What is it like to be a Business Analyst?

Recently, the analyst profession within the field of software development has rapidly gained popularity among not only the IT sphere, but also other specialties. Students, young professionals, experienced employees, many show a passionate interest in 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 analysts, 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 recommend solutions that enable the organization to achieve its goals." 

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

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

System Analyst, SA - someone, who is much closer to the development team than the BA. The specialist, who must translate the high-level of the 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 to also offer specific technical solutions and design of the system architecture.

Requirements Analyst, RA - a cross between a BA and SA. The official classification 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 in the IT system architecture and design.

The basic qualities / skills of the ideal analyst:

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

2. The ability to notice details, attention and systemic thinking. On the one hand, these qualities are characteristic for a person with an analytical mind, but it is certain skills or habits that one should develop 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, watch out for new technologies, tools and approaches to filter the flow of information.

7. Creativity.

In every profession, there are both advantages and disadvantages. So if you most likely have heard about pros, then you might don’t 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 in nature projects
• The need to take decisions and be responsible for them

For beginners, we would advise 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 is in the middle of searches for high-quality business analysis, we would be glad to offer you business analytics services and software requirements analysis.

Best regards,
Your Ardas Team