How to Become a Business Analyst

What is a business analyst?

Business analysts work with organisations to help them improve their processes and systems. evaluate past and current business data with the primary goal of improving decision-making processes within organizations.

How to become a business analyst?

You can do a degree or postgraduate qualification in business information systems, business management, computing and systems development, and computer science. 

You could also do a college course, which may lead onto more advanced qualifications or a higher apprenticeship, or help you to get a trainee position with a company. Courses include:

  • A Level in ICT
  • BTEC Extended Certificate in ICT
  • T level in Digital Production, Design and Development
  • Higher National Certificate in Computing

For apprenticeship, you could start by completing Level 4 IS business analyst or Degree apprenticeship in project management.

Business analyst duties

Business analyst duties are diverse and depend on the employer and specialty, but some responsibilities are common to most:

  • Lead ongoing reviews of business processes and developing optimization strategies
  • Staying up-to-date on the latest process and IT advancements to automate and modernize systems
  • Conduct meetings and presentations to share ideas and findings
  • Perform requirements analysis
  • Document and communicate the results of your efforts
  • Effectively communicate your insights and plans to cross-functional team members and management
  • Formulate ways for businesses to improve, based on previous research
  • Run workshops and training sessions

Business analyst skills

To be an effective business analyst you’ll need certain skills and competencies. The following are often cited in job vacancies:

  • Advanced technical skills
  • Excellent documentation skills
  • Fundamental analytical and conceptual thinking skills
  • business management skills
  • Flexible and open to change
  • Ability to use your initiative
  • Customer service skills

How to find a business analyst job:

These jobs are advertised online, in local newspapers and at your local jobcentre. To find all the business analyst jobs near you, you need to:

  • Search for business analyst jobs on popular job websites such as; Indeed, Total Jobs and CV Library
  • Use the DWP’s Find A Job Service
  • Check local newspapers and local Facebook groups, especially groups dedicated to local jobs

What does a business analyst do?

The job of a business analyst varies depending on the job role and the company you’re working for. Check the duties and responsibilities of business analyst job advertisements to find jobs that best suit your skills and experience. 

The day-to-day tasks of a business analyst include;

  • speak to managers to find out their business needs
  • investigate business processes to see what they do and how they do it
  • analyse findings and use data modelling methods to help recommend changes and improvements
  • explain the potential impact, benefits and risks of your recommendations
  • agree the best way to implement recommended changes
  • oversee testing and quality checks of recommendations
  • support staff making changes
  • document and report on change process

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