Hi, I have been in the IT industry for 10 years inclusive of 4 years BA experience. I have experieces that range from working with government department and financial industry. Most times than not, I have been in front of the computer in the office.
My question is: Are there jobs available to BAs where there is a more hands-on where you are able to visit the site and have an appreciation of what is being done rather than being confined to the office environment?
If there is, which industry would that be in?
Thank you.
Theres
Hi Theres,
Business Analysts are supposed to be out there observing the business in action. Unfortunately in many projects, the business units designate certain folks to be SME (subject matter experts) and asks the BA to interact only with the SMEs so that they can control what is being asked by the business and to reduce any potential loss of productivity for the folks on the front line. Not a good situation.
If you want to get more face-to-face contact with the customer you should consider some of these options:
- Adrian
Hi Adrian,
Thank you for your feedback. I have just recently moved from a consulting firm to a company with an IT department. I did not realise that I would miss the varity that the consulting firm offered. However, it was a good move for me because I thought it was time to get a better understanding of one industry instead of being moved around often as it was the case with the consulting firm.
Please excuse my ignorance, but what does COTS mean?
Thanks again.
Theres.
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=COTS+definition&btnG=Google+Search&meta=
I agree with Adrian, working with SMEs only constrians the project. If at all possible see if you can visit or observe the process. eg. I've been at a parcel depot at 4:30am to observe the dispatcher assign pickup and delivery jobs to drivers. I've been to a female prison once to observe the processes - that was interesting. Being a BA can be adventurous, so just ask the user. If they cant accommodate you, do it on your own time; but make sure you have the right authorizations.
All the best.
warm regards,
K
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