Can anyone tell me what type of experience I will have in the Data Analyst field? As a Business Analyst, I was often times pulled in many different directions and had to change my functional documents and drawings so many times that it cut into my deliverable deadlines. I am trying to find out which type of Modern Analyst position is better.
Analyze that,
One of the reasons for being pulled all-over-the-place is the lack or absence of a clear "scope". Simple! So next time, rather than complying with additional "scope creep", refer these requestors to a "scope" document that management has signed off.
Another reason for having to change documentation is you may be working in one of these newer methodologies where the notion of close-enough-is-near enough is sufficient. Now you'd be very ticked off if you've created beautifully coloured diagrams in Visio and have to change them every time. So pick a tool that allows you to change diagrams easily and that also "generates" the documentation.
And yet another reason might be , the "understanding" issue. Many a BA whould err on the side of "I understand everything after one or two interviews". A good BA might have to go back to the user 4-5 times and validate his/her understanding. Its therefore far better to use pen and paper to draw your diagrams whilst the user is in front of you. They'd have a chance to feel comfortable that you understand their requirements; and if you dont understand, just throw the paper in the bin and start again. Young BAs get really ticked off when their beautiful Visio drawing and prose are rejected, which is not a bad thing because its best to get the requirements RIGHT than having to do lots of rework at the backend once the system has been purchased or written.
Data Analysts suffer the same issues above, except your models would be a bit more static! But without a proper "scope" document, and without confirming your understanding of the"ask" you'd be just as ticked off because data requirements also change constantly.
Hope this helps.
warm regards,
K
In their effort to extract, scrutinize and portray data, a data analyst utilizes a wide array of skills including but not limited to data mining skills, database skills, knowledge of IT, analysis capabilities and presentation skills.
You can expect the following responsibilities as a Data Analyst :
Almost 2016 and I found this post to be outstanding. Thanks for taking the time to post this.
Kind regards
Patrick
Hi.
I also found the list of what data analyst skills looks like very useful.
Could you expand that topic to also include courses or skills needed to become a Data Analyst (in a pharma world, for instance)? I am Business Analyst but I find that with Big Data and the need for data analysis becoming greater, I want to be able to extend business analysis skills to include data analysis. My initial thoughts are that I may need to get up to speed with Statistics. Thank you.
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