Business Analysts: The axis power of any business organization

Business Analysis is definitely a demanding job with complex requirements, but it is a career which promises great action and growth for the right minded ones. With Business analyst training any ordinary individual can fine tune themselves to a professional attuned career.

The routine tasks of Business Analysts

Business Analysis itself is a relatively a new line of practice where changes are occurring frequently in order to improvise standards. The International Institute of Business Analysts is the authority on all aspects related to the business analysis certification and practice.

The Business Analysis book of Knowledge (BABOK) issued by the IIBA defines business analysis as:

“ ..the set of tasks and techniques used to work as a liaison among stakeholders in order to understand the structure, policies, and operations of an organization, and recommend solutions that enable organizations to achieve its goals…”

Hence, it can be rightly concluded that the role and responsibilities of a BA differs from organization to organization. Business analysts work in conjunction with the organization’s requirements, which as in most cases is coordinating operations, managing projects and delivering products.

A rough outline of a BA’s job responsibility which remains constant across all industries is as below:

However, there are very few business analysts who can handle all the aspects of an operation from ground scratch till end. In most organizations, there exists a hierarchy of business analysts who handle various responsibilities related to the same project.

Classification of Business Analyst job profile

Business analysts job profile can be commonly classified into three:

1.        Generalist

•          BAs who have competency across all forms of business analysis

•          They use a wide variety of tools and methodologies for meeting project deliverables

•          They exist in all levels of an organization, from mid-level management to higher executive panels

2.        Specialist

•          BAs who possess subject knowledge expertise in specific business domains or processes

•          They follow a focused set of methods and processes that have the potential to provide quick resolutions

•          Possess serious practical experience in business analysis of specific industries/domains

3.        Hybrid

•          Business analysts who have business analysis certification in specific domains as well as practical experience across multiple domains fall under this category.

•          They are usually capable of managing simultaneous projects from a higher hierarchy level

•          Job profiles include CTOs, CXOs, Enterprise Architect, etc.

Where to start: The grind to become a qualified Business Analyst

IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis) operating out of Canada is the official authority that serves the world in structuring and rendering Business Analysis certifications. As a non-profit organization, it is the sole authority that sets the benchmark standards for qualified BAs.

To become a sought after business analyst, an aspirant must attain some of kind of Business Analysis certification. There are plenty of specializations in project management, Agile, Scrum, etc. which will give a BA specialized knowledge and subject knowledge. The aspirant will also have to develop team management and managerial skills to amplify their effectiveness as a business analyst. The key skills that a business analyst must possess in order to be successful is depicted in the below image:

Selecting which domain to focus is an entirely different topic on its own. Aspirants can browse for the various IIBA offerings at their official website. The courses span from a period of 6 months to 2 years and can be easily achieved with the help of professional business analysis training. On completion, current job openings can be found from the official career centre of IIBA.