In my experience as a business analyst, manager of business analysts, and now trainer of business analysts, there are certain qualities that set high-performing business analysts apart. These qualities make them highly coveted by managers …
As a business analyst, you want to create the best documentation and models possible. But focusing too much on perfecting those documents early on is actually a big mistake I see a lot of business …
I have coached a lot of incredibly talented professionals and almost every one of them have moments (or days, weeks, months, or even years) of self doubt. It’s normal and natural to feel nervous, especially …
As Bridging the Gap introduced the Applied Certification in Business Analysis™, which you can earn when you participate in The Business Analyst Blueprint® certification program, we’ve been receiving a lot of questions about the ACBA, …
Discover the keys to boosting your confidence, enhancing mental clarity, and unlocking your full potential as a business analyst. In this video from an exclusive LinkedIn Live session we delve into the transformative world of …
Unlocking Your Potential as a Business Analyst: Harnessing the Power of Essential Oils
It’s all about data these days and in this video, Laura Brandenburg explores the key differences between business intelligence and business analyst roles. If you’re looking for a career that’s high in demand, has immense …
The Difference Between Business Intelligence and Business Analyst Roles
Project Managers and Business Analysts are two roles that are often intertwined and sometimes confused. While similar, they have distinct responsibilities and skill sets. I recently hosted a LinkedIn Live with project management expert, Elizabeth …
Navigating the Interplay between Project Management and Business Analysis for Project Success
Becoming a Lead Business Analyst is a significant step in your career. It means more authority, more responsibility, and more impact. If you’re curious whether or not you are prepared for a Lead Business Analyst …
Looking to take your career as a business analyst to the next level? Wondering how a Functional Analyst role can fit into your career path? There is a lot of confusion in the industry about …
Hybrid roles are becoming more of a reality in today’s workforce. You may be a business analyst while also taking on other roles like becoming a project manager, tester, product manager, or even a developer. …
Today we’re going to answer a question that comes up quite often, and that’s what technical skills a business analyst needs to be well-positioned in the job market and to be able to have detailed …
These Are the Top Technical Skills that Business Analysts Really Need to Know
As you explore job roles, are you curious about the difference between a business analyst and a subject matter expert (SME)? Are you unsure if your skills qualify you as a subject matter expert or …
What is the Difference Between a Subject Matter Expert and a Business Analyst?
Whether you’re learning about business architecture for the first time or dreaming of ways to grow your BA career into a business architecture role, my conversation with Whynde Kuehn will help you discover the value …
The product manager role and business analyst role go hand in hand. Many product managers get their start as business analysts, and as a product manager, you can expect to work closely with a business …
The Difference Between a Product Manager Role and a Business Analyst
As a business analyst, I’m focused on creating positive change for my organization, and ensuring my work adds value and increases the return on investment for projects.For those unfamiliar with business analysts, or who have …
As a business analyst, it’s not uncommon for me to get way over-invested emotionally in my projects and my work. I’m guessing a lot of you have a similar challenge. In today’s world, we are …
How to Protect the Emotional Investment You Make in Your BA Work
Not sure where to focus your professional development efforts? Find ideas for expanding your business analysis experience and leveraging the opportunities available in your organization.
One of the most common challenges I see in the business analysis profession is a struggle to help stakeholders understand the value of the BA functions on any type of project, and, quite honestly, gaining …
An Introduction to Business Analysis and the Business Analyst Process Framework
I’m often asked about the difference between business analyst and systems analyst roles. In reviewing job profiles, the roles can seem very similar. In this quick video, I describe how both roles are defined so …
What is the Difference Between a Business Analyst and a Systems Analyst?
Business analysts will often find themselves in “information overload” mode. On a new project, with new stakeholders, in a new business domain, it’s not uncommon to be on the receiving end of new terminology, new …
4 Strategies to Manage Information Overload as a New Business Analyst
Are you wondering if you’d be qualified for a Senior Business Analyst position? Or perhaps you’ve been a business analyst for a while, and you are wondering how you can get promoted to a Senior …
What does the business analyst career ladder look like? What should your business analyst career path be? Discover what steps you can take to solidify your business analyst career.
Discover the most critical business analysis skills for new BA – including core skills, business analysis skills, soft skills, and skills that can be required for specific types of BA jobs.
