Business Analyst
Bridges business and delivery by turning messy requirements into analysed, testable processes and clear recommendations.
What the role involves
- Elicit and clarify requirements from stakeholders across the business
- Map current and future process flows, documenting pain points and gaps
- Analyse data and options to recommend a course of action with a cost
- Write functional specifications, user stories and acceptance criteria
- Validate delivered work against the agreed requirements and definitions
Core skills
- Requirements Gathering & Analysis (level 4/5)
- Process Mapping & Documentation (level 4/5)
- Stakeholder Communication (level 4/5)
- Data Analysis & Reporting (level 3/5)
- Business Case & Costing (level 3/5)
- Agile & Scrum Methodologies (level 3/5)
Preferred skills
- SQL & Database Design
- Spreadsheet & Modelling
- User Research & Customer Interviews
Tools
Experience expected
1-4 years in business analysis, process improvement or operational analysis
Projects that prove the role
- Process redesign that removed a duplicated approval step
- Requirements package for a system replacement delivered without a scope incident
- Cost analysis supporting an investment decision
Evidence to collect
- A process map and the analysis behind a recommendation
- A requirements document that a delivery team could build from
- A quantified benefit case with the assumptions stated
What the interview covers
- Resolving a requirement that two stakeholders want differently
- Prioritising when everything is labelled business critical
- Testing your understanding of a process you were dropped into
- Writing an acceptance criterion that removes ambiguity
How the role progresses
- Business Analyst
- Senior Business Analyst
- Lead Business Analyst
- Business Analyst Manager
- Head of Business Improvement
Certifications that carry weight
- IIBA ECBA Certified Business Analysis Professional
Related roles
- product-manager
- project-manager
- operations-manager
- data-analyst
Turn this into a plan
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