What Is It Like to Be a Business Analyst?

Recently, the analyst profession within the field of software development has rapidly gained popularity among the IT sphere and other specialties. Many students, young professionals, and experienced employees are passionate about the mysterious and intriguing phrase business analyst. This leads everyone to the main question: What is it like? Today we talk about the professional analyst, the qualities required of an analyst, as well as the pros and cons of this craft.

So, Who Is This Analyst?

The simple definition of an IT analyst is: ‘Someone between the client of the software (as well as its users in the future) and its developers.’ The International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) defines the business analyst as a professional who "understands the challenges and business opportunities in the context of the software requirements analysis and recommends solutions that enable the organization to achieve its goals." 

In practice, the essence of the analyst's work may vary depending on the analyst's role in the project. The most common varieties of IT-analysts are:

Business Analyst, BA - is a specialist in studying and modeling a particular subject area. In other words, he must find out the client's wishes, analyze them, and supplement them, if necessary, to conclude and transfer them to the development team. The BA should be the face of the team, sociable, well-behaved, and comfortable in finding a common language with the client. Technical knowledge is not required for the business analyst; it is much more important to have knowledge of the customer's language and features of its culture.

System Analyst, SA - someone much closer to the development team than the BA. The specialist must translate the high-level requirements of the software to the team provided by a business analyst in the form of detailed functional requirements for the system. This information is, of course, in the language of the development team. Often he has also to offer specific technical solutions and design of the system architecture.

Requirements Analyst, RA - a cross between a BA and SA. The official classification of this position is not absent, but in many Western theories, the RA is present as a specialist, who is responsible for retrieving, analyzing, documenting, and modeling requirements, that is, simply, to write the specifications of requirements for their further transfer to the developers. Unlike BA, RA is not enough just to find out the high-level requirements - he is still responsible for developing a detailed description of the designed system. At the same time, an RA does not necessarily have a deep knowledge of the IT system architecture and design.

The Basic Qualities/Skills of the Ideal Analyst

1. Analytical mind is not inherent to everyone from birth, but it develops the analytical skills that any of us can develop, so do not despair.

2. The ability to notice details, attention, and systemic thinking. On the one hand, these qualities are characteristic of a person with an analytical mind, but one should develop certain skills or habits in himself.

3. Interpersonal skills and communication, namely:

• The ability to listen and hear.
• The ability to express your thoughts clearly.
• The ability to establish and develop contacts and communication with other people.

4. Knowledge of the basics of IT and software development (the so-called technical background).

5. Knowledge of a foreign language (usually English) in terms of written and oral applications. Ukranian outsourcing is mainly aimed at foreign countries.

6. Learnability. In general, it is important and necessary to constantly improve, "pumped" in a particular area, and watch out for new technologies, tools, and approaches to filter the flow of information.

7. Creativity.

In every profession, there are advantages and disadvantages. So, if you have most likely heard about the pros, you might not know about the cons. But for the integrity of the picture, we give you both.

Why you might like to work as a business analyst:

• It's interesting
• Work involves constant communication
• A variety of activities
• Opportunities for career growth
• The material side of the issue
• The opportunity to visit other countries

Why you might not like the work of a business analyst:

• The need to communicate
• The need to switch between different types of activities and, as you progress, several completely different nature projects
• The need to make decisions and be responsible for them

For beginners, we would advise you to analyze the entire flow of information to decide whether you really want to become a business analyst, and thus get one step closer to your cherished goal. For those, who are in the middle of searches for high-quality business analysis, we would be glad to offer you business analytics services and software requirements analysis.