You may find a ton of articles regarding the traits that make a good business analyst by searching the internet (BA). Perhaps discussing habits rather than qualities is more pertinent. Why? While habits are learned, qualities are largely innate. Not that you can’t learn a certain characteristic, but doing so would mean changing who you are at your core. On the other hand, habits can be altered with repetition and deliberate effort.
Advanced habits are routines that go above and beyond the necessities, grant you discretion, and satisfy the stakeholder.
A superb business analyst can be distinguished from a decent one just by their advanced habits. You can learn more about the habits by checking out the online Business analyst certification course, but here are some advanced a highly skilled business analyst should have.
1.Ask Why.
What and How are important components of the interviews a BA conducts as part of the elicitation process. In other words, “What do you require” and “How do you want it done” BAs frequently fail to inquire as to why the client needs the request. A chance for differentiation exists.
You can learn more about the stakeholders’ operations and put yourself in a better position to think more on their behalf by asking them why users need something. You can proactively offer ideas by being aware of the real demands of stakeholders. This type of job is also at the top of the value chain.
2.Keep an eye on the end objective.
A great BA keeps a lookout for a solution that is straightforward to construct, economical to maintain, and flexible so they can “get away” with having accurate and unambiguous requirements. The BA should have an understanding of usability and design principles to do this. This will put the BA (you) in a good position to assess and suggest solutions that best meet the business need.
3.Create your support network.
It’s likely that you won’t be able to find solutions to every issue by yourself. That’s fine too. But if you get trapped and have no more places to look, you shouldn’t. In a difficult scenario, having a strong network can truly save your life.
Join LinkedIn, the alumni network, or make connections with people inside your own company. Make contact and ask for a brief discussion time. You’d be astonished at how many senior citizens are willing to guide and assist.
4.Prioritization.
“I can do everything for my stakeholders, but I can’t do everything,” is your new mantra. Prioritization is crucial because firms do not have endless time, money, or resources.
To illustrate, consider a transparent jar as the project scope. Large boulders, pebbles, sand, and water can be used to fill the jar to represent various project components:
The required deliverables known as “big rocks” are those that are absolutely necessary and add the most value to the company. They must be completed for the project to succeed.
Sand and pebbles are merely desirable but unimportant extras. These are the items that the project could do well to incorporate. These can include process adjustments to reduce data entry time or report modifications to streamline reporting.
The component of a project that would be wonderful to have is water; improvements to the user interface that make it easier to access information, requirement documents that are colour-coordinated, and Visio lines that exactly align in every diagram.
There won’t be room for the large rocks if I concentrate on first adding water to the jar before adding stones and sand. There will be space for the water to fill the jar if I first fill it with the large rocks, followed by the pebbles and sand. We must prioritize and complete the most crucial tasks first when doing our analysis.
How do you recognize large rocks? The business priorities are those. Exercises that challenge organizations to prioritize items from a list of criteria include the MoSCoW technique, which asks them to determine the Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won’t have items. The business analyst is able to specify the big rocks that should be prioritized first once these have been identified. It’s crucial to keep in mind that the business owns the priorities while the business analyst guides the process of prioritization.
5.Do Better Tomorrow What You Did Well Today.
Continuous improvement, which will benefit you throughout your career, is the fifth habit. That is how you advance from a Junior to a Senior Business Analyst position. You’re not making the same errors and you’re performing tasks more effectively now than you ever have. Make sure you’re constantly searching for new techniques, tools, and strategies to improve; don’t let it stagnate.
Along the way, mistakes will most doubt be made; try to avoid repeating them and make sure you take the time to learn from them. Develop your abilities; keep a variety of new resources, strategies, and tactics in your toolbox. Make sure you build on today’s success by performing even better tomorrow.
Conclusion.
Trying to develop multiple habits at once is difficult, just as it is difficult to learn too many talents at once. You should evaluate your abilities in light of these habits, and then focus on one or two that you believe will have the biggest influence. Enroll in online business analyst training to begin your path to becoming a highly skilled business analyst.
