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Jul
25
Written by:
adrian
7/25/2007 9:53 PM
Business Systems Analyst as a Career Option
If you are an IT professional in India, thinking of working abroad, you might want to consider a business/systems analyst position.
Why?
It’s a position in high demand with high earning potential and which can serve as a great foundation for moving up the corporate ladder into management or business operations.
In Money Magazine’s Best Jobs in America list for 2006, the Computer/IT Analyst career was ranked 7th, out of 50 best jobs, with a 10-year job growth of 36.10%.
In their “Best Careers 2007” report, US News and World Report lists 25 professions that will continue to grow in demand. With the advent of outsourcing, it is not surprising that the software engineer or web developer professions are NOT on the list - however systems analyst is.
All industrialized nations are heavily outsourcing the programming of software to other parts of the globe such as Russia, India, China, Eastern Europe, and South America.
While there’s still demand for developers, of course, the information economy has created an ever increasing need for business analysts and systems analysts.
As a matter of fact, the very outsourcing of programming jobs has caused a spike in the demand for business systems analysts. The increase distance between the business stakeholder and the programmer has created an increasing need for higher quality and more precise analysis artifacts such as requirement documents and functional specifications.
In addition – in a more an more competitive economic landscape business organizations continue to strive to improve their business processes and reduce costs. Business analysts are at the center of most of these initiatives.
So are you ready to make the move?  Before you take the plunge, you should do a quick self assessment to determine if the business analyst role might be a good fit. You’re probably a good candidate if:
- you don’t want to spend the rest of your career in front of a monitor debugging code,
- you love to talk to people and socialize,
- you not only love to talk to people but you are actually a good communicator,
- you are good at organizing information in a structured and concise manner for others to consume,
- you want to, and are able to, grasp the big picture,
- you are fascinated by how companies actually make money, about the business systems and processes in place.
OK… so if you still think that business systems analysis is for you, then let’s take a quick look at what you need to begin a career as a business/systems analyst.
For starters, if you are a developer you already have a great advantage:
- you think in a structured manner,
- technology is not magic but something you actually understand,
- you are most likely used to working in a variety of industries,
- lack of detailed business knowledge causes you to ask very relevant “why” questions,
- you know how to talk to the technical side, and
- you probably have already been reviewing artifacts created by the business analysts.
So what’s next?
If I were forced to pick the top two skills or abilities that a BSA must have I will always pick strong communication skills and analytical (structured) thinking.
Communication Skills
The first thing you need to focus on is communication skills. No matter how good your communication skills are you can always learn more. This is a must have skill for the business systems analyst.
If you are assessing your abilities and trying to figure out which aspect of communication to work on next, here are some areas to consider (pick the one in which you are the weakest and run with it):
- ability to verbally communicate your thoughts and ideas to others and make yourself understood,
- ability to understand others and to ask relevant questions which cause the other party to give you the information you are looking for,
- ability to write clearly and in a concise manner (when creating analysis artifacts - less is more)
Analytical/Structured Thinking Skills
The next thing is structured (logical) thinking… this is one of those aptitudes which, at some level, I almost want to categorize as “you either have it or you don’t.” However I haven’t yet found conclusive evidence to support my claims – not yet.
So for now, work on improving your analytical and problem solving skills as without them, you will fail as a business systems analyst or, at best, you will be a technical writer with a BA title.
If you are assessing your skills in this area you might want to consider focusing on the following:
- techniques which help you organize your thoughts or the facts about a given problem,
- methods of making a problem more manageable such as: divide and conquer, abstraction, problem solving patterns,
- formal reasoning skills such as: propositional reasoning, identifying and controlling variables, suppositional reasoning, etc.
For more details check out Mind Tools, a good resources of ideas and techniques to improve your analytical and structured thinking skills.
Keep on Learning
While I would argue that a software developer/programmer with strong communication skills and great analytical/structured thinking can easily land a business/systems analyst job, there numerous other abilities and skills you should develop if you plan to make business analysis a long-term career.
Here are some things to think about:
- Requirement Elicitation Methods – as a business analyst you will be eliciting requirements from the business stakeholders therefore it will serve you well to become familiar with various requirement gathering techniques such as: end-user interviews, job shadowing, questionnaires, etc.
- Vertical domain knowledge – if you are interested in a given industry (ex: mortgage banking, pharmaceutical, etc.) or if you already have previous experience in a given industry you should consider beginning your business analyst career in that industry. Of course – learn as much as you can as the more you know about a given business domain the more effective you will be as an analyst.
- Knowledge popular modeling techniques (activity diagram, sequence diagram, data flow diagram, workflow/process flow diagram, etc.)
If you have questions or feedback on this topic or to ask any questions you may have related to getting started as an analyst – visit the Business Systems Analyst Forums part of the Modern Analyst Community.
Tags:
23 comment(s) so far...
Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
Great post. So, is structured thinking innate or learned. Well, probably it's a bit of both like everything else in life. But I would have to say that I have seen people learn to think in a more structured manner over time.
