How to Become a Business Analyst?

However, newcomers in this direction have little understanding of what exactly such an employee does, what he should be able to do and why they are so valued in the labor market. Also, an inalienable question becomes: “Where to study to be a  Business-Analyst”. This specialist in the classical sense is an economist who understands not only economics, but also helps the company in organizational advancement and solving strategically important tasks. Let’s figure out how to become an analyst in the modern world, what is required for this and whether it is worth starting a career in this area at all.

What do business analysts do?

The specialist of the presented area is not just some kind of consultant. Recently, the position has come to be regarded as highly respectable and complex. Naturally, the main task consists of analytics, but the duties are not limited only to it. What Do Business Analysts Really Do? We analyze the points:

• documentation management, preparation of technical specifications for other specialists;
• communication between the client and colleagues performing other processes to achieve the set goals;
• meetings, communication with customers and partners, clarification of requirements and recommendations;
• regular study of qualification skills, updating of knowledge, because this direction is rapidly moving forward;
• business trips;
• testing – it will be necessary to combine the wishes of the client with the capabilities of the developers (if we are talking about an IT analyst).

The responsibilities of a specialist are not boring and monotonous, so the importance of a qualified and experienced analyst is insanely high for any business. It is these people who are responsible for the promotion strategy, budget, market monitoring, as well as working out the processes in the company. It is not surprising that the average salary in this position is over UAH 27,000.

If you dive into the IT-direction, then earlier the management could do without such an employee. However, over the past couple of years, everything has changed dramatically. Now in a company of specialists who have the words “business analyst” written on their badges. What does he do in this area? Look, before there were no intermediaries between the customer and the development team, except for the Project Manager, but now the fate of the project at the stage of consideration depends on the decision of the analyst.

An employee of this department not only broadcasts the client’s requirements to developers, but also monitors every moment. Timely identification of sagging tasks and thinking through solutions to all problems depends on his skills. A business analyst conducts market research and determines the relevance of the concept of a future project. During his work, he forms a specification, draws up requirements for a digital product, and also evaluates the needs of the customer and the target audience.

How to become a business analyst from scratch?

First, you need to decide in which direction you want to develop. For example, for a specialist in the IT industry, the same knowledge is important as in the field of consulting. That is, you will need to be able to check the direction of the customer’s business, describe and model all the processes. Therefore, if you have worked in consulting, then it will be much easier for you to adjust to the new requirements. Economists, extras, project managers come to this profession. However, beginners who have never faced the duties of a Business-Analyst will need more time to upgrade their skills.

In any situation, you will need to start with the basic specifics – to understand how the program development stage is going, as well as figure out how to competently work out the requirements. You can learn this by using materials on the Internet or by enrolling in courses in the profession of “business analyst”. What does a student do on such programs? Oftentimes, training schemes consist of an introduction to:

• stages of software development;
• the base of business and systems analysis;
• rules for collecting and working out requirements;
• document management;
• development of prototype models.

It usually takes a few months to fully learn the fundamentals of starting a career. Together with the development of analytical skills, we recommend that you engage in language practice. English is an indispensable tool in any modern profession. Most of the Ukrainian IT-sphere works specifically for the external market, so with the help of knowledge of a foreign language, you can achieve more. Plus, you will always come first for employers.

In addition, to start in this career direction, you will need to confidently understand IT terms. First, a young specialist will need to learn the cycle and approaches to software development, the distribution of roles and types of digital products. More knowledge and useful information can only be obtained from analysts who regularly practice.

How to Become an IT Business Analyst?

The tasks of a specialist in this area in the information technology industry differ from responsibilities in other areas of activity. Often, such an employee conducts a study of the current situation, and then starts looking for ways to move forward. But in the IT segment, such an employee will be required to collect and monitor not only the customer’s requirements, but also the audience for which the product is being produced.

Recently, more and more vacancies of this format began to appear on job search sites. This is an area of ​​IT where you do not need technical education and knowledge of programming languages.

It is safe to say that Business-Analyst is a versatile economist who deals with planning, calculating and launching projects. A career begins with the position of an assistant, and only with the constant accumulation of practical skills and knowledge, you can achieve an increase. Even those without technical knowledge are able to start a career in this area thanks to their ability to persuade. Everything else will come with experience.

If you have a desire to engage in business analysis, then we recommend that you learn from a professional and practice regularly. We recommend reading the books on business process optimization by James Harrington and a short guide to the standard object modeling language.