Today we look at the final three of our interpersonal Business Analysis Competencies. It is worth noting that there are many other skills that could be deployed by a Business Analyst to become successful, so continuous learning and awareness of industry trends is important for maintaining a fresh set of skills.
Analytical Skills and Critical Thinking
By definition, the role of a Business Analyst is very much underpinned by their ability to analyse business situations. This means that at the very least, the Business Analyst should be able to gather and synthesise relevant information in order to solve problems or make decisions. Successful analysis involves digging deep, finding and bringing to surface the things most people miss or take at face value and then drawing meaningful conclusions from it. They must do all this with an open-mind.
Analytical skills work hand in hand with critical thinking because to get to the right conclusions they must question and challenge. Ask questions like why, who, when, where, what, how and every other question in-between. It is not sufficient to just ask and note answers. The Business Analyst must be prepared to challenge or question further to uncover all that lies beneath, whether that is status quo or tacit knowledge. From the answers, the Business Analyst must be able to interpret, infer and explain a variety of situations, draw conclusions and influence the required outcome.
Attention to Detail
It is perhaps fair to say that attention to detail also works hand in hand with analytical skills. Regardless of what task is at hand, a successful Business Analyst must be able to deploy the right combination of their cognitive resources to complete the task at hand. This is because tasks will vary in the level of detail required and the business analyst must be able to determine how best allocate their resources to accomplish the task at hand. They must be able to determine when attention to detail is required and apply that attention.
Professional Development
Ever heard the saying “The only constant is Change”? The world is moving fast and change is a challenge that businesses have to respond to and manage well. Consequently the Business Analyst needs to stay abreast of developments that might impact the domain they operate in. This can range from technology to political developments. They must be knowledgeable about the domain or segment within which they work and understand the business/commercial language there. This will enable the Business Analyst to communicate effectively with stakeholders, make good judgement and be able to question or challenge effectively. In addition, the Business Analyst must have a sound understanding of the range of technologies that can support or disrupt businesses in that domain. This is very important for solving problems and offering solution options.
I hope you enjoyed this series as much as I have enjoyed creating it. Hopefully it gets some you thinking about areas where you have skills gaps that need to be filled. Reach out to me on Linkedln or Instagram if you would like to explore any of the competencies I have discussed.
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