What Is Business Analysis (And Why It's An Awesome Job)

What is business analysis? What does a business analyst do? What does it take on a professional and personal level to become a capable business analyst? And last but not least: how do you become a business analyst? Read on to learn the answers to these questions!

WHAT IS BUSINESS ANALYSIS?

Business analysis is a disciplined approach centred around introducing and managing change within organisations, whether for-profit businesses, governments, or non-profits. A thorough business analysis not only allows you to identify the need for change within an organisation, it also tells you how to successfully facilitate the desired changes and improvements. Business analysis requires a significant amount of investigating, evaluating and documenting to be effective. 

WHAT IS A BUSINESS ANALYST AND WHAT DO THEY DO?

A business analyst knows how to crunch data and harness data-driven insights to boost organisational efficiency. In modern business environments, this often means bridging the gap between IT and a company’s core business. 

The daily routine of a business analyst might involve:

• Engaging with business leaders. This gives them a proper understanding of how data-driven changes to processes, products, services, software and hardware can improve efficiency and add value to a particular organisation. 
• Working with complex data sets to improve products, tools, services, or processes.
• Creating detailed business analyses, including outlining problems, opportunities and solutions for a business.

• Identifying and prioritising technical and functional requirements to make organisational changes for the good.

   

WHAT DOES A GOOD BUSINESS ANALYST LOOK LIKE?

Not everyone is business analyst material. The job requires certain skills and character traits and a result-driven, helpful attitude. Simply mastering analytical skills (critical thinking, data literacy, documentation skills) doesn’t cut it. First and foremost, a good business analyst is a great communicator. They will ask pertinent questions and use active listening techniques to absorb the answers. A good business analyst also has the ability to get their message across in a convincing way.

Additionally, a good business analyst possesses excellent problem-solving skills and is capable of assessing the scope of a project and providing holistic solutions. Business analysts should also be resourceful. They know how to actively find the answers to questions and don’t wait passively for the answers to come to them. Time management is another key skill – a capable business analyst will get the job done within the available time frame. 

HOW DOES A BUSINESS ANALYST HELP?

A business analyst plays an important role when it comes to change management.

• They can help organisations decipher the future of their business by identifying, creating and scoping valuable changes and enhancements to daily and long-term business processes.
• A business analyst has the expertise and attitude to prioritise business needs.

• Business analysis also helps you to manage costs and achieve a stable ROI on new tools and operations.

   

HOW TO BECOME A BUSINESS ANALYST

As you can see, the job of a business analyst is a valuable one. Becoming a business analyst starts with getting a degree in a relevant field and/or learning the most important business analysis fundamentals. Subsequently, you can broaden your experience by working on projects to develop your practical data analytics skills, visualisation skills and presenting techniques. You should also invest time and effort in creating a portfolio to showcase your best work.

PROSOURSE AND BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Are you facing business challenges that you would like to discuss with a knowledgeable business analyst? Then Prosource is happy to help you. Screening the project to determine your requirements allows us to find the perfect business analyst for your organisation.

Are you a talented, promising or experienced business analyst? Then we have good news… Prosource is always on the lookout for business analysis and project management experts.