complete unit tests and other technical tests with software developers and QA personnel. They will also support the business with system reviews and UAT (user acceptance testing) by checking UAT results and ensuring the test systems are fit for purpose and testers and ready to test. This all helps to ensure the solution being designed is built against the requirements and is fit for purpose.
28. Has sharp presentation skills. The BA is not a trainer however will know the solution (part or entirely) well enough to demonstrate it to the business. This enables the business to see that the solution is fit for purpose and gives the project credibility.
29. Knows how to provide cutover support help. A good BA will assist the business in preparing for cutover. This can involve anything from assisting training and data set-up to helping integrate the new solution into job roles and daily business operations.
30. Understands how to handover a project. The BA is often accountable for the project documentation maintenance, organisation and storage. This not only provides an audit trail however also allows for faster problem solving where required to help ensure the business reaches its goals, in the most efficient way. This is also important for project handover. The BA is often the person or part of the team that helps complete a project handover to the business including full supporting documentation. This should finalise the BA’s role in the project so they can move onto the next one.