Hi, I’m Laura Brandenburg from Bridging the Gap, and we provide online business analyst training and certification programs for business analysts who are looking to start and succeed in their business analyst careers. If you …
I’m writing this post on May 26, 2020. It was just over 2 months ago that the U.S. shut down international flights and schools started being cancelled country-wide due to COVID-19. For the first few …
Helping Business Analysts Survive and Thrive Through the Pandemic
As we see increased unemployment, today’s organizations are figuring out how to do more with less resources. If you have survived a layoff, or even if you are dealing with increased organizational pressures to deliver …
These times have certainly shifted our perceptions of security. What felt so certain – so secure – a few months ago, feels anything but today. This is actually a huge opportunity to see the truth …
So many are working from home right now, and it can be a challenge to focus on “heads down” type of work. I share 3 concrete strategies for staying focused as well as look at …
There is no doubt that these are challenging times and a lot of people in our community are facing hardships right now. But there is also an immense amount of opportunity. Organizations need business analysts …
There’s no doubt that these are challenging times and a lot of people in our community are facing hardships right now. But there is also an immense amount of opportunity. Organizations need business analysts now …
What this Pandemic Shut Down Means for You and Your Business Analyst Career
With one company after another announcing mandatory work-from-home policies with the COVID-19 events, you might be working from home this week. Many professionals in our community have never worked from home before or facilitated a …
Working from Home as a Business Analyst – Coaching Session Replay
Wondering what the next step is in your career? Overwhelmed by all the options and feeling stuck? Here are 2 quick questions that will help you get more clarity about what your next step looks …
Hundreds of business analysts have learned and applied the Bridging the Gap Business Analysis Process Framework to make their BA work more effective and successful. And I’ve been receiving lots of questions about how this …
The Origin of the Bridging the Gap Business Analysis Process Framework
We all have dreams we want to achieve. But often we allow our limiting beliefs to get in the way of taking action to achieve our dreams. Here’s a quick way to flip the reasons …
Confidence is a belief – it is a belief in yourself and your ability to achieve a specific result in your life and your career. In my work helping business analysts, I see a lot …
I was honored to be one of the featured speakers at Penny Pullan’s Business Analysis Summit. The topic was Innovation and I specifically answered questions about our innovative learning model at Bridging the Gap, and how we help mid-career …
Innovation in Learning – Leveraging the Real World in Training to Create Success
In September 2018, our family evacuated for Hurricane Florence. We are so grateful to be home safe and sound, and dealing with just minimal damage. So many lost everything. I finally had a chance to …
If you could solve one challenge in your business analyst career, what would it be? What’s holding you back from more success? Tell me where you are at in your career by leaving a comment …
What’s one challenge you are facing in your business analyst career?
When organizational change (or any sort of external industry factor) looms, it can feel like our career paths are constricted. The reality is that when you know this one specific thing, you’ll see these changes …
How to Handle Organizational Change and Get What You Want Out of Your Business Analyst Career
Today we have a super quick, but super high-impact tip for you – and it will help you achieve more success in your business analyst career almost instantly! For those who like to read instead …
How to Almost Instantly Achieve More Success in Your Business Analyst Career
In a recent webinar, one of our community members asked this powerful question: I have been in a BA role for over 8-years and recently changed organizations and I am finding that I am not …
How to Catch Up on Technology and Skills in a New Organization
The best business analysts consistently update and upgrade their skills, to add even more value to their organization and achieve better business outcomes. As an online provider of training to business analysts, one of the …
This question came to us from our Facebook page. When you have multiple projects and multiple business analysts, how do you structure your team and work assignments? Like so much in BA, it depends. The …
This question comes to us from Marie, who is a business analyst manager and often has people in her organization approach her for help getting started in business analysis. She wanted to know how to …
Succeeding as a business analyst takes more than just knowing all the right questions and techniques. It also requires getting your mindset right – this is what is called the inner game. I also share …
Business analysts create positive change, make our organizations more efficient, and help us add more value to our customers. If you’ve been frustrated by your lack of opportunity in your business analysis career, this is …
I firmly believe that once you are a business analyst, you are always a business analyst. However, it’s easy to fall into a role where you are no longer doing traditional business analyst work, and …
Business process modeling is used by BAs and non-BAs alike to create lasting change in organizations. It’s how we actually make our ripple effect as business analysts. Today we get specific as I’m sharing 3 examples …
As business analysts, we find it really hard to communicate our value. And we often feel under-valued and under-appreciated. In reality, our ripple effect is huge. You know when you throw a stone in a …