My degree is in engineering, and one of the things that I noticed most was the change in the way first year students approached problems compared to fifth year students. After 4 years of classes and studying under their belt the fifth year students were able to break down complex problems and solve them in a more structured way than the first year students. This wasn’t a difference in technical knowledge, but rather a difference in their thinking and problem solving techniques.
I’ve also seen it in the Business Systems Analyst field. I’ve watched junior analysts who struggle with structuring problems grow over time and develop the vital ability to approach complex problems in a structured manner. What caused this transformation? It was an intent focus on the diagrams and artifacts that accompany our profession. By learning how to create use case diagrams, activity diagrams, decision tables and more, and applying these analysis tools as often as possible, analysts begin to transform themselves. Soon, they find themselves applying the same types of tools to everyday situations when they need to structure information in their head.
So can structured thinking be learned? I think yes! But if you don’t have it naturally it often takes years to develop, and only with an intent focus on the learning the diagrams and methods found in an analyst’s toolbox.
By cadams5 on
7/27/2007 7:52 AM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
Great post! Even in Australia, the demand for BAs is growing rapidly. I am sure that this will be the case for the next 10 years as well, well may be even beyond that but I dont want to predict for that long because IT industry is very dynamic. Good thing abt this area is that its not locked or limited into a specific educational qualification or stream of experience. So, the opportunity is open for so many! So, why not take it up?
By Yasas on
7/31/2007 7:12 PM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
There's a huge fundamental problem with this post/proposal: First, it assumes as do 99% of us in America wrongly, that all Indians are actually good developers let alone BAs. Just because someone is Indian, He/She isn't automatically IT bound. Assuming that the person is a good coder, does that automatically make them a BA? Hardly. This is the mistake that many companies, including one where I was a V.P before the .com bubble, continue to make. BA is about COMMUNICATING CLEARLY. Indian coders are neither good writers nor clear speakers. Let's be honest, we can't understand them half of the time. If you think I'm a racist you'd be wrong. I've hired many qualified indians and unfortunately some not so qualified. What I mean here is they were fakes. Yes. Great looking resumes. Answered all the questions well but were terrible BAs. Why? Because there's a new industry run by indians offering "training classes". They teach these guys how to be a BA in 3/4 week-ends!!! We're talking about people who've never even worked in IT. They then give them a great looking resume. Yes call it resume mills. They then go memorize books about methodologies, etc. This is where I go back to hiring people that ace the interview but suck once you bring them in. They have the theory but not the practice. In the last 2 years I've seen about 12 indian BAs walked out of companies for getting caught for this type of fraud. This obviously is costing companies 100s of $ millions considering that 99% of these BAs are H1 contractors at a cost of around $90/hr. It is then ironic that we welcome these fraudsters with open arms, get them H1 visas and everthing else just because they've managed to feed us the notion that if you're indian you're an IT genius. While we want to deport the Mexicans who are making $5/hr and aren't taking high paying jobs from Americans through fraud. So from somone who's worked with many Indians, here are the facts: in the Ba arena, if they're American born or came here at an early age, they can make great BAs regardless of their background. Generally speaking, let's be honest: coders of any race are usually loners and have no personality. If you're a BA and you're telling me that personality doesn't count in this field, I can only guess that you're a former coder.
By Brelmoi on
8/11/2007 5:19 PM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
Hi Brelmoi! Thank you for your comments! Since I wanted to provide more details I posted my reply in the forums. You can see the thread at: http://www.modernanalyst.com/Community/Forums/tabid/76/forumid/16/threadid/70/scope/posts/Default.aspx
By adrian on
8/12/2007 2:19 PM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
This post is fatally flawed, coders do not make good BAs.
The BA needs to be able to think laterally and use initiative to be able to relate to the needs of the customer, most developers think in a structured and way to solve a well defined problem.
The other issue I have with this post is that most Indian IT staff I have employed are great if you clearly define the parameters of their role and what you expect them to do but show a distinct lack of initiative. I assume that this is a cultural issue and is caused by the Indian education system, my number one requirement when I am looking for a good BA is someone who will question everything, not someone who will do as they are told.
By Steve on
9/26/2007 12:55 AM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
Thanks for insight in to BA's skills. As the assembling tools for programming gains potential, certainly need for BA's will boomup in the current decade. Get ready to ask 4 whys and 1 how to become a good BA. Technology and understanding of technology is not a matter for BA's where as domain expertise will become mandatory.
By TR on
12/9/2007 8:24 AM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
Hi,
I need some expert advice. I am working as a System Anals with Oil industry company. I have 10 years of experience in Applications Development and System Analysis .
What is the best BA certification recognized by employers AND universally?
Looking for advise from everyone....... Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Abdel Karim
By aamoora@adco.ae on
12/17/2007 12:37 PM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
Great thought but Ironically its not that easy as it sounds like. To be a BA one need to have strong domain knowledge which i dont think a developer can have. Developers are always sqeezed by the limited knowedge and technical deliveries.
Specially to grap BA position in US required hardcore business knowledge with atleast 2-3 yrs of exp in the same role.
