Business Analyst Traits

Most people who are drawn to the business analysis profession have traits in common. Analysts enjoy learning new things and have a natural curiosity. In addition, BAs have a rare combination of the ability to see the big picture (conceptual thinking) while being very detail oriented. This combination of traits results in a very successful BA.

The “people” skills necessary to be a successful BA are many and varied. They include strong listening skills, both verbal and non-verbal. They include the ability to ask good questions and probe deeper for very detailed information. They include leadership abilities—running successful meetings, encouraging team members, and supporting corporate goals. The real secret to all of these skills is knowing the individuals with whom you are working because every human being communicates slightly differently.

The technical awareness needed to be a successful BA includes software development approaches, organizational IT standards, data design and storage strategies, and software usability principles. Business analysis professionals must stay abreast of current trends and capabilities and be able to communicate effectively with the technology team.

Since the role of BA requires so many different skills, most individuals in this role are constantly working on improving and increasing their skill sets. The effective BA is always stretching himself or herself to learn new techniques and improve his or her use of analysis tools.

The extent of the responsibilities of the BA changes on every project and may even change during the course of a project. Since the BA is bridging a gap between groups of people who speak different languages, he or she must be able to span the gap, regardless of its width. Refer to Figure 1.1. Assume the length of the line to be the extent of the gap. When a BA is working with an individual or group of subject matter experts (SMEs) who are very knowledgeable about their business and have worked on IT projects in the past, the gap is narrow. On the other side, when a BA is working with technical people who are strong communicators and knowledgeable about the business, the gap is narrowed. In this ideal scenario, the BA is easily able to span the gap by bringing the two groups together. Ideally, these are the types of project situations to which a new BA should be assigned.

Figure 1.1: Short Bridge for Business Analysts to Span

When a BA is working with an individual or group of SMEs who are not experienced with IT project work, have never provided or reviewed requirements, and/or who are inexperienced in the business domain, the gap widens. On the other side, when a BA is working with an individual or group of technical professionals who have weak communication skills, little or no industry or business knowledge, and/or limited experience in developing software, the gap widens further. In this more challenging scenario, the BA stretches himself or herself to the maximum he or she can to bring the groups together to develop effective business solutions. This requires a more experienced, adaptable BA. Figure 1.2 shows this wider gap.

Most projects fall somewhere between the two extremes. An experienced BA assesses this gap soon after being assigned to a project. He or she then plans the business analysis work with the size of the gap in mind. Clearly recognizing and acknowledging this gap gives the BA an important insight into the scope of his or her responsibilities.