A lot of business analysts face challenges getting recognized for their value, and as a result, get cut out of important project work. Instead of doing the critical work to solve bigger problems for their …
The business analyst’s toolbox is chock full of dozens of business analysis techniques. Here is a list of 65 business analysis techniques that are useful to know about. Not that you would use every technique …
I’m often asked about my opinion on the new Entry Certificate in Business Analysis™ (ECBA™) from the International Institute of Business Analysis™ (IIBA®), and whether it’s a good investment of time and energy. At Bridging …
Way back before I was a BA consultant, and before I started offering BA training at Bridging the Gap, I was in a director-level role leading a department of business analysts, project managers, and quality …
If you are relatively new to the business analyst profession, you might be wondering if you are actually doing things correctly. The business analysis process appears to be so nice and neat and linear until you …
In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, let’s chat about the luck of a business analyst. Because every once in a great, great while, you might actually get lucky as a business analyst. Here’s what …
Happy Valentines’ Day! This year my daughter went ALL OUT on her Valentine’s Day cards for her pre-school class, using stickers, stamps, and even some glitter to make each card unique and then carefully writing …
We’ve been talking this week about how to get past barely managed chaos using a project portfolio management process. I won’t lie. It’s a lot of work to make this happen. You, personally, need to …
No matter that we business analysts get labeled by an almost dizzying array of job titles, we also can get some fancy nicknames. In the spirit of keeping it light this week, let’s look at …
During my first months as a business analyst, life was filled with a sort of inner turmoil. Even though I had books on how to write requirements documents, had received individual mentoring on putting together …
4 things I would have liked to have known before I started my BA career
While business analysis as a collection of activities has been around for decades, preceding even the introduction of the International Institute of Business Analysis™ (IIBA®) in 2004, business analysis, as a discipline, has evolved significantly during …
A Historical Look at the Business Analysis Profession (2009-2014)
While it would be natural to assume that an IT Business Analyst works on technology systems, the IT Business Analyst job description is necessarily expanding beyond the “IT” component and into the “Business” component, and that …
The IT Business Analyst – 4 Ways the Job Description is Expanding
There has been a lot of discussion lately about the impact of the Project Management Institute (PMI)® new Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)℠ certification on the business analysis profession and what it means to the Certified Business …
At work, how you invest your time can lead to significant business analysis career success … or equally significant failure. No matter how disciplined your organization, there will always be time crunches and there will …
When you begin evaluating training providers, you’ll find a variety of acronyms are used to describe how you can leverage the training programs as part of your certification and re-certification goals. These acronyms often get …
When you find yourself in the market for a business analysis certification, you’ll quickly discover that you have many choices. One question we receive again and again is whether to pursue the CBAP or CCBA. …
Many on the path to starting business analyst careers find themselves in organizations with no business analyst role. In this situation, the question becomes, do I need to seek a new BA job outside my …
How to Get Your Organization to Create a BA Role (Just For You!)
Editor’s Note: I’m honored to have long-time Bridging the Gap author Doug Goldberg back to finish the CBAP Diary he started sharing here back in 2010. Congrats to Doug!! A long time ago, back when …
Diary of a CBAP Seeker: Passing the CBAP Exam the Second Time
The 2013 Building Business Capability Conference, sponsored by the International Institute of Business Analysis™ (IIBA®), proved to be a setting where the future of business analysis was discussed not only with enthusiasm, but also with …
Next Generation Business Analysts – The Opportunities In Store For You (Insights from BBC 2013)
Are you exploring a business analysis career in an agile software development environment? Are you concerned about keeping your business analysis skills relevant in an increasingly agile world? Would you be interested in learning how …
Secrets of Successful Agile Analysis: How to Make Your Business Analysis Skills Indispensable
So often in my work with new business analysts, we have a conflict of perspective. I see someone as successful (say because they had discovered that in their list of transferable skills, they were well-qualified for …
One thing that I’m confident that readers of this site will agree on is that good quality business analysis can add significant value throughout a project’s lifecycle. But let me ask you a question. Have …
You might hear others say that business analysts are difficult people. In fact, if you’ve been around for awhile, you’ve heard me say it. Are BAs difficult people? Or, to look at the question differently, …
Career transitions can are full of uncertainty. You hit roadblocks; you work around them. You don’t hear from anyone for months then you get 5 interviews in one week. You plug along adding value, getting …
We’ve discussed how building business analysis experience is how you show you have the BA mindset and crack the egg. You might be comfortable asking for permission later (and if you are, go to it!), …
