What is a business analyst?
A business analyst, often abbreviated as BA, is a missing link between stakeholders and the development team. A business analyst in the tech sphere performs a data-driven evaluation of the business procedures and organization and clarifies business requirements to communicate them as actionable tasks for developers so that they build the software product in accordance with its envisioned value and mission.
What does a business analyst do in software development?
A software business analyst doesn’t participate in development directly. Yet, he or she communicates the conclusion from data analysis with everyone engaged in the business (stakeholders, employees, etc.) and gives practical recommendations on bettering the performance.
Business analysts evaluate the strategic business requirements and mediate management and production, in order for the final product to meet these needs.
That’s what business analyst responsibilities in a job description for an IT business analyst can look like:
- indicating and solving common business issues,
- finding ways to improve the company’s growth,
- assisting the team in overcoming technical challenges,
- establishing cooperation, and
- projection and budgeting.
IT business analyst skills and qualifications
The requirements for a business analyst correspond to the business analyst’s role and responsibilities. This person is deeply engaged in the company’s inner workings, product development, and internal interaction.
So, what skills does a business analyst need to work in a tech company?
- analytical thinking,
- decision-making,
- oral and written communication,
- organization,
- accuracy and detail-orientation, and
- basic IT skills
A technical business analyst can work in a tech branch even without a professional background in IT, as they often don’t need to go beyond the basic understanding of this branch and its products. However, it’s not uncommon that an expert IT specialist assumes the business analyst role, even without specific business analyst skills.
The role of business analysts in software development
The role of a business analyst doesn’t boil down to managing data and paperwork and enhancing cooperation between team members. He or she also gets involved deeper in the business structure and concrete procedures.
So, in a software development enterprise, the roles and responsibilities of a business analyst also encompass clearing up the business concept on different levels, bringing the development workflow in line with business requirements and strategic objectives.
The BA makes sure that the whole team has the same outlook for the final product, helping them work quicker, more efficiently, and error-free, which makes an IT business analyst an important part of the software development team.