Hi Everyone!

I would like to know what exactly is a carrer path of BA. May be it starts from Junior BA to Senior BA an then what? Is the next level a Project Manager or some profile related to "Operations"? Pls give a fair idea of what will be the career options after being 5 yrs in the BA field.

Thanks.

- Garima 

Garima,

There is no single path that the Business Analyst follows, but if you intend to start in a Junior BA role and move up the ranks here is one such possibility.

1. Junior Business/Systems Analyst (approx. 0-3 yrs exp)
2. Business/Systems Analyst (approx. 2-7 yrs exp)
3. Senior Business/Systems Analyst (approx. 5-10 yrs exp)
4. Business/Systems Analysis Lead - Team Lead, managing small pieces of the project (approx. 7-12 yrs exp)
5. Business/Systems Analysis Manager - Manager of all analysis for the entire project( approx. 10-20 yrs exp)

Note, these ranges are intentionally overlapping.

These are just approximations from my own experience at several companies.  The amount of time and experience it takes to move from one level to another will vary based on the organization you work for and your own ability and motivation to push yourself and learn as much as you can.

A few additional things to consider.  Many analysts feel that after a Sr. Business Analysis role you move into project management.  I think this understanding is flawed.  All Business Analysts should have solid project management skills that they employ everyday.  Sure Project Managers will be even more specialized but I think this is more of a lateral move. 

Now, often when people throw out the term Project Manager they are referring to the person who has ultimate authority over the entire project including analysis, development, testing, integration, etc.  Really this should be referred to as something else.  There are many terms that are thrown around interchangeably such as Program Manager, Project Executive, or Project Owner.  Of course, these terms are also used to imply other roles as well.