Want to Take on a BA Task? 3 Things Your Boss Needs to Hear You Say
Our grocer recently introduced pasture-fresh eggs from a local farm and I’ve been eating a lot of eggs lately. Fresher eggs than I’ve ever had on a regular basis in my life. The kind you’d …
How to Expand Your BA Experience Even if You Aren’t a Business Analyst
You finally find a job as a business analyst! You start your new job with high energy. But then days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months. One day you wake up and realize …
4 Surprising Reasons Your First Business Analyst Job Doesn’t Turn Out Like You Expect
Reader’s Question: I have been working in the medical and spa industry for over 10 years. It seems every position I have involves some BA type duties from rewriting policy and procedure manuals to doing …
Ever wondered how the BABOK Guide matches up to real business analysis experience? The BABOK is brilliant at breaking down the possibilities of business analysis and providing a route for a wide variety of project types to move …
Perhaps even more than planning for elicitation, planning the business analysis approach will set a mature business analyst apart from the crowd. The purpose of ‘Plan the Business Analysis Approach’ is to select an approach …
The BABOK Might Not Be a Methodology, But the BA Still Needs One (BABOK 2.1)
As I prepared for my CBAP exam, one of the big areas of contention was the use of exam simulators. At first, around week 3, I found them to be very helpful in gauging whether …
Laura’s CBAP Journey: Looking back on the CBAP Exam Simulators
I arrived at the exam center 30 minutes early. It was a beautiful Colorado fall day that felt more like late summer. The exam center was on a community college campus, so I was surrounded …
Laura’s CBAP Journey: Putting a “C” in my “BAP” (Week 12, Part 2)
Just a quick post to ask you to send me good vibes. Today is the day I sit for the CBAP. Around 1 pm MST, I’ll be at Red Rocks Community College here in Golden, …
While we might all agree that a great business analyst does not need to have technical skills, in the sense that they don’t need to write code or create software programs, in today’s world an …
Up until this point, I’ve been taking sample CBAP exams by knowledge area. These are great because they help me determine if I understand a particular knowledge area or not. But they are obviously limited since …
Laura’s CBAP Journey: Taking the Full Practice Exam (Week 11)
Two weeks to go until exam day and in the nitty gritty of my BAMentor prep course (with my super-amazing instructor, Kym Byron). Last night we went over some of the key techniques in Requirements …
Laura’s CBAP Journey: The BABOK Makes So Much Sense When…. (Week 10)
I will try not to make this another rant. But the harsh truth is that I am frustrated. I’m a reasonably intelligent person. I have historically been a good test taker. Yet, CBAP preparation questions …
Laura’s CBAP Journey: I’m Smart, Why Do I Feel So Stupid? (Week 9)
Here’s a note from one of our readers who has made an important career decision and is seeing the positive results of that decision. Laura, I wanted to let you know that your article on …
I can’t believe it’s been 8 weeks since I announced my decision to sit for the CBAP. Thanks to all of your support and encouragement, it’s been an incredible journey so far. But now I …
How many of you have gone through the CBAP application/handbook only to get overwhelmed by the CBAP application – especially the part where you need to provide your work history details? I am sure several …
This journey has had its ups and downs. Like any new venture, it started with buoyancy – or maybe better, that feeling you get when you are heading up the first big hill of a …
Laura’s CBAP Journey: Settling into a Study Rhythm (Weeks 6/7)
I picked up the habit of skipping introductions in college. Most often college-edition novels and philosophical works, of which I read plenty, contained the editor’s reaction to the text. It never made sense to me …
Laura’s CBAP Journey: Reading the Introduction to the BABOK (Week 5)
Sometimes our intentions behind our work differ from the way they are perceived by stakeholders. And while we’d like to think that our work’s intrinsic quality and our business analysis skills are all that matters, …
Full Confession I was almost a complete slacker this week. I spent just an hour or two on Wednesday progressing against this week’s goal, which was to work through (and maybe finish) the techniques section …
Michelle asks: Could you provide tips to not appear ‘meek’ in interviews and during your first days on the job? When I start a new job I’m usually quiet while I listen and gather information. …
As I mentioned last week, my major goals for week 3 were as follows: Submit CBAP Application Initial Absorption of Solutions Assessment and Validation Exam simulation for the above and BA Planning and Monitoring There’s …
Laura’s CBAP Journey: The Difference Between Getting It and Being Exam-Ready (Week 3)
First I want to start out by saying a big thank you to everyone who left a comment on last week’s post about starting my journey to becoming a CBAP. Your support and encouragement is …
Laura’s CBAP Journey: Finishing the Dreaded Work History Section (Week 2)
You may have seen some LinkedIn updates or Tweets from me indicating that I’ve made a big decision. I’ve decided to go for the CBAP. While we already have some amazingly great posts on becoming …
So you are thinking about taking the plunge and working with a career coach or mentor to help move your business analysis career forward. What can you expect? What can you do to get the …
Reader question: My past 25 years of work experience has been in the not-for-profit sector, in both program work as well as various IT roles. A part of this work that I have enjoyed very …
Is There a Place for Business Analysis in a Non-Profit Organization?
