What do companies expect from a Business Analyst?

Key takeaways:

• Business analysts are responsible for making sure that business requirements are translated into specific, understandable software.

• They serve as a bridge between the business and technology teams.

• They must comprehend and translate technical and non-technical information into meaningful insights.

• They should have strong communication skills, both verbal and written.

The role of a business analyst in an agile project is to work with many different people across the organization. You will have to communicate with your team and the company executives daily. This means that you need to be able to speak their language and understand how they think. 

Business Analysts must also be able to translate technical concepts into non-technical language so that everyone understands what is happening in their business environment. They must also come up with solutions for problems that may arise within any department of an organization (such as sales or marketing).

Roles and responsibilities of a business analyst

The business analyst is a critical part of any business and plays an essential role in your company’s success. But what does a business analyst do?

Here is precisely what a business analyst does:

• Understand and articulate the business goals and objectives

Business analysts must understand the goals and objectives of the project, as well as how those goals and objectives align with the company’s overall mission and vision. They should be able to communicate how their work ties in with the company’s bigger picture.

• Define requirements based on the product or service requirements

A business analyst should be able to define user requirements based on your organization’s needs. These requirements will help you create an effective product or service that meets those needs, which is critical for success in today’s marketplace.

• Create documentation for the project

One of the roles of business analysts in agile projects is to create documentation that lays out how users will interact with a product or service while also explaining why they need it. This documentation should be easy for stakeholders to understand, so everyone can make informed decisions about where things go.

• Communicate with stakeholders to gain consensus and buy-in

A business analyst must communicate effectively across all levels of an organization, including executives, managers, employees, customers, and suppliers.

A day in a business analyst’s life

Investigating goals and issues	Documenting findings	Evaluating solutions
Analyzing information	Implementation	Communicating with a broad range of people

A day in a business analyst’s life is filled with challenges, opportunities, and a never-ending supply of coffee. Here’s what they do:

• Investigating goals and issues

A business analyst investigates the goals of the company or organization they work for and its current challenge. They also examine the history of data while evaluating the current situation.

• Analyzing information

The business analyst then gathers all of this information together in one place and examines it carefully. They analyze it to see if some patterns or trends could help them understand the ongoing. This can take some time because it requires a lot of focus!

• Communicating with a broad range of people

Once they have gathered all this information, business analysts must communicate their findings with others who may not have any background knowledge about what they are working on. 

• Documenting findings

Business analyst, what are the roles and responsibilities of a business analyst? The duties include seeing the big picture. When you are faced with a document that is hard to navigate, it is important to break the information into essential components. This might be as simple as making lists or checklists out of bullet points; sometimes the reports can include charts or graphs.

• Evaluating solutions

When evaluating solutions, one of the crucial roles of a business analyst in an agile project is to look at how each one meets your organization’s overall goals. You can’t fix a problem if you don’t understand what’s causing it and how to solve it.

Additionally, you must consider both short-term fixes and long-term solutions and make sure they are consistent with your company’s values.

• Implementation

Implementation is where all the work comes together! So what do business analysts do? Once you have figured out what needs fixing and how best to do it, implementation is where all those details come together into something tangible that customers or employees can use in their day-to-day lives.

What are the necessary qualifications to become a business analyst?

The qualifications to become a business analyst are varied and numerous. Business analysts are responsible for working with clients, stakeholders, and other organization members to identify problems or issues within the company’s current processes. 

Bachelor’s degree programs

Master of business administration (MBA)

Professional development training

Doctorate degrees

Certificate program

Practicums or internships

• Bachelor’s degree programs

To become a business analyst, you need a bachelor’s degree in business administration, management, or information systems. This will give you a broad understanding of how businesses work and how technology can be used in different industries. You should also take calculus, statistics, and computer science classes while in school.

• Master of business administration (MBA)

It is also recommended that you get an MBA to become a business analyst. The curriculum includes classes in analytics, finance, and accounting. It will prepare you for the next step by teaching you how to analyze data and put together reports easy-to-understand by others and clients.

• Professional development training

To be successful at this job, you must keep learning new skills throughout your career. Many different training programs are available online through companies like IBM or Oracle. Employees can enroll in courses like “Data Visualization with Tableau Software” or “R Programming for Data Science.

• Doctorate degrees

Business analysts with doctorate degrees are typically more specialized in the field and have a deeper understanding of the subject matter. They often have a lot more experience in the area and have worked with many companies and teams to solve problems. They also tend to communicate better with other team members, which is essential for ensuring everyone is on board with your solution.

• Certificate program

Many universities offer certificate programs in business analysis, which can help you jump-start your career or expand your knowledge base. Certificates combine coursework with hands-on experience and allow you to network with other professionals in the industry. You might even find that some companies will pay for it!

• Practicums or internships

The best way to learn how to become a business analyst is through hands-on experience. Try getting an internship or practicum at a company where you can work directly under an experienced analyst! Most companies will pay interns and provide them with valuable experience that will make them stand out when applying for full-time jobs in the future.

What are the skills that every business analyst must have?

The skills that every business analyst must have are as follows –

• Creation of reports and dashboards

Business analysts create reports and dashboards to help businesses make data-driven decisions. They need to create visualizations that are easy to understand and communicate the information in a way that is engaging and persuasive.

• Negotiation and cost-benefit analysis

Business analysts often have to negotiate with users about what they want from their systems, how much it will cost, and what level of functionality they can expect. Their ability to negotiate well is essential for successful project management.

• Decision-making skills

Business analysts must be able to make decisions based on the information available, which means they need good decision-making skills. They also need strong critical thinking skills to ascertain whether their conclusions are valid based on the data points at hand.

• Programming languages

Another skill that you should have is programming languages. Every business analyst must be able to program in at least one language, preferably two or three.

However, it is not as easy as knowing how to write code. You must also understand the concepts of object-oriented programming (OOP) and functional programming.

Business analysts need to have a solid grasp of OOP and FP because these are the building blocks for all modern programming languages.

• Database and SQL

Another critical skill is database management systems (DBMS), which includes SQL (Structured Query Language). This allows us to access our data quickly and manipulate it in any way we want. It also allows us to query databases and store information efficiently to get back what we need quickly—which is crucial when working on large projects where speed matters.

How long does it take to learn business analytics from starting?

Business analytics is a complex subject; you can’t just learn it overnight. It takes time to master the concepts and build up your skills. So how long will it take you to get there?

That depends on how much time you are willing to invest. If you are looking for an online course that will give you a quick start, then Online Manipal’s business analytics course is ideal. You can either enroll in a two-year online M.Sc. in Business Analytics or one-year PGCP in Business Analytics. If you’re a working professional, it is better to pursue an MBA with Business Analytics specialization.

Online Manipal’s business analytics courses created by MAHE, is such a popular choice among students because of its flexibility, which allows students to study at their own pace without rushing through their studies or compromising on quality.

In conclusion

Online Manipal’s business analytics course by the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) is designed for students who want to learn about the subject through an online learning program that can help them gain practical knowledge on how to perform business analytics using various tools like R, Python, SAS, Tableau, etc. Experts have designed the course in the field and have years of experience teaching this subject to students across the globe.

If you are looking for a fast-paced and interactive learning experience on this subject, this course will be ideal for you as it allows you to learn at your own pace with 24/7 access to your course materials. Get started now!