November 1st is the Global Business Analyst day. Let’s take a minute to recognize business analysis professionals.
By that, I don’t just mean those who have a business analysis title.
Business analysis involves investigating and understanding business problems and finding solutions to these problems.
It is about defining, describing, designing and facilitating change.
Your title may be process engineer, change management advisor, client support analyst, implementation specialist, business consultant, or a dozen of others. But if you care about solving the right business problems and finding the best solutions – you are a business analyst at heart.
If you get involved when a business process experiences hiccups and breakdowns to design a more effective process flow – you are performing business analysis.
When you analyze customer complaints and suggestions to design a better product – you are analyzing and defining product requirements.
When you query the data to detect problematic scenarios and then convey your findings to others to help investigate the issue, you use your data analysis skills to support business analysis.
Practicing business analysis involves data collection, investigation, finding reliable sources of information and comparing contradictory evidence to get to the truth. So a business analyst is akin to an investigative journalist or a detective.
One of the most important outcomes of business analysis is shared understanding of business requirements. Analysts put a lot of effort into connecting people and helping them understand each other through verbal, written and visual communication. They explain, clarify, and train. In that sense, BA must be translators, interpreters, facilitators and educators.
Successful business analysis requires listening to others and hearing what is being said and not being said. It involves observing behavior, sentiments, and non-verbal cues. When dealing with stakeholders, business analysts have to be empathetic and understanding, but also lead and influence. They need to deal with positive and negative feedback, project enthusiasm and handle resistance. A business analyst is a leader, a diplomat and sometimes even a therapist.
So , whatever is your job title, if you recognized yourself when listening to this, you are also a business analysis professional.
To everyone who helps define, facilitate, and implement business changes – thank you for everything you do. You are helping companies improve and spend resources on changes that make sense. You are business analysts.