I am currently working as a Business Anlayst , current domain Telecom. My responsibilities make me positioned at the centre of the triangle with Project Manager - Client - Team at 3 corners. My tasks include working on GAP Analysis Review, FUR creation and Review, Requirement Analysis, Issue Resolutions and Tracking, Client Communication , Media Savvy Articles writing , documentation etc.
I wanted views from all you guys here that is it a good line to make a career ahead or one should pick up some particular tool say Seibel CRM etc and get expertise on a particular domain.
If I wanna make my career as a perfect Business Analyst, what do you guys think that I should study and make myself strong.
Ken SubramanianSoftware Engineer| Royal Caribbean Cruises LtdFl, United States
Business Analysts is an exciting field. Lot of work is already going on Business Process Improvement. You will be in demand. What I am concerned is you will be somewhere in between a developer and a project manager. You might not have visibility as both of these fields. Just my humble opinion. Saving Changes...
Bernard GorePortfolio, Programme & Project Professional| NZ PoliceWellington, New Zealand
BA is certainly an interesting field, but I wouldn't advise narrowing your focus too much on specific tools or areas - these come and go, and from a career perspective you should aim for a fairly wide spread, which is certainly possible in the BA world.
Of course you can't know everything, but do try to get a broad range and consider a certification from one of the organisations that offer these - this will demonstrate that you are a "complete" BA with all the core expertise rather than a narrow specialist, and also membership of such an organisation provides access to others in the field and generally to vast amounts of further information on tools, techniques, and advances in the field.
My preference is IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis) but there are others. Saving Changes...
Michael AdamsSolutions Architect| LANLLos Alamos, Nm, United States
I'm a business analyst, and I find that the most important skill I have is communication.
I am skilled and understanding and communicating complex technical ideas to laymen. I am able to listen and ask questions about business processes until I understand them, and then identify the outputs of those processes, which constitute requirements.
I recently earned my PMP, and I have fifteen years' experience in IT, so that combination, coupled with my accounting and budgeting classes is a perfect mix.
I'd recommend learning business, project management, and develop your communication skills. Also, being able to listen to everyone as if they are out for organizational/project success is important. Saving Changes...
Steven ZacharyDirector| Alberta Health ServicesCalgary, Alberta, Canada
BA is a great field, and it will take you as far as you will push it. I can vouch for that personally.
I recommend you keep learning as much as possible. One big piece of advice is, drop the "perfect". I have seen countless "perfect" BAs who are terrified to release less than perfect iterations. The thing about business analysis is being ok with ambiguity and less than perfection.
You have to straddle the line to determine the most cost-effective way to deliver your services to your company. Saving Changes...
