Who is a Business Analyst? What do they do?

Business analysts work with organizations to help them improve their processes and systems. They conduct research and analysis in order to come up with solutions to business problems and help to introduce these systems to businesses and their clients.

While there are still ongoing developments in various technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, IoT, Robotics, etc., Business Analytics has gained the status of being all-pervasive. Almost every aspect of our life has been touched by Analytics. Nearly 90% of all organisations have set up Analytics in their functioning over the past 5 years and nearly every domain has been a rise of opportunities in this sector. You must be wondering, what exactly is the job description of a Business Analyst- 

Business Analyst Job Description

In the enterprise and IT sector, Business Analysis has emerged as a core business practice. Business Analysis refers to understanding the changing business needs, evaluating the impact of these changes, identifying and analysing requirements, and documenting and facilitating communication among all the stakeholders involved.

They contribute actively to an organisation’s profitability and sustainability. Business Analysts guide organisations to improve their process and quality of products and services.

Also Read: Difference between Business Analyst and Data Scientist

How to Become a Business Analyst?

With the massive amount of information available to us today, it becomes easier to successfully achieve your dream job. To become a Business Analyst, there are various skills required. You must be wondering, ‘Is SQL Required for business analysis?’, ‘Is a business analyst an IT job?’, we’ll be answering all your questions here. Continue reading to know the exact necessary skills.

Business Analyst Skills

Just like any other job role, it is crucial to possess certain skills to become a business analyst. Both technical skills and business skills are equally important and have been listed below for your reference.

According to Great Learning business analytics experts and faculty, some of the top business analyst skills required are:

• Analytical Problem Solving capabilities
• Interpersonal and consultative skills
• Oral and written communication proficiency
• Creative Outlook
• Basic software knowledge and skills
• Basic programing language knowledge
• Understanding of Databases and Networks
• Industry knowledge
• Business structure understanding
• Knowledge of Relevant Tools, e.g.:BluePrint
• Stakeholder Analysis
• Cost-Benefit Analysis
• Requirements Engineering
• Process Modeling

These Technical Skills should have in the candidate for Business Analysts Job

1. Statistical analysis software (e.g. R, SAS, SPSS, or STATA)
2. SQL databases and database querying languages
3. Programming skills such as Python and R
4. Survey/query software
5. Business intelligence and reporting software
6. Data mining
7. Data visualisation
8. Database design

% of all analytics jobs looking for professionals with the following skills

Business Skills for Business Analysts-

1. Analytical Problem-Solving: Large amount of data needs to be analysed on a daily basis, and thus analytical problem-solving skills are essential.
2. Effective Communication: Laymen might not be able to understand technical and complicated reports and presentations. Thus, this data needs to be presented in a manner such that it can be understood and there is effective communication.
3. Creative Thinking: Traditional methods might not continue to work, as there are new technological advancements coming up every day. Brainstorming sessions are essential for coming up with creative ideas.
4. Industry Knowledge: Certain degree of industry knowledge is also required.

Business Analyst Qualification –

Organizations seek a combination or any one of the following qualifications in their prospect employees as business analysts:

• An undergraduate degree in computer science, business information systems, computing and systems development, and business management.
• Postgraduate degree specializing in areas of business analytics
• A certification course from a reputed institute such as Great Learning. Such certifications prepare professionals from various different educational and professional backgrounds for business analytics roles.

Tools used by Business Analyst

1. Modern Requirements
2. Blueprint
3. MS Visio
4. SWOT
5. Trello

Organisations need to track their performance to see whether certain strategies are working or not. To do so, there are plenty of tools available today. Making use of these tools will improve productivity and prove to be beneficial. Here’s a list of tools being used and important features of the same.

1. Modern Requirements-

This tool has been recognised as a leading business analytics tool because it provides a collaborative definition and analysis. Requirements are defined both through text and visually. Smart Docs, Trace Analysis, and other elicitation tools are supported by Modern Requirements.

Key features-

• Online document authoring in pre-defined templates
• Customisable generation of documents
• AI inspired BA assistance: Alice
• Test case automation and user story generation

Download the tool here! 

2. Blueprint-

Blueprint is another important software tool used by enterprises to build better applications. This tool allows us to align business strategy with IT execution. Here are some key features-

• Helps to reduce IT compliance risk and define the usage of certified compliance
• Supports organisational transformation
• Easy-to-use dashboards and rich tools used for reporting

Download here!

3. MS Visio

A modelling tool used by Business Analysts to effectively capture and present stakeholder’s ideas in the form of business functions and user interactions. Here are the main uses of MS Visio-

• Preparing process flow charts
• Creating data models
• Generating architecture diagrams

4. SWOT

This is one of the most common and widely used techniques by organisations in order to evaluate a business. The main features of SWOT analysis are as follows-

• It is a free tool and is one of the most secure tools
• Allows business analyst to load and save to local XML files
• Can export and view .png files

5. Trello

A collaboration tool that helps communicate between various teams and in sharing information in a secure manner, Trello allows admins to analyse business data. The main features of Trello are- 

• Allows viewing team activity across boards
• Assigns admins for privacy settings management 
• Helps export data with a single click
• Associates and organises boards with collections 

What should I study to become a Business Analyst?

Becoming a Business Analyst might seem like an intimidating task, but if you follow these steps, it’ll definitely become an easier process. Firstly, make sure that you have a Bachelor’s degree. This is a must in order to get a job in this field. Relevant degrees include business administration, business management, marketing, economics, accounting, and computer science. You can also get a certification in Business Analysis through online courses. Check out our Business Analytics course, here!

Upskill with Great Learning’s DSBA Program today!

