The Good BA

  Career Development   New Practitioners   ProjectsAtWork  

What inherent characteristics must an effective business analysts possess? Here are three.

A senior manager once asked me who I thought made a better BA — a technological expert or a business domain expert? I surprised them with my answer: "I don't think either is any better than the other. It really depends on type of person they are and if the possess exemplary customer services skills. Technology and business domain knowledge can be taught, where the desire to satisfy another person's needs is more of an inherent characteristic.”

I have read many articles attempting to answer this question, and while some have offered great insights and opinions, they have decidedly omitted describing what I think are key characteristics of a great BA.

When hiring a BA the first thing to ponder is why am I hiring this BA? What BA related role will they play in the organization? That said, the top characteristics that I look for are:

1. Customer service skills

I believe that exemplary customer service skills are the most important trait that a candidate can possess. Incorporated into this skill set are the ability to communicate effectively at any level of an organization all the while ensuring that needs are being met. Providing good customer service means that the customer (client) feels that their …

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