Reader’s question: Can you share your list of free webinars that offer PDs? Let’s start by defining our terms, because there can be a lot of confusion when it comes to professional credits towards your …
If you are fortunate enough to have a clear picture of your professional vision in your head then you’ve already made significant progress toward achieving your goals. Most of the effort remaining ahead has to do …
Patience & Persistence Part 1: How I Moved from the HR Department to Business Analyst Intern
Are you considering a potential business analyst position or a job offer and wondering if it’s the right choice for you? Are you interviewing for a job and want to know what questions to ask so …
Reader Question: I was a project manager for 25 years, but for the past 4 years I have been involved in software QA and Process Improvement as a consultant for CMMI and other standards. I’ve …
Does My Experience in Process Improvement Prepare Me to Be a Business Analyst?
Professional networking is an important skill that offers many benefits. It enables you to stay in touch with your peers and other professionals, and is a great way to keep up-to-date with the latest tools …
When working with new and even some very experienced business analysts, I often receive the following questions about the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK®) Guide: Should we use the BABOK process? Do I need to understand …
A reader asks: I have been a developer, and from there moved to doing business analysis. I would call myself a Business Systems Analyst, and love that role. Is becoming an Architect a suitable progression …
Is Solution Architect a Good Career Path for a Business Systems Analyst?
Reader Question: Some BA jobs require SAP experience, but how do you get it if you don’t have it? Eric’s Response: Many BA job posts require applicants to have some kind of experience about specific …
As business analysts it can seem difficult to go “up”. Many organizations do not have a senior business analyst career path and have limited lead or manager roles to grow into. Another way to move up is …
Reader question: Is it a trend that BAs see the project manager role as a natural progression of the BA career path? I have recently took on a role of a BA Lead and held …
Is Project Management the Next Step in a Business Analyst Career?
Reader Question: I am working at a rapidly growing company as a BA. Sometimes I really find it hard to catch my stakeholders and other interested parts at their places and to make an appointment …
Job descriptions are a key element of our organizational lives. More often than not, our job descriptions don’t accurately reflect what we do. As managers of business analysts, it’s important to continuously re-evaluate the roles …
Are you preparing for your annual performance review? Are you wondering what kind of conversation you should have with your manager about what you accomplished this year and your career goals for the coming year? …
Reader Question 1:How easy or how difficult is it to move from one domain to another? For example, if a BA wants to move from finance domain to health care domain (and vice versa), what …
Do all BA jobs require industry expertise? What do I do if I don’t have it? Should I apply to jobs even if I don’t have the expertise they are looking for? We tackle these questions head on.
We are looking for possibilities through the lens of the user. Editor’s Note: This relationship started when I queried on Twitter for some help planning a usability study. Leslie Shearer led me to Patrick Quattlebaum, …
What a BA Should Know About the UX Profession: Interview with Patrick Quattlebaum
Yes, we want to find work we enjoy. But as a mid-career professional, you probably have a certain set of salary requirements too. Will a career in business analysis satisfy them?
Are you wondering what a business analyst does? Do you find conflicting definition of a business analyst job role in different job descriptions? Or perhaps even among different employees with the same job title in …
Are you wondering what it takes to make the move from business analyst to enterprise analyst? Dr. Laura Kesner and her colleague BA</span><span style=”line-height: 1.5em;”> have expanded the business analyst role in their organization and leveraged …
BA Success Story! Becoming an Enterprise Analyst – Dr. Laura Kesner, CBAP
As Business Analysts, we are professional change practitioners. We are experts in the field of “change” and should expect to add maximum value to the organisations we work for. To be effective in this role …
Why do we see technical skills in business analyst jobs? We know that to be a business analyst, you don’t have to be an IT person. But this truth doesn’t resolve what many experience in the job …
Are you interested in earning your CBAP® but not sure where to get started? CBAP® stands for Certified Business Analysis Professional™ and is the International Institute of Business Analysis™ (IIBA®) Level 3 certification. Professionals with …
You might be doing a great job, but does your manager know it? Do they recognize your contributions and would you be among the short list of people they think of for exciting new projects …
Author: Adriana Beal In my previous article for Bridging the Gap, I wrote about the importance of right-sizing your initiatives to get beyond a career plateau as a business analyst. A reader left a comment …
Reader Question: Hi, My manager asked me to define KPI for the business analyst job. I’ve tried do to some research but everybody seems to have a bit of a problem around this. Do you …
Author: Adriana Beal It’s common for me to receive emails from business analysts who are feeling frustrated with their current situation at work, all related to the same theme: the limited business analyst role they …
Many business analysts are looking to “go out on their own” and are thinking of contracting or consulting. Either option is a great way to increase your income, flexibility, and gain valuable experience across a …
What is the Difference Between a BA Contractor and a Consultant?
