School of Information Systems

Being a Business Analyst

Working as a Business Analyst or commonly known as BA is sometimes quite fun because you can meet various types of people. But what is BA? 

BA or Business Analyst itself is someone who is responsible for receiving and collecting information on “business problems” from a client and stakeholder, analyzing and then translating the results of the analysis into a document until approved by the client and stakeholder which can then be understood by the programmer. 

BAs are required to be good listeners and be able to grasp the essence or purpose of the discussions conducted by clients and stakeholders so that the requirements obtained and documented do not deviate from what has been mutually agreed upon with clients and stakeholders. Not only required to be a good listener, BA is also required to be able to create a simple mockup design. A BA must also be able to understand in terms of modeling or mapping of business processes, for example BA can understand how to use tools to simplify their work such as Visio, Trello, etc. 

Most Business Analysts have experience as a programmer or engineer, or even complete a computer science degree. However, BAs do not always have to work on IT-related projects, so expertise is often required in other fields as well. BA has the responsibility of understanding the structure, policies, and production processes of a company or organization and recommending solutions, ways and methods that allow the company to achieve its goals and have a problem solver spirit. 

Being a BA has quite an interesting experience. Meet new people so that you can add knowledge or knowledge about business processes that were previously unknown. 

What is the pain of being a BA? To be honest, the sorrow of being a BA is documentation. To make this documentation, BA must clearly detail what the client has just discussed so that the programmer can understand the meaning of the changes the client wants. Because, if it’s just a little wrong, the programmer can protest if he is blamed by the client for following the documentation that BA has made. In addition, BAs are the first people who will be scolded by clients if the application done by programmers does not match what they ask. 

What makes a good BA? The following are tips for becoming a BA as per existing experience: 

  1. Be Resourceful

BAs are required to know how to find the right answers to certain problems. A BA thinks well in order to come up with a good solution and that takes some time. 

 

  1. Continue to develop skills

Good BAs are not quick to settle for doing the exact same thing all the time. Continue to explore and apply new business analysis techniques. 

  1. Accept when you’re wrong

BAs are not perfect humans, you will get some mistakes along the way. Don’t be too hard on yourself and don’t explain your mistakes even if you have a defense. Apologize and continue your work and do not repeat mistakes. 

 

SOURCES : 

https://www.villanovau.com/resources/business-analysis/business-analyst-job-description/ 

https://www.bridging-the-gap.com/business-analyst-job-search/ 

https://www.zarantech.com/blog/what-is-the-scope-of-a-career-as-a-business-analyst-in-india/ 

Rafier Gavino