Business Analyst – First time when I heard this word while working for banking operations, I was really curious to know more about the role behind this word. One fine day, I was introduced to a person by my senior manager and was told that I need to explain him on the processes which we were doing in the banking operations. I initially thought this explanation is going to be a cake walk for me, as working monotonously for more than 6 years on the same products and operations team and teaching being a passion and almost all the new joiners have been trained by me, I was thinking that explaining the person wouldn’t be a big challenge. Conversation began with me explaining him on the entire operational flow of funds transfer and mutual funds. Later, he shoot me with his questions (there came the darker side) on the end to end flow or rather life cycle of a funds transfer or Mutual funds. That was the time, when I realized that I have limited myself to a certain level of learning, thinking that it is the whole process by itself and I have way more to learn than I could imagine. I was so fascinated by the way he was asking queries to me, as none of those, I could answer at that moment, but answered with a smile that I will let him know by the next week, hearing this, he left for that day. Out of curiosity, I asked my senior manager, who was that person who was literally interrogating me with his questions to which I was totally blind-stuck. He said he is a Business Analyst who has come for understanding the entire process that is being followed, so as to provide ideas on improvement of the processes. Trust me, that was the first time, I know that even Banks hire Business analysts.
Next week, I was well prepared to answer all his queries he asked me the previous week, I had went beyond my level to understand the complete flow touching base with front office, middle office and even within my operations team. I could answer all the queries he asked, as I myself had understood the entire flow of funds transfer and Mutual funds, not only from operations point of view, but the end to end life cycle. He was happier that he got all his requirements. This time I asked him directly “Sir, what should I do to become like you?” he smiled and said “You have already become one when you were able to answer all the queries I asked, as you have the answers, it is just that you need to convert your answers to questionnaires, so keep on asking “How”, “Why?”, “What” & “Where” like “How sooner you can complete this if you do like this”, “Why we need this process”, “What is the risk the Bank would face if this is done this way”, “Where is the data coming from””. That was the day, when I started transforming myself from a role of a Manager doing routine operational work to a Business Analyst who understands the end to end flow of everything across he was working, to put it in the Matrix words, I became the ONE who already know the answer to the question which I am going to ask.
Now that I have become a business analyst, thinking that only asking questions to the answers which I already know will make me a successful one in that field, proved later that my assumption was completely wrong and there is way more to be done on that role than what I was thinking.
So, let’s see what you are expected to be doing practically while working as a business analyst in a next article