Reader Question: I just realized that what I love to do and have always done best is business analysis. But I am a civil engineer, have no desire to be in IT. I know I …
One of the biggest problems in the business analyst profession is that people expect us to be the experts. Over time, as we grow in a role within one organization, we build more domain knowledge …
Mark Jenkins and I had the opportunity to chat a few months back while he was Manager, Business Analysis at Websense. He has since taken on a new role on the other side of the …
Building a Mature Business Analyst Practice: Interview with Mark Jenkins
Author: Adriana Beal John Davis writes: We’ve been looking at IAG’s BA Benchmark 2009 that deals with the impact of poor requirements practices on project and organisational success. Short of hiring a company such as …
Reader: I had a question for you and would really appreciate your insight into this. I have 5 years of experience in IT and a very good balance of development (.NET framework) and core BA …
How to Plan the Move from Technical Analyst to Business Analyst
Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself. I had the opportunity to speak personally with Durga Patil, a business analyst with L&T Infotech. Durga has been …
Durga Patil on Being a Business Analyst in the Insurance Domain
Editor’s note: This week we are tacking the tough question of industry experience. I hold that you should only apply for jobs for which you are qualified and many BA jobs in specific industries require …
How Do I Break into the Financial Industry with No Industry Experience?
Do you ever wonder “what’s next?” on this path you are on? Considering a career in business analysis and want to know what options it will open up for you long term? When it comes …
What’s next? What Careers Can I Explore with My Business Analyst Experience?
Today we start a new decade. While in the broader scheme of life and happiness, this is just one other moment passing us by, it does provide a logical time to take stock of where …
What were you doing a decade ago? What will you be doing a decade from now?
As opportunities within business analysis continue to expand, many professionals are considering independent business analyst consultant roles. At Bridging the Gap, we focus on helping mid-career professionals build the foundational business analyst skills that are …
Nothing is worse than starting a new job with a set of expectations and you don’t know what they are. When you transition from one role to another, how do you set-up the person taking …
How to Build a Transition Plan: 4 Steps to Onboarding a New Business Analyst
Author: Adriana Beal In discussions about the role of the business analyst, it is common to see professionals insisting on the importance of “going beyond requirements” when describing the BA work. These analysts argue that …
The initial meetings with a stakeholder can be nerve-wracking. Oftentimes projects come to us for “analysis” with very little detail. It can feel like everyone else knows more and is better prepared. Yet we, the …
Author: Adriana Beal One of the topics that appear to be on the mind of many business analysts lately is the expansion of the business analysis role. How can a BA make a difference in …
We often pine about the challenges of the being a BA. We are a relatively new profession. Our body of knowledge, while amazing, is new and not well understood. Few of us have a steady …
Some stakeholders are just better at helping us do our jobs. While some people carry on and get distracted by any sort of new, cool idea that makes its way into your conversation, others stay …
Do you have a clear idea of what success looks like as a business analyst? It’s not an easy question to answer. Here are my thoughts for evaluating a business analyst’s success within an project …
Let me share a story with you. I started my first BA job by transitioning from a QA engineer role into a BA role. I had acquired deep system knowledge. I knew how the system …
Is Your Strength Grounded in System Knowledge or Business Analyst Competencies?
The last couple of posts about the collaboration between Business and IT have revolved around the active reaching out from one side or the other to engage the other team. Much of the commentary described …
Improving software processes by engaging the business stakeholders
You can logically argue that software requirements save time, save money, and increase the return on your technology investment. I believe all these things to be true, not because I’ve done any quantitative study, but …
Most of the time, most business analysts are exceptionally busy and can’t even think about adding another task to their task list. But every once in awhile, you find yourself in between projects or at …
What To Do When You Are In Between Projects: 10 Ideas That Add Value to Your Organization