Experience requirements may vary by employer, but it is important for a professional to have analytical, problem-solving, communication and time management skills. Some schools offer internships and capstone projects, which can further aid in landing a good job in the future.

Step 1: Getting a Bachelor’s degree

Step 2: Gain work experience

Step 3: Get certified 

Types of Business Analyst Jobs

1. Business Process Analyst
2. IT Business Analyst
3. System Analyst
4. Usability or UX Analyst
5. Data Analyst

These Five are the types of Business Analyst Jobs let’s know deep.

Business Analyst Roles and Responsibilities

1. Business Process Analyst

Job Description: A Business Process Analyst Role involves “thinking processes”. BPA’s tend to draw inference from process details. They link these inferences to the big picture by taking into consideration the business objectives and identifying process improvements. A BPA can structure a large amount of information within a small framework. 

Responsibilities: BPA does a wide range of jobs and works on various projects. A BPAs main interaction would be with the business teams and the IT Department. You will often facilitate workshops, collect information and analyse this data. The job also involves analysing workflow and finding the most optimal solution for the same. A BPA may also have to document procedures and present this data to stakeholders for discussion. 

Skills Required/Qualification: BPAs need to have an understanding about how ERP, BPM, CRM and BI tools operate and understand protocols like SOAP, WSDL, XML and other key protocols. The background of a BPA is usually Computer Science, Business or operations. A good candidate should have problem-solving skills and excellent diagrammatic and communication skills.

2. IT Business Analyst

Job Description: IT Business Analysts are in charge of enhancing the quality of IT Products and services, and analysing data that will be used to make informed business decisions and find technological solutions to business needs. 

IT Business Analyst Responsibilities in Job

• Acting as an information source between business branches
• Understand different strategic needs and plans for growth
• Utilising IT data for business insights
• Running A/B tests and analysing results
• Sourcing and implementing new business technology

Skills Required/Qualification: Degree in Computer Engineering, Business Administration or a similar field, analytical mindset, exceptional interpersonal skills, and problem-solving skills. 

Also Read: Top Business Analyst Interview Questions

3. System Analyst

Job Description: The main role of a system analyst is to analyse how well the software, hardware and their wider IT systems fit an employer’s or client’s business needs. A system analyst also writes requirements for a new system and implements them in order to monitor effectiveness.

Responsibilities of System Analyst

• Requirement gathering (by talking to users)
• Producing the specifications for modified systems 
• Liaising with IT staff to produce new systems
• Examining the current system 
• User training and feedback 

Skills Required/Qualification for System Analyst

• C
• COBOL
• Software design, documentation, testing, and maintenance
• Hardware requirements
• Teamwork
• General consulting skills
• Software architecture

4. Usability or UX Analyst

A UX Analyst is someone who is involved in the interface design or user experience for websites and software applications. Analysts who dedicate their time to user experience requirements and create the actual UI designs, mockup or prototype are known as UX Analysts. They don’t just decide how the interface will look like, but also how the end-user will interact with this interface.

The various requirements in order to become a UX Analyst are as follow-

• Graphic Designing Skills
• Focus on ease of use 
• Understands the end-user’s behaviour
• Designs efficient user interface 

5. Data Analyst

A data analyst interprets data to analyse results to a specific business problem that needs to be solved. He/She improves statistical efficiency and quality. A Data Analyst must also implement databases, data collection tools, and data analytics strategies. He/She is also involved in Pattern Recognition in complex data sets and Data filtering and cleaning by reviewing regularly.

Skills Required for Data Analyst

• Programming Languages (R/SAS)
• Creative and Analytical Thinking
• Effective Communication
• Data Visualisation
• SQL Databases
• Database Querying Languages:
• Data Mining, Cleaning and Munging
• Advanced Microsoft Excel
• Machine Learning

Also Read: Top 10 Business Analytics Companies to work for in 2021

A day in the life of a Business Analyst

Even though a job description covers most of the work being done, there are certain things in the day to day life of a business analyst that is not talked about. Each day starts off with a standup meeting, wherein every team member will discuss summation of what they did on the previous working day and what might be on the agenda for the day. After the meeting is done, a business analyst would typically work on new user stories for developers and/or have calls with business partners to review a new process or gain a better understanding of a process that is being considered for RPA. Updating documentation in case risk/audit partners reach out and inquire about the status of automation is another aspect of a typical day in the life of a Business Analyst. Checking whether an employee is on track to deploy it into production and if the team is in a position to control any breakage of the automation when running is another aspect. Updates need to be given to different executives and leaderships of different levels. 

Business Analyst Salary Overview

The national average salary for a Business Analyst in India is ₹6,66,084. According to reports,  salaries are highest at Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. The average pay being ₹753,570. Companies such as Capgemini and Tata Consultancy Services Limited also pay a comparatively higher amount. Accenture pays at the lower end of the scale, the salary being ₹594,500. Your skills and work experience play an important role in the salary you receive. Someone at an entry-level would not get paid the same as someone with 4-5 years of work experience. The location you are situated in plays a significant role as well. 

Does Business Analyst have a future?

Organisations are dependent on Business Analysts to guide them in the right direction and provide advice on the best practices to be followed. Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and IoT have the power to significantly impact businesses and provide data patterns. More than half of the working population will require upskilling by 2022 and up to 85% of companies will adopt big data analytics. The role of a Business Analyst may transform with these changes, but the demand will not die. Business Analytics professionals are required in every industry, from leading financial institutions to online e-commerce leaders like Amazon. The future is bright and now is the time to upskill and reach your career goals. 

Take advantage of the Business Analytics career opportunities that exist today. Explore a career in Business Analytics with our PGP – Data Science and Business Analytics course.