Sunday, February 22, 2009

What Qualities a Business Analyst should possess.

A good Business Analyst is creative, a people person. Someone wanting a more hands on approach to business and problem solving. The good Business Analyst will look for opportunities to grow and learn. He or she will listen attentively to what others are saying. The good Business Analyst is like a walking encyclopedia about the company he or she works within. They will know people from every department.

What makes a good business analyst is the ability to listen to what is being said and hear what is not. The good business analyst can read into the meaning of stakeholders words. He or she can understand the needs being expressed when the stakeholders do not always know what they are. The good Business Analyst will be able to determine if the requests from stakeholders or end users are viable. In some cases they are not and it is up to the business analyst to inform what can be done versus what is wanted.

A good Business Analyst is a
visionary, a creative thinker, and innovative. He or she is fun to work with and carries a positive attitude.

To summarize, a good Business Analyst must possess following qualities.

1) Quality of a Business Analyst may include some
degree in technology.

2) Another quality a Business Analyst should have is the ability to be
comfortable in the board room as well as in front of the drawing board.

3) Another best attribute for the Business Analyst is being
able to supply options. He or she will know what is available and from whom.

4) Being
open minded is a good quality for the Business Analyst.

5) A Business Analyst should be
able to analyze the attributes of another individual. He or she can show that person where their expertise can help a project.

6) A Business Analyst should possess a quality that allows him to
look into the future to see where business and technology are going.

There are times when services from outside sources may be utilized by the business. The business analyst is trained to understand the importance or lack of need for these sources. He or she can determine the most cost effective way to use the sources. The business analyst may find directing the designated tasks to in-house departments more beneficial to the company. This is part of researching the project proposal. The Business Analyst is to determine the most cost effective way to reach the goal and still succeed with a bottom line net profit. Learn more about the roles and responsibilities of a Business Analyst.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities of the Business Analyst


Business knowledge: The Business Analyst should have some background knowledge of the subject to make the requirements gathering efficient, although it is not always a must and depends highly on the complexity of the project.

IT knowledge: The Business Analyst should understand what the company information systems can and cannot do. A skilled business analyst does not need to have a deep technical knowledge but should have some general knowledge of network, operating systems, hardware capabilities, database concepts, and the System Development Life Cycle and project methodology.

Interpersonal and communication skills (both written and verbal): The Business Analyst should be a great communicator and diligent team member. Because she or he has to liaise with various business units to gather requirements and resolve different business issues.

Data collecting skills: The Business Analyst should know what data do the company currently have and need to be carried over into the new systems or analysis around what can be achieved with a new system by projecting previous figures of a successful project on the business.

Analytical and problem solving skills: The Business Analyst needs to have the ability to assemble, analyze and evaluate data and to be able to make appropriate and well-reasoned recommendations and decisions to support the Business stakeholders and the Project team. The Business Analyst should also be able to analyse the feasibility of requirements in terms of efforts, inputs, time, and costs. Identify and resolve issues

Ability to understand and document business processes: The Business Analyst should be able to recognize, analyze and map processes, model and improve business process and anticipate future state.

To summarize, qualities and skills of a Business Analyst are:


A good Business Analyst will be one of the best assets a company or organization can invest in. Finding a Business Analyst with these qualities is like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

Learn more about roles and responsibilities of a Business Analyst.