Please post if anyone aware of any certifications/trainings. I know www.theiiba.org but its not feasible to do certification from India.
Looking advice
¬Nishant
By Nishant Jain on
1/30/2008 7:19 AM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
1. The person whose job it is to analyze the operation and data of the business to develop a business solution.
2. A specialist who analyzes business needs and problems, consults with users and stakeholders to identify opportunities for improving business return through information technology, and transforms requirements into a technical form.
3. For securities insurance financial services legal IT and real estate professionals and corporations Maintain the data dictionary DD Modify existing and From Workplace Diversity.
4. A business analyst (BA) is responsible for analyzing the business needs of their clients and stakeholders to help identify business problems and propose solutions, using the discipline of business analysis. ...
By Vinay on
5/23/2008 10:45 AM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
Hi,
I am having 1 year Exp in Software Development. I am facinated with the work BA people do. I was involved in a similar kind of role for a big project, but as soon as that project got over,I was moved to development. I want to be in BA domain. what should be my next steps. Plz help. Thanks in advance.
By Adarsh on
5/30/2008 10:08 AM
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How can I become a BA when I don't have IT background?
Hello everyone,
Please guide me. I have retail banking and stock broking back ground. I want to become BA. This is so because the company I am working for is a startup and I got to do lot of Business Analysis, Gap analysis, UAT etc.
I am very strong in communication, both oral and written.
Can anyone guide me
By Vasudeo on
8/7/2008 10:42 PM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
All this is fine...
But is anyone sponsoring your required H1 ??
H1 as u may be aware are real in short in supply. So there goes off your baloon.
By Who is getting the H1 ?? and Where on
8/16/2008 7:15 AM
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Certifications for B.A in India ?
I am developer in Mainframes ( Very old technology ). I am tired of it and I want to get a certification in BA. I am in India. Can you please suggest me how should I go about it ?
By Prabhu Ram on
9/15/2008 6:33 PM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
The bes thing to do is go back to school and get a certificate/degree in business analysis. It would be hard to just jump from one profession to the other without any training or experience. Training is something you should be able to get with no problems.
By adrian on
9/15/2008 6:34 PM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
The bes thing to do is go back to school and get a certificate/degree in business analysis. It would be hard to just jump from one profession to the other without any training or experience. Training is something you should be able to get with no problems.
By adrian on
9/15/2008 6:38 PM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
what about business analyst scope for marketing i.e for M.B.A, what is the demand of business analyst marketing in abroad........plz comment
By dips on
12/11/2008 7:23 AM
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How can I become a BA, with US Insurance Domin (ITES)?
I am working as a SME (Subject Matter Expert) with 4+ years of Exp. in US healthcare Insurance Domin. Do we need to get a certification in BA. I am in India. Can you please suggest me how should I go about it ?
By Anand on
12/22/2008 11:29 PM
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business analyst training
i have done my m.sc. in economics (majored in econometrics) with a first class degree and want to make my career in business analytics. not being an mba and being a fresher it is next to impossible to find a job in analytics. plese someone tell me what kind of training can help and the name of the institutions. it would be a great help.
By sayanti on
12/22/2008 11:29 PM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
hi...i have 2 years of development expereince in IT industry...i have very strong communication skills both written and oral.i have now taken a break as i want to enter the field of business nalysis.i have tried to understand the basic job profile and undergone training for requiremnt gathering tools and UML, but iam unable to find a entry level BA role.Please help.is my decision to swtich to this carrer wrong? Iam not interested in developing application any more.Moreover it interestd me to find solution to case studies etc.
By niraj on
3/3/2009 10:20 PM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
When i first got into my role as a business analyst 4 years back, i thought i have all thts needed to be a BA. And with each day passing, i learned that the most important skill you need to have, other than having very clear technical vision of what the end product will be like, is to have continuous learning habit. All the time, at all the places, you should be learning from whatever you are into. You should be a quick learner, you got to be very very good and precise at putting up your queries or writing down your conclusions, and of course, you should have confidence on your conclusions.
A good article posted by you Gravator, and conclusions like "All software engineers can become good BA" should not be a conclusion derived from your article. Had been the software engineers so wise-heads, there wudnt have been so many bugs around, all the time. Lol.
By anilp78 on
3/3/2009 7:54 AM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst
Hey, all this seems like an unfamiliarground for me.. well im a Vet by qualification, working for a Pharma company in the Exports div, am into sales , marketing, etc...is this business analysis going to add to my skills??? can some one help me...
By pady on
5/5/2009 10:36 PM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
Yes it will... espcially if you are not doing the work of the Vet but doing business development. You are now engaged into the business side of the industry and having a good understanding of business analysis would allow you to improve the sales, marketing, and operational processes used by the company.
By adrian on
5/5/2009 10:37 PM
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Re: From Developer in India to Business Analyst Abroad
I am working as Senior Sales Executive in Media company and have space selling experience can anyone help me please how to go ahead with BA as career option...no technology background.BA skill set require analytical bent of mind and strong communication that i have learnt with my exp but nothing related to IT skill set.
By Eshprit on
6/12/2009 12:21 AM
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