Business analysis is a varied and interesting career which is gaining more and more prevalence and recognition within organisations. Business analysis practitioners are increasingly working on crucial and strategic projects and are helping senior stakeholders to initiate effective change in organisations. Business analysis is a discipline that helps to achieve a holistic view of an organisation, considering aspects such as people, processes, the organisational structure and the information and technology that are used.
Yet, whilst the role is well established, the career path is often less well understood. Questions that existing and aspiring business analysis practitioners might have include:
• How do I become a business analyst (BA)?
• What are the typical options for progression throughout a BA’s career?
• What sorts of role can one progress to beyond a BA role?
• What frameworks are there that BAs can use?
• As a BA manager, what skills should my BAs have?
If you have ever asked yourself these questions, this book is for you. It draws on my research and experience, as well as on the experience of a range of other practitioners who were interviewed in the preparation of this book. It draws on recognised industry frameworks and avoids, wherever possible, reinventing the wheel. Overall, it is designed to be a guidebook that will provide useful insights to practitioners throughout their careers.
This book is part of the ‘BCS Guides to IT Roles’ series. In today’s digital world, IT is a crucial enabler of change, and it is crucial that BAs maintain an awareness of the evolving IT landscape. Business analysis is, of course, broader than just IT – and, as the frameworks referenced in this book show, there is real value in the holistic and systemic view that a good BA can bring. Not all initiatives require IT change, and a skilled BA must be able to operate in a wide range of environments. A word that you will see time and time again in this book is ‘context’ – so much of what a good BA does involves understanding the context in which they are operating, and deploying the relevant tool or technique within an overall framework.
As with any guide, we must not mistake the map for the territory. In business analysis, rarely is there a single ‘right’ answer. I invite readers to use, question, adapt and tweak the contents of this book to meet their needs.
I hope that you find this book both useful and enjoyable!
Adrian Reed