Greetings!
I have been an IT Trainer for 12 years and am currently an in-house trainer in a large international law firm. I would like to move into the BA field but I have a couple of questions:
1. What is the best way to study the Business Analysis book (by James Cadle et al) with a view to taking the ISEB Foundation in BA? All the terms are new to me and I'm finding it hard to know which parts to focus on.
2. I would like to stay with my current firm and move into a BA role. As far as I can see, there are currently no BAs in the organisation. How can I make the transition from Trainer to BA within the firm?
I'd really appreciate any advice you can give me.
Many thanks
Dan Penn
Hi Dan,
I don't have an answer to your first question, but I'll take a stab at the second.
Based on my prior experience working with IT Trainers, I typically find that they have a deep knowledge of the organization's business applications and a good understanding of the business processes that leverage those applications. Because you are training new users on the system, you are a bit of an expert. I'm going to assume that's also the case for you!
Does your company enhance the business applications or change the business processes? I will assume yes. If so, how does that work happen today and who is involved in making these decisions. This answer should point you to the person or persons in your company who are performing the business analysis activities, or lack thereof.
Then, as you look at the process for how changes are made (and, I again I am making an assumption here that as the trainer you are part of the end of this process in helping train the employees on the new or enhanced systems) then what are the pain points? Are there frustrations in the connections between the business users and the IT changes? Is there a lot of rework due to misunderstood requirements? In those pain points is where you'd start to make a case for a more formal BA role within your firm. Or, if those pain points don't exist, then who is responsible for the relative success? As you find that answer you might find your BA under a different title.
You might also check out my free e-course on this topic: http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/enewsletter-sign-up/become-a-business-analyst-free-course/
Best,
Laura
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