Business analysts have roles and responsibilities that have been defined for many years. Any organization that wants to make sure that their organization performs at its best now considers business analysts to be a significant asset. There are some fundamental skills that all business analysts must be proficient in to be able to perform their duties effectively, even though the functions and specifics of the tasks that business analysts perform on a daily basis may vary depending on the type of organization that employs them and the current project they are working on.
The main tasks of a business analyst can be divided into four different areas of expertise, namely:
- Investigating the project to define the project goals and issues
- Collecting and analyzing the data specified by the scope of the project
- Documenting feedback, ideas and proposals that relate to the project
- Evaluating and presenting various solutions based on the analysis
Investigating the Project to Define the Project Goals and Issues
A good deal of your time as a business analyst will be spent investigating the processes currently used in the organization. Investigations include watching the normal functions and processes in action as well as conducting interviews with staff and stakeholders to clarify the reasons for the various business processes used.
The questions you will be asking as a business analyst generally revolve around the four concepts. Is the process worth it? What is the process about? Why is the process performed and is it really necessary? Does the process deliver what is sets out to deliver?
This area also requires business analysts to make decisions about whether the process is critical or not. To learn how to conduct analysis to differentiate between critical and non-critical organizational functions and activities.
Collecting and Analyzing the Data Specified by the Scope of the Project
Once the business analyst has analyzed the scope and goals of the project, it’s time to collect and analyze the data based on the project details. Collection of data may include collecting the documents involved in the process, accessing computer data and information that relates to the project as well as conducting interviews with the staff members involved with the specific business process.
This area of expertise requires the business analyst to be proficient in reading and comprehending a lot of raw data and a course like speed reading for business that increases your reading speed and your comprehension of text may be very helpful to improve your proficiency in these particular areas.
Once the data has been collated, it’s time to put your analytical skills to work. A business analyst must be able to evaluate the data to spot problem areas, as well as being able to critically evaluate the outcome of the process. The project scope often includes goals for a particular process and part of the evaluation process is determining whether the process efficiently meets those goals.
There are various techniques and templates that can be used to assess whether a process meets the requirements. Gap analysis can be used for example to determine whether there is a gap between the actual performance and the potential performance.
Documenting Feedback, Ideas and Proposals that Relate to the Project
Once the collection of data has been analyzed, the business analyst must begin creating feedback, ideas and proposals that relate to the project. To achieve this, the business analyst must have a good knowledge of the software and tools available to help document the analysis. Tools available to the business analyst include case modeling tools.
Creating ideas and proposals requires a balanced combination of analytical skills as well as imagination because you need to be able to critically evaluate the data and then come up with alternative methods and processes that will be more efficient for the organization.
Evaluating and Presenting Various Solutions Based on the Analysis
The culmination of the above three steps results in a proposal that offers a solution to a problem or a more efficient process based on the project requirements. This step often involves presenting the solutions and proposals to senior management or team leaders to begin a process of transformation within the business.
The business analyst must therefore be able to communicate effectively and also possess the ability to address larger groups of people. Presentations also often require the ability to use presentation software to effectively communicate the conclusions of the analysis.
If you feel that the above skills and abilities are ones you already possess or are ones that interest you then, once you have the necessary expertise.
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