Defining your role as a Business Analyst

Many professionals and organizations understand the value of a business analyst (BA), however,
the role itself is still ambiguous to many. There are numerous articles and resources that outline
business analysis and the general role of a BA so I won’t be focusing on those aspects. Every
organization and industry is unique therefore the needs and expectations for a business analyst can
vary greatly. However, there are a few core competencies that remain consistent. The goal of this
article is to give BA practitioners (especially new practitioners) an approach to determine what their
specific organization expects from them in order to get on the path of success throughout their
career. Below are some steps you can take to define your role in the organization you serve.

UNDERSTAND THE BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

One of the best things a business analyst can do for their career is to become familiar with the Guide
to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK Guide). Regardless of the number of years of
experience you have in the practice, the BABOK Guide will be of value. The International Institute of
Business Analysis (IIBA) has made significant strides in defining the profession of business analysis
with the BABOK Guide. It includes general practices of business analysis and helps BA practitioners
understand the general skill set required for the BA role. In addition, BABOK Guide contains
common techniques that practitioners can expect to execute throughout the span of their careers.

ACQUIRE ORGANIZATION KNOWLEDGE

The role of a business analyst varies greatly based on the industry and structure of the organization.
For instance, organizations in heavily regulated industries may require more predefined or predictive
methods of business analysis in an effort to reduce audit findings from regulators. As a business
analyst, one can gain organizational knowledge in a number of ways. Observation (job shadowing) is
a technique that allows context to be gained in the actual work environment. Ideally, this exercise
would be done for key roles in every department (as scheduling permits). Of course, this may also
be done as a part of the business analysis activities for projects you are assigned to.

The business analyst should take notes and compile this information to exercise systems thinking to
gain a comprehensive understanding of how all of the roles and departments in the organization
interact and relate to one another. In addition to the processes, key items to look for are things that
might impact future elicitation efforts such as whether or not procedures are documented, how
familiar participants are with other job functions as well as general attitudes toward previous
technology efforts. Observation also helps to develop relationships throughout the organization.
Gaining organizational knowledge will be more challenging for BA contractors or consultants as
there are usually more time constraints involved.

ELICIT EXPECTATIONS

The job description for the position that you applied for may be a good starting point for
understanding your role in the organization. However, the activities in the description are not always
aligned with what you will be doing day-to-day. A good resource for knowing where you can add
value is your direct leader. If the business analyst (or similar) role in your organization has been
around for a while, it is likely that your leader as developed some expectations over time so it will be
important for you to exceed these expectations. If the BA role is fairly new, then your leader will have
some insight into the needs that were presented to make a case for the addition of the BA position. It
will be essential to meet those needs as well.
Project and technical team members are another valuable source of information regarding the BA
role. Typically, roles in the project team include project managers, developers/engineers, quality
assurance, data analysts and other business analysts in the organization. It is likely that you will be
providing lots of information to individuals in these roles, so it will be important to understand what
matters most to them. As team structures may vary from project to project, it may not be practical get
this information from every team member, so insight from a few key players may be appropriate. It’s
worth noting that in order for this to be most effective; you must understand the roles and
responsibilities of these roles as well.

There are various approaches to gather information on expectations. It can be through simple
conversation, scheduling focus groups or even sending surveys via e-mail. If there are multiple
business analysts in the organization, get them involved as well to make it a team effort. It will also
be beneficial to get approval and buy-in from your leader and leaders of the peers that you are
eliciting this information from. Their support will increase the likelihood that you will get a useful
feedback, especially if a head-up is provided. Leadership will also appreciate that you are being
proactive and have a concern for the best interest of the company. Please understand that this is
NOT a BA wish list from the people you work with. A business analyst is not a yes-man. This is
simply an effort to understand needs and set expectations. If there are things that your peers believe
the BA should be doing that you do not agree with, it is our responsibility to discuss the concerns
and come up with an agreed upon solution. All of the feedback won’t apply to every project as
business analysis activities are generally applied based on the context of the individual project.

PERFORM BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Once you’ve gotten exposure to the BABOK Guide (the broad view of a business analyst), gained
some organizational knowledge, obtained the expectations of your leader and peers (your
organization’s view of a business analyst), and reviewed the lessons learned from previous projects,
you will be ready to analyze your role within the context of your organization. Now you must
synthesize the information to identify what the organization needs from you as a business analyst.
This information should provide insight into the desired roles and responsibilities of the business
analyst and identify opportunities for improvement in the business analysis process. They key here
is to uncover gaps in the current process, resolve existing conflicts and uncover areas where you
can add more value. The output of this analysis should be a well-defined job description for yourself
as a business analyst in your organization. This may include items such as key business analysis
activities, BA responsibilities, BA deliverables or BA performance measures. The items included will
vary based on your specific objectives for defining your role. To optimize the impact of this new role,
share your discoveries with your leader and ask him or her to share with their peers so that you can
get buy-in from influential individuals. This will also give them a chance to provide any feedback on
what you’ve outlined. Setting these expectations won’t solve all your problems as a BA but is likely to
reduce conflict and make things easier for down the line.